Chippewas Open Home Stand Saturday Versus Ohio

GAME PREVIEW
• Central Michigan (16-8, 5-6 MAC) returns home to open a two-game home stand, beginning Saturday, Feb. 16 when it hosts Ohio (11-12, 3-8 MAC) in a 4:30 p.m. intradivisional matchup at McGuirk Arena.
• The Chippewas held a 15-point first-half lead at Bowling Green but could not maintain it and fell, 79-72, on Tuesday, while Ohio lost its fourth straight, dropping a 66-57 decision at home to Eastern Michigan in its last outing.
• Central Michigan currently resides in second place in the MAC West standings, three games behind frontrunner Toledo. The Chippewas are in position to serve as the No. 6 seed for the MAC Tournament with seven regular season conference games remaining.
• Central Michigan owns a 10-2 record at home this season, including three victories in MAC play, while Ohio is 2-6 on the road in 2018-19.
• CMU possesses a 31-46 record in the all-time series versus Ohio and has won six-straight over the Bobcats.
• A year ago, CMU swept the season series with Ohio, dominating the Bobcats, 75-50, at home before winning 101-98 in double overtime in Athens.

CHIPPEWAS TO WATCH
• Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. leads CMU and ranks No. 5 in the MAC in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game. The three-time MAC West Player of the Week also ranks first in the MAC in assists (5.6) and second in steals (2.3).
• Senior guard Shawn Roundtree Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (16.1 ppg), assists (78) and 3-pointers (46). He scored a season-high 26 points at Buffalo and 20 points against Bowling Green, marking the second time he has posted back-to-back 20-point games this season. Roundtree has scored in double figures in 20 consecutive games.
• Junior forward David DiLeo leads the Chippewas (4th in the MAC) with 65 3-pointers and is fourth on the team in rebounding (5.1 rpg).
• Junior Kevin McKay leads CMU in rebounding (No. 9 in the MAC, 7.2 rpg) and averages 11.3 points per game. He also ranks No. 3 in the MAC in offensive rebounds (3.2 rpg).
• Junior forward Rob Montgomery has been a force in MAC play, ranking third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game, while collecting 5.8 rebounds.

TRENDING
• Versus Bowling Green, David DiLeo became the 33rd Chippewa in program history to score 1,000 career points. He currently has 1,001 points and is positioned in 32nd place, one point ahead of two-year teammate Josh Kozinski.
• With the win over Western Michigan on Feb. 2, CMU has recorded double-digit wins at home for five consecutive years, totaling 60 during that time frame. CMU is 10-2 in McGuirk Arena thus far this season.
• With CMU's next win, the Chippewas' fifth consecutive .500 or better season will be guaranteed, the program's longest such streak since the early 1970s.
• If CMU should win four more games this season, it would mark the first time since the mid-1960s (1965-66, 1966-67) that the Chippewas' would post back-to-back 20-win seasons.
• Currently with 55, Larry Austin Jr. is on pace to break the Central Michigan single-season steals record, held by Dave Grauzer (63, 1978-79). He is currently in eighth place on the list.
• Austin is also close to making an appearance on the CMU single-season assists list. Currently with 135 and averaging 5.6 per game, he needs 20 to move into the top 10.
• Shawn Roundtree Jr. currently moved ranks tied for ninth place on the CMU career free throw percentage rankings (80.8%).
• David DiLeo resides in fifth place on the CMU 3-pointers rankings with 225 for his career. He also ranks fourth on the career attempts list (601).
• DiLeo is having a career season from the field. He is shooting .436 overall and .417 from 3-point range, both career highs.

SCOUTING OHIO
• Led by five-year head coach Saul Phillips, Ohio enters Saturday's matchup with CMU mired in a four-game losing streak, which has included double-digit road losses at Northern Illinois and Miami (Ohio).
• Ohio is led by redshirt sophomore forward Jason Carter and sophomore guard Teyvion Kirk.
• Carter leads the Bobcats' in scoring (16.3 ppg) and is second on the team in rebounds (6.9 rpg).
• Kirk averages 14.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and leads Ohio in steals with 37.
• Senior forward Doug Taylor, one of three Bobcats to start all 23 games this season, scores 7.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg).
• Transfer junior guard Antonio Cowart Jr., who plays nearly 28 minutes per game, averages 6.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
• Redshirt freshman forward Ben Vander Plas (8.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 35 3-pointers), senior guard/forward Gavin Block (6.8 ppg, 37 3-pointers) and freshman guard Jason Preston (5.3 ppg, 67 assists) have been key contributors in 2018-19, with each averaging 22 or more minutes per game.

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIPPEWAS
• Central Michigan will wrap up a two-game home stand on Tuesday, Feb. 19 when it welcomes Kent State (18-6, 7-4 MAC) to McGuirk Arena for a 7 p.m. game.
• The Golden Flashes are in sole possession of third place in the MAC East, two games behind leaders Buffalo and Bowling Green.
• Kent State has won three of its last four games and hosts Eastern Michigan before visiting Mount Pleasant.
• Kent State is led by the MAC's leading scorer, senior guard Jaylin Walker (22.9 ppg), senior guard Jalen Avery (11.9 ppg, 85 assists) and junior guard Antonio Williams (10.5 ppg).
• The Chippewas will then start a two-game road swing against MAC West opponents on Saturday, Feb. 23 when they visit Ball State (13-11, 4-7 MAC) for a 2 p.m. game at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Ind.

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Players Mentioned

Larry Austin Jr.

David DiLeo

Josh Kozinski

Kevin McKay

Rob Montgomery

Shawn Roundtree Jr.