CMU Men Open CBI At DePaul

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Something to play for.

Not that Central Michigan men's basketball Keno Davis has ever had to worry much about motivation with this group.

Davis' Chippewas will take on DePaul on Wednesday (8 p.m.) in a first-round game in the Roman College Basketball Invitational at the Blue Demons' McGrath-Phillips Arena in Chicago.

"I think this team has always been excited to be able to compete, whether that's in practice, in the regular season, in the postseason, whatever it might be," said Davis, who has the Chippewas playing in a postseason tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. "This team loves the competition. To be able to continue our season, play on the road against a BIG EAST opponent, our guys are excited about that chance."

The Chippewas fell in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Friday to Buffalo, giving a valiant effort before succumbing to the top-seeded Bulls, 85-81, in Cleveland.

CMU, the fifth seed in the MAC Tournament, opened with an 89-81 victory over Kent State, its third consecutive victory.

The Chippewas feature a veteran lineup led by the senior backcourt tandem of Larry Austin Jr. and Shawn Roundtree Jr., their two leading scorers.

"I think our seniors have aspirations of continuing their basketball careers into the professional level, so I think this is another chance for them to showcase what they can do and to continue to use the games to improve as players," Davis said. "It's rewarding for those seniors to be able to play in the postseason, but it also tries to help set the tone for the following year.

"We'll always be trying to raise the bar and playing in the postseason four out of the last five years is a nice accomplishment. Hopefully, there's more to come in the future."

DePaul is 15-15 and finished 7-11 in the high-profile BIG EAST, where it competes with the likes of defending national champion Villanova, Marquette, Butler and Saint John's.

The Blue Demons lost six of their final eight games, capped by an 82-74 loss to St. John's in a BIG EAST Tournament opener.

DePaul is led by Max Strus, a 6-foot-6 senior guard who averages 18.8 points per game. Paul Reed, a 6-9 sophomore, is averaging a BIG EAST-best 8.1 boards per game. Strus was the fourth-leading scorer in the conference.

CMU's 23 victories ties for the most in Davis' seven years in charge of the program and the Chippewas have posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the mid 1960s.

The tournament field comprises 16 teams and games are played on campus sites. The CMU-DePaul winner will play either Southern Mississippi or Longwood on Monday, March 25.

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Players Mentioned

Larry Austin Jr.

Shawn Roundtree Jr.