Central Michigan University Athletics
Saturday, March 23
SOUTH BEND, IND.
1 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
Michigan State
CMU senior guard Presley Hudson addresses the media on Friday at Notre Dame's Joyce Center.
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Strike Up The Band: Chippewas Ready To Start Dancin'
3/22/2019 6:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CMU opens NCAA Tournament on Saturday against Michigan State
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Enjoy the moment, let it sink in.
And win.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team did all of that a year ago, and now it begins again.
The Chippewas will take on Michigan State on Saturday at approximately 1 p.m. in a first-round NCAA Tournament game at Notre Dame's Joyce Center. The winner faces either Notre Dame or Bethune-Cookman on Monday.
"We're very happy to be here," CMU coach Sue Guevara said. "We're here to compete, we're here to win."
The Chippewas indeed did exactly that last season, when they were seeded 11th in their regional and then knocked off sixth-seeded LSU and third-seeded Ohio State to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history.
The experience of having been there, and done that, will, unquestionably benefit the Chippewas, who are seeded eighth. Michigan State is the No. 9 seed, while Notre Dame, the defending national champion, is the top seed in the region.
"I have a team that's very experienced, that's tasted success in the NCAA Tournament," Guevara said. "We have played games all season long in NCAA-type atmospheres against very, very good teams.
"They don't have the jitters. I don't think this team is caught up in the hype; they've got their hardhats on and they know that it's a business trip and they're here to take care of some business."
Six of CMU's 2018-19 regular-season opponents – Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Quinnipiac, Buffalo, South Dakota State and Central Florida – are also in the Big Dance.
CMU's veteran trio of Presley Hudson, Reyna Frost and Micaela Kelly were starters a year ago when the Chippewas upset LSU and Ohio State. All three, along with their teammates, have proven they have the talent and the poise to play with anybody.
"Each game is a championship game so we don't have to do anything different than we have all year," Hudson said. "We're just going to go in, lock in, and do what our coaches have been telling us to do all year."
Frost and Hudson are seniors and coming to the end of brilliant careers at CMU. They are on the very short list of the greatest to have ever come through the program, and Kelly, a sophomore, would appear to be on a similar path.
None of the three, or any of their teammates, for that matter, are what would be considered blue-chip recruits coming out of high school -- Hudson from Wayland, Frost from Reese, and Kelly from Detroit.
"We have a team full of players who have worked themselves into the positions that they are," Guevara said. "Anybody who has seen us play, or has played against us -- we play really hard. We get after it. I think we're a fun team to watch. That's what everybody tells me all the time, we're fun to watch."
SCOUTING
The Chippewas will have to contend with size and athleticism similar to what they encountered frequently in the regular season with the likes of Miami, Louisville and, in the Mid-American Conference, Buffalo.
Three Spartans, Shay Colley, Jenna Allen and Nia Clouden, average at least 12 points per game. Allen is a 6-foot-4 senior who presents matchup problems because of her size and her ability to shoot from the outside. Colley and Clouden combine with Taryn McCutcheon to form a solid backcourt trio.
EMOTIONS
With the start of the NCAA Tournament, Guevara knows the end is near for the careers of Frost and Hudson. The duo has been at the epicenter of the best four-year run in program history, winning three consecutive MAC regular-season championships, a league tournament title, and, last year, leading CMU to a program-record 30 victories and to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time.
"I try really hard not to talk about Presley Hudson because I cry, and I don't really want to start crying when I'm up here," Guevara said in speaking from the dais during the Friday-afternoon interview session. "Her work ethic, it's second to none, except maybe to Reyna Frost.
"They have really changed the culture of our program."
Frost, the 2019 MAC Player of the Year, is the all-time leading rebounder in MAC history, ranks third in scoring in program history, and has scored 699 points this season, a program record. Hudson, a three-time All-MAC First Team pick, is the school's all-time scoring leader and earlier this season surpassed MSU coach Suzy Merchant in becoming the program's all-time assist leader.
"It's amazing, but it's not just me," Hudson said. "I've had great teammates all four years and I've had great coaches to learn from."
DON'T SLEEP ON TWIN
While Hudson and Frost garner most of the attention and headlines, Kelly has delivered on the promise she showed coming to CMU as a transfer from DePaul prior to the 2017-18 season. She averages 14.3 points per game and is a perfect complement to Hudson in the backcourt.
She's also proven herself a stingy defender.
"I think Twin's definitely an underrated player," Frost said in referring to Kelly by her nickname. "She does a lot of things on the court that a lot of people don't really see, getting those defensive stops and creating certain things for us. I really love playing defense with her, she gives me a lot of energy on defense."
In a testament to the type of player Kelly is, Guevara lauded the sophomore's ability to play big when it most counts, and to pick up the slack against defenses designed to stop Frost and Hudson.
"Twin emerges in the big games," she said.
And win.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team did all of that a year ago, and now it begins again.
The Chippewas will take on Michigan State on Saturday at approximately 1 p.m. in a first-round NCAA Tournament game at Notre Dame's Joyce Center. The winner faces either Notre Dame or Bethune-Cookman on Monday.
"We're very happy to be here," CMU coach Sue Guevara said. "We're here to compete, we're here to win."
The Chippewas indeed did exactly that last season, when they were seeded 11th in their regional and then knocked off sixth-seeded LSU and third-seeded Ohio State to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history.
The experience of having been there, and done that, will, unquestionably benefit the Chippewas, who are seeded eighth. Michigan State is the No. 9 seed, while Notre Dame, the defending national champion, is the top seed in the region.
"I have a team that's very experienced, that's tasted success in the NCAA Tournament," Guevara said. "We have played games all season long in NCAA-type atmospheres against very, very good teams.
"They don't have the jitters. I don't think this team is caught up in the hype; they've got their hardhats on and they know that it's a business trip and they're here to take care of some business."
Six of CMU's 2018-19 regular-season opponents – Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Quinnipiac, Buffalo, South Dakota State and Central Florida – are also in the Big Dance.
CMU's veteran trio of Presley Hudson, Reyna Frost and Micaela Kelly were starters a year ago when the Chippewas upset LSU and Ohio State. All three, along with their teammates, have proven they have the talent and the poise to play with anybody.
"Each game is a championship game so we don't have to do anything different than we have all year," Hudson said. "We're just going to go in, lock in, and do what our coaches have been telling us to do all year."
Frost and Hudson are seniors and coming to the end of brilliant careers at CMU. They are on the very short list of the greatest to have ever come through the program, and Kelly, a sophomore, would appear to be on a similar path.
None of the three, or any of their teammates, for that matter, are what would be considered blue-chip recruits coming out of high school -- Hudson from Wayland, Frost from Reese, and Kelly from Detroit.
"We have a team full of players who have worked themselves into the positions that they are," Guevara said. "Anybody who has seen us play, or has played against us -- we play really hard. We get after it. I think we're a fun team to watch. That's what everybody tells me all the time, we're fun to watch."
SCOUTING
The Chippewas will have to contend with size and athleticism similar to what they encountered frequently in the regular season with the likes of Miami, Louisville and, in the Mid-American Conference, Buffalo.
Three Spartans, Shay Colley, Jenna Allen and Nia Clouden, average at least 12 points per game. Allen is a 6-foot-4 senior who presents matchup problems because of her size and her ability to shoot from the outside. Colley and Clouden combine with Taryn McCutcheon to form a solid backcourt trio.
EMOTIONS
With the start of the NCAA Tournament, Guevara knows the end is near for the careers of Frost and Hudson. The duo has been at the epicenter of the best four-year run in program history, winning three consecutive MAC regular-season championships, a league tournament title, and, last year, leading CMU to a program-record 30 victories and to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time.
"I try really hard not to talk about Presley Hudson because I cry, and I don't really want to start crying when I'm up here," Guevara said in speaking from the dais during the Friday-afternoon interview session. "Her work ethic, it's second to none, except maybe to Reyna Frost.
"They have really changed the culture of our program."
Frost, the 2019 MAC Player of the Year, is the all-time leading rebounder in MAC history, ranks third in scoring in program history, and has scored 699 points this season, a program record. Hudson, a three-time All-MAC First Team pick, is the school's all-time scoring leader and earlier this season surpassed MSU coach Suzy Merchant in becoming the program's all-time assist leader.
"It's amazing, but it's not just me," Hudson said. "I've had great teammates all four years and I've had great coaches to learn from."
DON'T SLEEP ON TWIN
While Hudson and Frost garner most of the attention and headlines, Kelly has delivered on the promise she showed coming to CMU as a transfer from DePaul prior to the 2017-18 season. She averages 14.3 points per game and is a perfect complement to Hudson in the backcourt.
She's also proven herself a stingy defender.
"I think Twin's definitely an underrated player," Frost said in referring to Kelly by her nickname. "She does a lot of things on the court that a lot of people don't really see, getting those defensive stops and creating certain things for us. I really love playing defense with her, she gives me a lot of energy on defense."
In a testament to the type of player Kelly is, Guevara lauded the sophomore's ability to play big when it most counts, and to pick up the slack against defenses designed to stop Frost and Hudson.
"Twin emerges in the big games," she said.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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