Saturday, January 18
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
2 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
Buffalo
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
CMU Welcomes Perennial MAC Power Buffalo For Saturday Showdown
1/17/2020 5:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – A big road win, and now a battle with one of the Mid-American Conference heavyweights.
After posting a 74-67 victory at Toledo on Wednesday, the Central Michigan men's basketball team is back at McGuirk Arena on Saturday (2 p.m.) to square off against Buffalo, which has won four of the last five Mid-American Conference Tournament championships.
Where They Stand
CMU is 10-7 and is tied for first in the MAC West with Ball State at 3-1. The Chippewas are scheduled to entertain the Cardinals on Saturday, Jan. 25 (4:30 p.m.).
Akron is in first place of the MAC East at 4-0. The Zips are the lone unbeaten team in league play.
Home Court Advantage
The Chippewas are 9-0 at McGuirk Arena this season.
Numbers
CMU is third in the country in scoring, averaging 83.8 points per game. They are giving up 75.9 points per game.
Eastern Washington (84.4 points) per game leads the nation, while Gonzaga (87.8) is second.
The Chippewas are shooting the ball at 45.1 percent from the field, good for third in the MAC.
Defensively, the Chippewas are forcing 16.8 turnovers per game, which is second in the MAC and No. 35 in the country. The Chippewas are making 9.4 steals per game, which is second in the MAC and 17th in the nation.
CMU's turnover margin of 4.4 ranks as the best in the MAC and is tied for No. 18 in the country.
Individual Leaders
Kevin McKay leads CMU in scoring and rebounds with 15.4 points, which is eighth in the MAC, and 6.1 rebounds per game. His 66.4 percent field goal percentage ranks No. 6 in the country and is first among guards in the NCAA.
McKay is one of four Chippewas scoring in double figures, along with David DiLeo at 13.9, Dallas Morgan at 13.7, and Rob Montgomery at 11.4.
McKay has missed the Chippewas' past two games with an injury.
Devontae Lane leads CMU and ranks sixth in the MAC with 4.0 assists per game. Lane is also averaging 2.2 steals per game, good for second in the MAC.
Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo is 11-6, 2-2 MAC. A notable nonconference win came at DePaul, 74-69. CMU lost to DePaul, 88-75, earlier in the season.
Buffalo started out the conference schedule with losses to Northern Illinois at home, and Ball State on the road. The Bulls have won their last two conference games, the first at Miami (Ohio) and the second at home against Ohio.
The Bulls are averaging 79.4 points per game, good for third in the MAC, and are surrendering 76.6 points per game, which is last in the MAC. The Chippewas rank 11th in the league in scoring defense at 75.9 points per game.
Buffalo's leading scorer is Jayvon Graves at 16.7 points per game, while the Bulls' Davonta Jordan, who is averaging 12.8 points per game, is third in the MAC in assists with 5.5 per game. His 3-point percentage of 41 percent is tied for sixth in the MAC. Ronaldo Segu is Buffalo's best 3-point shooter at 41.2 percent.
Josh Mballa leads the Bulls in rebounding at 9.1, good for third in the MAC. The Bulls average a league-best 41.2 rebounds per game.
"They're a very talented, very athletic team that can beat you in a lot of ways," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "I think we've got to understand that they can be disruptive on the defensive end.
"They can also get out in transition and play an uptempo game. It should be a good challenge for us to once again see a different style … a very talented team nonetheless."
Turning A Corner
Tuesday's comeback win at Toledo was big for the Chippewas, who are 1-7 on the road. Among those losses was a down-to-the-wire 79-73 setback at Kent State three days before the game at Toledo.
"I think we've felt pretty confident that when we got healthy, we were only going to get better," Davis said. "I think we've also shown that we can win games in different ways. We can outscore you, but we can also defend.
"A nice all-around team with depth to play in all areas definitely puts you in a good position as a coach to have different ways to win basketball games."
After posting a 74-67 victory at Toledo on Wednesday, the Central Michigan men's basketball team is back at McGuirk Arena on Saturday (2 p.m.) to square off against Buffalo, which has won four of the last five Mid-American Conference Tournament championships.
Where They Stand
CMU is 10-7 and is tied for first in the MAC West with Ball State at 3-1. The Chippewas are scheduled to entertain the Cardinals on Saturday, Jan. 25 (4:30 p.m.).
Akron is in first place of the MAC East at 4-0. The Zips are the lone unbeaten team in league play.
Home Court Advantage
The Chippewas are 9-0 at McGuirk Arena this season.
Numbers
CMU is third in the country in scoring, averaging 83.8 points per game. They are giving up 75.9 points per game.
Eastern Washington (84.4 points) per game leads the nation, while Gonzaga (87.8) is second.
The Chippewas are shooting the ball at 45.1 percent from the field, good for third in the MAC.
Defensively, the Chippewas are forcing 16.8 turnovers per game, which is second in the MAC and No. 35 in the country. The Chippewas are making 9.4 steals per game, which is second in the MAC and 17th in the nation.
CMU's turnover margin of 4.4 ranks as the best in the MAC and is tied for No. 18 in the country.
Individual Leaders
Kevin McKay leads CMU in scoring and rebounds with 15.4 points, which is eighth in the MAC, and 6.1 rebounds per game. His 66.4 percent field goal percentage ranks No. 6 in the country and is first among guards in the NCAA.
McKay is one of four Chippewas scoring in double figures, along with David DiLeo at 13.9, Dallas Morgan at 13.7, and Rob Montgomery at 11.4.
McKay has missed the Chippewas' past two games with an injury.
Devontae Lane leads CMU and ranks sixth in the MAC with 4.0 assists per game. Lane is also averaging 2.2 steals per game, good for second in the MAC.
Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo is 11-6, 2-2 MAC. A notable nonconference win came at DePaul, 74-69. CMU lost to DePaul, 88-75, earlier in the season.
Buffalo started out the conference schedule with losses to Northern Illinois at home, and Ball State on the road. The Bulls have won their last two conference games, the first at Miami (Ohio) and the second at home against Ohio.
The Bulls are averaging 79.4 points per game, good for third in the MAC, and are surrendering 76.6 points per game, which is last in the MAC. The Chippewas rank 11th in the league in scoring defense at 75.9 points per game.
Buffalo's leading scorer is Jayvon Graves at 16.7 points per game, while the Bulls' Davonta Jordan, who is averaging 12.8 points per game, is third in the MAC in assists with 5.5 per game. His 3-point percentage of 41 percent is tied for sixth in the MAC. Ronaldo Segu is Buffalo's best 3-point shooter at 41.2 percent.
Josh Mballa leads the Bulls in rebounding at 9.1, good for third in the MAC. The Bulls average a league-best 41.2 rebounds per game.
"They're a very talented, very athletic team that can beat you in a lot of ways," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "I think we've got to understand that they can be disruptive on the defensive end.
"They can also get out in transition and play an uptempo game. It should be a good challenge for us to once again see a different style … a very talented team nonetheless."
Turning A Corner
Tuesday's comeback win at Toledo was big for the Chippewas, who are 1-7 on the road. Among those losses was a down-to-the-wire 79-73 setback at Kent State three days before the game at Toledo.
"I think we've felt pretty confident that when we got healthy, we were only going to get better," Davis said. "I think we've also shown that we can win games in different ways. We can outscore you, but we can also defend.
"A nice all-around team with depth to play in all areas definitely puts you in a good position as a coach to have different ways to win basketball games."
Players Mentioned
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