Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22
Chippewa Men Go To Buffalo On Tuesday
1/25/2021 3:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan men's basketball team goes to Buffalo on Tuesday and then to Kent State on Saturday as it hits the midway point of the Mid-American Conference schedule.
The two games are the last of a four-game road stretch for CMU, which is 6-9, 2-6 MAC. The Chippewas lost the first two of the four, 89-72, at Toledo; and 81-67 at Akron.
Toledo, which is ranked 13th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, sits in first place in the league, while Akron is second. Kent State is fifth and Buffalo is sixth. Those four teams are a combined 34-16.
After the Kent State game on Saturday, the Chippewas will have 10 games remaining in the 20-game league slate. Seven of those games will be played at McGuirk Arena. A date is pending for a home game with Miami (Ohio), which was postponed on Jan. 2.
Tuesday's game is the first meeting this season between CMU and Buffalo; they are scheduled to meet again in Mount Pleasant on Feb. 13.
First Meeting
The Bulls are 6-5, 4-3 and defeated Eastern Michigan, 92-77, last Thursday. Their game at Northern Illinois, scheduled for Saturday, was postponed.
The Chippewas
Despite their 2-6 league mark, the Chippewas have showed encouraging signs, particularly in their last three MAC games, one of which was a 75-64 win over Eastern Michigan.
Travon Broadway Jr. and Meikkel Murray have emerged as consistent scoring threats. Broadway ranks seventh in the MAC in scoring at 17.5 points per game, while Murray is averaging 14.2.
Broadway, a senior in his second year at CMU, has scored 20 or more points five times this season; three of those have come in the Chippewas' last five games and he is averaging 20.1 points over his last four games. He has made 50.8 percent of his field goal attempts in his last four games and scored a career-high 27 points in the Chippewas' loss last week at Toledo.
Murray, a junior in his first year at CMU after transferring from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, had his best two scoring games as a Chippewa last week. He scored 20 points against Toledo and followed with a 23-point effort at Akron. He was a combined 18-for-30 from the floor in those two games. He had a career-high 10 rebounds at Toledo for his first career double-double.
Another first-year Chippewa, 6-foot-9 junior Malik Muhammad, has established himself as a strong post presence, averaging a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game. Muhammad, who came to CMU from East Los Angeles College, has posted two double-doubles in his last four games, and ranks third in the MAC with 14 blocks.
Good Numbers
The Chippewas lead the MAC in free throw attempts and are second in free throws made. They rank sixth and 26th, respectively, among all NCAA Division I teams.
The Chippewas rank second in the league and 23rd nationally in steals per game. Three Chippewas – Devontae Lane, Broadway and Murray – are among the top 10 in the MAC individually in that category.
Scouting
The Bulls lead the MAC in scoring and rank 21st in the nation in scoring at 82.4 points per game. They also lead the MAC in rebounds and rank second in the country in rebounds per game.
Jeenathan Williams, a 6-foot-5 junior, leads the Bulls in scoring and ranks third in the league at 20.1 points per game. He is second on the team in rebounding (8.2 per game) behind 6-7 junior Josh Mballa, who averages 9.1 rebounds per along with 14.3 points.
Two other Bulls, Jayvon Graves (15.3) and Ronaldo Segu (14.7), average in double digits in scoring.
Buffalo averages 3.9 blocks per game and is limiting opponents to a MAC-best .273 shooting percentage from 3-point range. Both numbers top the MAC.
The two games are the last of a four-game road stretch for CMU, which is 6-9, 2-6 MAC. The Chippewas lost the first two of the four, 89-72, at Toledo; and 81-67 at Akron.
Toledo, which is ranked 13th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, sits in first place in the league, while Akron is second. Kent State is fifth and Buffalo is sixth. Those four teams are a combined 34-16.
After the Kent State game on Saturday, the Chippewas will have 10 games remaining in the 20-game league slate. Seven of those games will be played at McGuirk Arena. A date is pending for a home game with Miami (Ohio), which was postponed on Jan. 2.
Tuesday's game is the first meeting this season between CMU and Buffalo; they are scheduled to meet again in Mount Pleasant on Feb. 13.
First Meeting
The Bulls are 6-5, 4-3 and defeated Eastern Michigan, 92-77, last Thursday. Their game at Northern Illinois, scheduled for Saturday, was postponed.
The Chippewas
Despite their 2-6 league mark, the Chippewas have showed encouraging signs, particularly in their last three MAC games, one of which was a 75-64 win over Eastern Michigan.
Travon Broadway Jr. and Meikkel Murray have emerged as consistent scoring threats. Broadway ranks seventh in the MAC in scoring at 17.5 points per game, while Murray is averaging 14.2.
Broadway, a senior in his second year at CMU, has scored 20 or more points five times this season; three of those have come in the Chippewas' last five games and he is averaging 20.1 points over his last four games. He has made 50.8 percent of his field goal attempts in his last four games and scored a career-high 27 points in the Chippewas' loss last week at Toledo.
Murray, a junior in his first year at CMU after transferring from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, had his best two scoring games as a Chippewa last week. He scored 20 points against Toledo and followed with a 23-point effort at Akron. He was a combined 18-for-30 from the floor in those two games. He had a career-high 10 rebounds at Toledo for his first career double-double.
Another first-year Chippewa, 6-foot-9 junior Malik Muhammad, has established himself as a strong post presence, averaging a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game. Muhammad, who came to CMU from East Los Angeles College, has posted two double-doubles in his last four games, and ranks third in the MAC with 14 blocks.
Good Numbers
The Chippewas lead the MAC in free throw attempts and are second in free throws made. They rank sixth and 26th, respectively, among all NCAA Division I teams.
The Chippewas rank second in the league and 23rd nationally in steals per game. Three Chippewas – Devontae Lane, Broadway and Murray – are among the top 10 in the MAC individually in that category.
Scouting
The Bulls lead the MAC in scoring and rank 21st in the nation in scoring at 82.4 points per game. They also lead the MAC in rebounds and rank second in the country in rebounds per game.
Jeenathan Williams, a 6-foot-5 junior, leads the Bulls in scoring and ranks third in the league at 20.1 points per game. He is second on the team in rebounding (8.2 per game) behind 6-7 junior Josh Mballa, who averages 9.1 rebounds per along with 14.3 points.
Two other Bulls, Jayvon Graves (15.3) and Ronaldo Segu (14.7), average in double digits in scoring.
Buffalo averages 3.9 blocks per game and is limiting opponents to a MAC-best .273 shooting percentage from 3-point range. Both numbers top the MAC.
Players Mentioned
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