Tuesday, March 1
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
7 p.m.
Central Michigan University
7-21,6-11MAC
61
vs
75
Miami (Ohio)
13-17,7-12MAC
1
2
F
Miami (OH)
43
32
75
Central Mich.
23
38
61
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
A Lot On The Line In Friday's MBB Finale
3/1/2022 10:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Turnabout is fair play, and it has put the Central Michigan men's basketball team in a precarious position with one game remaining.
The sluggish Chippewas made just four of their 25 3-point attempts on Tuesday in falling to Miami (Ohio), 75-61, in a pivotal Mid-American Conference game at McGuirk Arena.
The Chippewas are 7-21, 6-11 MAC and in eighth place in the league standings. The top eight teams earn a berth in the conference tournament next week in Cleveland.
CMU goes to Akron on Friday (7 p.m.) needing a win to guarantee itself a spot in the tourney.
"I'm going in (to Akron) to win," CMU coach Tony Barbee said after Tuesday's game. "And I just told the team, 'If you're not coming with me on Friday to win that game, don't get on the bus. Stay here.'
"We'll see who's with me when we show up at Akron."
A week ago, the Chippewas hit 13 3-pointers and won going away at Miami, 83-69. A victory on Tuesday would have clinched a tourney berth for CMU.
"With everything that was on the line tonight, with both teams win-and-you're-in, and our team not being ready to play, that's on me," Barbee said. "We were flat. We were clearly not ready to play from the tip and that starts and that stops with me."
The Chippewas trailed from the get-go and their deficit was 20, 43-23, by halftime. They managed to trim their deficit to 10, 52-42, midway through the second half, but Miami went on a 14-3 run to bump its lead to 21, 66-45, with five minutes remaining.
CMU shot just 35.7 from the floor overall. Miami made nine of its 25 3-pointers and shot 45.5 percent from the field overall. The RedHawks entered the game averaging a MAC-best 9.3 triples per game.
"Of our 25 3's, 25 were wide open," Barbee said. "We made shots at their place, we didn't make shots today. They didn't make shots at their place, they made shots tonight."
Kevin Miller scored 19 points, Cameron Healy had 17, and Harrison Henderson added 14 for the Chippewas.
The Chippewas can still make the tournament with a loss at Akron, but for that to happen, ninth-place Bowling Green would have to lose on Friday at Toledo. Bottom line, CMU needs to beat the Zips to guarantee a trip to Cleveland.
"Definitely got something to prove," said Miller, who had seven assists against the RedHawks. "I know my teammates are going to be hungry to come in and win."
The sluggish Chippewas made just four of their 25 3-point attempts on Tuesday in falling to Miami (Ohio), 75-61, in a pivotal Mid-American Conference game at McGuirk Arena.
The Chippewas are 7-21, 6-11 MAC and in eighth place in the league standings. The top eight teams earn a berth in the conference tournament next week in Cleveland.
CMU goes to Akron on Friday (7 p.m.) needing a win to guarantee itself a spot in the tourney.
"I'm going in (to Akron) to win," CMU coach Tony Barbee said after Tuesday's game. "And I just told the team, 'If you're not coming with me on Friday to win that game, don't get on the bus. Stay here.'
"We'll see who's with me when we show up at Akron."
A week ago, the Chippewas hit 13 3-pointers and won going away at Miami, 83-69. A victory on Tuesday would have clinched a tourney berth for CMU.
"With everything that was on the line tonight, with both teams win-and-you're-in, and our team not being ready to play, that's on me," Barbee said. "We were flat. We were clearly not ready to play from the tip and that starts and that stops with me."
The Chippewas trailed from the get-go and their deficit was 20, 43-23, by halftime. They managed to trim their deficit to 10, 52-42, midway through the second half, but Miami went on a 14-3 run to bump its lead to 21, 66-45, with five minutes remaining.
CMU shot just 35.7 from the floor overall. Miami made nine of its 25 3-pointers and shot 45.5 percent from the field overall. The RedHawks entered the game averaging a MAC-best 9.3 triples per game.
"Of our 25 3's, 25 were wide open," Barbee said. "We made shots at their place, we didn't make shots today. They didn't make shots at their place, they made shots tonight."
Kevin Miller scored 19 points, Cameron Healy had 17, and Harrison Henderson added 14 for the Chippewas.
The Chippewas can still make the tournament with a loss at Akron, but for that to happen, ninth-place Bowling Green would have to lose on Friday at Toledo. Bottom line, CMU needs to beat the Zips to guarantee a trip to Cleveland.
"Definitely got something to prove," said Miller, who had seven assists against the RedHawks. "I know my teammates are going to be hungry to come in and win."
Team Stats
Miami
CMU
FG%
.455
.357
3FG%
.360
.160
FT%
.762
.708
RB
40
33
TO
12
13
STL
3
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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