ESPNU Showdown Highlights MAC Basketball Weekend
MBB Release: https://bit.ly/2FZvrJ8
Updated Statistics: https://bit.ly/2STKuGG
Schedule
Friday, February 15th
Buffalo at Toledo - 7:00 PM ET (ESPNU)
Saturday, February 16th
Miami at Western Michigan - 2:00 PM ET (ESPN3)
Akron at Ball State - 2:00 PM ET (ESPN3)
Bowling Green at Northern Illinois 4:30 PM ET (ESPN3)
Ohio at Central Michigan - 4:30 PM ET (ESPN+)
Eastern Michigan at Kent State - 7:00 PM ET (ESPN+)
What You Need To Know...
• Toledo has won five straight conference matchups and are now 17-0 when holding opponents under a 45.0 FG%.
• Kent State scored a season-high 51 second-half points to break open a close game as the Golden Flashes finished a regular season sweep of Western Michigan on Thursday night.
• Junior forwards David DiLeo and Daniel Utomi both eclipsed the 1,000 point mark on Tuesday for CMU and Akron respectively.
• The MAC is currently ranked as the ninth conference in the nation based on average NET Rankings. (Feb. 13, 2019). Buffalo (24) & Toledo (54) are currently ranked in the Top-100.
Team-By-Team Notes
AKRON
Playing host to a ranked team at home for just the fifth time in program history and the first since the 2006-07 season, the Akron Zips took the fight to the No. 25/24 Buffalo Bulls before falling 76-70. Sophomore guard Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) led the Zips with 20 points, and three others scored in double figures. Junior guard Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) followed with 16 points, six rebounds and a career-high six steals. Daniel Utomi contributed 14 points and five rebounds and became the 45th member of Akron's 1,000-point club Akron is back in action Feb. 16 on the road against MAC West foe Ball State. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.
BALL STATE
The Cardinals are riding back-to-back wins for the first time in Mid-American Conference play and looking for a third straight victory in the series with Akron. Despite its slow start to league play, the Cardinals enter Saturday's action just one game out of second place in the West Division standings. Ball State won both meetings between the teams last year, snapping a 15-game Akron winning streak in the series and sweeping a season series the Zips for the first time since 2004. Junior forward Kyle Mallers led Ball State with a career-high 22 points and a career-best six 3-pointers in last Saturday's win over Western Michigan. He also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds for his third career double-double.
BOWLING GREEN
Through the first 11 conference games of 2018-19, Bowling Green sits in first place in the MAC with a 9-2 league record. Over the last 15 games, BGSU is shooting 40.8 percent (139-of-341) from downtown. The Falcons have shot at least 40.0 percent from three-point range in 13 of those 15 contests. Junior guard Dylan Frye is averaging 21.3 points over the last four games, having scored 20-plus points in three of those ballgames. Frye ranks 12th in the MAC in three-point percentage (38.6). The Falcons travel to DeKalb to take on Northern Illinois this saturday at 4:30 PM.
BUFFALO
Buffalo won its 21st game on Tuesday at Akron, which is already tied for fourth in school history for wins in a season. It is the fourth time in the last five years UB has won 20 or more games. Prior to the 2014-15 season, Buffalo had won 20 or more games just three times in program history. UB remained in the top 25 for a MAC record 14th straight week as they are 25th in the latest AP Poll. The 14 weeks extend the Mid-American Conference record, surpassing the 11 straight weeks that Bowling Green was ranked during the 1961-62 season. When senior Nick Perkins checks in on Friday night, he will be playing in his 128th career game, tying the all-time school record for games played with Mitchell Watt (2008-12) and Javon McRea (2010-14).
CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Despite leading for over 34 minutes, the Central Michigan men's basketball team fell, 79-72, to Bowling Green Tuesday. With a free throw at the 6:37 mark in the second half, DiLeo became the 33rd player in CMU program history to score 1,000 career points. Roundtree lead all CMU scorers with 20 points, with 15 coming in the first half. DiLeo contributed 15 points, shooting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. The Chippewas return to McGuirk Arena Saturday to host Ohio at 4:30 p.m.
EASTERN MICHIGAN
The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team recovered from a slow start on the road to roll over Ohio University, 66-57, picking up an important Mid-American Conference victory. With the win, EMU (11-13, 5-6 MAC) moves into a tie for second place in the MAC West Division standings, and puts the Eagles just a game and a half back of a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament. Redshirt senior Elijah Minnie led the Eagles with 19 points and pulled down six rebounds, while senior James Thompson IV notched the 69th double-double of his career with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Eastern is back in action Saturday, Feb. 16, when it returns to the Buckeye State for a game against Kent State.
KENT STATE
Kent State scored a season-high 51 second-half points to break open a close game as the Golden Flashes finished a regular season sweep of Western Michigan on Thursday night. The Flashes (18-6; 7-4) got 25 points from Mid-American Conference leading scorer Jaylin Walker and 17 from Mitchell Peterson. The win, which is KSU's third road win in league play, starts a challenging stretch for the Golden Flashes. Kent will host Eastern Michigan on Saturday and then travel right back to the mitten next Monday for a Tuesday night battle with Central Michigan.
MIAMI
Miami earned a split of its two MAC games, including a 20-point win over its biggest rival Ohio on Saturday. Junior Bam Bowman had a career-high 23 points in the victory, and had his second double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. The RedHawks have their midweek bye this week and return to action at Western Michigan next Saturday.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Trailing by 13 with four minutes to play, the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team rallied to within two, but saw it comeback attempt come up just short as the Huskies fell to Western Michigan, 76-74, on Tuesday night at University Arena. Four players scored in double figures for the Huskies, led by 29 points, along with seven rebounds and four assists, from junior Eugene German. NIU will return home on Saturday, February 16 as the Huskies host Bowling Green in the second game of a doubleheader.
OHIO
Despite a last-minute comeback effort, the Ohio men's basketball team fell to Eastern Michigan, 66-57, Tuesday night. Leading Ohio was redshirt sophomore forward Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio) who scored 18 points, going 7-of-17 from the field, 1-of-4 from three-point range and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Up next, the Bobcats head to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to take on Central Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 16. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m.
TOLEDO
Toledo will host its first nationally ranked opponent in 20 years on Friday, Feb. 15 when it battles No. 24 Buffalo in Savage Arena. The Rockets are coming off Saturday's thrilling 78-71 win at arch-rival Bowling Green, a victory that dropped the Falcons into a first-place tie in the MAC's East Division with the Bulls. UT holds a two-and-a-half game lead over Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan in the West standings. Senior Chris Darrington scored a game-high 20 points in UT's win over Bowling Green to give the Rockets their fourth 20-win season in the last six years and as well as their fifth straight victory.
WESTERN MICHIGAN
Despite trailing by one at halftime, the Western Michigan men's basketball team was outscored 51-33 in the second half en route to an 82-63 loss to Kent State on Thursday. The trio of seniors Josh Davis, Seth Dugan and sophomore Michael Flowers each scored in double figures with Davis leading the team with 17 points. WMU is back in action Saturday when they host Miami at 2:00 PM.
