CMU MBB Preview

So next up is CMU coming into BG.  This is a good opportunity for BG to show some strong play at home after the Miami win.  As I have mentioned, BG's early part of the MAC schedule has turned out to be a little soft, so there's every need to make hay on these games, especially at home.

CMU is 12-6, but they played an extremely soft schedule in the non-conference, ranked #339.  Their best win was Sam Houston State, #202 in the country. 

Meanwhile, they are 1-4 in the MAC, and a four-game losing streak.  They opened with a win over Ohio in Mt. Pleasant, and then they lost @Kent,  @EMU, Toledo and @Ball State.  As you will note, those four losses include 3 road games and two of the top teams in the MAC in Toledo and Ball State.  They lost their last 8 MAC games last year, so that's 12 out of 13 for the run.

CMU beat BG 82-76 last year in Mt. Pleasant.  They got 55 combined points from Rayson and Keene, both of whom are no longer with the Chips.   (Keene, the nation's leading scorer, left early and is playing pro ball in Italy).

So, we're looking at MAC only stats from here on in.  Much cleaner way to look at everything.  The MAC is the competition we are supposed to be able to beat.  We had plenty of issues with defense in the pre-season, but let's not lose sight of this:  BG is the top-ranked defense in the MAC, based on points per possession.  Meanwhile, CMU is the #4 offensive team, so that's going to be interesting.  The flip side is interesting for the opposite reason....BG is 9th in offense and CMU is 11th in defense.  When you see spreads like this, you normally have a good game.

So let's see how that battle will shape up.  The interesting part is on the boards.  BG is #1 on the defensive boards and CMU is #1 on the offensive boards.  That's going to be the key.  The other elements look pretty evenly matched.

Flipping around, remember, here is where both teams struggle.  CMU is the second easiest team to shoot against in the MAC.  BG is 7th in shooting.  CMU is weak on the boards, as is BG.  The key difference is something I talked about after the Miami game.  BG is #1 in the MAC in getting to the line and CMU actually gives up a lot of FTs, 3rd worst in the MAC.  If BG gets to the line and makes the shots, they are tough to beat.

Their leading scorer in MAC play is Shawn Roundtree, at a really shaky 14.4 PPG on 32% and 31% shooting.  That's very inefficient.  Their 2nd-leading scorer is Cecil Williams, a JUCO player who is 6'6".  He's scoring 14 PPG on 48% shooting.  He's also getting 6.4 RPG.

Their other double-figure scorer in MAC is David DiLeo, their leading returning player from last year.  He's scoring 11.4 PPG on a rough 36% and 32% shooting.

6'11" Luke Meyer and 6'5" G Kevin McKay both average 6.4 RPG.  McKay adds 3 assists per game.

CMU is going to come in hungry for a win.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one plays out.