It’s time for our latest update on the five Division I mid-majors in the Mitten. Last time, we checked in, we saw Eastern Michigan get off to a great start in conference play. Conversely, their rivals from Mount Pleasant stubbed their toe out of the game in MAC play. Meanwhile, Oakland appeared to hit a small rough patch and it seems that may have grown a bit since then.
Let’s give our last January synopsis as we enter the month of February.
[NOTE: All stats and team information comes courtesy of ESPN]
CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS
LAST TWO WEEKS: L @ BSU, 98-83; W vs. MIA, 101-92; W vs. BGSU, 82-76; W @ KSU, 105-98 (OT)
OVERALL RECORD: 14-7, 4-4 MAC
It’s good to see the Chippewas right the ship after a tough 1-4 start to open conference play. Although they were not in the prettiest of ways, the three straight wins even them up at 4-4 in the MAC and trending up in seems.
The last couple weeks, as has been the case seemingly all season, was the Marcus Keene show. A pair of 40+ point games in the last three times out has upped his season scoring average north of 30 points per game again. Keene is the unquestioned bright spot for the Chips. Collectively however, there are still some red flags surrounding the team as we enter February.
As good as their team offense is (top 10 in the country), their defense is about as bad as it can get. They rank in the bottom 10 in points allowed per game, as evident by allowing 90+ in three of their last four, 80+ in 11 of their last 12. Simply put, they will have to just outscore teams, but it’s worked more often than not so far, so we will see.
Here’s a look ahead to the next two weeks for CMU:
- Tuesday, January 31 – @ Buffalo (9-12, 3-5 MAC) | 7 p.m. ET on ESPN3
- Friday, February 3 – vs. W. Michigan (6-14, 2-6 MAC) | 6:30 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, February 7 – @ Ohio (13-6, 5-3 MAC) | 7 p.m. ET on ESPN3
- Saturday, February 11 – @ Miami-OH (9-12, 2-6 MAC) | 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3
