MAC Men's Basketball Teams Begin Conference Play Today

• The Cardinals own a 6-0 record at home at Worthen Arena this season ... Ball State averages 66.0 points per game and is holding opponents to a Mid-American Conference best 56.9 points per game. Senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 17.8 point per game and on the glass at 8.4 rebounds per game... The Broncos have won five out of their last six games, including a 72-61 victory over Milwaukee last time out. Sophomore center Matt Stainbrook leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game and is second on the team at 6.8 rebounds per game

•NIU is coming off its first win of the season, a 72-46 win over Roosevelt on Jan. 2. Antone Christian led the way with 14 points, one of four Huskies in double figures against the Lakers...Eastern Michigan brings a 5-9 overall mark into conference play; the Eagles have won just one of their last nine contests. EMU has played its last eight games away from Ypsilanti; the Eagles last home contest was on Nov. 27 against Michigan State. Darrell Lampley leads Eastern Michigan in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game. The Eagles are the third-best defensive team in the MAC, allowing just 62.4 points per contest. 

•The Chippewas are 18-21 all-time in Mid-American Conference openers. Head coach Ernie Zeigler is 3-2 in MAC openers, including a road win at Toledo in 2010. Two of the MAC’s top scorers and rebounders will be going head-to-head on Saturday with sophomore G Rian Pearson facing sophomore G Trey Zeigler for the first time. Pearson ranks second and fifth in the MAC with 8.4 rpg and 16.1 ppg, respectively, while Ziegler is fourth with 16.5 ppg and ninth with 6.7 rpg... UT’s eight victories this year are its most since posting an 11-19 ledger in its 2007-08 campaign. The Midnight Blue and Gold has already doubled its win total from the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns combined when it posted identical 4-28 win-loss marks.

• BGSU returns home for the first time in a month to host Ohio in each team’s Mid-American Conference opener. The Falcons are 5-1 at home and Ohio is 5-1 on the road. BGSU’s Torian Oglesby has made an NCAA Division I record 26 consecutive field goal attempts (and counting). He went 10-for-10 from the field at Texas San Antonio for a career-high 20 points... Ohio has three players averaging double figures with junior guard D.J. Cooper leading the way at 14.0 points per game. Junior guard Walter Offutt is second in scoring at 11.4 points per contest. He is the first Bobcat guard since Armon Bassett to draw more than four fouls per 40 minutes.

• The Bulls are coming off a 111-59 win over  Buffalo State on Wednesday night.  The Bulls  had six players score in double-figures, led by  Mitchell Watt who tied a career high with 22  points and added nine rebounds. The Bulls  pulled down a season-high 68 rebounds against the Bengals...Kent State is 10-3 on the season and is coming off a 90-65 win over Shawnee State on Monday night.  The Golden Flashes are led by Justin Greene who is averaging 11.3 points and 6.7  rebounds per game. 

• Miami is coming off a 69-62 loss at Vanderbilt on Jan. 2.  The RedHawks are 3-2 at home this season, including winners of two out of their last three at Millett Hall. The RedHawks are led by Julian Mavunga, who is averaging 19.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 38.0 minutes per game, all top marks in the MAC...Over the last six games, the UA has posted a 5-1 record.  The Zips have outscored their opponents by 18.8 ppg (81.2-62.3) and hold a +6.7 advantage on the boards (41.5-34.8).  Akron has seven players averaging 8.0 or more points per game, including Zeke Marshall (11.2), Nikola Cvetinovic (10.4), Nick Harney (9.3), Quincy Diggs (9.2), Demetrius Treadwell (8.5), Alex Abreu (8.2) and Brian Walsh (8.1).