Get Your MAC Men's Basketball Fix This Saturday

MAC Men's Basketball Daily (1-21-12)

MAC Men's Basketball Daily - Saturday, January 21
Miami (5-11, 1-3 MAC) at Ohio (14-4, 2-2 MAC)

• Ohio is coming off a decisive 87-65 win over Kent State on Wednesday. Three Bobcats are averaging double figures in scoring, led by D.J. Cooper’s 14.3 ppg. Walter Offutt averages 11.4 ppg, while Ivo Baltic averages 11.1 ppg for the Bobcats. As a team, the Bobcats rank fifth nationally in turnover margin (5.4), 10th in steals per game (9.3) and 10th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.277)...In addition to averaging a MAC-leading 18.4 ppg and 9.6 rpg in a league-leading 38.4 minutes per game, Julian Mavunga is also helping to get his teammates shots. Mavunga is averaging 4.0 assist per game in MAC play, which ranks 12th among league leaders. He is coming off a 17-point, 7-assist performance against Bowling Green, contributing to 33 of the RedHawks’ 57 points which accounted for 57.89 percent of the RedHawks’ scoring against the Falcons

Central Michigan (7-10, 2-2 MAC) at Western Michigan (8-10, 2-2 MAC)

• The Chippewas are looking to become the first road team to win in Western Michigan’s University Arena this season when they head to Kalamazoo on Saturday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The Broncos are 8-0 at home this season while CMU is 2-7 on the road. Both teams are looking to bounce back from losses as CMU fell at home to Ball State on Wednesday while the Broncos lost at Eastern Michigan. Western Michigan leads the all-time series, 50-88. The Broncos have won three straight, including a season sweep last year when WMU won 63-56 in overtime in Kalamazoo and 81-68 in Mount Pleasant.

Toledo (9-9, 1-3 MAC) at Eastern Michigan (8-10, 3-1 MAC)

• The Rockets will be looking to build some momentum following Wednesday’s 71-41 home victory over Northern Illinois. The 30-point win was UT’s largest margin of victory in a MAC game since an 88-58 triumph over EMU on Jan. 26, 2006. The Rockets enter Saturday’s game ranked second in the MAC in scoring offense (73.9 ppg), FG% (46.1), three-point FG% (35.7) and FT% (72.4)...The Eagles are 4-2 at home and have been buoyed in league play by strong defensive play. EMU tops the MAC in scoring defense (51.8), FG% defense (36.4) and 3PTFG% defense (25.9) in MAC games only. Senior G Darrell Lampley is the lone Eagle scoring in double figures at 13.2 ppg. 

Buffalo (9-6, 2-2 MAC) at Bowling Green (8-9, 2-2 MAC)

• BGSU’s Jordon Crawford scored a career-high 25 points in the win at Miami on 10-of-13 shooting. He has at least three assists in 11 consecutive games and leads the MAC in assists in conference play. BGSU has outrebounded its past seven opponents, winning the battle on the boards by an average of 8.4 per game...The Bulls lead the MAC with 74.5 points per game and shoot a league-best 46.5 percent from the floor. With Mitchell Watt and Javon McCrea inside, Buffalo has one of the most imposing frontcourts in the league and the team outrebounds opponents by an average of 8.3 per game and block 5.3 shots per contest, both MAC bests

Kent State (12-5, 2-2 MAC) at Akron (11-7, 3-1 MAC)

• Over the last 10 games, Akron has posted an 8-2 record. The Zips have outscored their opponents by 11.2 ppg (74.6-63.4), are averaging 14.9 assists/game and hold a +4.1 rebounding advantage. Akron has seven players averaging 7.0 or more points per game, including Zeke Marshall (10.9), Nikola Cvetinovic (10.4), Nick Harney (9.6), Quincy Diggs (9.5), Brian Walsh (7.9), Alex Abreu (7.8) and Demetrius Treadwell (7.0)...Kent State is coming off an 87-65 road loss at Ohio on Jan. 18. The Golden Flashes are 2-2 in MAC play and are 5-4 overall on the road, including losses in four of the last five away from Kent. Two KSU players are scoring in double figures, including Justin Greene (12.9 ppg) and Randal Holt (11.0 ppg). Green leads the squad in rebound at 6.4 rpg.

Ball State (11-5, 3-1 MAC) at Northern Illinois (2-14, 1-3 MAC)

•  Ball State enters Saturday’s game with an 11-5 overall record and a 3-1 mark in MAC play. Senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 16.9 points per game and on the glass at 8.4 rebounds per game. Jones is shooting 55.2 percent (96-of-174) from the field and 82.0 percent (73-of-89) from the free throw line... Northern Illinois is averaging 54.8 points per game while allowing 67.6 points per game. Forward Tim Toler leads the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game and is tied for the team lead on the glass with 5.1 rebounds per game. Toler also leads the team with 22 three-pointers.