MAC Men's Basketball Daily (1-28-12)
MAC Men's Basketball Daily - Saturday, January 28
Ball State (12-6, 4-2 MAC) at Ohio (16-4, 4-2 MAC)
11 a.m. • Ohio leads series 39-34
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• Ohio has three players averaging in double figures with junior guard D.J. Cooper leading the way at 14.2 points per game. Junior guard Walter Offutt and junior forward Ivo Baltic are both averaging 11.6 points per contest. Ohio is a excelling in turning its opponents over, ranking No. 1 in the nation in turnover percentage according to KenPom’s national standings (27.4%)...The Cardinals are tied atop the MAC West Division with Eastern Michigan. Senior forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 17.4 points per game and on the glass at 8.4 rebounds per game. Jones is shooting 55.7 percent (112-of-201) from the field and 82.5 percent (80-of-97) from the free throw line.
Buffalo (11-6, 4-2 MAC) at Northern Illinois (2-16, 1-5 MAC)
1 p.m. • Northern Illinois leads series 13-12
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• Buffalo is 11-6 overall and 4-2 in the conference and is coming off a 65-47 win over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night. The Bulls were led by Javon McCrea had a game-high 17 points. Zach Filzen added 16 points, including five three-pointers. The Bulls are shooting 61 percent from beyond the arc in the second half of the last three games (20-of-33)...Northern Illinois is 2-16 overall and 1-5 in the MAC and is coming off a 90-56 loss at Kent State on Wednesday night. The Huskies are led by Abdel Nadaer who is averaging 10.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Miami (5-13, 1-5 MAC) at Western Michigan (9-11, 3-3 MAC)
4 p.m. • Miami leads series 81-39
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• In addition to averaging a MAC leading 17.6 ppg and 9.7 rpg in a league-leading 38.0 minutes per game, Miami’s Julian Mavunga is also helping to get his teammates shots. With a great deal off defensive attention being paid to the 6-foot-8 forward, Mavunga is averaging 3.8 assist per game in MAC play, which ranks 10th among league leaders...Coming off of a five-point loss at Ohio, Western Michigan enters Saturday’s game with a 9-11 overall record and a 3-3 MAC mark. The Broncos’ specialty this season has been playing at home, where they are 8-0. Four Western Michigan players are averaging double-digits in scoring, with Matt Stainbrook leading the way at 13.4 points per game. Stainbrook also leads the Broncos with 7.1 rebounds per game.
Bowling Green (9-10, 3-3 MAC) at Eastern Michigan (9-11, 4-2 MAC)
6 p.m. • Bowling Green leads series 45-38
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• The Eagles have thrived with their defense, holding opponents to just 59.2 points per game, 17th best in the country. Eastern Michigan, though, ranks 336th out of 338 teams at only 52.6 points per contest. EMU shoots just 29 percent from three-point range, led by leading scorer Darrell Lampley, who is averaging 13.0 points per game and has made 30 three-pointers... Through six conference games, Bowling Green ranks second in the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage and third in three-point percentage in league games. The Falcons have shot at least 50 percent from the floor in four of the six conference games and are shooting 47.8 percent overall.
Akron (13-7, 5-1 MAC) at Central Michigan (7-12, 2-4 MAC)
7 p.m. • Akron leads series 26-13
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• Central Michigan is coming off a 71-58 road loss at Bowling Green on Jan. 25. CMU has lost four-straight and seven of its last nine games. The Chippewas are 3-2 at home. The Chippewas have three players averaging double figures in the scoring column, including Trey Zeigler (16.1 ppg), Derek Jackson (11.2 ppg) and Austin McBroom (10.3 ppg)... The Zips have won nine of their last ten games against MAC opponents dating back to the start of last season’s league tournament. Over the last 12 games, Akron has posted an 10-2 record. The Zips have outscored their opponents by 11.1 ppg (75.0-63.9), are averaging 15.3 assists/game and hold a +4.5 rebounding advantage.
Kent State (13-6, 3-3 MAC) at Toledo (10-10, 2-4 MAC)
7 p.m. • Toledo leads series 78-44
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• Including the MAC Tournament, Kent State has won 25 straight games against MAC West opponents. The last loss was a 56-51 defeat at Toledo on Feb. 2, 2008. The Golden Flashes lead the league averaging 76.3 points per game during MAC play. Kent State has shot over 50 percent from the field in three of the last four games... Toledo has won two of the last three following a 63-61 win at Miami on Wednesday. Guard Rian Pearson, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the win leads the squad with 16.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season.