SB Nation - Central Michigan Chippewas

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Monday (12/14/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:28:15 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information and a few fun distractions. Today we're being brought to you by Staropramen beer, in honor of today's Miss Throwdown.

Both the men and women took care of business over the weekend. The same can't be said for some of our high profile Big East brethren. It's finals week, so I expect the news to be a bit slow, but we'll see. Any tips, suggestions and requests are greatly appreciated. It starts after the jump...

What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Report for Monday - WVMETRONEWS.COM

Men's Soccer: BIG EAST Announces Partnership - MSNsportsNET.Com
"The BIG EAST and Red Bull New York will join forces with a three-year partnership for the Conference’s men’s soccer championship to be held at the new state-of-the-art Red Bull Arena through the 2012 tournament."

Disloyalty and sports go hand in hand - Times West Virginian
Bob asked Huggs what he thinks about the Kelly situation.

College bowl payouts don't always add up - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Mark Ingram's Heisman fills void at Alabama - Stewart Mandel - SI.com
I still think the kid from Stanford deserved it.

News of Note (FB):

Bill Stewart: Ready To Go - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Video link

West Virginia's Stewart satisfied with 9-3 record - PPG

WVU fine as second fiddle in Gator Bowl - Times West Virginian
Hertzel Column

Flippin' on the 'Noles - Charleston Gazette

Steady Improvement - MSNsportsNET.Com

Gator Bowl Bigger Than It Appears - Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register

Some Florida State athletes helped by 'learning disability' diagnosis - ESPN

News of Note (BB):

Mountaineers Now 7-0 - MSNsportsNET.Com
The men secured a 69-43 win Saturday night.

WVU men upend Coppin State - Times West Virginian

Jones picking up the slack - Charleston Gazette

Copin' with Coppin - Charleston Gazette

Butler getting it done - Register-Herald
Mickey's Column

WVU's Mazzulla hopes grad school leads to coaching career - Charleston Daily Mail

Joe Mazzulla - WVIllustrated.com
Weekend Coliseum schedule: Saturday - run down the carpet, Sunday - pick up the diploma. Well done!!!! Congratulations!!!

Early Lead Lifts West Virginia - MSNsportsNET.Com
The women cruised to a 74-43 win over Longwood.

Recruiting:

'Eers in on Another Dywer (Fla.) Prospect - EerSports

Around the League (and Beyond):

Temple upsets No. 3 Villanova, 75-65 - SI.com

Xavier rallies in first-ever double overtime Crosstown Shootout to beat Cincinnati - Cincinnati Enquirer

Kelly's home vandalized - FanNation
...imagine that.

Houston's Kevin Sumlin declines interview for University of Cincinnati job - Cincinnati Enquirer

Jackson, Hazell lead Seton Hall past VMI 134-107 - SI.com

I don't wanna talk about it tonight - Card Chronicle
At least they have BB, right? Right?...oh, sorry.

Catamounts are caterwauling - Courier-Journal
Another head-scratching loss at Freedom Hall on Saturday, 91-83...to Western Carolina?!?!?!

Turnovers a problem for Pitt - PPG
...but they still won...damn

Bulls upset by Central Michigan, 59-56 - Tampa Tribune

Terrier-orized: No. 7 Syracuse 75, St. Francis 51 - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician

Lets The Transferring Continue - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician

Video of Interest:

Several Mountaineer Basketball and Football players (among many others) graduated yesterday. Congratulations!!! Thanks to WVIllustrated.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

The Germans have developed great taste in song selection.

College Tradition Gallery of the Week:

Somebody tried to stop this from happening? Can we bring back the firing squad?

via coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is a former Victoria's Secret Angel and can be seen in the recent G.I. Joe movie as Cover Girl. Another beauty from the Czech Republic, here's Karolína Kurková.

via i296.photobucket.com

Staropramen image via pic.51windows.net

Deacon Dump 12/1: Turning the page

MRickman84 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:29:56 -0000

The Deacs need to have a short memory in preparation for tonight's game against the Boilermakers. Hopefully they've addressed what they needed to and made the correct adjustments. They absolutely must bring their best game today.

WFU wary of Purdue defense
"They're really up and into you defensively," Gaudio said. "I think they do a great job on the defensive end of the floor."

No. 4 Purdue's prestige at stake | jconline.com | Journal and Courier
"We will be up for this game," Grant said. "It's an important game. Just playing an elite team like Wake Forest is like playing in the NCAA tournament.

Purdue's focus on Wake Forest, not Challenge | jconline.com | Journal and Courier
"We have to keep our focus on what we can control, which is our performance against Wake Forest," Painter said Monday. "Looking at it as whole, we would love to be able to win the Challenge, but we have to worry about Wake Forest, and that's it.

My Take on Wake - A Good Team Finishes Well | JournalNow.com
"Unfortunately our record doesn’t show it, but we know we’re a pretty good football team,’’ senior Riley Skinner said. "We just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch. But for me, I know this is probably the most talented offense we’ve had at Wake since I’ve been here. "That hasn’t always factored into wins, but for me it’s been really fun to be around guys who are that talented to make that many plays. It’s made it a lot easier for me.’’

Wake's Grobe, 2 ex-Cavs aides cited as Groh successor | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
"Jim Grobe would be a great, great hire for them," Randle said. "He would be the answer. I don't think there's any question about that.... (Fellow analyst) Doc Walker said, 'Nobody in the league can touch him.' " Randle has said on numerous occasions, however, that he doesn't think Virginia can get Grobe, 57.

FayObserver.com - What to watch for in ACC-Big Ten Challenge
STUCK OUTSIDE This was supposed to be the week we learned a lot about Wake Forest's potential. The Demon Deacons play tonight at No. 4 Purdue, then follow with a Saturday trip to play at No. 17 Gonzaga. But perhaps we already learned a lot about Wake's weaknesses from Saturday's surprising 78-68 home loss to William & Mary. The biggest area of concern right now is the Deacons' shaky outside shooting, which was exposed when the Tribe applied a packed-in zone defense to disrupt Wake's inside attack. The Deacs wound up firing 36 3-point attempts and missing 26. (Star forward Al-Farouq Aminu was 0-for-7 from deep.) Wake is now shooting 29.9 percent from long range on the season (11th best in the ACC) and is one of only three conference teams that doesn't have a single player who has made 10 3s. The other two: North Carolina and N.C. State.

Stakes are high for Purdue in Big Ten-ACC Challenge | The News-Sentinel - Fort Wayne IN
"Aminu is the best guy we’ve faced this season," Painter said. "He might be the best guy we face all season. He’s a very unique guy with size and athleticism and skill. He has a great feel for the game. "They’re a very good team. They have experience and seniors and anytime you have a handful of guys who have been through the battle and been road tested, it will help. "They have a good balance of athleticism, size and experience. The big thing for me is they out-rebound opponents by 10. It’s very important that we do a good job on the glass."

Boilers will face Deacons" Evansville Courier & Press
Al-Farouq Aminu leads the Deacons in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per game, and rebounding, averaging 11.2 boards. He also ranks second in the ACC in both categories. Also scoring in double figures are Ishmael Smith and C.J. Harris, both of whom average 11.8 points. In addition, Smith has not committed a turnover in either of his last two games. He also is one of the best passers on the team, with 454 career assists. He is six assists out of sixth place on Wake Forest all-time assists list.

C.J. Harris Named ACC Rookie of the Week - WAKE FOREST OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
Freshman guard averaged 16.5 points per game last week

Tyler Lewis: More Than Meets the Eye | Memphis Roar
Great read on 2012 basketball recruit Tyler Lewis

Demon Deacons begin tough week filled with ranked opponents
Painter said the Boilermakers’ lofty ranking doesn’t mean anything so early in the season. "Right now being ranked … means you’ve won a couple key games, you had a good finish to last season and maybe you had a good recruiting class."

Wake Forest-Purdue Preview - Nov. 30, 2009 - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com
Purdue limited the Chippewas - favorites to win the Mid-American Conference West Division - to five baskets in the first half, 13 for the game and 28.3 percent shooting. It matched the lowest point total allowed by Purdue in Painter's five seasons as coach. "Defense is what you hang your hat on," said Painter, whose team is trying for the program's first 6-0 start since 2003-04.

ACC players of the week - ACC Blog - ESPN
OFFENSIVE BACK: Riley Skinner, Wake Forest, QB, Sr., 6-1, 210, Jacksonville, Fla. (The Bolles School) Wake Forest senior quarterback Riley Skinner completed 28-of-38 passes for a career-high 372 yards and a school record five touchdown passes in the final game of his career, a 45-34 win at Duke. Skinner threw for scoring strikes of 28, 8, 54, 13, and 49 yards. His first two touchdown passes tied the game at 7-7 and 14-14, respectively, while his third gave the Demon Deacons the lead for good. Skinner finished the season with 3,160 passing yards, becoming the first Wake Forest quarterback to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark in school history, and finished his career in fourth place in league history with 9,762 passing yards and 9,923 yards of total offense. He is also seventh with 60 touchdown passes.

ESPN Winning central to dynamic duo's approach -ESPN Rise BOYSBASKETBALL
"That was definitely my breakout point," says Desrosiers, who averaged 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocks in the postseason. "Every playoff game, I was just looking forward to it, my confidence was really high and we were clicking as a team." "He just took his game to another level," says Nault. "After that, everyone said he was going to be the next great player in Massachusetts, and he's just taken off since then. Every year he's come back and added something to his game to make him a better player."

FIFTH QUARTER: Still second-fiddle to the SEC – ACC Insider - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC - Archive
2. Winning Wake: They won’t finish their careers by making their fourth straight bowl trip, but with a 45-34 win at Duke, 22 Wake Forest seniors earned their 33th career victory, making them the winningest class in school history.

BtB 2009-10 Mid-American Conference Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:00:31 -0000

The MAC went through the entire decade of the '00s without earning a single at-large, something they managed to do three times in the 1990s, including the last two years of the decade. The last three seasons pretty much summed up the variety of reasons why.

Last season, the Eastern Division dominated the West. Ohio University ended up as only team in the East that finished with a losing conference record, and their 7-9 mark would have earned them a tie of the Western Division crown. In fact, no team in the West managed to finish with a winning record overall. No MAC team lost fewer than 12 games. Keith Dambrot's Akron Zips managed to earn their first tournament bid, and got a 13 seed and 13-point loss to Gonzaga for their trouble.

In 2007-08, the conference was more balanced between divisions, but Kent State managed to leap way above the rest of the pack. The Golden Flashes won 28 games, claiming victories over St. Mary's, Illinois State, and George Mason, and ended up as a 9 seed in the NCAAs. Had they fallen in the MAC tournament, the league could have very well had two bids. But, in their conference's hour of need, they claimed the title.

In 2006-07, Akron jumped out to 26 wins, but a lack of big wins and a second-place finish to Toledo in the overall MAC race meant they had no chance to get an at-large when Miami knocked them out in the tournament final.

So, the conference needs to hope for more than one dominant team, who can earn some non-conference wins, all while limiting the damage they suffer in the league. Got it? Good. You can read more on the 12 teams who will make up this year's MAC scrum after the jump.

Here's a look at last season's MAC standings.

Mid-American Conference Standings

(updated 3.19.2009 at 10:20 PM EDT)

East	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Buffalo Bulls	11	5	21	12
Bowling Green Falcons	11	5	19	14
Akron Zips	10	6	23	13
Kent St. Golden Flashes	10	6	19	15
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks	10	6	17	13
Ohio Bobcats	7	9	15	17

West	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Ball St. Cardinals	7	9	14	17
Central Michigan Chippewas	7	9	12	19
Western Michigan Broncos	7	9	10	21
Eastern Michigan Eagles	6	10	8	24
Northern Illinois Huskies	5	11	10	20
Toledo Rockets	5	11	7	25

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order, starting with the West Division.

West Division

Toledo (last NCAA: 1980) Gene Cross will look for his Rockets to improve on the seven wins they earned in his first season at the helm, but thanks to the loss of three starters, including leading scorers Tyrone Kent and Jonathan Amos, things will get worse in Toledo before they get better. 6-9 junior F/C Justin Anyijong (9.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg) is the only impact returnee, and the eight freshmen Cross brought in this season will get plenty of experience. The schedule doesn't help the Rockets much, as they'll play at Michigan State as part of the Legends Classic, with a visit to Philadelphia to face Cornell, Drexel, and Vermont in one of that event's "subregionals" to follow. Toledo also pays Cincinnati a visit, while hosting Alabama.

Western Michigan (last NCAA: 2004) Steve Hawkins' team was atypically non-competitive last season, and they'll struggle to get back to relevance this season thanks to the loss of three starters from last year's 10-win outfit. If there is hope in Kalamazoo, it's because guard David Kool, the team's leading scorer (17.9 ppg), is back for his senior season. 6-7 Flenard Whitfield, a forward who averaged 5.5 points and a little more than 4 boards a game, is back, as is reserve center Donald Lawson, a senior who may have to up his minutes and production after scoring more than 5 points and grabbing 5.5 boards a game off the bench last year. 6-10 F/C Shayne Whittington, 6-4 swingman Brandon Pokley, and 6-2 PG Austin Harper will see immediate action as newcomers. The Broncos schedule features a trip to Hawai'i for the Christmas Diamond Head Classic, where they'll open with USC. They visit Illinois and play host Temple, VCU, and Holy Cross.

Ball State (last NCAA: 2000) Billy Taylor's Cardinals will struggle to repeat their accomplishment of tying for last year's West Division title with a 7-9 record thanks to the loss of three starters, F Anthony Newell, and the starting backcourt of Brandon Lampley and Laron Frazier. 6-9 sophomore F Jarrod Jones, who made his presence known during his freshman season by averaging more than 11 points and 7 boards a game, should be even better this season. He'll have to be as there isn't much else coming back. The Cardinals travel down to Indy to take on Purdue at the Wooden Classic, plus Butler makes the trip to Muncie.

Northern Illinois (last NCAA: 1996) Ricardo Patton's squad could make a move up in his third season in charge in DeKalb. The Huskies have four starters back. 6-2 senior Darion Anderson (16.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and 5-11 sophomore PG Mike DiNunno (11.9 ppg, 2.6 apg) form a solid backcourt, while 6-11 junior Sean Kowal (9.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg) is the anchor of the frontcourt. If the supporting cast, especially the players surrounding Kowal at the forward positions, can increase their impact, the Huskies should challenge for the division. They'll be ready for the MAC slate thanks to a non-conference schedule that features visits to Illinois, Minnesota, Northern Iowa, and Northwestern, along with home games against Temple and Bradley.

Eastern Michigan (last NCAA: 1998) The Eagles finished a game back of the MAC West lead last year, and could be ready to make a big jump in the standings thanks to the return of four starters and the return of PG Carlos Medlock, who averaged almost 15 points and more than 4 assists in 2007-08, from a broken foot. A frontcourt led by double figure scorers Brandon Bowdry (14.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Justin Dobbins (10 ppg, 5 rpg) will be bolstered by the addition of 6-6 JC transfer Jay Higgins. EMU will participate in a round-robin tournament at Missouri State this season, which also features Maryland-Eastern Shore and the Citadel.

Central Michigan (last NCAA: 2003) Ernie Zeigler's Chippewas have a solid core, featuring three returning startes who can score--6-8 F Chris Kellerman (14.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg), 6-3 SG Jordan Baker (12.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg), and 6-1 PG Robbie Harman (11.4 ppg, 3 apg). The biggest lost is inside, where the Chips will miss 6-7 Marcus Van's scoring (13 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg). 6-11 senior Brandon Ford (1.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg) and 6-7 freshman William McClure will try to make up Van's interior production. Zeigler will need his freshmen to contribute immediately in supporting roles, as there aren't a lot of experienced returnees on the bench. The Chippewas' non-conference slate is road-heavy, as they visit Illinois State, Purdue, USF, and Wright State.

East Division

Ohio (last NCAA: 2005) The Bobcats were the only team in the East to post a losing record last season, and with three starters from that team gone, John Groce's team is likely to be worse this time around. Two key pieces of the backcourt, Steven Coleman and Tommy Freeman--two players who averaged a combined 17+ points a game, are back, as are a couple of forwards who will have to play bigger roles this season, 6-7 junior DeVaughn Washington (6.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and 6-10 Dutch senior C Kenneth van Kempen (3.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg). They'll get plenty of help from 6-8 freshman Ivo Baltic, while 5-11 freshman D.J. Cooper should replace Michael Allen at the point. Middle Tennessee, North Carolina A&T, and Lamar will visit Athens for a tournament, while Illinois State also visits the Convo this season.

Bowling Green (last NCAA: 1968) Louis Orr's squad won 19 last season, dropping a 73-71 decision to Creighton in the NIT to close out the year. But like so many other MAC teams, the Falcons will struggle to replicate last season's record thanks to personnel losses. Orr's top three scorers from a year ago are all gone, with starting PG Joe Jakubowski (7.7 ppg, 3.5 apg), C Otis Polk (6.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg), and reserve F Erik Marshall (5 ppg, 3.6 rpg) the most experienced remaining players. Bowling Green's guard-heavy freshman class will see a lot of action during a schedule that starts with road trips to Xavier and Iowa.

Miami (Ohio) (last NCAA: 2007) The Redhawks lost three starters from last season's squad, most significantly leading scorer Michael Bramos and interior force Tyler Dierker, but Charlie Coles gets point guard Kenny Hayes back healthy after he got hurt last December. He averaged almost 14 points and 4 assists in his eight appearances last year. 6-4 junior swingman Antonio Ballard, who averaged almost 7 points and 5+ boards a game last season should step in for Ramos, while 6-8 senior Adam Fletcher (4.6 ppg, 4 rpg) will see more minutes in Dierker's absence. Miami visits Cincinnati, Kentucky, and New Mexico (for a round-robin event), while they host Dayton and Temple.

Kent State (last NCAA: 2008) Geno Ford will look to improve on last year's 19 wins without the services of leading scorer Al Fisher, a 6-1 guard who averaged more than 15 points a game. Replacing Fisher's production will be key and three key seniors--G Chris Singletary (12.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg), 6th man Tyree Evans (11.7 ppg), and F Anthony Simpson (6.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg)--should be able to up their games. Defensive specialist Rodriquez Sherman also returns after missing all of last season to provide another boost to the backcourt, while 6-10 Brandon Parks (5.9 ppg, 4.7rpg) will team with Simpson inside. The Golden Flashes will welcome UAB, Green Bay, and Samford to this season's Hispanic College Fund Classic and visit former coach Stan Heath's USF squad, Xavier, and Pittsburgh.

Buffalo (last NCAA: None) Reggie Witherspoon's Bulls should contend again thanks to four returning starters, led by 6-2 senior G Rodney Pierce (14.3 ppg) and 6-3 senior swingman Calvin Betts (9.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg). 6-7 Max Boudreau, Buffalo's key reserve who averaged more than 6 points and 3 boards a game, should see more action this year. Pierce will get some more scoring help in the backcourt thanks to Northern Arizona transfer Zach Filzen, who shot 41 percent from 3 while in Flagstaff and 6-2 freshman Tony Watson, who averaged in double-figures in points and assists during his senior year of high school. The Bulls visit Purdue, Niagara, and Navy, host Army, and participate in UCF's Holiday tournament this season.

Akron (last NCAA: 2009) Keith Dambrot lost 6-8 F Nate Linhart (10.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg) off the first Zip team to make the NCAAs, but pretty much everyone else is back. That means Akron is still the team to beat. 6-7 senior F Chris McKnight will anchor the frontcourt, while his brother Brett, who averaged more than 11 points and almost 4 boards a game last season as the team's 6th man, should see a lot more time with Linhart's departure. 6-8 sophomore Nikola Cvetinovic will be pushed by 7-footer Zeke Marshall, a freshman from Pennsylvania, for minutes at the post. The backcourt remains solid thanks to the presence of sophomore PG Humpty Hitchens (8.8 ppg, 2,2 apg), off guard Darryl Roberts (8.3 ppg), and a solid reserve PG, Steve McNees (5.8 ppg, 1.9 apg). The Zips will participate in the Glenn Wilkes Classic before Thanksgiving, hosting Austin Peay and facing Drake, Howard, and NC State in Daytona Beach.

I'm picking the Zips to repeat and take the overall conference crown, so they'll hold the MAC's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. I don't see the MAC heading back to the late '90s, when they occasionally were a multi-bid league, but you never know what will happen as the season progresses.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-MAC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-MAC Team

Player of the Year: Brett McKnight, 6-6 F, Jr. (Akron)

Remainder of the Team
Darion Anderson, 6-2 G, Jr. (Northern Illinois)
Brandon Bowdry, 6-6 F, Jr. (Eastern Michigan)
David Kool, 6-3 G, Sr. (Western Michigan)
Rodney Pierce, 6-2 G, Sr. (Buffalo)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the MAC this season?

Akron

3 votes

Ball State

0 votes

Bowling Green

2 votes

Buffalo

2 votes

Central Michigan

0 votes

Eastern Michigan

0 votes

Kent State

0 votes

Miami (Ohio)

0 votes

Northern Illinois

3 votes

Ohio

0 votes

Toledo

0 votes

Western Michigan

1 votes

11 votes | Poll has closed

Basketball 2009-10: The Schedule

BoilerTMill — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:39:31 -0000

This is why I love blogging.

When I was watching the World Series the other night, Fox interviewed Cliff Lee after his masterful game one performance. They asked him about what the Phillies thought because, though they were the defending champs, many people were already giving this series to the Yankees. Lee went on to say the usual bland answer of, "Well, we believe in ourselves as a team and blah, blah, blah..." This quote would have impressed me more:

"The last time I checked, we're the defending champs and we're not letting go until you pry it from our cold, dead hands."

The reason I love blogging is that I can say things like that. I know last year at one time I ripped Purdue's women's team for losing to Valparaiso. There was none of this," well Valapariso is a good team and yada, yada, yada..." No. We had no business losing to a team like that and it needed to be said.

That is why I am going to have some fun with this entry. When it comes to the individual team previews close to game time I will return to my fair and balanced statistical analysis. This time, however, it is time for the third and final installment of the overall basketball season preview: a look at the schedule with wins and losses predicted. Remember, these are off the cuff, first impression predictions.

Our Time is Now

11/13 vs. Call State Northridge - W - This is the first of the, "there is no excuse to lose this one" games. The Matadors were an NCAA tournament team a year ago. They lost virtually all of their scoring from a 15 seed. We're playing at home, tipping off the most anticipated basketball season in decades. If we're truly the #7 team in the country that equates to being a 2 seed. Therefore, we need to do what 2 seeds do to 15's.

11/20 vs. South Dakota State (U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam) - W - Another game that should be a win no matter what. The Jackrabbits are a lower tier Summit League team. Those teams do not win games against the top 10. It has the potential to be the biggest blowout of the year.

11/22 vs. Boston College or St. Joseph's (U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam) - W,W - Assuming we play the Eagles in game two of the tournament it will be our first true test of the season. They were our best non-conference victory last year in a 7-point victory that came at Madison Square Garden. They are now a year older and more experienced too. They have enough talent that this is not a mortal lock for a victory on a neutral floor. St. Joseph's was 17-15 last year, but did not get invited to any postseason tournament. That is saying something when Oregon State was 13-17, yet was invited to (and won) the College Basketball Invitational. Expect a tight game here against a pretty good Boston College team.

11/23 vs. DePaul, Northern Iowa, East Carolina, or Tennessee (U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam) - W, W, W, W - Of these four teams I think first Tennessee, then Northern Iowa is likely to meet us in the final. I think both will win their first round games, meaning we would have to lose to SDSU to play DePaul or East Carolina. That won't happen. Northern Iowa fought us hard in the first round of last year's NCAA's, but their two best players in Adam Koch and Jordan Eglseder are gone. Tennessee is probably the favorite to make it to the final, and playing them will be easier than Boston College. Sorry SEC, but you suck at basketball unless you are Kentucky (historically) or Florida (more recently). Both of those programs were down last year. I think I would fear the Tennessee women's program more. And yes, I know they are ranked 11^th. I don't care.

We're supposed to take this seriously? Would Matt Painter ever do this?

11/28 vs. Central Michigan - W - A 12-19 MAC has no chance of beating us in Mackey Arena unless we are bored or disinterested. Maybe Dan LeFevour will play and make it a game.

12/1 vs. Wake Forest - W - This is another test against a solid ACC team. Wake is always dangerous in the first half of the season, so we had best be careful. They usually don't fall apart until midway through the ACC season. I give you last year as an example. They started 16-0 and were ranked number one. They lost to Virginia Tech at home, dropped four of their following eight games, then got drilled in round one by... Cleveland State. I know the Vikings are a good team, but that was embarrassing for all major conference basketball teams.

12/5 vs. Buffalo - W - Though this kind of is our Wooden opponent since we moved Ball State to the game at Conseco, the Bulls are a better team. They were 21-12 last year and won the MAC regular season title. We still should win, but it will be closer than people think.

12/9 vs. Valparaiso - W - Mmmmmm, cupcakes. See the same explanation for Central Michigan. I will be excited to see how former Kokomo Wildkat Brandon Wood performs in his closest game to home.

12/12 at Alabama - W - If Alabama is worth anything they will be undefeated prior to this game. They play absolutely no one. We, however, will be battle tested already. This is either a trap game or one in which we exert our will.

12/19 vs. Ball State (Conseco Fieldhouse) - W - I admit, this is not the best game for the Wooden Tradition. We handled Ball State last year at Ball State and two years ago at Mackey. They are getting better, but they are not on the level where they can compete with top 10 teams yet.

12/22 vs. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville - W - Here is how major college basketball teams rank opponents on their level of worry based on name alone:

Toughest: State U.

City U. (or College)

Directional State U.

State (Hyphen) City U.

Easiest: Directional State (Hyphen) City U.

Need I say more?

12/29 at Iowa - W - There shouldn't be an 0-2 conference start this year. Not when we play the consensus worst team in the league to start. Road wins will be difficult in conference play this year. We have to get this easy one.

1/1 vs. West Virginia - W - They are #9 in the preseason poll, so all eyes will be on this one. Another key factor to remember here is that this is a Christmas break game. That means no Paint Crew. You hear me alumni? You had better step up and make Mackey loud on your own. If you don't want to cheer, don't come. Since this is a Big East team Digger will automatically pick the Mountaineers by 25. Since it is New Year's Day we might steal some headlines from the college football world too. This game got a little more interesting as incoming forward Deniz Kilicli was recently suspended for 20 games, including this one.

And you thought Bruce Pearl was poorly dressed.

1/5 vs. Minnesota - W - Just a tough first home game in conference play. I expect every game in the conference this year short of Iowa to be a war. The team that defends its home courts best will win the conference.

1/9 at Wisconsin - W - Can we do the unthinkable and win three straight at the Kohl Center? No Joe Krabbenhoft says yes.

1/12 vs. Ohio State - W - Playing them at Mackey gives me tons of confidence. We took two of three from them last year, dominating the second half in both wins. I like it even better if Robbie is healthy.

1/16 at Northwestern - L - I know what you're thinking. I haven't lost my mind. We could potentially be the #1 team in the country and lose to Northwestern. Think about it though. Basketball is about matchups. Northwestern is a HORRIBLE matchup for us. We didn't handle their trap in either game last year and would have been swept had they not choked the game away in Evanston. Their style of play negates all of our advantages because they want to extend every possession and they play all the passing lanes to disrupt offensive flow. That kills us at both ends of the floor.

1/19 at Illinois - W - This is a dangerous team, but I think we grit one out in Champaign after getting humbled a bit in Evanston.

1/23 vs. Michigan - W - It is all about defending the home court for this game and the next one. That is what the entire Big Ten season will come down to. Did you defend your home court?

1/28 vs. Wisconsin - W - Maybe one of the easier home wins, but that does not mean it is an easy one. Just easier.

1/31 vs. Penn State - W - This isn't the NIT, Nittany Lions.

2/4 at Indiana - W - If we don't win at Indiana this year it will be awhile before we do it again. They will be better, but they are still too young to be taken seriously.

2/9 at Michigan State - L - I am just fine with a split, Mr. Sparty. Let's just do that and decide everything in Indianapolis first at Conseco, then at Lucas Oil. Deal?

2/13 vs. Iowa - W - If we don't win this one we don't deserve to go to the NCAA Tournament, let alone win the Big Ten.

2/17 at Ohio State - W - What is the only Big Ten basketball venue that Purdue has never won in? Value City Arena on the campus of Ohio State. We're due.

2/20-21 vs. Illinois - W - Defend the home court.

2/24 at Minnesota - L - I don't like this game and we're due for a late season stumble. The questions will arise, just before we get home and get ready for a tournament roll.

2/27-28 vs. Michigan State - W - I expect this game to decide the Big Ten regular season title. Anything less would be a shock. I have us with three losses at this point. I think someone will get MSU a couple of times before this game, so they won't be unbeaten in conference.

3/2-3-4 vs. Indiana - W - If we control our own destiny in the Big Ten there is no <expletive deleted> we lose to Indiana on Senior day.

3/6-7 at Penn State - W - If we control our own destiny in the Big Ten there is no <expletive deleted> we lose to Penn State. Not when we lost a close game playing with a six man team there last year (no Kramer or Hummel).

So yeah, I have us going 27-3 and winning at least a share of the Big Ten with a 15-3 conference record. It is a good thing we do not have to go to Michigan. Playing a horrible matchup for us like Northwestern once is also very good. Michigan State has the bad luck of getting Indiana (generally only better than Iowa) just once and they must go to Bloomington for that game. Their other one play team is Ohio State.

What do you readers think? Other predictions?

Mid Major College Football Breakdown Week 7

AgentZer0 — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:37:11 -0000

Game of the Week:

Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan

The key matchup in this game will be Western Michigan QB Tim Hiller against Central Michigan's secondary. Hiller has struggled at some points this season, so he must be on the money if his team is going to pull the upset against Central Michigan. The Chippewas QB Dan LeFevour will have much success against Western Michigan's rebuilt secondary, so for the upset to happen, Hiller will find himself in a shootout. Hiller has only thrown for 300 yards once this season, and he will have to reach that mark again if Western is to pull out a win. In the Bronco's three losses, he has thrown only two touchdown passes, with three interceptions. Central Michigan has allowed just three touchdown passes this season.

Mid Major Mid-Season Award:

Defensive Player of the Year

Central Michigan LB Nick Bellore. Central Michigan's defense has been surprisingly good this season. They rank 26th nationally in total defense, at 297.3 yards per game, and Bellore has been one of the main reasons for that. He has 54 tackles, with 6.5 tackles for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble. In the Chippewas' two games against Bix Six opponents, Bellore had 19 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble. Keep up the good work.

Here's your chance, now show us what you can do:

Wyoming quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels has been on a hot streak. Carta-Samuels, a true freshman, has thrown for 689 yards with six touchdowns and one interception, all in the past three games, all wins. However those wins were against UNLV, Florida Atlantic and New Mexico, which have a combined 2 wins, both by UNLV. Carta-Samuels will face some tougher competition on Saturday, when he goes up against Air Force. The Falcons lead the nation in takeaways and are fifth nationally in pass defense and 11th in scoring defense.

Mid Major Madness Picks of the Week:

Central Michigan 24 Western Michigan 21

Mississippi State 24 Middle Tennessee 17

Colorado State 14 TCU 38

Wyoming 20 Air Force 31

Memphis 17 Southern Miss 24

Mid Major College Football Week 6: Rocks, Paper, Scissors

umass09 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:28:13 -0000

Rocks:

Riley Dodge, QB, North Texas- For the second game in a row, Dodge has not been able to protect the ball and that is why the Mean Green are now 1-4. Dodge completed 24 of 38 passes for 209 yards, but threw three interceptions. North Texas only lost 38-34, and one of the picks thrown was returned for a touchdown. Dodge needs to protect the ball a lot better and put the Mean Green in situations to win close games.

Paper:

Chris Ault, Nevada- Congrats to Coach Ault as his 200th career victory comes against Louisiana Tech. He is the sixth active NCAA FBS coach to do so. He is in good company with coaches such as Joe Paterno, Mack Brown, Jim Tressel, Frank Beamer and Bobby Bowden. The Wolfpack started out slow this season, but have now won their last two games.

Scissors:

Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan- LeFevour was once again unstoppable against Eastern Michigan. He went 16-22 and 318 yards passing. He threw three touchdowns in the air and added 44 rushing yards and also three rushing touchdowns. He now has 8 rushing scores and 12 passing touchdowns on the season. He is the reason why the Chippewas sit atop the MAC West Division at 5-1 (3-0).

The Ultimate Rankings Countdown: 298-284

aGent37 — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:00:13 -0000

298. Maine: The Black Bears look incredibly promising coming into the 2009-10 season. They return their top two scorers, Mark Socoby and Gerald McLemore who averaged 12.3 and 12.1 points respectively. Head coach Ted Woodward will have to deal with the frustrations involved with coaching a young team however, he will also be able to reap the benefits. If he can mold his 8 underclassmen to fit the rest of the team then this could be an incredibly dangerous team and make a serious run in the America East Conference.

297. Western Michigan: David Kool had a fantastic junior year finishing with a team high of 17.9 points per game. This might raise the hopes of Broncos fans for the 2009-10 season however people seem to be overlooking the loss of the teams other two top scorers Shawntes Gary and Derek Drews. The duo averaged a combined 18.2 points per game and contributed in creating open looks for Kool. Head coach Steve Hawkins will have to rely on the big man, Donald Lawson to replace these two and assist Kool.

296. New Orleans: Head coach Joe Pasternack will have to rebuild his team during the 2009-10 season. The Privateers finished with an 11-19 record just a season ago but that was mainly due to the performances from All-Sun-Belt team recipients, Kyndall Dykes and T.J. Worley. The duo accounted for 33.3 points per game, which was a large chunk of the offensive production. Pasternack is left with a very talented team however they lack the experience needed to be successful in the NCAA.

295. South Carolina Upstate: It is always devastating when a team loses their top-performer and this is exactly what the Spartan fans are going to realize in the 2009-10 season without the sensational play of Bobby Davis. The forward averaged 14.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists during his senior year. Head coach Eddie Payne will turn to the big 7’ 3" center Nick Schneiders to try and increase his production and dominate and undersized conference. The biggest fault of Schneiders is his lack of endurance in which he will need to improve upon in order to become an impact player.

294. Centenary: The Centenary Gentlemen really struggled down the home stretch of the 2008-09 season winning only 1 of their last 10 games. Greg Gary is set to lose top-scorer Nick Stallings who averaged 15.3 points a game. The upside for Gary is that he has a very promising guard in Chase Adams that is capable of immediately taking over Stallings role. Adams has proven that he can be a threat on offense by averaging 14.6 points per game during the 2008-09 season. It is just unclear if Adams has the aggressiveness that is necessary to be feared on the defensive end.

293. Georgia Southern: The Eagles return to the 2009-10 season with virtually the same team that they had last year. Their only departure was Julian Allen who although no superstar contributed a steady 11.9 points per game along with 6.7 rebounds. The Eagles expect a big year from Ben Dayton III who enters his sophomore year. Head coach Jeff Price expects Dayton III to play a major role in the Eagles offense this upcoming season.

292. Cal State Bakersfield: Head coach Keith Brown is flying high as he has his top two scorers coming back for the 2009-10 season. Trent Blakley who averaged 13.4 points per game and Santwon Latunde who averaged 11 points per game will return for their senior year. The veteran duo will be lethal on each end of the court and should help the Roadrunners improve their 8-21 record from a year ago. Brown’s team struggled last season with taking advantage of scoring opportunities however they have matured greatly from last year, meaning we should expect to see a drastic improvement.

291. Columbia: The loss of Jason Miller is going to be difficult to overcome. Miller was a talented inside-man that pulled in 6.6 rebounds to go along with 9.8 points per game. The sophmore guard Noruwa Agho should do a sufficient job making up for Miller on offense but Agho is more of a perimeter player so the post play will still be down. The only solution to the post game is if head coach Joe Jones can get Asenso Ampim to perform well on a consistent basis. Ampim has the size and strength to be an inside presence however he seems to lack the aggressiveness.

290. Fordham: Last years freshman sensation Jio Fontan returns for his sophomore year. The Atlantic-10 All Rookie averaged a team high of 15.3 points along with 4.7 assists per game during the 2008-09 season. Fontan’s presence should assure the Rams a high-octane offense, however it is the defensive side that head coach Dereck Whittenburg has to be worried about. The team will lose last years defensive threat; Chris Bethel who averaged a team high of 6.5 rebounds along with 1.3 steals per game. With out Bethel the Rams are going to need another person to step up and act as the bolt that holds the defense together.

289. Louisiana-Monroe: Head coach Orlando Early comes into the 2009-10 season with a chip on his shoulder from the disappointing 10-20 record last season. The Warhawks seemed to struggle immensely in conference play as they wrapped the season up with a 6-12 record in the Sun Belt. However this is a new year and Early’s young team has had plenty of time to mature in the offseason. One of the biggest tools they have is Rudy Turner who averaged 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in just 24.1 minutes per game in 2008-09. If he can perfect his midrange game as well as become a bit more aggressive under the glass, I firmly believe that we will see big improvement from the Warhawks.

288. Central Michigan: The Chippewas are set to lose seniors Marcus Van and Chris Kellermann. Van played an essential role for the Chippewas last year as their leading scorer and team leader. There is a lot of hope for the team as they return for the 2009-10 season with a very experienced team. If coach Ernie Zeigler can find a replacement for the two seniors then the Chippewas will be in excellent shape to improve upon their 12-19 record from the 2008-09 season.

287. Elon: The Phoenix will have virtually entirely different team than that of the 2008-09 season. Not only do they lose their three top players in Monty Sanders, Ola Atoyebi and Brett James but also their coach of six years Ernie Nestor. Nestor had a 77-117 record and only one winning season during his tenure. The Phoenix hired Matt Matheny to take control of the young team led by junior Chris Long. The 6-2 guard is a great all around player but is not really the go-to players that all successful teams have. Although this year looks to be a rebuilding season I believe the Phoenix will show a great deal of improvement.

286. UNC-Greensboro: The Spartans are one of the few teams in the NCAA that have their entire roster from the 2008-09 season returning for the upcoming 2009-10 season. This could really work out to their advantage for the obvious reasons however, the team was in a similar position going into the 2008-09 season after losing only one senior and they ended up struggling, finishing with a 4-25 record.

285. Eastern Illinois: The once young and sporadic Panthers come into the 2009-10 season as a well-developed team. Mike Miller is in a great position as he only lost one player from last season’s roster. The team will boast 6 seniors including last years leading scorer Romain Martin who finished 8^th in the Ohio Valley Conference averaging 15.4 points per game. Another senior that will make a major impact is the 6’ 8" center Ousmane Cisse who is a threat not only under the boards where he averages 7.5 rebounds but also in the paint where he scored 8 points per game just a season ago.

284. Norfolk State: The red-hot Spartans closed out the 2008-09 season winning 5 of their last six games to turnaround their disappointing first half of the season and finish with a 14-18 record. The main spark of this run was guard Michael Deloach who averaged 21.5 points per game which was not only good enough to lead the team but the MEAC as well. The downside is that Deloach and the Spartans 2^nd leading scorer Corey Lyons both graduated. Head coach Anthony Evans needs young guns such as Aleek Pauline to step up to keep the scorching Spartan offense rolling into the 2009-10 season.

Kentucky at Georgia: Postmortem

Truzenzuzex — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:14:24 -0000

As expected, the Dawgs were no match for the 'Cats today, even in the friendly confines of Stegeman Coliseum. As always, Georgia tried hard and played a tough, physical game, but their challenges scoring the basketball were just too tough to overcome. The Wildcats jumped out to a big early lead, and the scoring-challenged Bulldogs found no real way to gain momentum and put the ball through the hoop.

I always worry about the 'Cats after a big road win like we had at Tennessee earlier this week, particularly one in which so much of the scoring was done by one player. I worry about a tendency of the team to stand around and watch, and fear a regression to earlier in the season when UK would turn the ball over constantly.

Unfortunately for the 'Cats, they did regress in the turnover department with 18. While not the 20+ we had routinely been seeing earlier in the year. Still, 18 is far too many, and somewhat unsurprisingly based on the totality of the season, Jodie Meeks led the way with six. Patterson uncharacteristically added four, and our two best players combined for over half the total number of miscues.

Further impressions of this game are as follows:

Michael Porter continues to impress in the ballhandling department, registering his second zero-turnover game in the last four outings. If he would only take open shots. He managed only 1 assist, although he made up for it with six rebounds.
Patrick Patterson is not himself. I suspect the finger injury is affecting his game, as he is neither as sure handed nor as pure of touch as he was a few games back. 15 and 5 are not all-American numbers, and although he was his usual active self, there seems to be something not quite right.
Jodie Meeks was pretty much himself today. A good performance, especially when Georgia was working so hard to deny him the ball.
I thought DeAndre Liggins played very well, particularly defensively. 4 assists, two turnovers, one bad shot, one block and one steal. Good line for the freshman. He had more minutes than Porter today, and overall, I thought he was more effective. As he should be.
Darius Miller was also solid today, two turnovers being the only negative.
What can I say about Perry Stevenson. He is the glue guy, the player who gives you all the little things you need -- rebounds, blocks, help, points, even an occasional three.
Ramon Harris played awesome defense on Georgia' leading scorer, holding him to only 8 points.
Kevin Galloway gave some quality minutes, getting three assists and no turnovers. His defense was very disruptive.
Josh Harrellson had seven productive minutes, most of which came when the game was no longer in doubt.
11 blocks for this UK team. That's tremendous.
Defensively, I thought the 'Cats played maybe their most complete game of the season.
Offensively, Kentucky was below average at 48%. Kentucky missed a lot of open and simple shots.
For Georgia, Trey Thompson sure is good. I don't understand why he only played 22 minutes.

Honestly, other than slightly below average offensive execution, I find relatively little to criticize. UK got beat on the offensive glass, but when your opponent shoots a dismal 31%, to your 48%, that's going to happen 100% of the time. Overall, we beat the Dawgs by five on the glass, which is solid if not spectacular.

Taken all together, this was a very good game for Kentucky, and validation that the Wildcats are now ready for prime time. We may struggle against the very best this year, but I think the Wildcats have made a legitimate case for inclusion in the top 25 next week. I honestly don't expect them to quite get there, at least not in both polls, but they should be very close. Another good week, and they will be there for sure.

Central Michigan 52, Kentucky 84: Post Mortem

Truzenzuzex — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:21:42 -0000

Central Michigan University came into Rupp Arena tonight undermanned and injured, but despite these facts they dominated the Wildcats for the first five minutes of the game. Unfortunately for the Chippewas, Kentucky dominated the other 35 even more convincingly. I'm sure Kentucky fans appreciate the gritty effort by the Chippewas in a losing cause, and they can take pride in the fact that, for a while there, they had most of the Commonwealth cursing at their television set, radio, or ESPN 360.

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this game. On the one hand Kentucky won it easily, but on the other hand, it seems there were a lot of things that went wrong. When you look at the statistics it's hard to really criticize any particutlar thing. UK had 22 assists on 30 made baskets, shot outstanding percentages from everywhere, suffered only 13 turnovers (not a bad number for this team), had seven blocks and eight steals not to mention easily winning the game.

Still, it somehow seems like we played relatively poorly even though there is no way to support such a conclusion from the statistics. I think that I got used to the fast starts and huge leads early in the game and anything falling short of that looks like a failure. But make no mistake, this game was not a failure -- it just didn't feel as good as the stats look.

But, that aside, here are some observations:

The Liggins/Porter battle (at least in the minds of some Wildcat fans) looks like a draw tonight. Liggins had a career high 8 assists and 4 rebounds, but he tarnished those spectacular numbers with 5 turnovers and 3-8 shooting. For the entire early part of the second half, he looked completely out of control on both ends. He did steady down in the end when the game was out of reach. Liggins played solid defense, much better than last game.
Porter, on the other hand, had a good shooting game with 12 points on 4-8 shooting, and found his three point touch again. Unfortunately, he had only 3 assists with 4 turnovers. Porter did not do nearly as well as his last 4 games, but he was steady, solid on defense, and generally made good decisions.
Jodie Meeks once again looked great from the perimeter, but he is a little to selfish sometimes. He needs to learn how to pass and rebound -- only one assist and only two rebounds. But he did have two steals and played solid defense, so overall, he had a good game.
Patrick Patterson was, as usual, awesome. He missed only one shot in seven attempts, made all three of his free throws, and had only one turnover to go with nine rebounds. All-American numbers.
What can I say about Landon Slone? He was just great on both ends of the floor. I just wonder how he will do when faced with high-major athletes. We'll find out soon enough.
Darius Miller is just struggling, and that's all there is to it. He looked dejected on the bench tonight, and I hope he gets his confidence back soon. We need him. He is trying so hard that he is overplaying, allowing more patient opposing players to eventually disadvantage him.
Perry Stevenson was a DNP/player's decision. I say that because he was invisible other than a couple of blocks. Four total rebounds. He vanished into the background noise. We need more from him than that.
Josh Harrellson had a great game, Pattersonesque. He was solid on offense and defense, and made good decisions and did the little things. It's nice to see him back. If only he and Perry could find themselves on the same page at the same time.
AJ Stewart was active, and had three blocks and two goaltends.

At the end of the day, this was the kind of game you might call "uneven" if you didn't look at the stats, but one thing I do notice is that we only outrebounded them by three and CMU beat us by 5 on the offensive glass. Rebounding has been a weakness of this team all year, and it baffles me.

But that aside, we are done with relatively easy home games. Now, we must take on the Louisville Cardinals, who are not hurt, who are most certainly not undermanned against anyone but maybe North Carolina or the Boston Celtics, and who surely represent another level of challenge. I daresay that if we get behind early by nine against them, our odds of a successful outcome will be greatly diminished.

No more Little Debbie. No more Hostess. The fun is over. The work begins now, and the degree of difficulty goes up by an order of magnitude. Are we ready?

I hope so.

Central Michigan @ Kentucky: No time for Chippewas

Truzenzuzex — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:48:24 -0000

Another Monday, another game. This time, it is the final "tune up" game scheduled against a supposedly weaker opponent for UK's out-of-conference slate. Interestingly enough, UK has a history with CMU, even if it is only one game -- we met the Chippewas in the 1975 NCAA tournament second round, a game which we won 90-73 in Dayton, Ohio.

So who are the CMU Chippewas? Here are some quick facts:

Head coach: Ernie Zeigler, former assistant to Ben Howland at Pittsburgh and UCLA. Coached two years in Saudi Arabia.
Record: 3-8
Nickname: Chippewas
Location: Mount Pleasant, MI
Colors: Maroon and Gold
Conference: MAC
Record against the SEC: 0-4
Enrollment: 27,354

Let's have a look at the Chippewa's stats. Starters higlighted in yellow, as always:

Player stats

Central Michigan Chippewas
Player	Size	Pos	Class	GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG
Robbie Harman	6'1”/180	G	Jr.	11	11	34.5	12.1	35.8	3.1	3.4	2	0
Adrian Hunter	5'11”/195	G	Fr.	9	1	20.7	5.7	39.1	3.1	0.7	0.2	0
Jacolby Hardiman	6'5”/200	G-F	Jr.	11	11	32	10.7	47.9	5.5	1.4	1.5	0.2
Marcus Van	6'7”/220	F-C	Sr.	6	4	27.8	12.5	60.4	8.3	0.2	0.7	2.2
Jordan Bitzer	6'3”/195	G	Jr.	3	2	24.7	9.3	32.1	4.7	1.3	1.7	0
William Eddie III	6'2”/170	G	Fr.	10	0	10.4	1.3	40	0.4	0.3	0.2	0
Jeremy Allen	6'3”/185	G	So.	11	10	30.3	12.6	40.3	3.1	1.3	1.5	0.2
Lawrence Bridges	6'6”/220	F	Fr.	10	0	9.5	1.7	50	1.1	0.1	0.5	0
Zach Saylor	6'8”/235	F	Fr.	7	0	4.7	0.9	28.6	0.6	0	0.1	0.1
Brandon Ford	6'11”/255	F-C	Jr.	7	0	8.6	0.3	16.7	1.3	0.4	0	0
Chris Kellermann	6'8”/245	F	Sr.	7	7	26.9	14.4	41.7	5.6	1.3	1	0.3
Antonio Weary	6'3”/215	G	So.	11	9	23.1	2.7	29.4	3.4	2	0.8	0.4
Ryan Thomas		G	Fr.	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Team statistics

Courtesy of Ken Pomeroy's site:

Stat	CMU				Kentucky				Advantage
Stat	Offense	Rnk	Defense	Rnk	Offense	Rnk	Defense	Rnk	Offense	Defense
Adjusted efficiency	94.8	253	106.1	259	108.7	59	86.8	23	UK Big	UK Big
Effective FG%	47.4	216	48.3	146	55.8	14	42.4	19	UK Big	UK
Turnover %	23.2	267	23.2	77	24.7	305	20.9	187	CMU	CMU
Offensive rebound %	33.5	169	37.2	288	35.3	109	29.3	63	None	UK
Free throw rate	20	282	62.8	343	32.3	30	34.1	127	UK Big	UK
3-point FG%	33.2	185	30.9	70	32.4	216	32.9	133	CMU	CMU
2-point FG%	46	229	49.1	209	58.8	5	39.1	10	UK	UK
Free throw %	59.3	330	74	319	78.1	11	68.7	181	UK Big	UK
Block %	11.7	291	6.1	266	6.2	45	19.1	4	UK Big	UK Big
Steal %	11.3	264	11.9	57	10.7	228	9.4	206	UK	CMU
3PA/FGA	38.3	65	27.9	33	29.5	250	32.1	136	N/A	N/A
A/FGM	45.1	327	50	82	64.6	23	43.5	12	N/A	N/A

Analysis

Front court

Kentucky is much bigger and more athletic than CMU in the front court. The task of guarding the combination of Patterson, Harrellson and Stevenson looks monumental from my point of view. The Chippewas do have some size coming off the bench, but that depth is not particularly skilled and will not likely help much.

CMU's inside players do shoot a good percentage from the floor, with their front-court starters averaging around 49% from the floor. Chris Kellerman was their leading scorer, and main inside threat, but he is out with a foot injury.

The Chippewas have also been outrebounded in seven of their last eight games, three times by double-digit margins.

Back court

CMU has a small back court led by junior Robbie Harman, who averages 12 points per game. Adrian hunter, the point guard, is just a freshman and has been suffering from shooting woes lately, having made only 2 of his last 14 from the arc. Robbie Harman made 7 of 14 three-point shots against Illinois State, and Illinois State is currently ranked #79 by Pomeroy, is undefeated, and plays significantly better three-point defense than Kentucky.

The smaller and quicker Chippewa guards could give UK some trouble. They haven't played well lately, but they are capable of scoring big from the perimeter if UK doesn't respect them. They will pressure UK on defense to try to force turnovers, and the Wildcat's ballhandling will be tested today, unlike on Saturday.

Style

The Chippewas play pressure defense a la Ben Howland, but they are not an up-tempo team by any means. CMU averages an adjusted tempo of around 68 possessions/40 min., which is in between a UCLA and Michigan State tempo. UK wants to play relatively faster than that at around 71 possession/40 min.

If Coach Ziegler's style is anything like Howland's, he will likely eschew the zone, which will require constant double-teams on Patterson. Theoretically, you would think that would point to a big game for either Stevenson or Harrellson inside, or Meeks on kick-outs.

Overall

CMU isn't only undermanned and under-talented, their leading scorer is out with injury. On paper, this is a very significant mismatch, although not as big as some of the other teams that UK has played recently. CMU is on par in the Pomeroy rankings with Florida Atlantic, but I don't think CMU is really that good right now. FAU's modest position was due to having thier best player out for nine games, and CMU is suffering the reverse, losing their best player recently.