THE MATCHUP
Western Michigan Broncos (4-8, 0-0 MAC)
 at Ohio Bobcats (8-3, 0-0 MAC)
Jan. 3, 2017 • 7 p.m. • Athens, Ohio • Convocation Center (13,080)

Series Record: WMU trails, 63-66
Last Meeting: 82-64, Ohio (1/20/2016, in Athens)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Radio • Bronco Radio Network - Robin Hook PBP (Pre-game show begins at 6:30 p.m. ET)
Stations • WZOX — 96.5 FM: (Flagship) Kalamazoo, Portage, Mattawan; WMAX — 96.1 FM: Holland, Muskegon; WMAX — 96.1 FM: WTKG 1230 AM: Grand Rapids
Watch Live: ESPN3
Twitter Updates: @WMUMBB

MACTION
Western Michigan begins Mid-American Conference play with a pair of road games, opening league play at Ohio University on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The game will be shown on ESPN3 and is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Broncos then head to Akron for a 6:30 p.m. contest on Friday, Jan. 6, which will be aired on the CBS Sports Network and the Buckeye Cable System. WMU returns form the road trip for back-to-back MAC home games against Toledo (1/10) and Kent State (1/14).

SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan maintains a 4-8 record, with all three wins coming at home - vs. Marygrove (90-74), Central Arkansas (80-63), James Madison (74-67) and Alabama A&M (80-50).

> Junior point guard Thomas Wilder is averaging a team-best 16.8 ppg while senior Tucker Haymond is averaging 13.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg and has a team-high 41 assists. Freshman post Brandon Johnson and junior center Drake LaMont are averaging just under double figures at 8.8 ppg and 8.7 ppg, respectively. Johnson is the team's leading rebounder with 6.3 rpg and has three double-doubles this season.

> The Broncos are averaging 75.1 ppg this season and allowing 78.2 ppg defensively. WMU is shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from three and 68.7 percent from the free-throw line.

WMU - OHIO SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 130th meeting between the two teams, with Ohio owning a 66-63 advantage in the rivalry with WMU that dates back to 1939. The Broncos are 9-10 against the Bobcats under head coach Steve Hawkins and have won four of the last five in the series. Ohio took last year's meeting, which was also played in Athens, 82-74. The Broncos swept a pair of meetings in 2015, winning in the regular season, 80-69 on Feb. 18, and in the MAC Tournament, 82-74, on March 9.

LAST YEAR'S MEETING
Thomas Wilder recorded a team-high 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and had a career-high five steals for Western Michigan. Tucker Haymond was WMU's next highest scorer with 15 points. The Broncos had one of their best games of 2015-16 handling the ball, committing just seven turnovers. The team however shot just 33.9 percent from the floor and struggled from behind the arc, going 4-for-18 (22.2 %). Jaaron Simmons led Ohio with 24 points and went 4-for-4 from 3-point land. Antonio Campbell followed with a double-double, tallying 16 points and 16 rebounds.

WILD THING
WMU junior point guard Thomas Wilder has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season. He has three 20-plus point outings in the last five games. Wilder's 16.8 ppg ranks 10th in the Mid-American Conference. He also ranks second in the MAC in 3-point percentage (51.1%), eighth in free-throw percentage (79.6%), 11th in steals (1.4 spg) and 12th in assists (3.1 apg).

SMOOTH AROUND THE BASKET
Junior center Drake LaMont ranks second in the MAC with a 58.1 field goal percentage. LaMont has connected on 43 of 76 shots this season.