KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team visits its second consecutive Big Ten foe on Sunday afternoon as it takes on Ohio State in an Emerald Coast Classic Campus Game down in Columbus, Ohio. 
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (0-3) at Ohio State (2-1)

Date/Time: Sunday, Nov. 19 – 4 pm

Site: Value City Arena (Columbus, Ohio)

Video: Big Ten Network

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: SIDEARM

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan completes its back-to-back road games against Big Ten foes on Sunday as it visits Ohio State. 
• Sunday's game is the first of the Emerald Coast Classic, which concludes next weekend in Destin, Fla.
• The Broncos are coming off of a 63-59 loss at Northwestern on Tuesday night. 
• In his first career start, Seth Hubbard led WMU with 17 points, his third straight game in double-figures.
• Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro handed out 10 assists, the first 10-assist performance by a Bronco since Thomas Wilder had 10 at Washington on Dec. 18, 2016.
• At 15.3 per game, Western Michigan is again atop the MAC in offensive rebounding, a category it led the league in last season at 12.2 per game. 
• WMU's last win over a Big Ten foe came at Michigan, 56-52, on Nov. 30, 2002.
• The Buckeyes have won all three prior meetings, with the latest coming in 1988.

EMERALD COAST CLASSIC
Western Michigan begins the Emerald Coast Classic on Sunday, with the first tilt of the three-game tournament being played on campus in Columbus, Ohio. The tournament concludes on Friday and Saturday in Destin, Fla., with the Broncos to take on Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, and either Mercer or Tennessee State on Saturday. 

LAST TIME OUT
In their first of back-to-back games against a Big Ten opponent, the Broncos fell at Northwestern on Tuesday, 63-59. Western Michigan trailed by double-digits early in the second half and rallied back to tie the game at 54-54 late in the contest, before the Wildcats eked the game out late. Seth Hubbard led the Brown and Gold with 17 points, while Anthony Crump pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. 

CLEANING THE GLASS
Western Michigan was dominant on the glass on Monday, as it enjoyed a 43-21 rebounding margin against Northwestern. WMU's advantage was especially pronunced on the offensive glass, as it had a 17-4 edge in offensive boards. The Broncos led the MAC in offensive rebounding a season ago, (12.2/game) and once again are atop the league in that category at 15.3 per contest. 

BOARDS BROTHERS
The duo of Anthony Crump and Titus Wright have been a large part of Western Michigan's success on the glass, with Crump fifth in the MAC at 7.7 rebounds per game at Wright sixth at 7.3. Wright's 4.0 offensive rebounds per game rank third in the league.

HOT-HAND HUBBARD
Seth Hubbard got hot down the stretch at the end of the 2022-23 campaign for WMU and it has carried over to the start of the new season, as he's scored in double-figures in each of the first three games. The sophomore netted 17 points in his first career start on Tuesday, and has scored in double-figures in seven of his last 11 games going back to last season. During this stretch, Hubbard has hit 25-of-56 (.446) from downtown and averaged 12.4 points per contest. 

SHARING IS CARING
WMU sophomore point guard Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro handed out a career-high 10 assists in Tuesday's game at Northwestern. It marked the first time a Bronco has registered 10 assists in a game since Thomas Wilder handed out 10 assists in a road tilt at Washington back on Dec. 18, 2016. De La Cruz Monegro is one of two players in the MAC (Giovanni Santiago, Kent State) and one of 28 players in NCAA DI to have a double-digit assist performance this season. The sophomore ranks third in the conference in assists (4.7) and fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8). 

394 AND COUNTING
Western Michigan has made at least one three-pointer in 394 straight games dating back to 2011. The Broncos are tied for third in the league at 9.0 made three's per game.

WMU VS THE BIG TEN
Ohio State is the second of two Big Ten opponents on the WMU schedule this season, which marks the sixth straight campaign in which the Broncos have faced at least one Big Ten foe. Western Michigan is in search of its first win over a Big Ten opponent since coming away with a 56-52 victory at 
Michigan on Nov. 30, 2002.

SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
Entering Sunday, four players are averaging double-figures for Ohio State, led by Bruce Thornton at 16.3 points per game. Zed Key is nearly averaging a double-double for the Buckeyes, as the senior sits at 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest. After the Broncos, OSU has two more MAC foes on its non-conference schedule, Central Michigan (Nov. 29) and Miami (Dec. 6).

SERIES HISTORY
WMU and OSU met three straight years from 1986-88. The Buckeyes won all three, taking the first two in Columbus, and the final one, Dec. 3, 1988, in Kalamazoo. 

ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan heads down to Destin, Fla., on Friday and Saturday for the final two games of the Emerald Coast Classic.