KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team hits the road again on Tuesday evening as it travels down to Muncie, Ind., to take on Ball State.
GAME INFO
Matchup: Western Michigan (5-14, 2-5 MAC) at Ball State (9-10, 3-4)
Date/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 28 – 7 pm
Site: Worthen Arena (Muncie, Ind.)
Video: ESPN+
Radio: Bronco Media Network
Live Stats: SIDEARM
OPENING TIP
- Western Michigan heads back out on the road on Tuesday night as it heads down to Muncie to face Ball State.
- The Broncos are coming off of a 73-52 loss at Central Michigan on Saturday night.
- Markhi Strickland went 7-for-11 to lead Western Michigan with 14 points.
- Owen Lobsinger nearly had his second double-double, posting 10 points and nine rebounds in his 100th career game.
- Lobsinger ranks second in the conference at 7.5 rebounds per contest.
- Western Michigan sits atop the MAC in rebounding margin (+4.7) and is tied for the league lead in offensive rebounds (13.4).
- Ball State holds a 72-69 edge in the all-time series between the two programs.
- In a series historically dominated by the home team, BSU leads 43-24 in Muncie.
- Last season, the road team won both matchups, with WMU winning at Worthen Arena in overtime, 78-76, on a buzzer beater by Anthony Crump.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Western Michigan continues a stretch of three out of four on the road on Tuesday evening as it visits Ball State. Tuesday's contest marks the only regular season meeting between the Broncos and Cardinals.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of a 73-52 loss at Central Michigan on Saturday night.
Markhi Strickland paced Western Michigan with 14 points on 7-of-11 from the floor, while
Owen Lobsinger narrowly missed out on his second double-double of the campaign with 10 points and nine rebounds.
OWEN REACHES THE CENTURY MARK
Saturday night's contest was the 100th as a Bronco for senior forward
Owen Lobsinger. The Flint, Mich., native nearly celebrated the occasion with a double-double, as he tallied 10 points to go with a team-leading nine rebounds. Saturday marked the eighth time this season Lobsinger has paced Western Michigan on the glass. For the season, he ranks second in the conference at 7.5 rebounds per contest, and in MAC play he is up to 8.4 boards per game.
MAKING HIS MARK
Markhi Strickland made seven of his 11 field goal attempts on Saturday at CMU to pace the Broncos with 14 points. It was the 13th double-digit scoring performance of the season for the redshirt junior, who had not scored in double-figures in 26 career games at the NCAA Division I level prior to this season. Saturday also marked the sixth time Strickland has led WMU in scoring, which is tied with
Chansey Willis Jr. for the team lead.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WILLIS
Chansey Willis Jr. just missed out on making it 11 straight double-digit scoring games to begin his Bronco career on Saturday as he was limited to nine points. The junior continued to fill up the stat sheet in other areas, as he handed out five assists and secured five rebounds. Willis is still a few games away from qualifying for the conference's leaders, but his 15.5 points per game average would rank sixth in the MAC and his 5.6 assists would rank second. In conference play, he is in the top-10 in the MAC in points (15.4), assists (5.6) and steals (1.6).
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Western Michigan continues to rank among the league's best in rebounding, as it leads the MAC in rebounding margin (+4.7), is tied for first in offensive rebounding (13.4) and is second in overall rebounding (38.7). The Broncos boast two of the conference's top-11 rebounders in
Owen Lobsinger (7.5, 2nd) and
Max Burton (5.8, 11th).
GETTING OFFENSIVE
The Broncos are looking to make it three straight seasons leading the MAC in offensive rebounding, as they are tied for the league lead and 29th in NCAA Division I at 13.4 per game. WMU has three of the league's top-11 offensive rebounders in
Owen Lobsinger (2.2, 8th),
Max Burton (2.0, T-9) and
Donovan Williams (1.9, 11th). In conference play, Western Michigan is averaging a league-leading 14.3 offensive boards per game, with Lobsinger's 2.8 tied for third and Williams' 2.4 tied for sixth.
SERIES HISTORY
Ball State enters Tuesday's contest with a 72-69 edge in the all-time series. In a series historically dominated by the home team, BSU owns a 43-24 mark against Western Michigan in Muncie. Last season, the road team won both matchups, with the Broncos ending a four-game slide at Worthen Arena on an
Anthony Crump buzzer beater to grab a 78-76 overtime victory.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Ball State is looking to bounce back after handing NIU its first MAC win of the campaign on Saturday. The Cardinals get to the line more frequently than any other team in the league, ranking eighth nationally in free throw attempts per game and 10th in free throws made per game. Jermahri Hill is third in the league at 16.1 points per game.
ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan returns to Kalamazoo on Saturday afternoon to take on Eastern Michigan, in what will be the lone regular season meeting between the Broncos and Eagles.
