KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team resumes MAC play on Tuesday night as it travels to Akron to take on the first-place Zips.
GAME INFO
Matchup: Western Michigan (7-16, 4-6 MAC) at Akron (18-5, 10-0)
Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 11 – 7 pm
Site: James A. Rhodes Arena (Akron, Ohio)
Video: ESPN+
Radio: Bronco Media Network
Live Stats: SIDEARM
OPENING TIP
- Western Michigan resumes conference play on Tuesday night as it travels to Akron to face the first-place Zips.
- The Broncos are coming off of an 83-57 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
- JaVaughn Hannah and Chansey Willis Jr. led the Broncos with 13 points apiece, while Markhi Strickland netted 10 points.
- Willis added six assists and five rebounds for his fifth 10-5-5 game of the year.
- Western Michigan remains atop the MAC in offensive rebounding at 13.1 per game.
- WMU and UA are the top two teams in the league in overall rebounding at 40.4 and 37.7 boards per game, respectively.
- Akron owns a 39-22 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs.
- The Zips have been especially dominant on their home floor, as they own a 22-5 mark at home against WMU.
- Western Michigan's last road win in the series came back on Jan. 3, 2004.
RETURN OF THE MAC
Western Michigan resumes Mid-American Conference play on Tuesday night as it heads to Akron to face the first-place Zips.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of an 83-57 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
JaVaughn Hannah and
Chansey Willis Jr. tied for the team lead with 13 points apiece, while
Markhi Strickland was also in double-figures for WMU with 10 points.
Owen Lobsinger tallied nine points in his return to the lineup after missing the prior three games with an injury.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WILLIS
Chansey Willis Jr. tied for the team lead with 13 points on Saturday, the ninth time he has led or tied for the team lead in scoring this season. The junior also grabbed five rebounds and handed out a team-high six assists, marking the fifth time this season he has racked up at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game. For the season, he's averaging 15.2 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. In conference play, Willis is tied for fourth in assists (5.3), is fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8) and ninth in steals (1.5).
MAKING HIS MARK
Markhi Strickland netted 10 points on Saturday against Georgia Southern, the team-leading 16th double-digit scoring performance of the campaign for the junior, who hadn't scored in double-figures in 26 career games at the NCAA DI level prior to this season. Strickland has been efficient with his scoring, ranking 13th in the MAC with a .491 field goal percentage.
CLEANING THE GLASS
The Broncos continue to rank among the league's best in rebounding, leading the MAC in offensive rebounding (13.1), ranking second in overall rebounding (37.7) and fourth in rebounding margin (+2.9). Western Michigan is also leading the way in offensive rebounding in conference play (13.5) and is second in overall rebounding (37.4) in MAC contests. The WMU trio of
Owen Lobsinger (7.2, 3rd),
Max Burton (5.6, 14th) and
Donovan Williams (5.3, 18th) are all among the league's top-20 rebounders this season.
GETTING OFFENSIVE
After leading the conference in offensive rebounding each of the last two seasons, Western Michigan is atop the MAC once again, averaging 13.1 per contest (33rd in NCAA DI). Three Broncos rank in the league's top-15 on the offensive glass;
Owen Lobsinger (2.2, 8th),
Max Burton (1.9, T-11), and
Donovan Williams (1.8, 14th). WMU is averaging a league-best 13.5 in MAC play.
OWEN-ING THE BOARDS
Senior
Owen Lobsinger has been the top rebounder for WMU all season, and ranks third in the league at 7.2 rebounds per game. In MAC play, he is up to 8.4 per contest.
PROTECTING THE ROCK
Western Michigan has had 10 or fewer turnovers 11 times this season, including eight games with single-digit miscues. At 11.0 per contest, WMU is committing the second-fewest turnovers in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
Akron enters Tuesday night's matchup with a 39-22 record in the all-time series with the Broncos. The Zips have been especially dominant on their home floor, winning 22 of the 27 prior meetings in Akron. Western Michigan's last road win in the series came back on Jan. 3, 2004. The two teams split last season's meetings, with WMU winning at home on Senior Night to punch its ticket to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament.
SCOUTING THE ZIPS
Akron comes into Tuesday riding an 11-game winning streak and is 10-0 in league play. The Zips boast the top offense in the conference at 83.7 points per game, which ranks 12th in NCAA Division I. In MAC play, UA has upped its average to 87.8 points per contest. Akron and WMU are the top two rebounding teams in the MAC at 40.4 and 37.7 boards per game, respectively.
ON THE HORIZON
The Broncos begin a stretch of three out of four at home on Saturday against Miami.
