KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team continues its homestand on Tuesday evening as it welcomes Ohio to University Arena.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (9-18, 6-8 MAC) vs Ohio (15-12, 9-5)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 25 – 7 pm

Site: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan continues its homestand on Tuesday evening as it hosts Ohio.
• The Broncos are coming off of an 86-57 loss to Central Michigan on Saturday.
• JaVaughn Hannah led Western Michigan with a season-high 19 points.
• It was the fifth straight game in double-figures for Hannah, who has had 10 or more points in 11 of 14 MAC games.
• Western Michigan remains atop the MAC in offensive rebounds at 13.7 per game, which ranks 16th in NCAA Division I.
• The Broncos lead the conference in offensive rebounds in league play as well with an average of 14.6 per contest. 
• Ohio comes into Tuesday's matchup with a 75-67 lead in the all-time series.
• The Bobcats won this season's first meeting, 94-69, on Feb. 4 down in Athens.
• Western Michigan is 47-19 all-time against Ohio in Kalamazoo.
• Last season, the Broncos edged out the Bobcats, 81-79, at University Arena.

DOWN THE STRETCH WE COME
Western Michigan begins the final two weeks of the regular season on Tuesday as it welcomes Ohio to University Arena.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of an 86-57 loss to Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon at University Arena. JaVaughn Hannah netted a season-high 19 points to lead WMU in scoring. He was joined in double-figures by Chansey Willis Jr., who tallied 10 points and handed out a team-high four assists.

HANNAH HEATING UP
JaVaughn Hannah scored a season-high 19 points to lead Western Michigan in scoring on Saturday against CMU. It was the fifth consecutive game in double-figures for the junior, who has netted double-digit points in 19 of his 25 games this year, including in 11 of 14 MAC contests. Hannah is at 12.3 points per game this season, and is averaging 13.5 points per contest in league play. He has also registered 10 steals in the last three games to bump his average to 1.4 per game, the eighth-best mark in the MAC.

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WILLIS
Chansey Willis Jr. tallied double-digit points for the seventh consecutive contest and 17th time in his 19 games this season with his 10 points on Saturday against Central Michigan. In conference play, the junior is averaging 16.3 points (7th in the MAC), 5.4 assists (3rd) and 1.9 steals (T-3), while owning a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio (6th).

CLEANING THE GLASS
Western Michigan continues to rank among the conference's best on the boards, leading the MAC in offensive rebounding (13.7, 16th in NCAA Division I), ranking second in overall rebounding (38.1, 48th DI) and fourth in rebounding margin (+3.7). In conference play, the Broncos are averaging a league-leading 14.6 offensive rebounds per game and their 38.3 total boards per contest are second. Three WMU players currently rank in the top-17 of the MAC in rebounding, with Owen Lobsinger leading the way at 6.8 (5th). Donovan Williams is 11th (5.9) and Max Burton checks in at 17th (5.3).

GETTING OFFENSIVE
WMU comes into the week ranked 16th in NCAA Division I in offensive rebounding at 13.7 per game. Four Broncos are currently amongst the top-14 offensive rebounders in the MAC, with Owen Lobsinger pulling down 2.2 per game (8th), Max Burton at 1.9 (12th), JaVaughn Hannah at 1.8 (13th) and Donovan Williams at 1.8 (14th). In league play, Western Michigan has boosted its league-leading total to 14.6 per contest, with Lobsinger (2.7), Hannah (2.1), Williams (2.1) and Markhi Strickland (2.1) all inside the top-15.

SERIES HISTORY
Ohio enters Tuesday night's matchup with a 75-67 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs. Western Michigan has had the upperhand in Kalamazoo, owning a 47-19 mark on its home floor against the Bobcats. Last season, the Broncos picked up an 81-79 victory over Ohio at University Arena to improve to 4-0 in conference play.

WHEN LAST WE MET
The Broncos and Bobcats met for the first time this season exactly three weeks ago, Feb. 4, down in Athens, with Ohio collecting a 94-69 victory. OU shot 60.0 percent from the field for the evening and had five players score in double-figures. Chansey Willis Jr. tallied 20 points, five rebounds and five assists for Western Michigan, one of five times he has posted a 10-5-5 line this season.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Ohio is coming off of back-to-back wins, including handing first-place Akron its first MAC loss of the season, 84-67, on Saturday night. The Bobcats are scoring 80.0 points per game, which rates as the third-best mark in the conference and among the top-50 nationally. OU features a balanced attack which has four players averaging at least 12.5 points per game, led by senior forward AJ Clayton at 14.5. Ohio is also the top free throw shooting team in the league, hitting from the charity stripe at a rate of 76.7 percent, which is 36th in NCAA DI.

THE ROAD AHEAD
Western Michigan hits the road on Saturday afternoon as it visits Northern Illinois.