KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team returns to University Arena on Tuesday night to take on Akron.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (9-16, 3-9 MAC) vs Akron (20-5, 11-1)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 17 – 7 pm

Site: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Tuesday night to face Akron.
• The Broncos are coming off of a 76-62 win at Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon, their first road MAC win of the year.
• The victory completed the season sweep for Western Michigan over EMU for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
• Brady Swartz paced the Brown and Gold with 16 points and seven rebounds.
• EJ Ryans was also in double-figures for the Broncos with 13 points.
• Western Michigan was a dominant plus-16 on the glass (45-29) against the Eagles.
• Akron owns a 41-22 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs.
• The Zips won this season's first meeting back at home on Jan. 17, 104-89.
• WMU beat Akron 90-84 in its most recent trip to Kalamazoo on March 8, 2024.
• That victory came on Senior Night for the Broncos and punched their ticket to the 2024 MAC Tournament.

HOMEWARD BOUND
Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Tuesday night for its second matchup of the season with Akron.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of a 76-62 victory at Eastern Michigan on Saturday for their first MAC road win of the season. The win also secured WMU's first season sweep of the Eagles since the 2010-11 campaign. Brady Swartz paced the Brown and Gold with 16 points and seven boards, while EJ Ryans also scored in double-figures with 13. 

CLEANING THE GLASS
Western Michigan dominated the boards on Saturday, owning a 45-29 rebounding advantage over EMU. The Broncos grabbed 15 offensive rebounds on the way to their plus-16 edge on the glass, their largest rebounding margin against a MAC foe this season. Always a strong suit under head coach Dwayne Stephens, WMU ranks fourth in the league in overall rebounding at 36.9 per game, led by Jayden Brewer, who is eighth in the MAC at 6.6 rebounds per game. In conference play, the Broncos rank third in overall rebounding (36.1) and second in offensive rebounding (12.3). 

BALANCED BRONCOS
Western Michigan has featured a balanced attack all season long, with 11 different Broncos having scored in double-figures at least once, and five having posted at least one game with 20 or more points. Leading the charge with 14 double-digit scoring performances is Jayden Brewer, with Jalen Griffith not too far behind with 12. Six different players have been WMU's top scorer in a game this season, led by Griffith, who has paced the Brown and Gold eight times. 

BENCH BOOST
WMU's depth of scoring has led it to having one of the top bench units in the nation and got 32 points from its reserves in Saturday's victory at Eastern Michigan. The Brown and Gold are currently leading the MAC and ranked 34th in NCAA Division I at 29.9 bench points per game. Nine different players have scored in double-figures in a game off of the Bronco bench, with Jayden Brewer, Jalen Griffith, Brady Swartz (twice) and Justice Williams all having posted a 20-plus point scoring performance off of the bench this season.

LET JAYDEN BREW
Jayden Brewer has filled up the stats sheet for the Broncos this season, leading the team in double-digit scoring performances (14), double-doubles (5), rebounding (6.8/game) and shot blocking (1.0). The FIU transfer comes into Tuesday ranked eighth in the MAC in rebounding at 6.6 per contest and tied for eighth in blocks at 1.0 per game. 

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
WMU enters Tuesday having made at least one three-pointer in 480 straight games, dating back to the 2010-11 season. Jalen Griffith has been Western Michigan's top sharpshooter at 40.4 percent, and has upped his percentage to 43.5, the sixth-best mark in the MAC, in conference action.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron enters Tuesday night's contest with a 41-22 advantage in the all-time series. The Zips took this season's first meeting, 104-89, on their home floor back on Jan. 17. Western Michigan knocked off Akron, 90-84, in the last meeting in Kalamazoo on March 8, 2024. Televised nationally on CBS Sports Network, that game was WMU's Senior Night, and the victory punched the Brown and Gold's ticket to the MAC Tournament for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.

WHEN LAST WE MET
In this season's first meeting back on Jan. 17 in Akron, Western Michigan held a double-digit lead at one point in the first half, but saw the hosts catch fire from three-point range and rally for an eventually 104-89 victory. Both offenses were clicking, as each team shot over 55.0 percent from the floor for the afternoon. WMU hit a season-high 12 three-pointers, while Akron made 20 triples on 57.1 percent from beyond the arc. Justice Williams led the way with 28 points for the Broncos, while Jayden Brewer netted 23.

THE ROAD AHEAD
The Broncos hit the road for their next two games, starting on Saturday with a trip to Mount Pleasant to face rival CMU.