BROADCAST INFORMATION
Radio • Bronco Radio Network
Announcers • Robin Hook
Stations • WZOX — 96.5 FM: (Flagship) Kalamazoo, Portage, Mattawan; WMAX — 96.1 FM: Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon
Broadcast • Pre-game show begins at 7:30 p.m. ET

THE SHOOTAROUND

• The Broncos will host the Ohio Bobcats in the first round of the 2015 MAC Tournament on Monday, March 9
• This will be the 128th meeting between the two teams, with Ohio owning a 65-62 advantage in the all-time series
• The Broncos have won each of the last three meetings between the two teams, including an 80-69 win at University Arena earlier this season
• Ohio has won three straight meetings between the two teams in the MAC Tournament, with the last Bronco win over Ohio coming in the 1997 MAC Tournament
• WMU is the only team in the MAC to win at least one game against each of the top-four seeds in the MAC Tournament
• With one more win this season, Steve Hawkins can become the only coach in program history to record three consecutive 20-win seasons
• David Brown needs just 17 more points to become the eighth player in program history with 1,500 career points
• The Broncos have won at least one MAC Tournament game in each of the last five seasons, and have not failed to play at least one game in Cleveland in every year under head coach Steve Hawkins
• Tucker Haymond returned to the Bronco line-up against Central Michigan after missing the previous four games with illness, scoring a team-high 20 points in the Broncos' win over the Chippewas

THE TIP-OFF
The sixth-seeded Broncos host the 11th-seeded Ohio Bobcats at University Arena on Monday, March 9 for a First Round game in the 2015 MAC Tournament.

ROAD TO CLEVELAND STARTS TODAY
The winner of today's first round game between No. 6 Western Michigan and No. 11 Ohio advances to the second round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament and will play the winner of No. 7 Akron and No. 10 Northern Illinois on Wednesday, March 11, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

BRONCOS VS. THE BOBCATS
This will be the 128th meeting between the two teams, with Ohio owning a 65-62 advantage in the rivalry with WMU that dates back to 1939. The Broncos are just 7-9 against the Bobcats under head coach Steve Hawkins but have won three straight meetings, including the previous game between the two teams this year. WMU defeated the Bobcats 80-69 on Feb. 18, with Austin Richie scoring 19 points and the Broncos outrebounding the Bobcats 36-23 in the double-digit victory. Javarez Willis led the Bobcats with 21 points, including a 5-of-10 performance from three-point range.

WMU VS. OHIO IN MAC TOURNAMENT
The Bobcats have held the edge over the Broncos in recent years in the MAC Tournament, winning each of the last three postseason meetings between the two teams. The last time the teams met was in the 2013 Tournament, when Ohio downed the Broncos 74-63 on March 15, 2013 in the semifinal round. Five players that played in that game return for this one, including four Broncos (Austin Richie, David Brown, Connar Tava, and Taylor Perry) and Ohio's Stevie Taylor. The last WMU win over Ohio in the MAC Tournament came on March 4, 1997.

DEAN OF THE MAC WEST
Western Michigan is under the direction of Steve Hawkins, the reigning 2013-14 MAC Coach of the Year who is in his 12th season at the reins of the Broncos. Hawkins ranks as the longest tenured coach in the MAC, and continues to rank as one of the best all-time in terms of winning percentage. Hawkins boasts a career record of 223-167 since taking over the Broncos at the beginning of the 2003-04 season, including a 123-79 record in conference play. He is the only coach in WMU history to win more than 100 MAC games in his tenure, and with his win against Miami on Jan. 21 now ranks fifth all-time in MAC history in coaching victories.

HOME SWEET HOME
Since Steve Hawkins became the head coach of the Broncos at the start of the 2003-04 season, University Arena has been a nightmare road trip for visiting teams, especially conference foes. Overall, the Broncos are 131-33 (.799) against opponents in Kalamazoo under Hawkins, including a 80-21 (.792) mark against conference opposition and a 51-12 (.810) record against non-conference opponents.

INJURY WOES
The Broncos have been beset by injuries and illness this season, and the factors beyond their control have had a direct correlation with their performance in MAC play. WMU went 7-1 in conference play with all 15 of their roster players healthy and available, but were just 3-7 when missing someone due to injury or illness.

ALL-TIME GREAT
With his five points on Friday against Central Michigan, David Brown bumped his all-time scoring total to 1,483 career points. At his current scoring pace in conference play, Brown has a shot to become just the eighth player in program history to break the 1,500-point barrier.

NEARING THE MARK
Speaking of career scoring marks, Connar Tava is approaching the 1,000-point marks. Tava has 944 career points and is looking to become the 40th member of the 1,000-Point club at WMU.

BRING 'EM ON
The Broncos may not have finished in the top four in the final MAC standings, but WMU does have a serious pedigree that means they may be built for the long haul. The Broncos are the only team in the MAC to have beaten all four of the top seeds. In fact, none of the top four seeds can claim to have picked up at least one win against any of the other three teams. Akron beat three of the four top seeds in the regular season at least once and Northern Illinois beat two of the four.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
AJ Avery has become a key part of the Broncos' season down the home stretch, with the veteran post player coming off the bench to provide not just minutes but actual production for WMU. Avery is averaging 5.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in his last seven games and is shooting 13-of-23 (.565) from the field in that span as well.