Ohio’s time in The Convo is dwindling. It has just two home games left on its schedule, and its final home stint has arrived. Ohio will play its penultimate home game of the season when it hosts Central Michigan in The Convo on Tuesday night.
The Bobcats (22-5, 13-3 Mid-American Conference) are reeling from a blowout loss to Kent State last Friday. The Bobcats went 0-of-13 from the field to open the game and were held to under 60 points for just the second time during MAC play.
The Chippewas (6-18, 5-8 MAC) have been on the downswing. They are in the midst of a four-game skid, and their schedule isn’t lightening up. Although they still hold eighth place in the conference standings, and therefore the No. 8 seed in the MAC Tournament, the Chippewas are trending down at the worst time.
Ohio needs a win to shake off a rough weekend, and Central Michigan needs a win to remain in the MAC Tournament picture.
Here’s a second look at the Chippewas ahead of Tuesday’s game:
Game information
Opponent: Central Michigan
Venue: The Convo
Time: 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: Ohio IMG Sports Network
Live stats: Live stats are provided here.
Meet the opponent
Probable starters
00 Brian Taylor
01 Ralph Bissainthe
02 Kevin Miller
11 Cameron Healy
22 Nicolas Pavrette
Individual statistical leaders
Points: Miller (12.8 points per game)
Rebounds: Bissainthe (6.2 rebounds per game)
Assists: Miller (4.4 assists per game)
Field goal percentage: Aundre Polk (51.4%)
3-point percentage: Healy (40.2%)
Free throw percentage: Jermaine Jackson Jr. (85.7%)
Team statistical profile
Points per game: 66.1
Rebounds per game: 32.4
Assists per game: 11.5
Turnovers per game: 13.5
Field goal percentage: 40.8%
3-point percentage: 35.2%
Free throw percentage: 68.8%
Central Michigan since Game 1
The Chippewas lost their touch after losing to Ohio two weeks ago. They’ve dropped their last four games, including a loss to Western Michigan on Feb. 12 in which it allowed the worst team in the MAC to outscore them by 14 and shoot 48.1% from beyond the arc.
Central Michigan has shown it can still compete with the top of the MAC, however. It gave Ohio a scare in Mount Pleasant, and it even took Toledo down to the wire inside Savage Arena last Saturday. Toledo won by two points, but that game proved Central Michigan will be anything but a pushover on Tuesday.
Player to watch
Miller — Although he’s a freshman, Miller plays like a veteran on the court. He scored a career-high 25 points when the Bobcats visited Mount Pleasant, and he’s contributed to a large part of the Chippewas offense in his last four games. However, he’s liable to slip up and leads the team with 68 turnovers this season.
