When Ohio takes the court against Central Michigan on Wednesday, it will do so against a newer-looking Chippewas squad.
Director of Athletics Dave Heeke cleaned house in the spring, firing coach Ernie Ziegler after six years with the program, and brought in a fresh look in the form of Keno Davis, formerly of Providence College, who has had little tangible success this season — especially in Mid-American Conference play. The Chippewas have lost six straight heading into their game against Ohio.
Prized recruit Trey Ziegler, a junior forward, left the program during the offseason to play for Pittsburgh. A pair of freshman guards followed suit, transferring after their first year in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Davis has every intention of cleaning up Central Michigan’s recent past. Three of his top six scorers are freshmen, though the roster is composed equally of upper and underclassmen.
Ohio (17-6, 8-1 MAC) sophomore guard Stevie Taylor, the Bobcats’ youngest player, said the Chippewas’ youth movement isn’t a hindrance to their success this season, but he doesn’t have them pegged as an up-and-coming crop of talent, either.
“They’re probably a team (whose) record doesn’t speak to how good they are,” he said.
Davis has made a commitment for the long haul by playing six freshmen for more than 10 minutes per game. His formula has not been successful as of late, however.
After establishing a winning record in nonconference play, Central Michigan (9-14, 2-8 MAC) has struggled against conference opponents and occupies the MAC West cellar.
The Bobcats, on the other hand, have relied on experience to further solidify themselves as a top-tier opponent, trailing only Akron in a race for the conference crown.
Ohio leads the MAC in shooting, assists, turnover margin and scoring, while the Chippewas rank in the conference’s bottom third in shooting percentage and rebounding.
Their offense ebbs and flows with the play of guard Kyle Randall, a senior transfer from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, who is in his first eligible season with the Chippewas. His 17.2 points per game ranks second in the MAC.
Despite 20-plus point performances in his last four games, Randall’s efforts have not been enough to keep Central Michigan within nine points of its opponent at the final buzzer.
Ohio coach Jim Christian dubbed him the Chippewas’ “best one-on-one player,” but said their offense does not necessarily depend on his ability to score.
“He’s their most creative guy, but they’ve got five guys out there that can shoot threes,” Christian said. “Any one of them on any given night is going to be able to knock it down and hurt you.”
The Chippewas’ eight three-pointers per game are second to only Ohio in the MAC, though they have made only 32 percent of their conference-high 563 long-balls this season.
They have also permitted their opposition the most threes of any MAC team this season, meaning Ohio could have extra room to cork up shots from downtown Wednesday.
Christian said Central Michigan is a tough team to prepare for because of its ball movement schemes and the sum of its individual offensive parts.
“The way they play is kind of unique — it’s like playing an international team,” he said. “They really spread the floor, push the basketball incredibly well and shoot a ton of threes.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
