The No.4-seeded Central Michigan Chippewas (17-14) face the No.12-seeded Bowling Green Falcons (15-17) in the second round of the MAC tournament at the Quicken Loans Arena. Action starts at 2:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10.
The Chippewas were beaten by Western Michigan 91-82 in their last game. Chris Fowler was a top performer for the Chippewas, finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. The Falcons, meanwhile, are coming off a 70-69 win over Kent State in the 1. Antwon Lillard had a good game for Bowling Green, recording 13 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
The Chippewas have emerged victorious in both games against the Falcons this year, but fell short the last time these two teams met, 77-65. Fowler had a stellar game with 27 points, three rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one three-pointer.
The Chippewas have gone 17-14 Straight Up (SU) and 11-12-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 2-8 ATS. Central Michigan is excellent from the perimeter with 305 three-pointers made (9.0 per game), the 14th-most in the country. The Chippewas, sporting the 16th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.47), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team.
As for their opponent, the Falcons have 15-17 SU and 11-17 ATS records.
Central Michigan won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bumping its SU record to 6-4 over Bowling Green in their most recent meetings. Additionally, Central Michigan holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – CentMi, ATS Winner – CentMi
Notes
Bowling Green won its last game by a one-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, Central Michigan is 2-2. Bowling Green is 2-1 in close games this season.
The Central Michigan Chippewas have a defensive rating of 108.7 (ranked 100th), while the Bowling Green Falcons have an offensive rating of 102.9 (ranked 234th).
Central Michigan has an average field goal percentage of 44.3%. Bowling Green is a subpar 3-12 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Central Michigan Chippewas rank lower for their field goal percentage (176th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (68th), but the Bowling Green Falcons have a better FG% ranking (157th) than eFG% ranking (198th).
The Central Michigan Chippewas rank 16th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.47, while the Bowling Green Falcons rank outside the top 100 (258th) with an A/TO of .94.
Bowling Green makes an average of 6.2 steals per game. Central Michigan has an outstanding 6-2 record when it allows at least 6 steals.
