The Central Michigan Chippewas (7-6) look to extend their five-game home winning streak in a matchup against the Eastern Michigan Eagles (8-5). The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 6 and will air on ES3.
The Chippewas easily got past Lourdes 87-66 the last time they played. Chris Fowler had 18 points, five assists, and one rebound for Central Michigan. The Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-77 loss to North Florida in their last outing. James Thompson IV had a team-high 18 points.
It will be a tale of two tempos, as the up-tempo Eagles (ranked 30th in the nation in possessions per game) take on the half-court oriented Chippewas (286th).
Central Michigan, a three-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Eastern Michigan. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 149 points. The Chippewas look to build on their records of 7-6 Straight Up (SU) and 1-4-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Central Michigan is excellent from the perimeter with 139 three-pointers made (10.0 per game), the 27th-most in the country.
On the other side, the Eagles have an 8-5 SU record, but have struggled ATS with a 2-4 record. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Eagles, who are the 40th-best team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .391.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan played, Central Michigan won, moving its SU record against Eastern Michigan to 6-4 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. However, with a 5-4-1 record, Eastern Michigan has the advantage ATS. Central Michigan held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five games, while Eastern Michigan wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – EastMi, ATS Winner – EastMi, O/U – Over
Notes
Central Michigan is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Central Michigan is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Central Michigan is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Eastern Michigan.
Central Michigan is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Eastern Michigan.
Central Michigan won its last game by a 21-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Eastern Michigan is 4-2. Central Michigan is 3-1 in blowouts this season.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles average 74.4 possessions per game and 1.044 points per possession. The Central Michigan Chippewas earn fewer possessions with 67.4, but they score more points with 1.152.
Central Michigan averages an effective field goal percentage of 53.7%. Eastern Michigan has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-3).
On average, Central Michigan attempts 29.0 three pointers and Eastern Michigan attempts 19.0. Both teams have even records when they attempt at least 20 three pointers. The Central Michigan Chippewas are 6-6 in such games and the Eastern Michigan Eagles are 3-3.
Eastern Michigan, the 64th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.5 rebounds per game. Central Michigan does worse, ranked 171st with 37.2.
On average, Central Michigan makes 4.8 steals per game. Eastern Michigan has a winning 8-3 record when it gives up at least 4 steals.
