 Divisonal battles continue in the Mid-American Conference with three games scheduled for Saturday in the MAC West as the regular season begins to wrap-up. With three games left, Ball State can clinch no worse than a tie for the divisional title today with a win and a Western Michigan loss. Get a preview of all of today's games here.
Ball State (13-13, 7-6 MAC) at Northern Illinois (9-17, 4-9 MAC)
3 p.m. • Ball State leads series 41-29
• Ball State heads into its final three Mid-American Conference games of the regular season in first place in the MAC West Division with a one-game lead over second place Western Michigan... Ball State is averaging 60.0 points per game during its 11 wins compared to 55.1 points per game in its 13 losses ... Also, the Cardinals’ defense holds opponents to 52.9 points per game in the victories and 65.6 points per game in the losses...Freshman forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals in rebounding at 7.3 boards per game ... Jones has grabbed 191 rebounds this season which is third most by a Ball State freshman in program history ... He just passed former Cardinal Bonzi Wells in freshman rebounding.... The Huskies will be eyeing their third-consecutive MAC home win, and third-straight victory overall. NIU head coach Ricardo Patton enters the contest with 199 wins, and is one victory away from becoming the fourth active head coach in the MAC to equal or eclipse 200 career triumphs... Sophomore guard Michael Patton is slated to make his first appearance against Ball State this season on Saturday. The reserve guard, coming off a season-high 14 points versus Western Michigan, did not make the trip to Muncie, Ind., (Jan. 17), while nursing an ankle injury.
Western Michigan (9-18, 6-7 MAC) at Toledo (5-23, 3-10 MAC)
7 p.m. • Toledo leads series 75-51
• Western Michigan heads to Toledo to play the Rockets at 7 p.m. tonight. The Broncos remain just one game back in the Mid-American Conference West Division and can still clinch at least a share of the crown by winning each of its final three games....The Broncos defeated Toledo earlier this season, 70-52... 2008-09 Academic All-American David Kool ranks second in the league in scoring (17.8) and free throw shooting (.885), fifth in threes per game (2.04), 11th in steals (1.52) and 14th in defensive rebounding (3.59)... The Rockets will be looking to rebound from Wednesday’s 58-49 setback at Eastern Michigan...Toledo has lost its last three matchups against the Broncos, including a 69-55 loss in Toledo last year that snapped the Rockets’ nine-game home winning streak vs. WMU... Tyrone Kent is pacing the Rockets’ attack with 14.8 ppg with senior G Jonathan Amos closely behind at 13.4 ppg.
Eastern Michigan (5-23, 3-10 MAC) at Central Michigan (9-17, 5-8 MAC)
7 p.m. • Central Michigan leads series 89-81
• Central Michigan shoots for its fourth straight home win on Saturday night, Feb. 28, when the Chippewas host rival Eastern Michigan. Tipoff in Rose Arena is set for 7 p.m... Central has won three straight home games. A win on Saturday would guarantee the Chippewas a winning record at home this season... The Chippewas are allowing just 55.0 points per game over the last five contests and CMU is 3-2 over the stretch...EMU junior center Justin Dobbins and redshirt sophomore Brandon Bowdry continue to climb the EMU career scoring and rebounding lists. Dobbins is the 56th player in school history to reach the 700-point plateau with 726 in his 84-game EMU career. That total ranks 49th in school history and his 379 career rebounds is good for 44th. Bowdry has scored 681 career points in his 60-game career to rank in a tie for 61st and his 369 rebounds is good for the 45th spot.
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