EMU will try to snap a 6-game losing streak / Photo: Nate Thompson
Five more games will tip-off Saturday in hoops action across the Mid-American Conference as divisional crossover play continues. The MAC East has solidly dominated the West division, racking up 16 wins in 18 contests. Can they keep it going? Get a preview of today's action here.
Northern Illinois (6-14, 2-6 MAC) at Buffalo (15-5, 7-1 MAC)
2 p.m. Northern Illinois leads series 13-9
The Bulls are coming off a 56-55 win over Central Michigan on Tuesday. UB was led by Andy Robinson who scored 14 points... At 7-1, the Bulls are off to their best start in MAC play since joining the conference in 1998... A win over Northern Illinois would give the Bulls eight straight conference wins - their longest streak since joining the MAC in 1998...Northern Illinois is coming off an 89-59 loss at Ohio on Thursday night... In Northern Illinois 89-59 loss at OhioUniversity Thursday, sophomore guard Darion Jake Anderson led the Huskies in scoring with 17 points, and also tallied his 100th field goal and 100th rebound of the season. Anderson also became the first NIU player to eclipse 300 or more points during the 2008-09 campaign... Dating back to the 2006-07 season, Northern Illinois is 4-30 in its last 34 road games. Seventeen of those losses have been against Mid-American Conference foes.
Kent State (11-11, 4-4 MAC) at BallState (10-10, 5-3 MAC)
2 p.m. BallState leads series 38-32
Kent State will be looking to stretch its winning streak to a season best four straight games when they travel to take on Ball State...The Golden Flashes have locked down their last three opponents, holding the opposition to 48.7 points and 32.2 percent shooting, including a mere 18.9 percent (10-53) from beyond the arc. KSU is also forcing 18.0 turnovers during the streak... KentState ranks fifth in the country in three point field goal percentage defense (28.4 percent), but BallState is holding opponents to a league best 22.6 percent from three in MAC play...BallState is coming off a 59-41 loss at Miami on Wednesday. The Cardinals are a perfect 4-0 at home against MAC teams this season. Jarrod Jones leads the team with 11.0 points and 7.2 rebounds.
Miami (13-7, 6-2 MAC) at Toledo (4-18, 2-6 MAC)
2:30 p.m. (FS Ohio) Miami leads series 65-49
The RedHawks will be looking to register their fourth straight road win when they take on the Toledo Rockets at 2:30 p.m. on FS Ohio... The RedHawks lead the MAC with a 46.8 FG%, 73.6 FG% and plus-9.5 scoring margin in conference games only and are second in scoring with 66.0 ppg. Senior G Michael Bramos paces the league with 2.40 three-point field goals per game and ranks second with 17.1 points per game...Toledo has been on the road for three of its last four and are looking to end a four-game skid. Tyrone Kent paces the Rockets, averaging 15.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg, while Jonathon Amos follows averaging 13.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg... Toledo has just one win in its last 27 road games dating back to the start of the 2007-08 campaign.
Eastern Michigan (3-19, 1-7 MAC) at Ohio (11-10, 4-4 MAC)
5 p.m. Ohio leads series 41-21
Ohio will play its second game in three days on Saturday when it hosts Eastern Michigan...Senior forward Jerome Tillman will enter the game poised to become just the fifth player in school history to rank in the career top-10 in both points and rebounds... Ohio has won 22 of its last 24 games at The Convo, and 10 of its last 12 MAC contests on its home floor ... The Bobcats are turning teams over at a rate of 17.8 times per game at home this year... The Eagles are hoping to have better luck in the state of Ohio when they square off against the Ohio University Bobcats Saturday, Feb. 7. Eastern has been to the BuckeyeState twice this season, dropping games at Toledo, 69-57, Jan. 17, and at KentState, 68-46, Jan. 27... EMU redshirt sophomore Brandon Bowdry continues to shoulder the scoring load for the Eagles, turning in 15 consecutive double-figure performances.
Bowling Green (12-9, 5-3 MAC) at Central Michigan (6-14, 3-5 MAC)
7 p.m. Bowling Green leads series 35-29
Bowling Green carries its longest winning streak of the season into Saturdays road game at Central Michigan. The Falcons have won four consecutive games, including two on the road, and are 3-0 against Mid-American Conference West Division opponents... Bowling Greens defense has keyed the Falcons four-game win streak. The team held opponents to 57.8 points per game and just 38.9 percent shooting during the stretch. As well, BG has cleaned up the boards, outrebounding opponents by 5.0 per contest... The Chippewas added a substantial threat when Jordan Bitzer became eligible at semester break. He has played 12 games since getting back on the court and leads the MAC in steals in conference games (2.75 per game), ranks second in three-pointers made in conference games, third in free-throw percentage in conference games, and fourth at 15.8 points per game in conference contests.
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