BYU will play Central Michigan University Friday night in the Marriott Center. Here is a scouting report of the Chippewas to get you ready before the 7:00 MST tip.
Record: 5-4
KenPom Ranking (out of 351 Division 1 Teams): 193
Strength of Schedule rank: 315
PPG: 75.7
Points allowed: 72.4
What you need to Know:
Central Michigan is a team that has underachieved thus far. After winning the regular season MAC title last year and returning virtually every contributor from that team, the Chippewas have struggled during the first month of the season. Much of that has to do with Central Michigan’s offensive style; CMU is a team that relies heavily on the three point shot. 50.1% of CMU’s shots are three pointers, which is 3rd in the nation. They are hitting them at a 34% clip, which is 172 in the nation. For a team that shoots so many threes, and doesn’t get a ton offensive rebounds, that percentage needs to be higher if they want to win more games.
The Chippewas main downfall has been its defense. They don’t force many turnovers, allow a lot of offensive rebounds, and allow teams to shoot well against them.
Player to watch:
Central Michigan is a guard-oriented team; the top three leading scorers are all guards, and they each average over 14 points a game. The main guy is point guard Chris Fowler. Fowler won’t shoot many – if any – threes, but he attacks the basket and gets to the line. His penetration sets his teammates up for open looks.
How BYU wins:
BYU must guard the 3-point line. Central Michigan is patient in its halfcourt sets, so BYU will have to play the full shot clock oftentimes and make sure to stay disciplined throughout. CMU doesn’t really have a guy that will give BYU too many troubles inside, but the Cougars will have to do a better job than they have been doing on closing out and locating shooters.
