Central Michigan 64, Northern Illinois 62: Planet Zero

It's remarkably easy to get accustomed to a player taking over the game and then saving it at the end. SO easy. Trey Zeigler is going to do that for a while in Mount Pleasant, and for a fanbase who's pining for a Dan LeFevour-type player one year removed from his graduation, this win over NIU was great for them.

Zeigler had 27 points and nine rebounds, but one of his three blocks was the highlight of the night. The Huskies had the ball in the right guy's hands, but Xavier Silas was being covered with a very freshmanlike substance, and when he tried to nail a fadeaway jumper from the baseline, Zeigler was all over it and swatted it away, leaving them with a triple-covered desperation shot that didn't go. Sadness abound for DeKalbians.

Andre Coimbra fro'd his way to a helpful 14 points, six boards and three blocks (just like the coach's son!!) and while they were overall sort of poor at rebounding and what the hell was up with their free throws (16-for-31?) but hey, two more points than Northern Illinois. Silas would finish with a modest 24 (I've seen better), and his buddy cop du jour was Tim Toler, who went 3-for-3 on threes — even though he doesn't look like a man who makes threes — to finish with 14 points. You also had Jeremy Landers and Nate Rucker, bless their collective hustle, foul out.

Both teams are now 2-2 in the MAC, hugging WMU in a three-way tie for second place. Precious.

(CMU Sports game highlights)