Two days after scoring 100 points against the New York Knicks in March of 1962, Wilt Chamberlain dropped another 50 against those same Knicks in the follow-up game to his record-setting performance. The Miami Redhawks can rest easy.
Last Saturday, Central Michigan guard Marcus Keene scored 50 points against the Redhawks, the highest point total in an NCAA Division I game this season. The Chippewas won that home game, 101-92 at McQuirk Arena. So what does Keene do for an encore?
The Bowling Green Falcons will play a part in that answer as they will travel to Mt. Pleasant to battle the Chippewas on Tuesday night. The Falcons are coming off a win on Saturday against the Ball State Cardinals. Bowling Green has won two MAC games this season, and both wins have come against the Cardinals. But unfortunately for the Falcons, they can’t play Ball State every game.
Both Central Michigan and Bowling Green sit at 2-4 in MAC play and are near the bottom of their respective division standings. The Chippewas are 12-7 overall and the Falcons are 8-11. The Chippewas have yet to win a game on the road in MAC play, but are 8-1 overall at home. Both teams are still trying to find themselves before the tournament gets here.
A 5’ 9” transfer from Youngstown State, Keene has been a real find for head coach Keno Davis this year. He currently leads the nation in scoring at 29.8 per game. And it’s not like Keene is shooting his arm off to put up those numbers. Yes, he takes his share of shots, but he also makes a lot of them. He’s shooting 47% from the field and nearly 40% from three-point on the season.
After Central Michigan defeated Bowling Green by double digits in both regular-season meetings last season, the Falcons pulled off a thrilling victory over the Chippewas to advance to the semifinals at the 2016 MAC Tournament. With the score tied, 59-59, Antwon Lillard hit a game-winning triple with 12.3 seconds left to propel BGSU to the 62-59 win. It will interesting to see if either team has any carry over from that game?
Sophomores Lillard and Demajeo Wiggins usually have to play well from Bowling Green to be competitive. Wiggins had a double-double in the win against Ball State on Saturday, and senior Zach Denny led all scorers with 17. Denny, and guards Ismail Ali and Dylan Frye will be tasked with keeping Keene in check on Tuesday night.
By the way, after Kobe Bryant dropped 81 on Toronto on January 22, 2006, he scored 30 in his next game against the Warriors. Marcus Keene we see you.
When: Tuesday, January 24, 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: WFRO (Eagle 99) Fremont, Ohio
Line: Central Michigan -7