NCAA Basketball: Game previews for Eastern, Western, and Central Michigan

Eastern, Central, and Western Michigan have some key non-conference games this week.

Game 1

The Western Michigan Broncos are coming off a tough loss to St. Thomas on Dec. 1, 66-51. The Broncos were led by Anthony Crump, who scored 12 points. However, Western Michigan was outshot from the field and outrebounded by the Tommies.

The Broncos are struggling to score this season, averaging just 62.2 points per game. They are also turning the ball over at an alarming rate, averaging 15.2 turnovers per game.

Western Michigan must find a way to get its offense going and take care of the ball if it wants to upset Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are also coming off a loss, falling to Miami (FL) on Dec. 2, 62-49. The Fighting Irish were led by J.R. Konieczny, who scored 14 points. However, Notre Dame struggled from behind the arc, making just 2-of-13 three-pointers.

The Fighting Irish are averaging 67.5 points per game this season. They are also shooting 35.7% from three-point range.

Notre Dame will need to get its three-point shooting back on track but playing at home, they will be favored to beat Western Michigan.

Prediction

The Fighting Irish will not have an easy path to victory as the Broncos will be ready to play and put up a fight like they did against Northwestern when they played great defense and only lost by four points but the prediction is that Notre Dame will win by a final score score of 74-67.

Game 2

The Central Michigan Chippewas are coming off a loss to Ohio State on Nov. 29, 88-61. The Chippewas were led by Jemal Davis, who scored 15 points. However, Central Michigan was outshot from the field and outrebounded by the Buckeyes.

The Chippewas are struggling to score this season, averaging just 64.3 points per game. They are also turning the ball over at a high rate, averaging 14.2 turnovers per game.

Central Michigan must find a way to improve its offense and take care of the ball if it wants to defeat Valparaiso.

The Valparaiso Beacons are coming off a loss to Belmont on Dec. 2, 77-68. The Beacons were led by Isaiah Stafford, who scored 21 points. However, Valparaiso was outshot from the field and outrebounded by the Bruins.

The Beacons are averaging 70.1 points per game this season. They are also shooting 34.2% from three-point range.

Valparaiso will need to get its three-point shooting back on track if it wants to beat Central Michigan on the road.

This game is truly a toss-up to predict as both teams could win this game. Both teams are nearly evenly matched at key positions on the court. The team that can not turn the ball over at a high rate and make its shots from the outside, particularly beyond the three-point arc, will win.  The prediction for this game is that Valparaiso is unable to win this game on the road and Central Michigan wins this game by a close score of 78-75.

Three games will be played on Friday and Saturday for Eastern, Central, and Western Michigan.

Game 3

Date: Friday, December 8, 2023

Time: 7:00 PM EST

Venue: George Gervin Game Above Center, Ypsilanti, MI

TV/Streaming: ESPN+

The Eastern Michigan Eagles are coming off a win over Lake Superior State on Dec. 1, 68-53. The Eagles were led by Tyson Acuff, who scored 22 points. Eastern Michigan rebounded well pulling down 45 boards in their win over their division two opponent.

The Eagles are averaging 70.8 points per game this season. They are also shooting 38.1% from three-point range.

Eastern Michigan will need to continue to look to make its shots from three-point range if it wants to beat Oakland and revenge the overtime loss last year to the Golden Grizzlies.

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies are coming off a loss in conference play at home against Purdue Fort Wayne on Dec. 2, 98-77. The Golden Grizzlies were led by DQ Cole who scored 21 points. Oakland shot well from the free-throw line, making 14-of-18 attempts.

The Golden Grizzlies are averaging 67.3 points per game this season. They are also shooting 75.7% from the free-throw line.

Oakland will need to continue to make its free throws if it wants to beat Eastern Michigan on the road. The Golden Grizzlies also play Toledo two days before playing the Eagles.

The prediction for this game is that Eastern Michigan will win at home in a game that will go to overtime by a score of 81-79.

Game 4

The Youngstown State Penguins are coming off a win over Robert Morris on Nov. 29, 71-63. The Penguins were led by Damiree Burns who had 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Youngstown State put up almost 30 shots from three-point range, making 10-of-28 attempts.

The Penguins are averaging 70.2 points per game this season. They are also shooting 37.3% from three-point range.

If Youngstown State wants to beat Western Michigan, they will need to continue to make their shots from three-point range and outrebound the Broncos on the road.

Western Michigan has won two of their last three games and the Penguins have won five of their last six games. The prediction is that the Broncos pull off the mini-upset and defeat Youngstown State at home by a final score of 68-67.

Game 5

The Creighton Bluejays and the Western Michigan Broncos will face off in a matchup of two teams with contrasting styles of play. The Bluejays are a high-scoring team that is averaging 79.6 points per game this season, while the Broncos are a more defensive-minded team that is allowing just 68.2 points per game.

Creighton is led by senior guard Baylor Scheierman, who is averaging 18.6 points per game. He is a versatile scorer who can score from the inside and out. The Bluejays also have a strong inside presence in senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is averaging 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

The prediction is that Creighton will win this game by a score of 81-68.