Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball

The Central Michigan Chippewas team is the basketball team that represent Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school's team currently competes in the Mid-American Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2003. The Chippewas are currently coached by Tony Barbee.

Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball
2024–25 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball team
University	Central Michigan University
Head coach	Tony Barbee (4th season)
Conference	Mid-American
Location	Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Arena	McGuirk Arena (capacity: 5,300)
Nickname	Chippewas
Colors	Maroon and gold[1]
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1965*, 1970*, 1971*, 1975
NCAA tournament round of 32
2003
NCAA tournament appearances
1965*, 1970*, 1971*, 1975, 1977, 1987, 2003 *at Division II level
Conference tournament champions
1987, 2003
Conference regular season champions
1975, 1977, 1979, 1987, 2001, 2003, 2015
Conference division season champions
2001, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016

Postseason

NCAA Division I

The Chippewas have appeared in four NCAA tournaments. Their combined record is 3–4.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1975		First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place	Georgetown Kentucky Oregon State	W 77–75 L 73–90 W 88–87
1977		First Round	Charlotte	L 86–91
1987	#13	First Round	UCLA	L 73–92
2003	#11	First Round Second Round	Creighton Duke	W 79–73 L 60–86

NCAA Division II

Central Michigan appeared in the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament three times. Their combined record was 3–3.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1965	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals	Jackson State Southern Illinois	W 83–79 L 62–90
1970	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals	Wayne State (MI) St. Joseph's (IN)	W 73–61 L 68–87
1971	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals	Augustana (IL) Evansville	W 63–59 L 60–78

NIT

The Chippewas have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) twice. Their combined record is 0–2.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1979		First Round	Purdue	L 80–97
2015	#6	First Round	Louisiana Tech	L 79–89

College Basketball Invitational (CBI) results

The Chippewas have appeared in the Division I College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once. Their record is 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2019	First Round	DePaul	L 86–100

CIT

The Chippewas have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) two times. Their combined record is 2–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2016	First Round	UT Martin	L 73–76
2018	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Fort Wayne Wofford Liberty	W 94–89 W 98–94 L 71–84

NAIA Tournament results

Central Michigan went to the NAIA Tournament twice, garnering a record of 2–2. Former coach Ted Kjolhede was named NAIA Coach of the Year for 1966.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1966	First Round Second Round	Edinboro Oklahoma Baptist	W 67–53 L 70–90
1967	First Round Second Round	Albany State Southwestern Louisiana	W 71–70 L 62–70

Player achievements and accolades

Retired numbers

Main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers

The Chippewas have retired six numbers, in honor of seven different players.^[2]

Ben Kelso (left) and Dan Roundfield, whose numbers were retired by Central Michigan. Rounfield was also the program's first MAC Player of the Year winner

Central Michigan Chippewas retired numbers
No.	Player	Years played	Ref.
14	Jim McElroy	1973–1975	[3]
	Mel McLaughlin	1980–1983	[3]
30	Ben Kelso	1970–1973	[3]
32	Dan Roundfield	1972–1975	[3]
44	Dan Majerle	1984–1988	[3]
50	Ben Poquette	1973–1977	[3]
54	Don Edwards	1963–1966	[3]

Chippewas in the ABA/NBA

• Nate Huffman (NBA 2002–2003)
• Willie Iverson (ABA 1968–1969)
• Chris Kaman (NBA 2003–2016)
• Ben Kelso (NBA 1973–1974)
• Dan Majerle (NBA 1988–2002)
• Dan Roundfield (NBA 1975–1987)
• Jim McElroy (NBA 1975–1982)
• Ben Poquette (NBA 1977–1987)

References

1. "Graphic Identity Guidelines". Central Michigan University Brand Identity Standards (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
2. "2018–19 Central Michigan Chippewas record book, page 3" (PDF). Central Michigan Chippewas. October 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 6, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
3. Central Michigan men's basketball record book, 2015–16 (archived)

External links

• Official website
• Basketball Reference