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GAME NOTES: Quarterfinal action of the Mid-American Conference Tournament will tip-off this afternoon when the second-seeded Central Michigan Chippewas take on the seventh-seeded Western Michigan Broncos at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Broncos opened tournament action with a thrilling, 75-73 victory over Bowling Green in the first round. It was the fourth win in the last six games for Western Michigan, which won this tournament just once, back in 2004.

As for the Chippewas, they earned the West Division title in their regular- season finale victory over Eastern Michigan. It was the third win in the last four games for Central Michigan, which has claimed this event twice, with the last one coming in 2003.

The Broncos currently own a 78-45 edge over Central Michigan in the all-time series. This season the two teams split a pair of games, with each team winning on their home floor.

The Broncos put forth a strong effort in their first-round win over Bowling Green, as they shot a respectable 46.3 percent from the floor, and also connected on 16-of-18 attempts from the foul line. Kool led the way in the win with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Flenard Whitfield and Martelle McLemore posted 19 and 12 points, respectively. Kool, who was selected to the All-MAC First Team, led the Broncos this season with 20.9 ppg, and also dished out 83 assists. McLemore and Whitfield have also been helpful on the season, as the two players are netting 11.7 and 10.2 ppg, respectively.

The Chippewas might have won the West, but the team has struggled at the offensive end of the floor and heads into this tournament averaging just 64.7 ppg, behind a pedestrian 41.1 percent shooting effort. Jordan Bitzer and Robbie Harman have been the only two consistent scoring threats on the year for Central Michigan, and both players earned spots on the All-MAC Second Team. Bitzer is currently posting 14.9 ppg on the season and is pulling down 5.0 rpg, while Harman is contributing 14.8 ppg, to go along with a team-high 3.1 apg. Fortunately the team has been solid defensively, and is holding opponents to just 64.0 ppg on the season.

Neither squad has been overwhelming offensively, so do not expect a high- scoring affair. CMU does possess a solid duo in Harman and Bitzer, but look for Kool to throw the Broncos on his shoulders and carry them into the next round.