# 2024–25 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball team represented Central Michigan University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Chippewas, led by fourth-year head coach Tony Barbee, played their home games at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Michigan as members of the Mid-American Conference.

## Previous season

The Chippewas finished the 2023–24 season 18–13, 12–6 in MAC play, to finish in fourth place. They were defeated by Bowling Green in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Brian Taylor | 0 | G | 6'6" | 220 | Graduate student | Detroit, Michigan | Graduated |
| Bryce Eaton | 1 | G | 6'0" | 170 | Freshman | Detroit, Michigan | Transferred to Saint Peter's |
| Derrick Butler | 3 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Junior | Charlotte, North Carolina | Transferred to Bowling Green |
| Jemal Davis | 4 | F | 6'8" | 205 | Junior | St. Thomas, USVI | Transferred to UNC Asheville |
| Josiah Sanders | 5 | F | 6'5" | 235 | RS Freshman | Phoenix, Arizona | Entered the transfer portal |
| KJ Oduor | 11 | C | 6'9" | 225 | Sophomore | Kisumu, Kenya | Transferred to Wayne State |
| Aidan Rubio | 13 | G/F | 6'6" | 200 | Sophomore | Flint, Michigan | Transferred to UNC Asheville |
| Markus Harding | 15 | F | 6'10" | 255 | Junior | Toronto, Ontario | Transferred to Indiana State |
| Noah Adamczyk | 24 | G | 6'0" | 180 | Freshman | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | Transferred to Northeastern Junior College |
| Paul McMillan IV | 34 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Sophomore | Cincinnati, Ohio | Transferred to Canisius |
| Max Majerle | 44 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Sophomore | Scottsdale, Arizona | Transferred to Pima Community College |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Jakobi Heady | 0 | G/F | 6'6" | 200 | Senior | Sauk Village, Illinois | Bethune–Cookman |
| Kyler VanderJagt | 4 | G | 6'4" | 205 | Junior | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Belmont |
| Quentin Heady | 5 | F | 6'6" | 200 | Sophomore | Sauk Village, Illinois | South Suburban College |
| Damarion Bonds | 7 | G | 6'6" | 180 | Junior | Pontiac, Michigan | Henry Ford College |
| Trey Phillips | 11 | G | 6'6" | 180 | Sophomore | Scottsdale, Arizona | Southern Nazarene |
| Bryan Ndjonga | 13 | F | 6'9" | 200 | Sophomore | Yaoundé, Cameroon | Cal State Northridge |
| Ugnius Jarusevicius | 21 | F | 6'10" | 220 | Junior | Alytus, Lithuania | Cal State Bakersfield |
| Armani Mighty | 26 | C | 6'10" | 240 | Junior | Toronto, Ontario | Boston College |

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Mohammad Habhab F | Dearborn, Michigan | Fordson High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Ryan Hatcher G | Detroit, Michigan | University of Detroit Jesuit High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Gus Salem G | Los Angeles, California | Wilbraham & Monson Academy | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Central Michigan was picked to finish eighth in the MAC regular season.

### Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 121 (11) |
| 2 | Akron | 106 (1) |
| 3 | Kent State | 99 |
| 4 | Toledo | 95 |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 73 |
| 6 | Miami (OH) | 72 |
| 7 | Ball State | 67 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 55 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 36 |
| 10 | Western Michigan | 33 |
| 11 | Northern Illinois | 24 |
| 12 | Buffalo | 11 |
MAC Tournament Champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source

### Preseason All-MAC

Preseason All-MAC teams :
| Team | Player | Position | Year |
| First | Anthony Pritchard | Guard | Senior |
Source

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 27, 2024* 2:00 pm | Hillsdale | W 90–63 | – | 18 – Tied | 9 – J. Heady | 4 – Harding | McGuirk Arena (485) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | at South Alabama MAC-SBC Challenge | W 74–70 | 1–0 | 16 – VanderJagt | 8 – J. Heady | 6 – Pritchard | Mitchell Center (1,903) Mobile, AL |
| November 7, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Stony Brook Marquette Challenge | L 72–73 | 1–1 | 15 – J. Heady | 8 – J. Heady | 6 – Tied | McGuirk Arena (2,002) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| November 11, 2024* 9:00 pm, FS1 | at No. 15 Marquette Marquette Challenge | L 62–70 | 1–2 | 19 – VanderJagt | 14 – Jarusevicius | 6 – Pritchard | Fiserv Forum (14,757) Milwaukee, WI |
| November 13, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at George Mason Marquette Challenge | W 70–69 | 2–2 | 21 – Pritchard | 7 – J. Heady | 6 – J. Heady | EagleBank Arena (2,248) Fairfax, VA |
| November 20, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Central State | W 86–52 | 3–2 | 18 – Pritchard | 8 – Bonds | 3 – Tied | McGuirk Arena (1,390) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| November 25, 2024* 8:00 pm, B1G+ | at Minnesota | L 65–68 | 3–3 | 17 – Jarusevicius | 13 – J. Heady | 5 – Vasko | Williams Arena (7,349) Minneapolis, MN |
| December 1, 2024* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | Purdue Northwest | W 115–69 | 4–3 | 22 – Bonds | 11 – Vasko | 6 – Tied | McGuirk Arena (1,043) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| December 5, 2024* 7:00 pm | at Aquinas (MI) | W 93–69 | 5–3 | 18 – Tied | 10 – Vasko | 8 – Pritchard | Sturrus Sports & Recreation Center (689) Grand Rapids, MI |
| December 14, 2024* 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Valparaiso | L 77–93 | 5–4 | 20 – Pritchard | 6 – Tied | 3 – Pritchard | Athletics–Recreation Center (1,824) Valparaiso, IN |
| December 17, 2024* 7:30 pm, SECN+/ESPN+ | vs. Mississippi State Magnolia Madness | L 59–83 | 5–5 | 18 – J. Heady | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Mississippi Coliseum (2,536) Jackson, MS |
| December 21, 2024* 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Arizona | L 41–94 | 5–6 | 10 – Vasko | 8 – Ndjonga | 2 – Tied | McKale Center (13,093) Tucson, AZ |
| December 30, 2024* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | Cleary | W 85–39 | 6–6 | 15 – Jarusevicius | 13 – Jarusevicius | 4 – Tied | McGuirk Arena (1,174) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| MAC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Ohio | L 55–57 | 6–7 (0–1) | 15 – J. Heady | 11 – Jarusevicius | 2 – J. Heady | McGuirk Arena (1,268) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Akron | L 71–87 | 6–8 (0–2) | 20 – VanderJagt | 6 – Ndjonga | 5 – Pritchard | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,597) Akron, OH |
| January 10, 2025 8:00 pm, CBSSN | at Toledo | L 67–69 | 6–9 (0–3) | 19 – J. Heady | 9 – Pritchard | 3 – Tied | Savage Arena (3,974) Toledo, OH |
| January 14, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Eastern Michigan | W 82–63 | 7–9 (1–3) | 23 – Jarusevicius | 9 – Jarusevicius | 3 – Pritchard | McGuirk Arena (2,000) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| January 18, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Northern Illinois | W 71–66 | 8–9 (2–3) | 16 – J. Heady | 9 – J. Heady | 9 – Pritchard | Convocation Center (1,320) DeKalb, IL |
| January 21, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Ball State | L 80–82 | 8–10 (2–4) | 17 – Q. Heady | 8 – J. Heady | 6 – Pritchard | McGuirk Arena (2,423) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| January 25, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Western Michigan | W 73–52 | 9–10 (3–4) | 16 – J. Heady | 9 – Pritchard | 6 – Pritchard | McGuirk Arena (5,361) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| January 28, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Buffalo | L 69–75 | 9–11 (3–5) | 16 – Pritchard | 11 – J. Heady | 5 – Pritchard | Alumni Arena (1,211) Amherst, NY |
| February 1, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Bowling Green | W 90–71 | 10–11 (4–5) | 25 – VanderJagt | 12 – Jarusevicius | 8 – Pritchard | McGuirk Arena (2,057) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| February 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Miami (OH) | L 70–76 | 10–12 (4–6) | 17 – Bonds | 8 – Jarusevicius | 8 – Pritchard | McGuirk Arena (1,203) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| February 8, 2025* 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | Texas State MAC–SBC Challenge | W 85–70 | 11–12 | 20 – J. Heady | 14 – Jarusevicius | 11 – Pritchard | McGuirk Arena (1,244) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Kent State | L 83–91 | 11–13 (4–7) | 32 – Jarusevicius | 10 – Jarusevicius | 8 – Pritchard | MAC Center (1,280) Kent, OH |
| February 15, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Akron | L 82–85 | 11–14 (4–8) | 32 – Jarusevicius | 10 – Jarusevicius | 6 – Pritchard | McGuirk Arena (2,057) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| February 18, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Ohio | L 82–84 | 11–15 (4–9) | 35 – J. Heady | 8 – Vasko | 5 – Pritchard | Convocation Center (4,367) Athens, OH |
| February 22, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Western Michigan | W 86–57 | 12–15 (5–9) | 21 – Jarusevicius | 10 – Tied | 12 – Pritchard | University Arena (2,506) Kalamazoo, MI |
| February 25, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Buffalo | W 73–69 | 13–15 (6–9) | 18 – Tied | 11 – J. Heady | 6 – Pritchard | McGuirk Arena (1,244) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| March 1, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Eastern Michigan | L 73–84 | 13–16 (6–10) | 23 – Jarusevicius | 11 – Jarusevicius | 7 – Pritchard | George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,574) Ypsilanti, MI |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | at Ball State | W 69–67 | 14–16 (7–10) | 18 – Tied | 8 – Vasko | 6 – Pritchard | Worthen Arena (2,844) Muncie, IN |
| March 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | Northern Illinois | L 81–83 $^{2OT}$ | 14–17 (7–11) | 20 – J. Heady | 9 – J. Heady | 3 – J. Heady | McGuirk Arena (1,432) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources: