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Preview: Miami at Central Michigan

Coach says status for team’s leading scorer may be a daily question the rest of the season.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 7:37 AM Thursday, January 27, 2011

OXFORD — Freshman point guard Quinten Rollins is expected to return to Miami University’s starting lineup for tonight’s game at Central Michigan.

The news isn’t so clear cut for the RedHawks’ leading scorer and rebounder, junior forward Julian Mavunga.

“Quinten has practiced, Julian hasn’t practiced,” Miami coach Charlie Coles said Wednesday afternoon while on his way to Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Each player sat out last Sunday’s game at Kent State with an injury to his left foot.

Coles said he expects that Mavunga will play against CMU. He thinks he’ll play. He hopes he’ll play.

“Julian’s just going to have to jump in and play,” Coles said of Mavunga, who averages 13.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. “And if he does, he going to have to do a good job to stay out there.

“I’ll be looking for signs either way,” Coles added. “Is he in pain? Is he not in pain? I won’t start him, but I’ll have him in there pretty quick.”

The Miami coach said Mavunga’s daily status might be a question for the rest of the season.

“But we’ve had that the last four seasons with (Adam) Fletcher and Tim Polliz,” Coles pointed out. “We’ll just have to deal with it.”

Rollins, who has a bruised bone, has started 16 of Miami’s first 18 games. He leads the team in steals (22) and is second to Mavunga in assists.

The RedHawks won’t be the only team dealing with injuries in tonight’s contest.

The Chippewas have been without their second-leading scorer, senior forward Jalin Thomas (15.1 points), for the last two games. Thomas suffered a sprained ankle on Jan. 15 and his status for tonight is not known.

But even without Thomas, CMU does have a lethal scorer who seems to be growing more lethal each week.

Freshman guard Trey Zeigler is the son of Chippewas head coach Ernie Ziegler. He averages 17.3 for the season and that average has soared to 22.6 points in Mid-American Conference games.

Coles called him one of the top three or four players in the MAC.

“He could have played anywhere in the country but chose to play for his dad,” Coles said. “He’s really coming on now.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.