Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU Hoops Hosts Niagara to Open CIT Wednesday
3/12/2018 4:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Eagles play just the second home postseason game in Eastern history
| Eastern Michigan vs Niagara | |
| Date | Wednesday, March 14 | 7 p.m. |
| Venue | Ypsilanti, Mich. | Convocation Center (8,754) |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Live Stats | Fan Stats | Media Stats |
| Watch | WatchCIT.com |
| Listen | WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) | TuneIn Radio |
| @EMUHoops | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team enters into the 2018 postseason as a member of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) field. The Eagles will play host to Niagara University of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Wednesday, March 14, at 7 p.m at the Convocation Center.
EMU (21-12, 11-7 MAC) fell in heartbreaking fashion in the Mid-American Conference semi-final to the University of Toledo, 64-63. Seconds after the Eagles took a late two-point lead, the Rockets drained a three to punch a ticket to the MAC Championship game. NU (19-13, 12-6 MAAC) was upset by Fairfield in the MAAC quarterfinals, 90-77 in Albany, N.Y., March 3.
Chad Bush is set to call the game on WEMU (89.1 FM), with Kyler Ludlow joining as the analyst. The CIT will be broadcast on WatchCIT.com, with Ryan Wooley on the play-by-play and Greg Steiner providing the analysis.
CIT HISTORY: This season marks Eastern's second trip to the CIT, as EMU earned a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament after the 2013-14 season, ending a 16-year postseason tournament drought. The Eagles defeated Norfolk State, 58-54, in the opening round game, played at the Convocation Center. The Green and White's run to a championship ended with a 69-56 setback at Columbia.
BACK IN THE POSTSEASON: Eastern Michigan is back in the postseason for the first time since playing in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season.
Only two members of that team, senior Tim Bond and redshirt junior Jordan Nobles, were members of the Eagles' team that season, but neither played in EMU's lone game at Louisiana-Monroe.
ALL TIME VS. NIAGARA: EMU and Niagara have played just once in Eastern's 120-year basketball history. The Purple Eagles played host to the then-Hurons Dec. 12, 1970, and despite a 25-point performance from EMU legend Kennedy McIntosh, the Green and White fell 91-63.
PLAYING HOST: EMU has hosted a postseason game just one other time in program history, March 18, 2014. Playing as part of the CIT, the Eagles welcomed Norfolk State to Ypsilanti for the opening round and came away with a 58-54 victory.
Playing at home has been a major advantage for Eastern Michigan in the 2017-18 season, as the Eagles finished the home portion of the 2017-18 regular season with an outstanding record of 13-3 inside the friendly confines of the Convocation Center.
MURPHY IN THE POSTSEASON: Eastern Michigan will be playing in its third postseason of the Rob Murphy era, having one other appearance in the CIT as well as the College Basketball Invitational. EMU is 1-2 with a win over Norfolk State and losses to Columbia and Louisiana-Monroe.
POSTSEASON HARDWARE: Redshirt junior Paul Jackson was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the tournament, March 10. The Stone Mountain, Ga. native averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 assists per game during the Eagles' two-game stretch in Cleveland. He became the first EMU player since Carlos Medlock in 2010 to be dubbed with All-Tournament accolades.
MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH: With the game hanging in the balance in the closing moments of the Mid-American Conference Tournament semi-final, redshirt junior Paul Jackson gave the Eagles a 63-61 lead with just 20 seconds to go. Toledo answered with a three-pointer with just eight seconds to go, and time expired as a Kevin McAdoo lay-up rimmed out.
The loss snapped the Green and White's seven-game winning streak and gave EMU its first loss since Feb. 10 at Bowling Green.
COMEBACK KIDS: Eastern trailed by 17 points at the 9:59 mark of the second half in its MAC quarterfinal game against Akron Thursday, March 8, but rallied on the strength of its pressure defense and a 21-1 run. The victory over the Zips was the first for the Eagles in the MAC Tournament, as well as its first win in Cleveland since March 11, 2015. Eastern avenged five season-ending setbacks to Akron, including twice in the last two seasons.
Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, including his 1,000th career point (479 at Robert Morris, 541 at EMU), while also grabbing 14 rebounds and coming away with three steals. Fellow redshirt junior Paul Jackson added 15 points and five assists, while senior Tim Bond chipped in 15 points and grabbed eight boards.
QUARTET HONORED BY MAC: After its best Mid-American Conference season under Head Coach Rob Murphy, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team was rewarded with the defensive player of the year, three players named to the All-MAC teams, and a pair to the All-Defensive squad.
Senior Tim Bond was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year after being selected to the all-defensive team for the third straight season. Junior James Thompson IV earned spots on both the All-MAC First Team, as well as All-MAC Defensive Team. Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie was named to the All-MAC Third Team, and fellow redshirt junior Paul Jackson was named All-MAC Honorable Mention.
THE MILESTONE MAN: Senior Tim Bond has completely rewritten the Eastern Michigan record book when it comes to defense, as the Baltimore, Md. native set the new record for single-season steals in the MAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Akron. His 78th steal of the season passed Lorenzo Neely, and etched Bond's name atop another steal category.
His first broken record came when he became the all-time leader in steals AND joined the 1,000 point club on the same play, Saturday, Feb. 24 against Northern Illinois. The senior's tip away for steal number 221 started a fast break to the other end, and after a nifty feed from Malik Ellison, Bond flushed a slam to become the 31st member of the 1,000 point club.
STREAKING: The Eagles have played some of their best ball of the season over the final month of the season, having won 10 of its last 13 games, including a season-best seven-game winning streak.
ABOUT THE STREAK: Eastern's winning ways have come on the strength of the Mid-American Conference's best defense. The Eagles, who lead the MAC with a 66.8 scoring defense, have allowed just 63.1 points per contest in the last eight games. EMU has also held teams to just 40.9 percent from the floor during the stretch, forced 12.9 turnovers per game, and averaged 8.4 steals per contest.
The offense has kicked its production up a notch as well. After averaging 65.2 points per game through the first 12 games of MAC play, the Green and White have averaged 71.5 points on the heals of 47.9 precent shooting from the floor. The Eagles have also seen their free throw percentage rise from 62.9 percent to a 80.5 mark.
LOCK DOWN D: Over the course of the last eight games, Eastern's already stingy defense has gone to another level. The Eagles are allowing just 63.1 points per game and holding opponents to a 40.9 shooting percentage from the floor during that stretch, and they've also forced 103 turnovers, had 67 steals, and swatted 52 shots.
EMU has had especially tough defense in the opening half of its games. The Green and White have allowed fewer than 25 points in four of the nine games, and have held opponents to under 30 points in all but two matchups. Eastern Michigan most recently held Toledo, the MAC's second-most prolific scoring offense, to just 69 points, 11 lower than its season average (80.2).
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie was named MAC Player of the Week, March 5, for the second consecutive week. He joined junior James Thompson IV as two-time winners for the Eagles this season.
Minnie scored 21.5 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting from the floor and 35.0 percent from the three-point line. He added 8.5 rebounds per contest, was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, and also had three blocks and two steals on the week.
DOMINATING DEFENSE: Eastern Michigan has the Mid-American Conference's best defense, allowing opponents just 66.8 points per game on the season, and holding them to a conference-best 40.6 shooting percentage. The Eagles have been even better since league play began, allowing just 65.4 points per game while holding opponents to a 40.1 mark from the floor.
EMU has held opponents to 69 points-or-less 18 times this season. EMU is 16-2 in those games, having added six more in its last eight games against Akron (W, 67-58), Toledo (W, 72-69), Western Michigan (W, 74-58), Miami (W, 58-57), Central Michigan (W, 72-67), and Northern Illinois (W, 82-53).
The Eagles had a season-low 41 point effort, Feb. 3, against Ball State to go along with impressive performances against Spring Arbor (60), Arkansas State (59), South Florida (47), Rochester (48), Miami (48), and Akron (49).
ON THE HORIZON: Should Eastern Michigan advance past Niagara in the opening round, the Eagles will play a to-be-determined opponent, scheduled to take place between March 22-25.
EMU (21-12, 11-7 MAC) fell in heartbreaking fashion in the Mid-American Conference semi-final to the University of Toledo, 64-63. Seconds after the Eagles took a late two-point lead, the Rockets drained a three to punch a ticket to the MAC Championship game. NU (19-13, 12-6 MAAC) was upset by Fairfield in the MAAC quarterfinals, 90-77 in Albany, N.Y., March 3.
Chad Bush is set to call the game on WEMU (89.1 FM), with Kyler Ludlow joining as the analyst. The CIT will be broadcast on WatchCIT.com, with Ryan Wooley on the play-by-play and Greg Steiner providing the analysis.
CIT HISTORY: This season marks Eastern's second trip to the CIT, as EMU earned a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament after the 2013-14 season, ending a 16-year postseason tournament drought. The Eagles defeated Norfolk State, 58-54, in the opening round game, played at the Convocation Center. The Green and White's run to a championship ended with a 69-56 setback at Columbia.
BACK IN THE POSTSEASON: Eastern Michigan is back in the postseason for the first time since playing in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season.
Only two members of that team, senior Tim Bond and redshirt junior Jordan Nobles, were members of the Eagles' team that season, but neither played in EMU's lone game at Louisiana-Monroe.
ALL TIME VS. NIAGARA: EMU and Niagara have played just once in Eastern's 120-year basketball history. The Purple Eagles played host to the then-Hurons Dec. 12, 1970, and despite a 25-point performance from EMU legend Kennedy McIntosh, the Green and White fell 91-63.
PLAYING HOST: EMU has hosted a postseason game just one other time in program history, March 18, 2014. Playing as part of the CIT, the Eagles welcomed Norfolk State to Ypsilanti for the opening round and came away with a 58-54 victory.
Playing at home has been a major advantage for Eastern Michigan in the 2017-18 season, as the Eagles finished the home portion of the 2017-18 regular season with an outstanding record of 13-3 inside the friendly confines of the Convocation Center.
MURPHY IN THE POSTSEASON: Eastern Michigan will be playing in its third postseason of the Rob Murphy era, having one other appearance in the CIT as well as the College Basketball Invitational. EMU is 1-2 with a win over Norfolk State and losses to Columbia and Louisiana-Monroe.
POSTSEASON HARDWARE: Redshirt junior Paul Jackson was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the tournament, March 10. The Stone Mountain, Ga. native averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 assists per game during the Eagles' two-game stretch in Cleveland. He became the first EMU player since Carlos Medlock in 2010 to be dubbed with All-Tournament accolades.
MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH: With the game hanging in the balance in the closing moments of the Mid-American Conference Tournament semi-final, redshirt junior Paul Jackson gave the Eagles a 63-61 lead with just 20 seconds to go. Toledo answered with a three-pointer with just eight seconds to go, and time expired as a Kevin McAdoo lay-up rimmed out.
The loss snapped the Green and White's seven-game winning streak and gave EMU its first loss since Feb. 10 at Bowling Green.
COMEBACK KIDS: Eastern trailed by 17 points at the 9:59 mark of the second half in its MAC quarterfinal game against Akron Thursday, March 8, but rallied on the strength of its pressure defense and a 21-1 run. The victory over the Zips was the first for the Eagles in the MAC Tournament, as well as its first win in Cleveland since March 11, 2015. Eastern avenged five season-ending setbacks to Akron, including twice in the last two seasons.
Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, including his 1,000th career point (479 at Robert Morris, 541 at EMU), while also grabbing 14 rebounds and coming away with three steals. Fellow redshirt junior Paul Jackson added 15 points and five assists, while senior Tim Bond chipped in 15 points and grabbed eight boards.
QUARTET HONORED BY MAC: After its best Mid-American Conference season under Head Coach Rob Murphy, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team was rewarded with the defensive player of the year, three players named to the All-MAC teams, and a pair to the All-Defensive squad.
Senior Tim Bond was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year after being selected to the all-defensive team for the third straight season. Junior James Thompson IV earned spots on both the All-MAC First Team, as well as All-MAC Defensive Team. Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie was named to the All-MAC Third Team, and fellow redshirt junior Paul Jackson was named All-MAC Honorable Mention.
THE MILESTONE MAN: Senior Tim Bond has completely rewritten the Eastern Michigan record book when it comes to defense, as the Baltimore, Md. native set the new record for single-season steals in the MAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Akron. His 78th steal of the season passed Lorenzo Neely, and etched Bond's name atop another steal category.
His first broken record came when he became the all-time leader in steals AND joined the 1,000 point club on the same play, Saturday, Feb. 24 against Northern Illinois. The senior's tip away for steal number 221 started a fast break to the other end, and after a nifty feed from Malik Ellison, Bond flushed a slam to become the 31st member of the 1,000 point club.
STREAKING: The Eagles have played some of their best ball of the season over the final month of the season, having won 10 of its last 13 games, including a season-best seven-game winning streak.
ABOUT THE STREAK: Eastern's winning ways have come on the strength of the Mid-American Conference's best defense. The Eagles, who lead the MAC with a 66.8 scoring defense, have allowed just 63.1 points per contest in the last eight games. EMU has also held teams to just 40.9 percent from the floor during the stretch, forced 12.9 turnovers per game, and averaged 8.4 steals per contest.
The offense has kicked its production up a notch as well. After averaging 65.2 points per game through the first 12 games of MAC play, the Green and White have averaged 71.5 points on the heals of 47.9 precent shooting from the floor. The Eagles have also seen their free throw percentage rise from 62.9 percent to a 80.5 mark.
LOCK DOWN D: Over the course of the last eight games, Eastern's already stingy defense has gone to another level. The Eagles are allowing just 63.1 points per game and holding opponents to a 40.9 shooting percentage from the floor during that stretch, and they've also forced 103 turnovers, had 67 steals, and swatted 52 shots.
EMU has had especially tough defense in the opening half of its games. The Green and White have allowed fewer than 25 points in four of the nine games, and have held opponents to under 30 points in all but two matchups. Eastern Michigan most recently held Toledo, the MAC's second-most prolific scoring offense, to just 69 points, 11 lower than its season average (80.2).
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Redshirt junior Elijah Minnie was named MAC Player of the Week, March 5, for the second consecutive week. He joined junior James Thompson IV as two-time winners for the Eagles this season.
Minnie scored 21.5 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting from the floor and 35.0 percent from the three-point line. He added 8.5 rebounds per contest, was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, and also had three blocks and two steals on the week.
DOMINATING DEFENSE: Eastern Michigan has the Mid-American Conference's best defense, allowing opponents just 66.8 points per game on the season, and holding them to a conference-best 40.6 shooting percentage. The Eagles have been even better since league play began, allowing just 65.4 points per game while holding opponents to a 40.1 mark from the floor.
EMU has held opponents to 69 points-or-less 18 times this season. EMU is 16-2 in those games, having added six more in its last eight games against Akron (W, 67-58), Toledo (W, 72-69), Western Michigan (W, 74-58), Miami (W, 58-57), Central Michigan (W, 72-67), and Northern Illinois (W, 82-53).
The Eagles had a season-low 41 point effort, Feb. 3, against Ball State to go along with impressive performances against Spring Arbor (60), Arkansas State (59), South Florida (47), Rochester (48), Miami (48), and Akron (49).
ON THE HORIZON: Should Eastern Michigan advance past Niagara in the opening round, the Eagles will play a to-be-determined opponent, scheduled to take place between March 22-25.
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