Eastern Michigan Athletics
West Division Champions Head to the “Q” for MAC Madness
3/6/2006 10:37:37 AM | Women's Basketball
Eagles to battle Bobcats Wednesday at 1 p.m.
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MAC Tournament Central.
WEST DIVISION CHAMPIONS HEAD TO THE "Q" FOR MAC MADNESS: The EMU women’s basketball team begins its second season Wednesday afternoon, when they square off against Ohio University, March 8, at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena. The Green and White are the top seed in the upper bracket in the 2006 Kraft MAC Tournament and enter the game with a mark of 21-6 (15-1 MAC). On the other side of the court, the Bobcats are 9-19 (5-11 MAC) after defeating Central Michigan, 75-57, to advance to the quarterfinals.
Eastern is 10-12 all-time in 12 previous trips to Mid-American Conference Tournament, while Ohio boasts a 9-19 mark in 21 seasons of MAC post-season play. The 1999-2000 campaign marked the first season that all teams qualified for the tournament.
The Eagles are very familiar with the former Gund Arena floor, as they have posted a 4-3 record including capturing the 2004 championship. The Bobcats are still in search of their first win in the arena, having gone winless in three prior attempts.
HISTORY WITH TEAMS IN THE TOURNAMENT: The Eagles sport a 10-12 mark in 12 trips to the conference post-season, including a 9-6 record under Head Coach Suzy Merchant. The Eagles have faced Bowling Green (2-3) and Kent State (0-3) the most times of any squad. Eastern is 2-1 versus Toledo, 1-1 against Northern Illinois and 1-1 versus Ball State. The Green and White are winless in only one attempt against Ohio and Western Michigan.
THE SERIES WITH OHIO: Wednesday’s contest marks the 44th meeting between the Bobcats and Eagles, who first played during the 1980-81 season. Ohio leads the series, 27-16, but EMU has won four of the last five contests including a 62-56 victory earlier season at the Convo in Athens, Ohio, Feb. 8.
Ohio holds the lone victory between the two squads in the postseason, as the 10th seeded Bobcats pulled off the upset of the seventh seed Eagles, 80-75, in the first round of the 2001 Kraft Tournament at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Feb. 10, 2001.
THE BEST IN MICHIGAN: Over the past four seasons the EMU women’s team has posted the best conference mark of the 14 Division I program’s – men’s or women’s – in the state of Michigan. The current senior class has combined for 47 league wins and just 17 setbacks during their tenure in the Green and White uniform. That is one more conference win than the Western Michigan University men, two more than the Michigan State University women and four more than Tom Izzo’s Michigan State men.
EMU GETS THREE ON THE ALL-MAC SQUADS: Ryan Coleman, Nikki Knapp and Patrice McKinney have all been named to 2006 All-Mid-American Conference teams. Coleman was selected first-team All-MAC, while Knapp and McKinney were named to the All-MAC second team. The All-MAC squads are the result of voting by the league’s head coaches.
The 2005-06 season marks the fourth-straight year that EMU has had at least three players selected to the all-league team. Prior to the current run, Eastern had not had more than two all-conference picks since 1998-99.
KNAPP NEEDS SEVEN TO BECOME CAREER LEADER IN REBOUNDS: Senior Nikki Knapp’s countdown to become the school’s all-time leader in career rebounds has reached the final stage. The 2005-06 preseason All-MAC honoree has 779 career boards and needs seven to surpass Stephanie Smiley’s standard of 785.
WINNERS OF EIGHT STRAIGHT: Eastern Michigan has rolled off eight consecutive wins, dominating the opposition on both ends of the floor. During the steak, the Eagles are winning games by an average of more than 15 points (67.0 to 51.8) and out-rebounding opponents by six rebounds per game (34.3 to 27.4). Hot-shooting has been another key as Eastern is shooting 47.6 percent from the floor while the defense is holding the opposition to just 39.7 percent.
EAGLES RUN THE TABLE IN THE WEST: With its 59-51 victory over Central Michigan, March 1, EMU became just the second West Division team to go undefeated versus divisional opponents since the MAC switched to its current format for the 1997-98 campaign. The 2000-01 University of Toledo squad posted a perfect 10-0 mark against the West Division enroute to a 15-1 overall record in league play. That same team held the MAC West record for most conference victories with 15, a mark the Eagles also tied with the victory.
EMU REACHES 20 WINS FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE SEASON: Eastern Michigan reached 20 victories for the third consecutive season with a 69-58 victory over Ball State, Feb. 25. It marks EMU’s third 20-win season in school history. Prior to the 2003-04 campaign the most-ever victories by an Eagles’ squad was 18.
EAGLES AMONG NATION’S BEST OVER THE LAST 18 GAMES: After struggling to a 2-3 start and playing without Kodak/WBCA honorable mention All-American Ryan Coleman, the Eagles have turned the tables to post one of the nation’s best records. EMU’s 17-1 mark over the last 18 games is tied with five other schools for second-best, bettered only by Chattanooga, Ohio State and Maryland.
The Green and White have posted a 19-2 record in its last 21 contests, with setbacks coming against No. 21 Utah and No. 25 Bowling Green. Only seven teams have rolled off a better 20-game record during that period including: Chattanooga (22-0), Ohio State (21-1) North Carolina (20-1), Maryland (20-2) Marist (20-2), Indiana State (20-2) and LSU (20-2).
