Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Northern Illinois
Eagles Host Northern Illinois in MAC First Round
3/5/2010 3:07:27 PM | Men's Basketball
The winner of the EMU-NIU game will meet the No. 3 seed, either Kent State or Akron, in a quarterfinal game Thursday, March 11, at 2 p.m.
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NO. 6 SEED EMU TO HOST NO. 11 SEED NIU IN FIRST ROUND: The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will host Northern Illinois University Sunday, March 7, in the first round of the FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Tournament at home in the Convocation Center. The Eagles will take the No. 6 seed into the matchup with NIU, which is seeded No. 11, for a 2 p.m. tipoff. The Eagles will be attempting to rebound from a heartbreaking, 56-55, regular-season ending loss at home to the Chippewas of Central Michigan University Thursday, March 4. If EMU would have won that game against CMU it would have been the No. 2 seed in the upcoming tournament, but had to settle for the No. 6 seed. The winners of four first-round games will advance to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio and join the top four teams receiving byes, for the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, March 11-13. The winner of the EMU-NIU game will meet the No. 3 seed, either Kent State or Akron, in a quarterfinal game Thursday, March 11, at 2 p.m.
CHECKING THE SERIES WITH NIU: The Eagles and Huskies will be meeting for the 76th time in history with NIU holding a 47-28 advantage in the series that started in 1926-27. Northern won this year's first matchup, 77-69, Jan. 16, 2010, in DeKalb, Illinois, but the Eagles fought back to capture a 66-60 win, Feb. 27, in Ypsilanti. The teams also split games in 2008-09 with NIU winning a Jan. 20, 2009 game in DeKalb, 72-62, and the Eagles recording a 75-61 victory, March 4, 2009, in Ypsilanti.
The Eagles of Head Coach Charles E. Ramsey finished the regular season with a 16-14 overall record and an 8-8 MAC mark after Thursday's, March 4, 56-55 loss to CMU.
The NIU Huskies of Head Coach Ricardo Patton finished the regular season with a 10-19 overall record and a 6-10 MAC slate after winning a 60-58 buzzer beater at home Thursday, March 4, against Toledo.
ANOTHER SENIOR FAREWELL: The Eagles honored two outstanding seniors at the regular-season finale, Thursday, March 4, when EMU hosted Central Michigan in the 2009-10 regular-season finale. After a heartbreaking 56-55 loss to the Chippewas Thursday that denied EMU not only the Mid-American Conference West Division championship but a bye into the FirstEnergy MAC Tournament, the Eagles are now faced with a first-round home game Sunday, March 7, against Northern Illinois. That gives EMU's two seniors, Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) and Justin Dobbins (Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville) a final Convocation Center appearance.
Medlock enters the NIU game having played in 107 games for the Eagles, starting 106, and will go in the record books as one of the top point guards in EMU history. He has scored 1,521 career points to rank eighth in that category, just the eight player in school history to score 1,500 point. Medlock has made 208 career three-point field goals to rank second, his 447 free throws is third, and he is sixth in career assists with 394.
Dobbins has played in 111 games for the Eagles, earning 95 starts. He has scored 1,057 points, good for 18th in the EMU record book while his 540 career rebounds is 20th and his 79 blocks is fourth.
MEDLOCK WINS ANOTHER MAC WEEKLY AWARD: Senior Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) has earned the third Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week Award of the season after two outstanding efforts last week. Medlock's three weekly awards ties teammate Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman) who also has three honors this season. Medlock won the award, Nov. 30, and shared it Feb. 7. Bowdry captured his honors Nov. 16, Dec. 7 and Feb. 15.
Medlock won his latest award after averaging 20 points, 5.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two EMU wins last week. In a 72-67 EMU win at Ball State, Feb. 24, Medlock scored 15 points with five assists and three steals. He came back Saturday, Feb. 27, to record the first double-double of his career with 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in a 66-60 victory over a visiting Northern Illinois team.
BEST IN THE THE CONVO: EMU's 16 wins this season is the most victories for the Eagles since the team moved to the Convocation Center in the 1998-99 season, a total of 11 seasons. The 16 wins is also the best for an EMU men's basketball team since the 1997-98 squad won 20.
MEDLOCK MAKES IT 27 FOR 27: EMU senior point guard Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) turned in the 27th 20+ scoring game of his career with a game-high 27 points in a 56-55 loss to Central Michigan Thursday, March 4, in the regular-season finale. Medlock had five 20-point efforts as a freshman and sophomore, eight as a junior and nine this season.
MEDLOCK, DOBBINS, BOWDRY CLIMB EMU CAREER LADDERS: The EMU trio of Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright), Justin Dobbins (Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville), and Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman) are all making major moves up the EMU career rankings in scoring, rebounding, three-point shooting, assists and free-throw shooting. Medlock is now eighth in career scoring with 1,521 points. Bowdry is 18th at 1,218 and Dobbins is 24th with 1,057. Bowdry has 697 career rebounds for ninth. Dobbins is 20th in rebounding with 540 and Medlock is tied for 60th with Lorenzo Neely (1987-91) at 317. Medlock is second in three-point shooting with 208 career triples. Medlock is sixth in career assists at 394 and is third in free throws made with 447.
TWO ON THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE: EMU's two leading scorers Saturday, Feb. 27, in a 66-60 win over Northern Illinois both turned in double-double scoring-rebounding efforts. Senior point guard Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) recorded the first double-double of his career with 25 points and 11 rebounds while senior center Justin Dobbins (Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville) tallied 17 points with 11 boards. It was Dobbins' fourth double-double of his outstanding EMU career.
