Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, November 18
Rochester, Mich.
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Oakland
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eagles Renew Rivalry with Oakland for Fourth-Straight Season
11/17/2015 10:27:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EMU has won two of the last three contests
| Game Notes | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Following a 20-point, 70-50, season opening victory versus the University of Vermont Friday, Nov. 13, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will make its first road trip Wednesday, Nov. 18, when it travels just over 50 miles from the Convocation Center to take on Oakland University at the Athletics Center O'rena. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. in Rochester, Mich.
For the Eagles (1-0, 0-0 MAC), it will be their second contest of the season as they continue to be successful in non-conference play versus fellow mid-major programs. The Golden Grizzlies (0-0, 0-0 Horizon) will be taking the court for the first time in regular season action Wednesday night. Oakland played in a pair of exhibition games earlier this year defeating both Adrian College and Heidelberg College by at least 50 points. The game will be the first of just three non-conference games played at the O'rena.
FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Oakland matchup will have both audio and video on Wednesday. Fans can dial into 89.1 FM or listen over the internet at WEMU.org to hear the smooth sounds of veteran play-by-play voice, Chad Bush. Joining Bush on the call this season will be analyst Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director Sean Hostetter and Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Greg Steiner will serve as the producer for the broadcast. Coverage on 89.1 WEMU will begin 10 minutes prior to the tip of each game this year.
In addition to the WEMU broadcast, the Eagles' game at the O'rena will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The play-by-play man for the live video streamed broadcast will be Neal Ruhl, while former Oakland basketball student-athlete Courtney Scott will serve as the analyst for the game in Rochester. The ESPN3 broadcast will also be simulcast on My TV20 Detroit (WMYD).
ALL-TIME VERSUS THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES: Wednesday evening's matchup with Oakland will serve as the 16th game in the all-time series between the two Southeast Michigan-based institutions. The Eagles own a 10-5 record in the all-time series and have won two of the last three meetings beetween the two programs. The last time OU came away with a victory was during the 2012-13 campaign when the Green and White attempted to mount a comeback as it looked at a 14-point deficit early in the second half. The Eagles, however, came up just short of the Golden Grizzles, 59-57, at the Convocation Center, Dec. 22, 2012.
LIKELY LOOK FOR THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES...
| # | Name | Pos. | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | ppg | rpg | apg | Hometown-Previous School |
| 2 | Nick Daniels | G | Jr.-So. | 6-1 | 160 | -- | -- | -- | Westland, Mich.-John Glenn |
| 4 | Jalen Hayes | F | Jr.-So. | 6-7 | 211 | -- | -- | -- | Lansing, Mich.-Sexton |
| 10 | Max Hooper | G | Sr.-Sr. | 6-6 | 201 | -- | -- | -- | Carmel Valley, Calif.-Brewster Academy |
| 20 | Khalil Felder | G | Jr.-Jr. | 5-9 | 176 | -- | -- | -- | Detroit, Mich.-Pershing |
| 24 | Percy Gibson | C | Sr.-Sr. | 6-7 | 271 | -- | -- | -- | Detroit, Mich.-Iowa State |
STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT: Beginning the 2015-16 season by taking on an NCAA Division I institution for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign, Head Coach Rob Murphy and his squad didn't take a step back against a higher level of competition, defeating Vermont, 70-50, Nov. 13 at the Convocation Center. Trailing by three, 27-30, at halftime, the Eastern offense sparked in the second half, in large part to junior Willie Mangum IV. Shooting at a 51.9 percent clip, the Eagles tamed the Catamounts by a 43-20 margin in the second half, while Mangum grabbed 13 of his 18 points in the second half, 11 of which came in the final nine minutes of the game.
DEFENSE COMING FIRST: As coach Rob Murphy always preaches, 'as long as we play defense, the offense will take care of itself.' That was the case in the Green and White's win over Vermont to open the season. The Eagles forced the Catamounts into 21 turnovers, while notching 15 steals and blocking seven shots. For its defensive efforts, the offense was awarded by scoring 25 points off of turnovers. In addition, the Green and White held UV to a 30.8 field goal percentage, the last time an NCAA Division I team shot lower than that was when Eastern dropped Ohio, 76-40, at the Convocation Center, Jan. 27, 2014. Prior to that, the Eagles managed that feat six times during the 2013-14 campaign.
D-I DEBUTS: Multiple Eagles made their NCAA Division I debuts in the EMU win over Vermont. junior college transfer Willie Mangum IV led the charge with 18 points and four steals, while freshman James Thompson IV put together a solid start to his collegiate career with nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. In addition, Jordan Nobles and Blake Brown each saw their first action since participating in the same high school conference (Kensington Lakes Activities Association) two years ago.
BRANDON'S BIG DAY: EMU senior forward Brandon Nazione put together one of, if not his best performance of his career versus the Catamonts Friday, Nov. 13. The Howell, Mich. native posted 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, good for the first double-double of his NCAA career. In addition, Nazione blocked one shot, dished out a pair of assists, and recorded three steals in the Eagles' win.
THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG: Head Coach Rob Murphy is in his fifth season at the helm of the Eastern Michigan men's basketball program. Since taking over prior to the 2011-12 season, Murphy has amassed 74 wins which is good for the fifth-most by an EMU coach. Ben Braun set the mark in his 10-plus years, recording 185 as EMU's head man.
DEFENSE COMING FIRST: As coach Rob Murphy always preaches, 'as long as we play defense, the offense will take care of itself.' That was the case in the Green and White's win over Vermont to open the season. The Eagles forced the Catamounts into 21 turnovers, while notching 15 steals and blocking seven shots. For its defensive efforts, the offense was awarded by scoring 25 points off of turnovers. In addition, the Green and White held UV to a 30.8 field goal percentage, the last time an NCAA Division I team shot lower than that was when Eastern dropped Ohio, 76-40, at the Convocation Center, Jan. 27, 2014. Prior to that, the Eagles managed that feat six times during the 2013-14 campaign.
D-I DEBUTS: Multiple Eagles made their NCAA Division I debuts in the EMU win over Vermont. junior college transfer Willie Mangum IV led the charge with 18 points and four steals, while freshman James Thompson IV put together a solid start to his collegiate career with nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. In addition, Jordan Nobles and Blake Brown each saw their first action since participating in the same high school conference (Kensington Lakes Activities Association) two years ago.
BRANDON'S BIG DAY: EMU senior forward Brandon Nazione put together one of, if not his best performance of his career versus the Catamonts Friday, Nov. 13. The Howell, Mich. native posted 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, good for the first double-double of his NCAA career. In addition, Nazione blocked one shot, dished out a pair of assists, and recorded three steals in the Eagles' win.
THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG: Head Coach Rob Murphy is in his fifth season at the helm of the Eastern Michigan men's basketball program. Since taking over prior to the 2011-12 season, Murphy has amassed 74 wins which is good for the fifth-most by an EMU coach. Ben Braun set the mark in his 10-plus years, recording 185 as EMU's head man.
| Rank | Coach | Years | Wins/yr. | Record |
| 1. | Ben Braun | 1986-96 | 16.8/yr | 185-132 (.570) |
| 2. | Elton J. Rynearson | 1917-21; 1925-32 1935-40; 1944-46 | 8.8/yr | 160-129 (.554) |
| 3. | James D. Dutcher | 1966-72 | 21.2.yr | 127-49 (.770) |
| 4. | Jim Boyce | 1979-86 | 14/yr | 84-96 (.467) |
| 5. | Rob Murphy | 2011-Present | 18.3/yr (Four-year total) | 74-65 (.532) |
MID-MAJOR SUCCESS: Since taking over the EMU men's basketball program, head coach Rob Murphy has shown sustained success versus other NCAA Division I mid-major programs. Over the last four seasons, Murphy holds a 19-9 record versus mid-majors in non-conference play. Since the beginning of the 2013-14 season, Murphy has a perfect 12-0 against other mid-major programs in non-conference play.
TWO FORMER EAGLES SELECTED IN NBA D-LEAGUE DRAFT: Former EMU Eagles Da'Shonte Riley and Karrington Ward were recently selected in the 2015 NBA Developmental League Draft. Riley was picked by the Idaho Stampede in the fourth round at No. 58 overall, while Ward was taken in the second round as the 20th overall pick by the Bakersfield Jam.
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