Eagles Flock South to Take on No. 22/19 Louisville

Men's Basketball at #22/19 Louisville
Date	Saturday, Dec. 12 \| 2 p.m.
Venue	Louisville, Ky. \| KFC Yum! Center (22,000)
Game Notes	EMU Notes \| U of L Notes
Live Stats	GoCards.com
Television	ACC Regional Networks/Fox Sports
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Using an 86-58 victory over Rochester College Tuesday, Dec. 8, to get back on to the winning side of the ledger, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will hit the road for a pair of non-conference tilts beginning with a Saturday afternoon contest at the University of Louisville at 2 p.m., Dec. 12. The Eagles (6-3) come into the game winning four of its last five games, including one game on the road at the University of Nebraska Omaha, Dec. 1.

The Cardinals (6-1) are currently ranked 22nd in the Associated Press Poll, while the USA Today Coaches' Poll lists U of L at No. 19. Louisville's lone loss comes against a common opponent with the Green and White, the now No. 1-ranked team in the country, Michigan State University. The Cardinals dropped a 71-67 contest at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., Dec. 2. Most recently, Louisville defeated Grand Canyon University handily, 111-63, at the KFC Yum! Center, Dec. 5.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Louisville matchup will have both audio and video on Saturday. 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. 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 KFC Yum! Center will be broadcast live on ACC Regional Networks, including Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Detroit. The play-by-play man for Monday's action will be Wes Durham, while Daymeon Fishback will breakdown the game alongside Durham. For those who cannot get to the TV set, the game can be streamed live via WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app on your mobile devices if you have a television subscription to ESPN.

ALL-TIME VERSUS THE CARDINALS: Saturday afternoon's 2 p.m. contest will be the first time that EMU and U of L will meet on the hardwood.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE CARDINALS...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
0	Damion Lee	F	Sr.-Sr.	6-6	210	19.1	4.3	1.9	Baltimore, Md.-Drexel
2	Quentin Snider	G	So.-So.	6-2	180	9.4	2.7	4.4	Louisville, Ky.-Ballard
3	Trey Lewis	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-2	185	14.1	4.9	3.1	Garfield Heights, Ohio-Cleveland State
12	Mangok Mathiang	C	Jr.-Jr.	6-10	220	7.4	7.4	0.3	Melbourne, Australia-IMG Academy
13	Raymond Spalding	F	Fr.-Fr.	6-10	210	6.4	6.4	0.1	Louisville, Ky.-Trinity

KING OF THIEVES: The Eagles not only lead the Mid-American Conference in steals per game (11.4), but the Green and White are third in the NCAA in that category, while also ranking first in total steals (103).

DOUBLE THREAT: Eastern Michigan freshman center James Thompson IV has recorded double-doubles in his last five games. This is a very uncommon feat, in fact the last person to do so was six years ago when Eagle great Brandon Bowdry put together five double-doubles in a row during the 2009-10 campaign. If Thompson posts a sixth-straight double-double in Eastern's matchup with Louisville, he will become the first Eagle to complete that feat since Grant Long did during his MAC Player of the Year campaign in 1987-88. In addition, the last EMU student-athlete to average a double-double at least nine games into the season was also Bowdry, who was posting 21.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game after the Eagles' 1-8 start to the 2010-11 season.

A NEW GENERAL: EMU's 6-foot-7 guard Tim Bond came into the season expecting to play more of the off-guard position and that is where the sophomore started the first four games of the year. However, after a few games, it became clear that it was necessary to move Bond into the point guard role. The Baltimore, Md. native took over as the Eagles' floor general prior to EMU's game with Marygrove, Nov. 25. Since taking the reigns of Eastern's offense, the Green and White is 4-1, averaging 84.6 points per game, while shooting 46.1 percent from the floor. Bond is averaging 4.8 assists per game over the last five contests.

TIC-TAC-TURNOVER: Although Eastern Michigan averages 13.1 turnovers per game, which ranks 171st in the country, EMU is seventh in the nation in turnover margin at a +5.9 difference. The Green and White force the opposition into 19 turnovers per contest which ranks as the sixth-most of any defense in the country.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: EMU redshirt-junior guard Raven Lee continues to make his way up the all-time Eastern Michigan men's basketball scoring chart. Heading into the 2015-16 campaign, Lee had recorded 1,010 career points. The Detroit, Mich. native has accumulated 36 points during this season, totaling 1,046 for his career. That number pushed him past EMU great George Gervin in the all-time scoring list, placing him 25th overall.

FRESHMAN PHENOM: EMU's James Thompson IV and is making an early push to be considered the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year. Thompson is the only freshman in the conference who ranks in the top-15 in scoring at 10th (15.0 ppg), while he is also leading the conference in rebounds (11.7 rpg) as the only freshman in the top-20 in that category as well. In addition, the Baton Rouge, La. product leads the MAC in blocked shots (2.4 bpg) and field goal percentage (65.9 percent). On top of those gaudy numbers, he is the only student-athlete in the MAC to average a double-double. Not only is Thompson making waves in the Mid-American Conference, but his statistics have shown up in the national rankings as well. Currently, Thompson is 12th nationally in field goal percentage, while he ranks ninth in rebounds per game and fifth in total rebounds (105). He is 30th in blocked shots per game and 19th in total blocks (22), while his five double-doubles rank 11th and his 4.56 offensive rebounds per game are good for seventh nationally.

THE YPSI CONNECTION: Louisville sophomore Jaylen Johnson is familiar with the EMU area. Johnson is a native of Ypsilanti, Mich. and also a graduate of Ypsilanti High School.

A LOOK AHEAD: Following the weekend contest with the Cardinals, Dec. 12, the Eagles will hit the road again and travel to Baltimore, Md. for a Monday night, Dec. 21, matchup with Eagles from Coppin State University. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. from the CSU Physical Education Complex.

A LOOK AT THE CONFERENCE LEADERS: Eastern Michigan has positioned itself near the top of multiple statistical categories in the Mid-American Conference as of Dec. 10. Let's take a look...

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE RANKINGS as of Dec. 10
Player	Category	Rank	Number
Eastern Michigan	Steals per game	1st	11.4 (third nationally)
Eastern Michigan	Turnover Margin	1st	+5.9 (seventh nationally)
Eastern Michigan	Blocks per game	2nd	4.9 (65th nationally)
Eastern Michigan	Rebounds per game	3rd	41.4 (49th nationally)
Eastern Michigan	Field goal percentage defense	2nd	36.6 (18th nationally)
Eastern Michigan	Total steals	1st	103 (first nationally)
James Thompson IV	Double doubles	1st	5 (11th nationally)
James Thompson IV	Blocks per game	1st	2.4 (30th nationally)
James Thompson IV	Rebounds per game	1st	11.7 (ninth nationally)
James Thompson IV	Offensive rebounds per game	1st	4.56 (seventh nationally)
James Thompson IV	Field goal percentage	1st	65.9 (12th nationally)
Willie Mangum IV	Steal per game	t-2nd	2.11 (58th nationally)

IN THE SHADOWS: With James Thompson IV flourishing in the early goings of his Eagle career, there has been an unsung hero down low for the Green and White. Senior forward Brandon Nazione has put together a solid season thus far for Eastern Michigan. The Howell, Mich. native is averaging 10.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-8 forward is fifth in the MAC in field goal percentage (59.3 percent), while his rebounding average is good for 11th in the conference.

BECAUSE OF THE BIGS: Despite having quite the guard-heavy roster, the Eagles owe a large part of their success this year to the big boys down low. The starting frontcourt of James Thompson IV and Brandon Nazione are posting 26 points and 18.8 rebounds per game this season. In addition, the duo is grabbing 6.4 offensive rebounds per game between the two of them, allowing for second chance opportunities. In fact, the Green and White have scored 127 of its points on second tries, which is good for 17.6 percent of its offense this season.

THOMPSON, ON A TEAR: True freshman center James Thompson IV just needed a few games to get his bearings at the NCAA Division I level. The Baton Rouge, La. native put together five-straight double-double performances, first going for a career-best 32 points and 13 rebounds versus Marygrove, Nov. 25. Following that performance, the 6-foot-10 center notched 23 points and another career-high 15 rebounds. In addition, he scored 16 points, while matching his career-high 15 boards versus Omaha, Dec. 1, before notching 18 points and 14 rebounds against Big Ten foe Penn State, Dec. 5. Most recently, Thompson posted 17 points and 11 rebounds versus Rochester, Dec. 8. Overall, through the last five games, Thompson is averaging 21.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per contest, and an astounding 75.9 percent field goal percentage. For the season, Thompson is averaging 15.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, while knocking down 65.9 percent of his field goal attempts.

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 79 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.

ALL-TIME COACHING RECORDS

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)	79-68 (.537)

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Ray Lee

Willie Mangum IV

Brandon Nazione

James Thompson IV

Eastern Michigan Athletics