Eagles Fly to Baltimore to Take On Coppin State

Men's Basketball at Coppin State
Date	Monday, Dec. 21 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Baltimore, Md. \| CSU Physical Education Complex (4,100)
Game Notes	EMU Notes \| CSU Notes
Live Stats	CoppinStateSports.com
Television	N/A
Watch	N/A
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- On the heels of an 86-53 loss to No. 22/19-ranked University of Louisville, Dec. 12, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team closes out the road portion of its non-conference schedule Monday night, Dec. 21, when it heads to Baltimore, Md. to square off with Coppin State University. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the CSU Physical Education Complex, where the EMU Eagles (6-4, 0-0 MAC) look to grab their second road victory of the 2015-16 campaign.

The CSU Eagles (2-10, 0-2 MEAC) come into Monday night's contest struggling early on this season. Coppin State has lost eight games in a row heading into its final non-conference home tilt. The CSU versus EMU contest is also the third in four days for Coppin State, as CSU dropped a pair of games on the west coast. Firt Coppin State fell in overtime versus the University of San Francisco, 96-93, Dec. 18, followed by a loss at the University of California Berkeley, 84-51, Dec. 19.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Coppin State matchup will have just audio on Monday. 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.

ALL-TIME VERSUS COPPIN STATE: Monday evening's 7 p.m. contest will be just the second time that EMU and CSU meet on the hardwood. The Eastern Michigan Eagles won the first contest between the two schools, defeating Coppin State one season ago, Dec. 23, 2014, by a hefty, 23-point margin at the Convocation Center. The 87-64 victory over CSU was the fourth-largest margin of victory versus an NCAA Division I institution for the Green and White a season ago.

In that game, both Raven Lee and Karrington Ward scored over 20 points. Lee was a stat-stuffer throughout the night, chalking up 21 points (7-of-11), six rebounds, six steals and five assists in just 20 minutes of play off the bench. The six swipes was a new career-high for the Detroit, Mich. native, while his five dimes became a new season-best for the Eastern guard. Ward posted a team-high 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting and added a career-high six blocks, doubling up his previous personal best of three. In addition, Mike Talley came off the bench to lead the Green and White with a team-high seven assists in the victory.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE COPPIN STATE EAGLES...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
3	Joshua Treadwell	F	Jr.-Jr.	6-4	205	9.9	3.4	0.5	Newark, N.J.-Essex County
10	Christian Kessee	G	Jr.-Jr.	6-2	180	11.2	2.3	1.5	Las Vegas, Nev.-Valley
12	Terry Harris Jr.	F	Jr.-Jr.	6-8	205	12.6	6.6	0.6	Baltimore, Md.-Baltimore CCC
15	Blake Simpson	F	So.-So.	6-7	230	1.7	2.3	0.1	Cincinnati, Ohio-La Salle
22	Keith Shivers	G	Jr.-Jr.	6-4	195	7.8	3.3	1.2	Upper Marlboro, Md.-Paris JC

CHASING ONE OF THE GREATS: Eastern Michigan freshman center James Thompson IV has recorded double-doubles in his last six games. This is a very uncommon feat, in fact the last EMU student-athlete to do so was over 28 seaons ago when Eastern Michigan great Grant Long put together five double-doubles in a row during the 2009-10 campaign. The last person to complete seven-straight double-doubles in EMU history was the "Ice Man" George Gervin. Gervin completed this feat during his historic 1971-72 season when he notched 11-straight double-doubles. Gervin's streak is also the longest recorded streak in EMU history. That season, Gervin averaged EMU records of 29.5 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. Those numbers also translated to the most points (886) and rebounds (458) tallied in a single season by an EMU student-athlete.

INSIDE THE STREAK: James Thompson IV has had six-straight double doubles, dating back to the victory over Marygrove, Nov. 25. Overall, through the last six games, Thompson is averaging 19.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per contest, and an astounding 75.8 percent field goal percentage. For the season, Thompson is averaging 14.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, while knocking down 66.7 percent of his field goal attempts.

MURPHY VERSUS THE MEAC: EMU Head Coach Rob Murphy has a perfect 2-0 record against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Last season, Murphy's squad defeated Coppin State, 87-64, Dec. 23, 2014, at the Convocation Center. Murphy's other win versus a MEAC school came versus Norfolk State in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournment during the 2013-14 campaign. The Eagles dispatched of the Spartans, 58-54, March 18, 2014.

HEADING BACK TO BALTIMORE: Sophomore point guard Tim Bond is heading back to his hometown for the Green and White's contest at Coppin State. Back in Baltimore, Md. Bond led his team to the Maryland Class 3A State Championship after Baltimore City College went 27-0 during his senior season. Bond averaged 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game in his senior campaign, while also posting an average of six steals and three blocked shots. He was named All-Metro First Team as a senior, while he earned second team honors as a junior.

KING OF THIEVES: The Eagles not only lead the Mid-American Conference in steals per game (11.2), but the Green and White are second in the NCAA in that category, while also ranking first in total steals (112).

TIC-TAC-TURNOVER: Although Eastern Michigan averages 13.5 turnovers per game, which ranks 197th in the country, EMU is 12th in the nation in turnover margin at a +5.0 difference. The Green and White force the opposition into 18.5 turnovers per contest which ranks as the ninth-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 55 points during this season, totaling 1,065 for his career. That number has moved him ahead of 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 (14.7 ppg), while he is also leading the conference in rebounds (11.8 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 (2.2 bpg) and field goal percentage (66.7 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 seventh nationally in field goal percentage, while he ranks eighth in rebounds per game and fifth in total rebounds (118). He is 42nd in blocked shots per game and 30th in total blocks (22), while his six double-doubles rank eighth and his 4.8 offensive rebounds per game are good for fourth nationally.

GOTTA GUARD THE LINE: After 10 games this season, the Eagles may have found an Achilles heel in their defense. Although teams are shooting just 31.0 percent overall from beyond the arc this season, the Green and White is just 6-4, due in large part to a few teams' hot shooting from three-point land. In Eastern's losses, the Eagles' opponents have shot 44.5 percent overall and 40.4 percent from the long line.

A LOOK AHEAD: Following the Monday night contest with Coppin State, Dec. 21, the Eagles will return home for a Monday night, Dec. 28, matchup with Titans from the University of Detroit. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. from the Convocation Center.

COUNTDOWN TO MAC PLAY: The Eagles have just three more non-conference games before opening their 41st Mid-American Conference season Wednesday, Jan. 6, when they travel to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. to square off with Central Michigan at McGuirk Arena.

CAUSING HAVOC IN THE ZONE: EMU Head Coach Rob Murphy preaches defense, defense, defense and its evident in the exceptional 2-3 zone run by Eastern. The Eagles have forced each of its 2015-16 opponents into double-digit turnover numbers. On the year, EMU is forcing 18.5 turnovers per game, while ranking 12th in the NCAA in turnover margin, forcing five more turnovers per game than its opposition. In addition, the Green and White rank third in the country in steals per game, picking the opponents' pocket 11.2 times per contest.

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. 18. Let's take a look...

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE RANKINGS as of Dec. 18
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 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-8 forward is seventh in the MAC in field goal percentage (56.9 percent), while his rebounding average is good for seventh 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 24.2 points and 19 rebounds per game this season. In addition, the duo is grabbing 6.8 offensive rebounds per game between the two of them, allowing for second chance opportunities. In fact, the Green and White have scored 142 of its points on second tries, which is good for 18.4 percent of its offense this season.

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)	79-69 (.534)

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Ray Lee

Willie Mangum IV

Brandon Nazione

Mike Talley

James Thompson IV

Karrington Ward

Eastern Michigan Athletics