Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, March 3
Muncie, Ind.
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Ball State
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Chloe Smith
Eagles Head to Ball State for MAC West Showdown
3/2/2015 3:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Green and White look to avenge a loss earlier this season
| Game Notes | Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats |
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) -- With the Mid-American Conference Tournament just around the corner, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team is attempting to jump its current seeding into the eighth spot to earn a home game for the first round. To do so, the Eagles (17-12, 6-10 MAC) will need to win both of their games this week, starting with Ball State University on Tuesday, March 3, at James E. Worthen Arena. The contest with the Cardinals (7-20, 2-14 MAC) is slated for 7 p.m. in Muncie, Ind. and Eastern is looking to hand BSU its 15th-straight loss since the Cardinals won their first two Mid-American Conference games earlier this season. In addition, EMU is looking to get revenge against a Ball State team that defeated the Green and White, 60-59, in an overtime contest to open up the MAC season for both squads, Jan. 7, at the EMU Convocation Center.
FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Ball State contest can be found on 89.1 FM WEMU, Ball State Sports Network and ESPN3. Fans can dial into 89.1 FM or listen over the internet to the smooth sounds of veteran play-by-play voice, Chad Bush. Joining Bush on the call will be analyst Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director Sean Hostetter. Coverage of the game on 89.1 will begin at 6:50 p.m. Tuesday night.
For those who prefer to watch the game, it will be broadcast on Ball State Sports Network for those whose coverage carries the channel. Fans with access to ESPN will be able to tune into the game on ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app.
ALL-TIME VERSUS BALL STATE: Tuesday's 7 p.m. contest will be the 99th all-time meeting between the Eagles and Cardinals. Eastern trails in the series, 41-57, against the MAC West foe, but has won five of the last seven meetings with the BSU. However, the Cardinals had the Green and White's number in their last matchup at the Convocation Center.
In the overtime loss, The Eagles struggled shooting as a team, shooting 27.9 percent from the field and (17-of-61) making 6-of-25 (24 percent) from beyond the arc. At the foul line, the Green and White converted on 19-of-28 attempts. Raven Lee finished with a game-high 16 points that included going 3-of-7 from three-point land and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe. Karrington Ward recorded his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Jodan Price added 10 points off the bench, while Mike Samuels tallied eight points and tied his career high with a team-best 11 rebounds.
TIME TO AVENGE THE LOSS: The Eagles dropped a 60-59 decision in overtime at the hands of the Cardinals, Jan. 7, to open up Mid-American Conference play. Eastern Michigan is attempting to to return the favor to Ball State Tuesday, March 3, when the two squads hit the floor at 7 p.m. In that game, Eastern shot just 27.9 percent from the floor, which has been their worst mark in a MAC game this year and second-lowest on the season itself. The Eagles shoot 41 percent on average, while Ball State hits shots at a 42.2 percent clip.
WATCH OUT FOR THE CARDINALS: Although they're riding a 14-game losing streak, Ball State is no slouch. The Cardinals not only defeated the Eagles earlier this season, but they've topped league leading Central Michigan as well.
DO YOU KNOW THE MUNCIE MAN: Although he is not from Muncie, Ind. Eastern Michigan Head Coach Rob Murphy certainly enjoys heading to the city. The fourth-year head coach is a perfect 3-0 when traveling to James E. Worthen Arena. The first year, Murphy led the eventual MAC West Champion Eagles to Muncie and saw senior Antonio Green raise for a three-pointer with a tie score. The Inkster, Mich. native connected on the longball with just 1.5 seconds on the clock to give the Eagles a three-point, 51-48 victory.
MAKING A COMEBACK: The Eagles were trailing Western Michigan by 13 points with 14:26 left in the first half but Eastern made a comeback and even took the lead early on in the second half and led by as many as three with 10:38 left in regualation. A large part of that comeback was due to Raven Lee putting on another offensive clinic at University Arena. The redshirt-sophomore guard scored the first six Eagle points in the second half, cutting WMU's seven-point lead to just one.
WHEN THEY'RE HOT, THEY'RE HOT: It's safe to say that the Eagles have three dynamic scorers in Raven Lee, Mike Talley and Karrington Ward. In fact, when any two of these three score 15-or-more points in a single game, the Eagles have been quite successful. In games when at least two of these three student-athletes score 15-or-more points, the Green and White is 9-4. When Lee teams up with Talley the Eagles are 3-2. When Lee and Ward team up offensively, EMU is 4-1. As for when Talley and Ward score 15-or-more apiece, the Eagles hold a 1-0 tally. And finally, when all three score at least 15, Eastern Michigan is 1-0 on the year.
TIC-TAC-TURNOVER: Eastern Michigan is forcing the competition into 14.9 turnovers per game this season. The Eagles have forced their opponents into 20-or-more turnovers on five separate occasions, including when the Green and White forced both Longwood and Miami into 24. The Eagles hold a +2.8 in turnover margin, which ranks as the second-best in the MAC. Eastern has been forced into more turnovers than the opposition on just five occasions this season.
MURPHY VERSUS THE MAC: Fourth-year Head Men's Basketball Coach Rob Murphy holds a 32-34 all-time record against Mid-American Conference opponents in his fourth MAC season. The Detroit, Mich. native won the MAC-West Division Title in 2011-12 during his first season as the head man at EMU, before going 7-9 in 2012-13. Last season, his squad reached their highest win total of 10, after going 10-8 in MAC play. Murphy and his squads have seen most of their success against teams from their own division, going 22-16, while they are just 10-18 against the East.
THE EMERGENCE: After averaging just 16.2 minutes per game over his first 10 of the year, EMU freshman guard Tim Bond has not only entered the starting lineup but has been picking up prime minutes. The Baltimore, Md. native is playing an average of 29.0 minutes in the last five games, but his production has been key. The 6-foot-6 guard is scoring 6.2 points per game to go along with a 37.5 percent shooting percentage in those games.
WHERE WE STAND: Although we're past the midway point of the 2015 Mid-American Conference season the MAC Tournament seedings are still far from locked in as many teams continue to jockey for position. Currently, Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Toledo hold the top-three spots at 11-5, while two teams are tied at 10-6, which cleans up the top-five spots. The final three home games are set as Kent State, Akron, Western Michigan and Miami are in the five through eight places. Miami holds the final home game at 7-9, while Eastern is sitting at 6-10 and the No. 9 seed, but can still catch the RedHawks to nab a home game to begin MAC play. (For the full MAC Tournament bracket, flip to page 21 of these notes)
LEE TRYING TO CHART TOP: Redshirt-sophomore Raven Lee holds the record for the most points scored by a freshman in a single season at Eastern Michigan with 380 points. The Detroit, Mich. native is trying to make a push to become the highest scorer as a sophomore as well. Currently, Lee has scored 470 points this year and is averaging 16.2 points per game. Without including any postseason contests, the six-foot three-inch combo guard is on pace to amass 502 points this year which would rank third on the sophomore scoring list at Eastern Michigan, trailing former Eagle Ricky Cottrill for second with 582 points.
FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Ball State contest can be found on 89.1 FM WEMU, Ball State Sports Network and ESPN3. Fans can dial into 89.1 FM or listen over the internet to the smooth sounds of veteran play-by-play voice, Chad Bush. Joining Bush on the call will be analyst Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director Sean Hostetter. Coverage of the game on 89.1 will begin at 6:50 p.m. Tuesday night.
For those who prefer to watch the game, it will be broadcast on Ball State Sports Network for those whose coverage carries the channel. Fans with access to ESPN will be able to tune into the game on ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app.
ALL-TIME VERSUS BALL STATE: Tuesday's 7 p.m. contest will be the 99th all-time meeting between the Eagles and Cardinals. Eastern trails in the series, 41-57, against the MAC West foe, but has won five of the last seven meetings with the BSU. However, the Cardinals had the Green and White's number in their last matchup at the Convocation Center.
In the overtime loss, The Eagles struggled shooting as a team, shooting 27.9 percent from the field and (17-of-61) making 6-of-25 (24 percent) from beyond the arc. At the foul line, the Green and White converted on 19-of-28 attempts. Raven Lee finished with a game-high 16 points that included going 3-of-7 from three-point land and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe. Karrington Ward recorded his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Jodan Price added 10 points off the bench, while Mike Samuels tallied eight points and tied his career high with a team-best 11 rebounds.
LIKELY LOOK FOR THE CARDINALS...
| # | Name | Pos. | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | ppg | rpg | apg | Hometown-Previous School |
| 0 | Francis Kiapway | G | Jr. | 6-3 | 190 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 1.0 | Hamilton, Ontario-St. Thomas More |
| 12 | Bo Calhoun | C | Jr. | 6-6 | 247 | 9.2 | 6.0 | 0.6 | South Bend, Ind.-Washington |
| 15 | Franko House | F | So. | 6-6 | 234 | 10.1 | 5.6 | 2.5 | Elkhart, Ind.-Concord |
| 24 | Jeremiah Davis | G | Jr. | 6-4 | 195 | 6.7 | 3.2 | 3.0 | Muncie, Ind.-Cincinnati |
| 34 | Sean Sellers | F | Fr. | 6-6 | 195 | 12.0 | 5.6 | 1.1 | Greensburg, Ind.-Greensburg |
TIME TO AVENGE THE LOSS: The Eagles dropped a 60-59 decision in overtime at the hands of the Cardinals, Jan. 7, to open up Mid-American Conference play. Eastern Michigan is attempting to to return the favor to Ball State Tuesday, March 3, when the two squads hit the floor at 7 p.m. In that game, Eastern shot just 27.9 percent from the floor, which has been their worst mark in a MAC game this year and second-lowest on the season itself. The Eagles shoot 41 percent on average, while Ball State hits shots at a 42.2 percent clip.
WATCH OUT FOR THE CARDINALS: Although they're riding a 14-game losing streak, Ball State is no slouch. The Cardinals not only defeated the Eagles earlier this season, but they've topped league leading Central Michigan as well.
DO YOU KNOW THE MUNCIE MAN: Although he is not from Muncie, Ind. Eastern Michigan Head Coach Rob Murphy certainly enjoys heading to the city. The fourth-year head coach is a perfect 3-0 when traveling to James E. Worthen Arena. The first year, Murphy led the eventual MAC West Champion Eagles to Muncie and saw senior Antonio Green raise for a three-pointer with a tie score. The Inkster, Mich. native connected on the longball with just 1.5 seconds on the clock to give the Eagles a three-point, 51-48 victory.
MAKING A COMEBACK: The Eagles were trailing Western Michigan by 13 points with 14:26 left in the first half but Eastern made a comeback and even took the lead early on in the second half and led by as many as three with 10:38 left in regualation. A large part of that comeback was due to Raven Lee putting on another offensive clinic at University Arena. The redshirt-sophomore guard scored the first six Eagle points in the second half, cutting WMU's seven-point lead to just one.
WHEN THEY'RE HOT, THEY'RE HOT: It's safe to say that the Eagles have three dynamic scorers in Raven Lee, Mike Talley and Karrington Ward. In fact, when any two of these three score 15-or-more points in a single game, the Eagles have been quite successful. In games when at least two of these three student-athletes score 15-or-more points, the Green and White is 9-4. When Lee teams up with Talley the Eagles are 3-2. When Lee and Ward team up offensively, EMU is 4-1. As for when Talley and Ward score 15-or-more apiece, the Eagles hold a 1-0 tally. And finally, when all three score at least 15, Eastern Michigan is 1-0 on the year.
TIC-TAC-TURNOVER: Eastern Michigan is forcing the competition into 14.9 turnovers per game this season. The Eagles have forced their opponents into 20-or-more turnovers on five separate occasions, including when the Green and White forced both Longwood and Miami into 24. The Eagles hold a +2.8 in turnover margin, which ranks as the second-best in the MAC. Eastern has been forced into more turnovers than the opposition on just five occasions this season.
MURPHY VERSUS THE MAC: Fourth-year Head Men's Basketball Coach Rob Murphy holds a 32-34 all-time record against Mid-American Conference opponents in his fourth MAC season. The Detroit, Mich. native won the MAC-West Division Title in 2011-12 during his first season as the head man at EMU, before going 7-9 in 2012-13. Last season, his squad reached their highest win total of 10, after going 10-8 in MAC play. Murphy and his squads have seen most of their success against teams from their own division, going 22-16, while they are just 10-18 against the East.
THE EMERGENCE: After averaging just 16.2 minutes per game over his first 10 of the year, EMU freshman guard Tim Bond has not only entered the starting lineup but has been picking up prime minutes. The Baltimore, Md. native is playing an average of 29.0 minutes in the last five games, but his production has been key. The 6-foot-6 guard is scoring 6.2 points per game to go along with a 37.5 percent shooting percentage in those games.
WHERE WE STAND: Although we're past the midway point of the 2015 Mid-American Conference season the MAC Tournament seedings are still far from locked in as many teams continue to jockey for position. Currently, Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Toledo hold the top-three spots at 11-5, while two teams are tied at 10-6, which cleans up the top-five spots. The final three home games are set as Kent State, Akron, Western Michigan and Miami are in the five through eight places. Miami holds the final home game at 7-9, while Eastern is sitting at 6-10 and the No. 9 seed, but can still catch the RedHawks to nab a home game to begin MAC play. (For the full MAC Tournament bracket, flip to page 21 of these notes)
LEE TRYING TO CHART TOP: Redshirt-sophomore Raven Lee holds the record for the most points scored by a freshman in a single season at Eastern Michigan with 380 points. The Detroit, Mich. native is trying to make a push to become the highest scorer as a sophomore as well. Currently, Lee has scored 470 points this year and is averaging 16.2 points per game. Without including any postseason contests, the six-foot three-inch combo guard is on pace to amass 502 points this year which would rank third on the sophomore scoring list at Eastern Michigan, trailing former Eagle Ricky Cottrill for second with 582 points.
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