EMU Heads to Kent State for a Cross-Divisional Contest

Men's Basketball at Kent State
Date	Tuesday, Jan. 26 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Kent, Ohio \| Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (6,327)
Game Notes	EMU Notes \| KSU Notes
Live Stats	KentStateSports.com
Watch	Kent State All-Access
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Currently riding a three-game losing streak for the first time since the beginning of the 2015 Mid-American Conference season, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team is back in action this Tuesday, Jan. 26, when it travels to the Greater Cleveland, Ohio area to square off with Kent State University at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (M.A.C.) Center. The Eagles (10-9, 2-4 MAC) are coming off of a controversial one-point, double-overtime, 88-87, setback to Ball State University Saturday, Jan. 23, in which the Cardinals hit a buzzer beater with just 0.7 seconds remaining in the second overtime to seal the game.

The Golden Flashes (14-5, 5-1 MAC) currently lead the MAC East and come in as winners of their last four games in a row. Most recently, Kent State traveled to Bowling Green to take on the Falcons. KSU came away with a three-point, 62-59, road win to cap off a quick two-game road trip for the Flashes.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Akron matchup will have both audio and video on Tuesday. 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. Coverage on 89.1 WEMU will begin 10 minutes prior to the tip of each game this year.

Along with the WEMU broadcast, the contest will be shown live on Kent State's online streaming service, Kent State All-Access. To access the KSU All-Access channel, head to Kent StateSports.com/showcase.

ALL-TIME VERSUS KENT STATE: The Eagles trail in the series with Kent State by a nine-game margin, at a tally of 31-40. Last season, Eastern Michigan dropped its only matchup with the Golden Flashes, 65-59, after leading for most of the first half, including a 10-point halftime advantage at the M.A.C. Center.

Mike Talley led the Eagles in last season's setback with 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while knocking down seven of his nine free throw attempts. Karrington Ward recorded all 12 of his points in the first half, while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds and blocking a pair of KSU shots. Jodan Price added seven points off the bench while Anali Okoloji and Tim Bond chipped in with six. As a team, the Eagles shot 38.9 percent from the floor, while hitting just 3-of-13 shots from beyond the arc.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE GOLDEN FLASHES...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
1	Xavier Pollard	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-4	210	13.2	3.3	2.9	Bronx, N.Y.-Maine
5	Kellon Thomas	G	Sr.-Jr.	5-11	190	12.7	2.1	2.2	Indianapolis, Ind.-Southport
21	Khaliq Spicer	C	Sr.-Sr.	6-9	230	6.3	5.9	0.6	Detroit, Mich.-Robichaud
30	Deon Edwin	G	Sr.-Jr.	6-3	210	4.9	2.9	0.7	British Virgin Islands-Laramie C.C.
35	Jimmy Hall	F	Sr.-Jr.	6-8	235	15.8	7.2	2.3	Brooklyn, N.Y.-Hofstra

LAST SECOND LONG BALL DOES IN EMU: Despite allowing 13 three pointers in their game with Ball State, Jan. 23, the Eagles were in position to win in double overtime. With a dead shotclock and an 87-85 lead, Ball State missed a shot with 15 seconds left as Brandon Nazione pulled down a backside rebound. Following multiple controversial "no calls", Ball State regained posession before Francis Kiapway connected on a three pointer with 0.7 seconds left to go, ending the game at 88-87 in favor of the Cardinals.

OFFICIALS SUSPENDED FOR NO CALLS: Sunday, Jan. 24, a pair of officials from the Eastern Michigan versus Ball State game the day before were suspended due to several errors which were committed by the officiating crew assigned to that game. In response to these errors, the Mid-American Conference suspended the officials from two conference games and they will not be considered for 2016 post-season assignments in the conference tournament.

"The final play of the game was not handled appropriately by several officials and unfortunately took away from what was a highly competitive and entertaining game for the competing students and fans," MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said. "I along with our membership have higher expectations and as a result have directed our coordinator of men's basketball officials to take appropriate disciplinary action, including multiple-game suspensions."

KENT STATE TIES: The Eastern Michigan coaching staff has a few ties to Kent State. Two of the four coaches on staff at EMU have served on staff at KSU. Head Coach Rob Murphy was an assistant coach for the Golden Flashes for two seasons from 2002-04, his first job in the collegiate ranks. In his two years at KSU, the Golden Flashes won a pair of MAC East titles. Associate Head Coach Mike Brown served the 2007-08 season as the Director of Basketball Operations at Kent State. That year, KSU won the MAC regular season and tournament titles, making an appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

NO MERCY AT THE M.A.C. CENTER: Eastern Michigan has had a lot of trouble when competing at the M.A.C. Center. In fact, the Eagles have not won a game in Kent, Ohio since the 1997-98 campaign. In that game, the Green and White snuck away from the M.A.C. Center with a 79-74 victory, Feb. 7, 1998. Since that win, Eastern Michigan is 0-10 when traveling to Kent State. However, since Rob Murphy took over the Eagles prior to 2011-12, they've been able to end one trend with the Flashes. EMU broke a 17-game losing streak to KSU in 2014.

BEST OFFENSE IN THE MAC: Since beginning Mid-American Conference play, the EMU offense has been at the top of the conference in multiple categories conference games, including points per game (82.8) and field goal percentage (47.1 percent). In addition, the Eagles are connecting on 78.1 percent of their free throws which leads the conference. A large part of the Green and White's offensive success in the MAC games has a lot to do with the Eagles' scoring duo of Raven Lee and James Thompson IV. Eastern is the only MAC school with a pair of student-athletes in the top-10 in scoring in conference games. Thompson is averaging 18 points per game, good for fifth in the league, while Lee's 17.3 points per contest ties for sixth. In fact, the Green and White is one of just two programs with three student-athletes in the top-20 in scoring in conference games. The other Eagle in that category is Ty Toney who is posting 13.8 points in MAC tilts. Central Michigan is the other squad with three scorers in the top-20.

NOBLES WITH THE NOD: Following a tough first five games of Mid-American Conference play on the defensive end, EMU Head Coach Rob Murphy decided to make a change in his starting lineup. Receiving the first start of his young career, redshirt freshman forward Jordan Nobles was on the court for the opening tip of the Eagles' game with Ball State. Nobles was only able to get in for eight minutes however, due to injury precautions following a hard fall on the floor.

ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S BEST: Freshman center James Thompson IV has been dominant on the floor for the Eagles, especially on the offensive end. Due in large part to his 26-straight made field goals earlier this season, Thompson is second in the NCAA in field goal percentage. The Baton Rouge, La. native converts on 70.4 percent of his shot attempts, with Belmont's Evan Bradds leads the category at just one percentage point (71.4 percent) ahead of Thompson. The next closest freshman in the category is Eastern Kentucky's Nick Mayo, who connects on 60.4 percent of his field goal attempts.

THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: A season ago, senior Brandon Nazione averaged just 3.6 points per game, while pulling down just 3.5 rebounds per contest. In addition, the Howell, Mich. native converted shots at a 39.6 percent clip. EMU was not even half way through the 2015-16 season and Nazione had recorded more field goal makes than a year ago. In addition, he is hitting shots at a 56.6 percent clip, while averaging nearly three times as many points per game (9.6) and twice as many rebounds per contest (6.2).

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Eastern Michigan has received contributions from multiple student-athletes on the offensive end throughout the season. In fact, there has yet to be a game where the Eagles haven't had at least two players score in double-figures. The Green and White have had a game where six score 10-or-more, four games with five double-digit scorers, five with four, four with three and five with two this season.

KING OF THIEVES: The Eagles not only lead the Mid-American Conference in steals per game (10.6), but the Green and White are second in the NCAA in that category, while also ranking fourth in total steals (202).

TIC-TAC-TURNOVER: Although Eastern Michigan averages 13.1 turnovers per game, which ranks 237th in the country, EMU is 11th in the nation in turnover margin at a +4.4 difference. The Green and White force the opposition into 17.4 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 195 points during this season, totaling 1,205 for his career. That number puts him at the No. 19 spot in all time EMU scorers. Lee now trails Earle Higgins (1967-70) for the 18th spot by 30 points.

ONE OF THE BEST IN THE MAC: EMU's Raven Lee has made his stamp not only in the Eastern Michigan history books, but he has one of the best careers of any active player in the Mid-American Conference. Currently, the Detroit, Mich. native is third in scoring (1,205 pts) by any active player in the conference. Just Central Michigan's Chris Fowler (1,486) and Toledo's Nathan Boothe (1,247) rank ahead Eastern's redshirt junior. In addition, Lee is 16th in assists (138) by any active player, while his 106 career steals are tied for the sixth-most by any active player in the MAC. Finally, his 120 three point makes are the ninth-most in a career by any active player.

ACTIVE CAREER SCORING LEADERS IN THE MAC

1. Chris Fowler, Central Michigan - 1,486
2. Nathan Boothe, Toledo - 1,247
3. Raven Lee, Eastern Michigan - 1,205
4. John Simons, Central Michigan - 1,146
5. Eric Washington, Miami - 1,119
6. Geovanie McKnight, Miami - 1,040
7. Xavier Pollard, Kent State - 983
8. Connor Tava, Western Michigan - 956
9. Spencer Parker, Bowling Green - 953
10. Braylon Rayson, Central Michigan - 898

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 Jan. 25. Let's take a look...

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE RANKINGS as of Jan. 25
Player	Category	Rank	Number
Eastern Michigan	Steals per game	1st	10.6 (second nationally)
Eastern Michigan	Turnovers forces per game	1st	17.4 (sixth nationally)
Eastern Michigan	Total steals	1st	202 (fourth nationally)
James Thompson IV	Rebounds per game	1st	10.9 (eighth nationally)
James Thompson IV	Offensive rebounds per game	1st	4.5 (second nationally)
James Thompson IV	Field goal percentage	1st	70.4 (second nationally)

A LOOK AHEAD: Following the Tuesday night contest with Kent State, Jan. 26, the Eagles will continue the Mid-American Conference campaign on the road Saturday, Jan. 30, as the Green and White will head back to Kalamazoo, Mich. to square off with in-state and MAC West foe, Western Michigan. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. from University Arena.

FRESHMAN PHENOM: EMU's James Thompson IV and is making a 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-20 in scoring, being seventh (15.6 ppg), while he is also leading the conference in rebounds (11.1 rpg) as the only freshman in the top-20 in that category as well. In addition, the Baton Rouge, La. product is tied for fourth in the MAC in blocked shots (1.6 bpg) and first in field goal percentage (70.4 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 second in the nation in field goal percentage, while he ranks eighth in rebounds per game and 10th in total rebounds (211). His 11 double-doubles rank ninth and his 4.5 offensive rebounds per game are good for second nationally.

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 83 wins which is good for the fifth-most by an EMU coach. Murphy is just one win shy of tying Jim Boyce for the fourth-most in school history. 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)	83-74 (.529)

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Ray Lee

Brandon Nazione

Jordan Nobles

Anali Okoloji

Jodan Price

Mike Talley

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

Karrington Ward

Eastern Michigan Athletics