EMU Set to Square Off with Vermont Saturday Afternoon

Men's Basketball at Vermont
Date	Saturday, Dec. 17 \| 1 p.m.
Venue	Burlington, Vt. \| Patrick Gymnasium (3,228)
Game Notes	EMU Game Notes \| Vermont Game Notes
Live Stats	EMUEagles.com
Watch	AmericaEast.TV
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

BURLINGTON, Vt. (EMUEagles.com) -- Winning its last four contests, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team looks to make it five in a row Saturday, Dec. 17, when it squares off with the University of Vermont at 1 p.m. at Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vt. Both squads were picked to finish atop their respective conferences, as the Eagles (6-3) were selected to win the Mid-American Conference West Division, while the Catamounts (7-4) were tabbed as the preseason favorite in the America East Conference.

Eastern is coming off of a record-breaking 117-55 victory over Siena Heights University where they scored the most points in a game in Convocation Center history. SHU scored the first bucket in that game, but after taking the lead, EMU never looked back and dropped the Saints. For Vermont, the Catamounts are coming off of a hard fought 59-57 setback inside Patrick Gymnasium, Dec. 10. UVM fell to Northeastern in that contest, despite leading by 13, 31-18, at the half. The NU Huskies came out firing in the second half, outscoring Vermont by 15, 41-26, to knock off the Catamounts.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Vermont matchup will have both audio and video coverage on Saturday afternoon. 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 as the analyst will be 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 Patrick Gymnasium will be broadcast live on AmericaEast.TV. The audio voice for Saturday's action will be Sam Hyman who doubles up as Vermont's 101.3 ESPN radio broadcaster.

ALL-TIME VERSUS THE CATAMOUNTS: Saturday afternoon's 1 p.m. contest will be the third time that EMU and Vermont meet on the hardwood. Eastern Michigan has split its contests with the Catamounts. Most recently, the Eagles defeated Vermont during the 2015-16 season, 70-50, in the year's lid-lifter. The only other contest between the two schools came on Nov. 22, 2002 when the Eagles fell 71-64.

In the last dance with the Catamounts, Willie Mangum IV opened his NCAA Division I career with 18 points and four steals while Tim Bond added 15 points and Brandon Nazione posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. James Thompson IV also went for nine points and 11 rebounds in his freshman debut.

LIKELY LOOK FOR VERMONT...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
2	Trae Bell-Haynes	G	Jr.-Jr.	6-2	175	10.2	1.6	4.0	Toronto, Ontario-Bill Crothers Secondary
3	Anthony Lamb	F	Fr.-Fr.	6-6	227	10.1	5.6	0.7	Rochester, N.Y.-Greece Athena
20	Ernie Duncan	G	Jr.-So.	6-3	190	9.8	3.1	1.7	Evansville, Ind.-Harrison
34	Kurt Steidl	G/F	Sr.-Sr.	6-6	181	8.2	4.4	1.2	Ridgefield, Conn.-Ridgefield
35	Payton Henson	F	Sr.-Jr.	6-8	215	13.0	6.4	1.5	Siloam Springs, Ark.-Tulane

LAST TIME OUT: The Eagles' offense was in overdrive versus Siena Heights, Sunday, Dec. 11, as the Green and White piled up 117 points in a 117-55 victory over the Saints at the Convocation Center. EMU piled up 26 assists, while forcing SHU into 30 turnovers.

James Thompson IV and Willie Mangum IV both finished with 23 points on the day, with Thompson also nabbing six boards, while Mangum IV had three three-pointers. Tim Bond stuffed the stat sheet en route to his first double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points, 10 assists, and seven steals. His 10 assists marked the most in his career, while seven steals was just one behind his personal-best.

RECORD BREAKING DAY: In EMU's win over Siena Heights, Dec. 11, the Eagles set a Convocation Center record by scoring 117 points. That number marked the most points scored by Eastern Michigan since its home arena opened in 1998. Additionally, the team had 26 assists on the day, breaking the previous single-game record of 25, a record that was set during the 2004-05 season. On the defensive side, EMU stole the ball 17 times, tying the third-most in program history.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY: Eastern Michigan has become known as one of the most active teams defensively and the numbers back up that claim. The Eagles have racked up a total of 113 steals this season, which ranks as the fourth-most in the NCAA as of Dec. 14. Additionally, their average of 12.6 steals per game are the second-best in the nation.

Individually, the Green and White boast five student-athletes who averaged one-or-more steal per contest, including Tim Bond, Ray Lee, Willie Mangum IV, Baylee Steele and Ty Toney. Bond, Lee, Mangum and Toney make up four of the top-five spots in the Mid-American Conference with Bond and Toney leading the MAC with 2.4 steals per game.

EAGLES OFFENSE SOARING: Despite being known for their defensive activity, the Green and White's offense should not be overlooked. Eastern Michigan ranks 21st in the NCAA and second in the MAC with 86 points per game. In addition, EMU's offense has been extremely efficient, shooting at a blistering 47.3 percent on the season, which ranks 71st in the country, while it is also the second-best mark in the league.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: This season, Eastern Michigan has won the turnover battle in all but two contests. Additionally, the Green and White have forced more than 15 turnovers in seven of the Eagles' nine games this season. In total, EMU owns a +8.3 turnover margin, good for the second-best in the NCAA. As a team, Eastern Michigan turns the ball over just 11.9 times per contest, while forcing the opposition into 20.2 per game.

PLENTY OF OPTIONS: EMU has proven to have plenty of options on the offensive end of the floor this season. In fact, the Eagles are the only team in the Mid-American Conference with three student-athletes averaging 15-or-more points per contest. Ray Lee leads the Green and White with 19.1 points per contest, good for fifth in the MAC, while Willie Mangum IV's 17.4 points per game is eighth in the conference and James Thompson IV's 15.9 is 12th-best in the league.

MAKING WAVES: For the third season in EMU history, the Eagles have received national attention via the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll. Earning a spot in the top-25 during both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, the Green and White is currently receiving 25 votes by mid-major coaches across the country following their 6-3 start to the season. Those 25 votes are the 31st-most in the country. Voted on by a panel of NCAA mid-major coaches, the mid-major poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast and Western Athletic.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING: As of Dec. 14, the Eagles are near the top of the country in multiple categories. Ray Lee is the 11th active leading scorer in the country. Additionally, James Thompson IV is one of the best rebounders in the country with 99 total rebounds, ranking 25th, while his 11 per game are good for 15th. Thompson has six double-doubles this year, which are the eighth-most in NCAA Division I basketball, and his 4.7 offensive rebounds per game ranks fourth. Tim Bond and Ty Toney have emerged as two of the top defensive players in the country as well. The EMU guard duo each have 22 total steals which, ranks as the 30th most in the country, while their 2.44 swipes per game are tied for the 18th best in NCAA Division I basketball.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE: EMU sophomore James Thomspon IV has proven to be one of the premier frontcourt players in the Mid-American Conference and country through his short time at Eastern Michigan. The Baton Rouge, La. native has racked up 25 double-doubles in just 42 games donning the Green and White. That number ranks as the seventh-most double-doubles recorded in EMU history. The 6-foot-10 forward needs just two more to jump up to sixth in the all-time rankings. As of Dec. 14, Thompson's six double-doubles ranked as the eighth-most in NCAA Division I basketball during the 2016-17 season.

TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE: In the last four games, the Eagles have scored 87-or-more points, including a blistering 117 in the win over Siena Heights, Dec. 11. In fact, they are averaging 98.8 points per game over this stretch. Many would attribute that to strong offensive play, but it can also be looked at as great defensive prowess. In those four games, Eastern has turned the opponent over at least 19 times in each of them, including a high of 30 versus Siena Heights. Overall, the Green and White has forced an average of 24 turnovers per game in the four-game span, and have averaged 36.3 points off turnovers. Overall this season, the Green and White force teams into 20.2 turnovers per game.

CHARITY CHAMPIONS: A season ago, EMU converted 72.1 percent of its free throw attempts, marking the third-best free throw percentage as a team in Eastern Michigan history. To this point of the season, the 2016-17 Eagles are hitting their free throws at an 74.8 percent clip, which would break the EMU all-time record of 72.9 percent.

In addition, EMU's Ray Lee has continued to show his worth at the free throw line in the early goings of this year. The Detroit, Mich. native ranks eighth overall in EMU history for free throws made (394), while also being tied for 10th in career free throw percentage (.785). This season, the 6-foot-3 combo guard connected on his first 19 free throw attempts this year.

ON THE HORIZON: Following their Saturday afternoon contest with Vermont, the Eagles remain on the road as they travel to Syracuse, N.Y. for a Monday evening matchup with Syracuse University. Eastern Michigan will meet up with the Orange, Monday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. from the Carrier Dome. That contest will air live on ESPNU. Syracuse is currently receiving votes in the top-25 by both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches' Poll.

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Ray Lee

Willie Mangum IV

Brandon Nazione

Baylee Steele

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

Eastern Michigan Athletics