Central Michigan Comes to Town to Start MAC Play

Men's Basketball vs. Central Michigan
Date	Tuesday, Jan. 3 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (7,784)
Game Notes	EMU Game Notes \| CMU Game Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN 3
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- After completing non-conference play, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team turns its attention to its grueling 18-game Mid-American Conference season slate. The Eagles (8-5) begin their 43rd season of MAC play with an in-state rivalry Tuesday night, Jan. 3, versus Central Michigan University at the Convocation Center at 7 p.m.

The Chippewas (10-3) are riding high, winning six of their last seven games. Most recently, CMU downed Chicago State, 90-82, in its final home contest in the non-conference season, Friday, Dec. 30. Eastern did the same thing in its final out of conference tilt, defeating Long Beach State in decisive fashion. The Green and White dispatched the 49ers by 26, 98-72, at the Convocation Center, Thursday, Dec. 29.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Central Michigan matchup will have both audio and video on Tuesday night. 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.

Following the addition of its own brand new mobile television unit a season ago, all EMU men's and women's basketball games will be streamed live on ESPN3. Ryan Wooley will provide the play-by-play coverage for the ESPN3 broadcast, while EMU Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Greg Steiner will be alongside Wooley for analysis.

ALL-TIME VERSUS THE CHIPPEWAS: Tuesday night's 7 p.m. matchup will be the 193rd time that the Eagles and Chippewas square off on the hardwood. The Eagles trail the series, 100-92, but were able to take down the Maroon and Gold on both occasions that the two squared off during the 2015-16 campaign.

A year ago, the Eagles put on an offensive clinic versus the Chips in the MAC opener in Mount Pleasant, Jan. 6. The Green and White put up 99 points, which was the most EMU has scored versus an NCAA Division I opponent since 2003. In their second meeting Eastern Michigan completed the season sweep as James Thompson IV led the Eagles by grabbing 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Brandon Nazione went for 16 points and 11 boards to help Eastern to a 71-56 victory at the Convocation Center.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE CHIPPEWAS...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
2	Braylon Rayson	G	Sr.-Sr.	5-9	190	17.5	4.8	2.8	Dallas, Texas-West Mequite
3	Marcus Keene	G	Jr.-Jr.	5-9	175	30.7	4.9	5.4	San Antonio, Texas-Youngstown State
14	Josh Kozinski	G	Jr.-Jr.	6-4	185	9.2	2.5	0.8	Edwardsburg, Mich.-Edwardsburg
21	Cecil Williams	F	Jr.-Hr.	6-6	210	9.8	5.9	0.5	Columbia, Mo.-Moberly Area C.C.
24	Luke Meyer	F	Jr.-Jr.	6-10	220	5.3	5.0	0.3	Addison, Mich.-Addison

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan won its second game in a row Thursday, Dec. 29, when it dispacted of Big West Conference foe, Long Beach State. The Eagles knocked off the 49ers, 98-72, in the final non-conference tilt of the 2016-17 campaign.

Ray Lee paced the Eagles, finishing the day with 20 points, including a trio of three-pointers, in addition to five assists and two steals. Additionally, both Willie Mangum IV and Jordan Nobles tacked on 15 apiece, with Mangum also notching four assists, while Nobles had eight rebounds and six assists. For Nobles, the 15 points and six assists were both career highs. Finally, James Thompson IV had 12 points, while Tim Bond had 10 points and seven rebounds.

CHIP DIP: The Central Michigan squad comes into Tuesday night's game after notching six wins in its last seven games. A large part of their non-conference success was that of junior guard Marcus Keene. Keene leads the nation in scoring at 30.7 points per game, while his backcourt mate, Braylon Rayson, chips in with 17.5 points per contest. CMU's 91.2 points per game ranks as the sixth-best scoring offense in the country. However, on the flip side, the Chippewas also allow 80.5 points per game which ranks as 317th in the NCAA. Additionally, Central is one of the best in the country when it comes to ball security. The Chippewas only turn the ball over 9.6 times per game, good for third-best in the country.

MANGUM FOR THREE: Eastern Michigan senior guard Willie Mangum IV has become well known for his success from the long line. This season, the Richmond, Va. native has connected on at least one three-pointer in each of the Eagles' 13 games, while also notching two-or-more in 10. Currently, Mangum leads the Green and White in scoring at 17.2 points per contest and is ranked 10th all-time in three-point field goal percentage, shooting at a 36.7 percent clip from beyond the arc.

LEE LIGHTING IT UP: Redshirt senior guard Ray Lee came into his final season donning the Green and White as one of the top scorers all-time in EMU history and the Detroit, Mich. native has continued that trend. Although he is not leading the Eagles in scoring, he is averaging 17 points per game. What is more impressive is that he has notched double-digit scoring marks in 10-of-12 games played and has notched 20-or-more in seven contests this season.

THOMPSON TEARS UP CMU: In two games versus the Chippewas a season ago, James Thompson IV was able to get the best of Central in both. Lead the Eagles to wins in each of them. Thompson posted an average of 19 points and 14.5 rebounds in those games versus Central. The Baton Rouge, La. native shot at a 71.4 percent clip while grabbing six offensive boards per contest.

NOBLES KNOCKING IT OUT: Redshirt sophomore Jordan Nobles has put together five-straight games with impressive numbers. The Canton, Mich. native has averaged 12 points per game, while grabbing 6.8 rebounds per contest over that span. He has notched double-digit scoring performances in four of those five games, while adding 10-or-mpore rebounds in a pair of contests during that stretch. Against Long Beach State, Nobles scored a career-best 15 points, while dishing out a career-high six assists. Additionally, the 6-foot-9 forward has shot 60.5 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc in that four-game span.

BEST IN SHOW: Eastern Michigan has become one of the dominant teams in the Mid-American Conference in multiple categories. These stats are updated as of Jan. 2. For rankings, see page 4 of EMU's game notes.

WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY: Eastern Michigan put together quite the defensive effort versus Marygrove, Dec. 22. The Eagles stuffed the Mustangs on 13 different occasions, including blocks from eight EMU student-athletes. Those 13 blocks ranked as the most in a single game by a team in Eastern Michigan dating back to the 1998-99 campaign.

CLEANING UP THE GLASS: The Green and White recorded 60 rebounds in its victory over Marygrove, Dec. 22. That number ranks as the third-most in a single game in Eastern Michigan history. In addition, to make that feat more impressive, the Eagles managed that number with its top rebounder, James Thompson IV, on the bench due to injury. Heading into the game with Marygrove, Thompson was averaging 11.5 rebounds per contest.

JONES DOUBLING UP: Senior Quaran Jones was dominant in Eastern's performance over Marygrove, Dec. 22. Not only was he one of five Eagles in double figures for scoring with 13 points, but the Fargo, N.D. native grabbed 13 rebounds to record his first career double-double in Jones' first season playing at EMU.

THOMPSON TAKES CHARGE ON THE GLASS: EMU sophomore James Thompson IV put together the best rebounding performance by an Eagle since Kareem Carpenter grabbed 27 rebounds versus Western Michigan, Feb. 8, 1995, by grabbing 21 rebounds in Eastern's 82-74 loss at Vermont, Dec. 17. Of Thompson's 21 rebounds, 11 of them came on the offensive end.

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 150 steals this season, which ranks as the third-most in the NCAA as of Jan. 2. Additionally, their average of 11.5 steals per game are the second-best in the nation.

Individually, the Green and White boast four student-athletes who average one-or-more steal per contest, including Tim Bond, Ray Lee, Willie Mangum IV, and Ty Toney. Bond, Lee, Mangum and Toney make up four of the top-six spots in the Mid-American Conference. Bond leads the MAC with 2.23 steals per game while Toney takes second in the league (2.2 spg), Mangum is tied for third (two spg) and Lee is in sixth with 1.8 swipes per contest.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: This season, Eastern Michigan has won the turnover battle in all but three contests. Additionally, the Green and White have forced more than 15 turnovers in 10 of the Eagles' 13 games this season. In total, EMU owns a +6.3 turnover margin, good for the third-best in the NCAA. As a team, Eastern Michigan turns the ball over just 12.7 times per contest, while forcing the opposition into 19 per game.

ON THE HORIZON: Following their Tuesday evening contest with Central Michigan, the Eagles remain at home to continue Mid-American Conference action Saturday, Jan. 7. Eastern Michigan is set to host Buffalo at 2:30 p.m. as the second leg of a doubleheader with the women's team at the Convocation Center.

STREAKING AT THE CONVO: In the metaphorical sense, the Eagles have been streaking at the Convo, winning its last 13 contests in their home building. Eastern's home win streak dates back to Feb. 2, 2016, when it posted a 25-point, 94-69, win over Miami. Since that win, the Eagles have a perfect record at home. That number is tied as the NCAA's 13th-best winning streak inside a team's home building, while Kansas leads that category with 49-straight victories at Allen Fieldhouse. Akron is the only Mid-American Conference member that has a longer home winning streak with 23 victories in a row at James A. Rhodes Arena, good for third nationally.

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 74.6 percent clip, which would tie the EMU all-time record.

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 seventh overall in EMU history for free throws made (403), while also being 10th in career free throw percentage (.784).

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Quaran Jones

Ray Lee

Willie Mangum IV

Brandon Nazione

Jordan Nobles

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

Eastern Michigan Athletics