Eagles Host MAC East Foe Kent State in Midweek Clash

Men's Basketball vs. Kent State
Date	Tuesday, Jan. 31 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,784)
Game Notes	EMU Game Notes \| KSU Game Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN 3
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Winning seven of its last 10 games and sitting tied for first place in the Mid-American Conference West Division, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to the Convocation Center to defend its homecourt this Tuesday, Jan. 31, when Kent State University travels to Ypsilanti for a 7 p.m. matchup. The Eagles (13-8, 5-3 MAC) look to defeat the Golden Flashes (11-10, 3-5 MAC) for just the third time since the 1996-97 campaign. The Green and White come into its ninth league matchup following a dominant 74-57 victory on the road at Miami, Jan. 28. That was the Eagles' fifth win in MAC play after dropping two in a row prior to the cross-divisional victory. For the Golden Flashes, they have won two of their last three games. Most recently, Kent State fell at home against Central Michigan, 105-98, Jan. 28, in overtime. Not only was it the Golden Flashes' fifth loss in conference action, but it was their second overtime loss since beginning Mid-American Conference play.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Kent State matchup will have both audio and video on Tuesday evening. 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 KENT STATE: The Eagles trail in the series with Kent State, as Eastern looks at a tally of 41-32 in favor of the Golden Flashes. Recent history shows that the Kent State has the Eagles' number, as EMU has won just two games since the 1996-97 campaign.

Last season, Eastern Michigan split a pair of games with Kent State. The Golden Flashes got the best of the Green and White at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio, 73-58, Jan. 26, while the Eagles knocked off KSU, 75-70, at the Convocation Center, Feb. 13.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE CARDINALS...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
0	Jalen Avery	G	So.-So.	6-0	185	3.8	1.7	2.4	Covington, Ky.-Shroder
5	Danny Pippen	F	Fr.-Fr.	6-9	220	4.1	3.1	0.3	Detroit, Mich.-Allen Academy
13	Mitch Peterson	G	Fr.-Fr.	6-5	190	5.1	2.6	0.5	Richfield, Ohio-Walsh Jesuit
30	Deon Edwin	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-3	210	13.3	5.0	2.2	Virgin Islands-Laramie County C.C.
35	Jimmy Hall	F	Sr.-Sr.	6-8	235	18.5	10.8	2.5	Brooklyn, N.Y.-Hofstra

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan hit the road to square off with Miami, Saturday, Jan. 24. The Eagles went into Millett Hall and defeated the RedHawks, 74-57. It was the first win inside of Millett Hall for EMU since the 1995-96 campaign.

The RedHawks had no response for James Thompson IV, as the big man had 26 points and 20 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season and 30th of his career. Thompson became the first Eagle to go for 20 and 20 in the modern statistical era which dates back to 1998. Also, Thompson in double figures were Willie Mangum IV and Tim Bond who had 12 and 10, respectively. Bond had a game-high seven assists, six steals, and two blocks, while Jordan Nobles led EMU in blocks with a career-high four.

SCOUTING THE FLASHES: The Kent State Golden Flashes have not started the Mid-American Conference campaign as they had hoped, going 3-5 near the halfway point of the conference slate. Despite having one of the best in the MAC in Jimmy Hall, the Golden Flashes have not been able to sustain success throughout the season. Hall leads Kent State in scoring (18.5 ppg), rebounding (10.8 rpg), assists (2.5 apg), and blocks (1.0 bpg). The Brooklyn, N.Y. native does most of his damage on the inside, posting a 50.9 field goal percentage, taking just 13 three-point shots on the year. Ranked fourth in the MAC in scoring and third in rebounding, the Green and White's big men will have their hands full with Hall.

BREAKING THE CURSE: Historically, the Eagles have not fared well when playing at Millett Hall. In fact, the Green and White had not entered Oxford, Ohio and walked away with a win in over 20 years. That all changed Saturday, Jan. 28, when Eastern Michigan stepped inside of Millett and defeated Miami, 74-57. That broked a 12-game losing streak in Oxford.

ROAD WARRIORS: Since EMU started Mid-American Conference play, it is boasting a better record on the road (3-1) than at the Convocation Center (2-2). With that being the case, Eastern Michigan has only started MAC play 3-1 or better in four seasons previous to 2016-17. Those years were 1987-88, 1988-89, 1990-91 and 1995-96. With the exception of the 1988-89 campaign, each of those teams made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including the 1991 "Sweet 16" and a First Round win over Duke in 1996.

BLOCK PARTY: With their 11 blocks versus Miami, Jan. 28, the Eagles not only set a season-high as a team, but notched 11 blocks versus an NCAA Division I opponent for the first time since Dec. 3, 2013, when the Green and White matched that number against then nationally ranked Massachusetts in a 69-57 loss at the Convocation Center. Additionally, it was the second consecutive game that the Eagles notched 10-or-more blocks. That is a feat that Eastern Michigan has not accomplished since the 2013-14 season when EMU blocked 13 shots in back-to-back games versus Robert Morris, Nov. 14, and Cleveland State, Nov. 18.

A GAME FOR THE AGES: EMU sophomore forward James Thompson IV put together what was most likely the best performance of his career versus Miami, Jan. 28. The Baton Rouge, La. native put up 26 points and 20 rebounds against the RedHawks. That performance marked the 30th double-double of Thompson's career and the 11th of the 2016-17 campaign. Additionally, it was the second time in his career and this season that the 6-foot-10 forward notched 20-or-more rebounds in a single game. It was also the first 20-point and 20-rebound performance for an Eagle in the modern day statistical era, which dates back to the 1997-98 campaign.

TANK ATTACK: Affectionately know as "the Tank", Ty Toney has been tearing up the score book since returning from a knee injury. The senior guard is leading the team in scoring over the last six games, putting up 14.3 points per contest while connecting on shots at a 45.6 percent clip. Additionally, Toney is averaging 2.2 steals and 3.8 assists per game over that stretch to go along with 3.2 rebounds.

STUFF IT: EMU sophomore center Baylee Steele proved to be the right man in the middle of the Eagles' 2-3 zone in the loss to Ball State, Jan. 24. The Norwalk, Iowa native blocked a season-best five shots against the Cardinals. That was the first time an EMU student-athlete stuffed five-or-more since James Thompson IV blocked five versus Siena Heights, and the most versus an NCAA Division I opponent since former Eagle Karrington Ward blocked Buffalo five times, Feb. 18, 2015.

SECOND HALF STARS: It has become quite evident that the Eagles have grown into a second half team during the 2016-17 campaign. Since the beginning of Mid-American Conference action, Eastern Michigan is scoring at a much higher rate in the second half. In MAC games, the Green and White averages just 31.8 points in the first half, while shooting 40.3 percent from the floor. In the second half, the Eagles post 42 points and connect on shots at a 48.9 percent mark. Additionally, Eastern Michigan is being outscored by 0.2 points per game in the first half, while besting the opponent by 6.9 points in the second 20 minutes of MAC games.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Although the Eagles have lost eight games this season, there have been trends that show why that is the case. In losses, the Eagles are shooting well below their season mark of 45.8 percent. In setbacks, EMU is connecting on its field goal attempts at a 38.6 percent clip. Additionally, the Eagles' 70.9 points per game average is 10.1 points less than the season average. It isn't just the offense that has struggled in the losses, as the Green and White are rebounded at a -5.6 margin in losses and force just 14.1 turnovers compared to the 17.7 turnovers that opponents average overall this year.

RETURN OF THE MAC: With MAC play ramping up, so has Eastern Michigan's defensive play. Since beginning conference play, EMU has only allowed 67.1 points per game, which leads the league. Additionally, the Eagles' opponents are shooting just 39.2 percent from the floor and 29.5 percent from beyond the arc. Eastern is posting a conference best 9.5 steals per game over the MAC season, while also blocking five shots per contest, which ranks as the highest rate in the league.

SHARING THE SUGAR: With the EMU offense rolling along this season, the Eagles' assist numbers are up as well. Averaging 14.1 assists per game, the Green and White is on its way to posting 437 assists in the regular season alone. That number is just 11 assists shy of making an appearance in the single season record book's top-10.

STEALING THEIR WAY TO THE TOP: Currently, EMU has 226 steals on the season. That is 85 shy of the all-time Eastern Michigan single season record. At their current pace (10.8 spg), which would also mark a single season record, the Eagles would shatter the single season steals mark before the end of the regular season. With 10 games until the end of the regular campaign, the Green and White are on pace to accumulate 334 steals in regular season action. The current EMU record, set by the 2015-16 squad, is 321.

HOME COOKIN': Since the EMU Convocation Center opened in 1998, the Eastern Michigan men's basketball program has had success playing in Ypsilanti. Overall, the team is 166-106 in home games played at the Convocation Center. Since Head Coach Rob Murphy took over prior to the 2011-12 campaign, the Eagles have enjoyed an extremely high winning percentage, winning 80 percent of its games played in the Convo. Over the last six seasons the Green and White boasts a record of 76-20 in home contests.

ON THE HORIZON: Following their Tuesday evening contest with Kent State, the Eagles continue Mid-American Conference action by hitting the road, Saturday, Feb. 4. Eastern Michigan will travel to DeKalb, Ill. and take on Northern Illinois at the NIU Convocation Center. The game with the Huskies will tip-off at 3:30 p.m. CT and will be available on ESPN3.

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Willie Mangum IV

Jordan Nobles

Baylee Steele

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

Eastern Michigan Athletics