Men's Basketball Returns to the Road Monday at Rutgers

Men's Basketball at Rutgers
Date	Monday, Nov. 19 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Piscataway, N.J. \| Rutgers Athletic Center (8,000)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	Big Ten Network
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| TuneIn Radio \| Podcast
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.3669

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team heads east to take on its second "Power Five" opponent of the season, traveling to New Jersey to take on Rutgers University Monday, Nov. 19 as part of the Hub City Classic.
Eastern Michigan enters the meeting 4-1 on the season after a convincing, 80-62, win over Boston University, Nov. 17. Meanwhile, Rutgers looks to bounce back from an 84-65 home setback at the hands of St. John's University, Nov. 16.
The game will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network with Jason Horowitz on play-by-play and Jon Crispin providing analysis. Chad Bush will also have the call on WEMU 89.1 FM. Additional coverage can be found by following @EMUHoops on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

FOUL TROUBLE, NO TROUBLE AT ALL: Redshirt senior Elijiah Minnie was tagged with his fourth foul with 11:20 on the clock and senior James Thompson IV was whistled for his fourth with 9:04 to play in EMU's win over Boston, Nov. 17. Following free throws as a result of Thompson IV's foul, Eastern took control of the game behind a 16-0 run. Additionally, the duo combined to outscore BU, 16-11, over the final nine minutes of play to lead Eastern to the win.

CASHING IN ON THE FREEBIES: Eastern Michigan made the most of its trips to the charity stripe against Boston, knocking down 11-of-12 free throws, Nov. 17. EMU's 91.7 free throw percentage was not only the Eagles' eighth-best all-time, but it also tied for the second-highest in Convocation Center history. Eastern's 11-for-12 showing tied the mark set by Miami, Jan. 31, 2001, while it's the highest since Bowling Green went a perfect 25-for-25, March 6, 2004.

NOTHING MINI ABOUT IT: Redshirt senior Elijah Minnie broke out for a season-high 28 points against Boston, Nov. 17, on 10-of-17 shooting. Minnie also tied a career-high with five triples and four assists to pave the way for the Eagles offensively. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native put up the most points by an Eagle since he registered 29 points against Niagara in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, March 14, 2018.

EMU IS NOT WHO OPPONENTS WANT TO SEE: Coming off a loss at No. 1 Duke, Nov. 14, Eastern Michigan bounced back with a convincing 80-62 win over Boston, Nov. 17. In fact, EMU has rebounded from losses quite well dating back to last season. Since the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign, the Eagles are 10-3 when coming off a loss.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: After totaling 20 double-doubles a season ago, senior James Thompson IV collected his first of the 2018-19 season with a 14-point, 14-rebound performance against Boston University Saturday, Nov. 17. The Baton Rouge, La. native is the active NCAA leader in rebounding with 1,150 in his career, and second in career double-doubles with 60.

ALL-TIME VS. RUTGERS: Eastern Michigan and Rutgers have only played each other one other time in program history. In that matchup, also in Piscataway, EMU came out on top in a tightly-contested 74-71 showdown, Dec. 9, 1995. Derrick Dial led the way for the Eagles with 24 points, Brian Tolbert added 14, and Nkechi Ezugwu had a near-double-double of nine points and 10 boards.

ALL-TIME VS. BIG TEN: EMU has an overall record of 13-77 in games against B1G opponents over its 120 year history, with most of them coming against the University of Michigan or Michigan State University.
The last time an Eastern team faced an opponent from the B1G was just a season ago, as EMU fell to Indiana University, 67-87.

LAST WIN OVER A B1G TEAM: Head Coach Rob Murphy was in his fourth season at the helm of Eastern Michigan the last time it defeated an opponent from the Big 10. The Eagles traveled the short distance to Ann Arbor and upset the University of Michigan, 45-42. EMU has only played four opponents from the B1G since, losing at Penn State, at Indiana, and at Michigan State twice.

AGAINST THE GARDEN STATE: The Eagles have only played in the state of New Jersey one time prior to Monday's showdown with the Scarlet Knights. That occurrence came back in 1995, when Eastern topped Rutgers, 74-71.
Moreover, EMU has only played two New Jersey-based schools in the form of Rutgers and Monmouth University. The Green and White's lone meeting with Monmouth came as part of the Basketball Traveler's Invitational during the 2010-11 season. MU outlasted EMU, 64-63, in Moscow, Idaho, Dec. 3, 2010, despite a 28-point, 12-rebound effort by Brandon Bowdry.

CHASING DOWN THE REBOUND RECORD: Senior James Thompson IV has led Eastern in rebounding in each of the last three games, including a season-best 14 boards against Boston, Nov. 17. Thompson is the NCAA's active career rebound leader with 1,150 during his three-plus seasons with Eastern. The Baton Rouge, La. native needs 277 boards to pass all-time EMU record holder Kennedy McIntosh.

ON THE HORIZON: After wrapping up the Hub City Classic, Eastern Michigan returns to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center for a single game against Detroit Mercy Saturday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m. The Eagles then hit the road for a two-game stretch, taking on No. 21 TCU in Fort Worth, Texas Monday, Nov. 26, before heading back east to take on Northeastern University Saturday, Dec. 1.

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Players Mentioned

Elijah Minnie

James Thompson IV

Eastern Michigan Athletics