Men's Hoops Kicks Off Education Day Double Header with Drexel

Eastern Michigan vs Drexel
Date	Friday, Nov. 9 \| 11 a.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,754)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to the hardwood of the Convocation Center to take on Drexel University Friday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. for its annual Education Day double header.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Greg Steiner on play-by-play and Kyler Ludlow providing analysis. Additional coverage can be found by following @EMUHoops on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com

ALL TIME VS DREXEL: The Eagles and Dragons have never faced one another in their respective men's basketball histories. In fact, EMU has only played three games against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association.
Two of Eastern's three games have come against James Madison, with each team winning once. The other is a loss to UNC-Wilmington.

EDUCATION DAY: Eastern looks to continue its success on Education Day under head coach Rob Murphy, who is 6-0 in his tenure.
   The Green and White have outscored its opponents an average 74.5 to 53.6 in those six games, and perhaps most impressively, has averaged 3,013 fans in the stands.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Eastern Michigan has won 93 of its 120 home games during the Rob Murphy era of Eagles basketball. The Eagles have racked up a solid home-court advantage inside the friendly confines of the Convocation Center since the doors opened during the 1998-99 campaign, winning 61.2 percent of the contests played in the building, piling up a 186-118 all-time mark.

BACK IN ACTION JACKSON: Redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky) made a case for one of the Mid-American Conference's top point guards with his debut game of the 2018-19 season, putting up a career-high 27 points while dishing out seven assists in the Eagles' 10-point win over Rochester College.
   The Stone Mountain, Ga. native was an All-MAC Honorable Mention honoree in 2017-18, and also earned a spot on the MAC All-Tournament Team after averaging 20.5 points and 5.0 assists per game during the Eagles' two-game stretch in Cleveland.

DANDY DEBUTS: Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Sengal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon) and junior Damari Parris (Bowie, Md.-Evelyn Mack Academy (Trinity Valley C.C.) made quite the impact for the Green and White in their Eastern Michigan debuts, as Toure posted a double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds and Parris added 15 points, six rebounds, and three steals.
   Toure went 6-for-8 from the floor and added three free throws for a career-best 15 points, while his 15 rebounds (12 defensive, three offensive) also marked a career-high.
   Parris' 15 points marked a personal-best for the first-year Eagle as well.

A "QUIET" NIGHT FOR THOMPSON: Senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) had a "quiet" night by the forward's standards in the 2018-19 opener against Rochester College, scoring 12 points and pulling down six rebounds while blocking three shots in the 77-67 victory.
   Thompson is the NCAA's active career rebound leader with 1,109 during his three-plus seasons with Eastern. The Baton Rouge, La. native needs 318 boards to pass all-time EMU record holder Kennedy McIntosh.

WHAT A SCHEDULE!: The Eagles are set to take on one of their most daunting non-conference schedules of the Rob Murphy era in 2018-19, traveling to 2018 NCAA Tournament participants Duke, TCU, and Kansas, while also heading east to take on Rutgers and Northeastern.

EMU PICKED TO WIN THE MAC WEST: The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team was selected to finish first in the MAC West Division for the 2018-19 campaign, the Mid-American Conference announced Tuesday, Oct. 27. The Eagles received 183 total points, trailing only Buffalo (210) for the overall conference lead. The Bulls led the way with votes for the MAC Tournament Champion (25), with Eastern (3), and Toledo (3) tying in a distant second place.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles play their final game of their season-opening three-game homestand, taking on the Goshen College Sunday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. Eastern Michigan then travels to Duke University to take on the No. 4 Blue Devils, Nov. 14.

Men's Hoops Kicks Off Education Day Double Header with Drexel

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paul Jackson

Damari Parris

James Thompson IV

Boubacar Toure

Eastern Michigan Athletics