Men's Hoops Tips Off Saturday Doubleheader with Kent State

Men's Basketball vs. Kent State
Date	Saturday, Jan. 12 \| 12 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (8,754)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics
Tickets	Order Tickets Online or call 734.487.3669

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center Saturday, Jan. 12, to take on Kent State University at 12 p.m. for afternoon #MACtion.
   The Eagles left Muncie with a thrilling 84-82 double overtime victory over Ball State, Jan. 8, to improve to 7-8 on the season and move to 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference, while the Golden Flashes took down Western Michigan at home, 88-73, that same day.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley on play-by-play, and Greg Steiner providing analysis. Eastern fans can also listen to Chad Bush on WEMU 89.1. Additional coverage can be found by following @EMUHoops on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

WINTER IS HERE: Saturday's double header with Eastern Michigan's women's basketball team is Game of Thrones beer tasting day in the Convocation Center. Fans who attend the beer tasting will receive an EMU Game of Thrones beer stein.

STRONG START TO #MACTION: Even with a record of 1-1 to begin MAC play, a few individuals are off to incredible starts.
   Redshirt senior Elijah Minnie is second in the league with a 23.0 points per game scoring average, while also leading the way in made three-point field goals at 5.5 per game.
   Senior James Thompson IV is leading the conference in rebounding with an outstanding 15.5 per game average, and is third in the MAC in shooting percentage with a 68.8 mark.

TOUGHEST IN THE MAC: The Eagles' record of 7-8 is a bit misleading for those not paying attention. Eastern has played the second-hardest schedule in the country (according to KenPom), including three games against Top-25 teams and two against opponents in the top-10.
   Buffalo is the next-closest team with the 64th-most difficult schedule in the country.

RETURNING TO FORM: After having just two double-doubles through the first 11 games, senior James Thompson IV has accomplished the feat in four straight contests. Thompson pulled down a season-high 19 rebounds and added 18 points in the Eagles' thrilling double overtime win over Ball State (Jan. 9).
   The Baton Rouge, La. native also had 11 points and 10 rebounds against No. 20 Buffalo (Jan. 4), a 15-point, 14-rebound performance at No. 5 Kansas (Dec. 29), and a 17 point and 16 rebound game against Siena Heights (Dec. 22).

A MINNIE SCORING SURGE: Redshirt senior Elijah Minnie has seen his production rise over the past seven games, scoring 17.7 points per game in that time after averaging 8.3 points per game in the first eight games. The forward has shot 44.8 percent from the floor and 39.1 percent from downtown, while also averaging five rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks per contest.

SEVENTH TIMES A CHARM: After using a different starting lineup for seven consecutive games, Eastern Michigan doubled down on a group to resounding success at Ball State, Jan. 8. Redshirt senior Paul Jackson was joined by sophomore Kevin McAdoo, redshirt junior Boubcar Toure, senior James Thompson IV, and redshirt senior Elijah Minnie in the starting five for both #MACtion games of the season.

CRASHING THE BOARDS: Eastern Michigan has made a living crashing the boards so far in the 2018-19 season. The Eagles not only lead the Mid-American Conference in offensive rebounds by a full carom, but their 14.7 boards on the offensive side is sixth-best in the NCAA.

ALL-TIME VS. KENT STATE: Though a series that has been one-sided since the turn of the century in favor of KSU, it has been EMU that has won two of the last three meetings between the Eagles and Golden Flashes. Last season, the Green and White won the lone matchup between the two teams, snapping a 20-year losing streak in Kent with a 71-67 victory at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.

FREE THROW DEFENSE: For reasons completely unexplainable, opponents have struggled to consistently make free throws against Eastern this season. In fact, the opponent free throw percentage of 60.5-percent is the third-lowest mark in the NCAA, trailing only Rutgers and UCF.

CHASING DOWN THE REBOUND RECORD: Senior James Thompson IV is the NCAA's active career rebound leader with 1,261 during his three-plus seasons with Eastern. The Baton Rouge, La. native needs 165 boards to pass all-time EMU record holder Kennedy McIntosh. He is also first in the NCAA in active career double-doubles with 65 and trails McIntosh as EMU's all-time leader by 13.

LEADING THE LEAGUE: Eastern Michigan leads the MAC in offensive rebounds per game thanks in large part to senior James Thompson IV. The forward leads the league in offensive rebounding by more than a full rebound (4.5) this season, while also sitting in third in the league in field goal percentage (64.1) and total rebounding (10.5).

THREE-POINT WOES: Eastern Michigan has had two-fold troubles at the three-point line this season, shooting just 27.8 percent from downtown on offense, while allowing opponents to shoot 35.2 percent. In fact, the Eagles have made (87) three's and have allowed (140) so far in 2018-19.

THREE-POINT IMPROVEMENT: Though only tying its season-high of eight three-pointers made against Ball State, Jan. 8, Eastern was far more efficient from the long line in the game, shooting just 13 times. It was by far the best shooting performance of the season (61.5 percent) for the Eagles, whose best game from beyond the arc previously was a 7-for-16 (43.8 percent) showing against Boston, Nov. 17.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan hits the road once again for a #MACtion showdown with the University of Akron Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Paul Jackson

Kevin McAdoo

Elijah Minnie

James Thompson IV

Eastern Michigan Athletics