Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, January 15
Akron, Ohio
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Akron
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
EMU Hoops Looks for Third Straight MAC Win at Akron
1/13/2019 12:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Eastern has not beat the Zips in the Rubber City since Feb. 1, 2010
| Men's Basketball at Akron | |
| Date | Tuesday, Jan. 15 | 7 p.m. |
| Venue | Akron, Ohio | James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500) |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Live Stats | Fan Stats |
| Watch | ESPN+ |
| Listen | WEMU (89.1 FM) |
| @EMUHoops | @EMUAthletics | |
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team heads east to take on the University of Akron for a cross-division Mid-American Conference showdown at James A. Rhodes Arena Tuesday, Jan 15 at 7 p.m.
The Eagles have won two straight, including a record-setting win over Kent State University, 95-61, Jan. 12, to improve to 8-8 on the season and 2-1 in the MAC . Meanwhile, the Zips have lost two straight road games, most recently a 73-56 setback at Northern Illinois.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Michael Reghi on play-by-play, and Jacki Windon providing analysis. Eastern fans can also listen to Chad Bush and Matt Dery on WEMU 89.1. Additional coverage can be found by following @EMUHoops on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.
RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOK: Eastern's romp of Kent State Saturday, Jan. 12, saw multiple records written, as the 95 points scored was the most for EMU against KSU, and the 34-point win was the second-largest margin of victory over the Golden Flashes in program history.
The Eagles' 63.2 percent shooting effort from beyond the three-point line was the third-best in program history, while the 65.4 percent overall shooting percentage was fourth-best. The Green and White also knocked down 12 threes in the game, good for a tie of eighth-best in EMU laurels.
Eastern's 34-point win also marked the biggest MAC loss for Kent State in the Rob Senderoff era.
STRONG START TO #MACTION: The Eastern Michigan "Big Three" have come alive since the start of Mid-American Conference play, as redshirt seniors Elijah Minnie and Paul Jackson, as well as senior James Thompson IV have upped their game to another level.
Minnie is averaging 22.7 points per game, while shooting 55.2 percent from downtown. His points per game ranks second in conference play, while his 16 made threes is tops in the league.
Thompson is averaging 15.7 points per game, while leading the conference in rebounding with a 12.3 per game average, and is also on top of the MAC in shooting percentage with a 73.9 clip.
Jackson has averaged 15.0 points per game and is making a living setting up his teammates, turning in 5.3 assists per contest.
TOUGHEST IN THE MAC: The Eagles' record of 8-8 is a bit misleading for those not paying attention. Eastern has played the seventh-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 MAC team with the 88th-most difficult schedule in the country.
THIRD TIMES A CHARM: After using a different starting lineup for seven consecutive games, Eastern Michigan rolled out the same starters for the third straight game against Kent State, Jan. 12, to record-breaking success. 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 each #MACtion game of the season.
ALL-TIME VS. AKRON: The Eagles look to pick up their first win in James A. Rhodes Arena since Feb. 1, 2010 when Jay Higgins' 17 points led EMU to a 62-59 victory.
Though the series has been one-sided in favor of UA since the turn of the century, it has been EMU that has won the last two meetings between the Eagles and Zips. Last season, the Green and White defeated Akron at home, 63-49, and again in the MAC Tournament, 67-58, for the first time in program history thanks to a 21-1 run that erased a 19-point deficit.
Eastern is 22-27 all-time against Akron, and looks to win its third straight over the Zips for the first time since 1997, when the Eagles' win streak reached nine games.
THREE-POINT IMPROVEMENT: Eastern had its best showing from the three-point line of the season in its 34-point victory over Kent State, Jan. 12, knocking down a season-high 12 from long range while shooting an eye-popping 63.2 percent.
It surpasses the Eagles' second-best performance of the year from its previous game at Ball State when they made eight and shot 61.5 percent.
CHASING DOWN THE REBOUND RECORD: Senior James Thompson IV is the NCAA's active career rebound leader with 1,267 during his three-plus seasons with Eastern. The Baton Rouge, La. native needs 159 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.
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 59.7-percent is the second-lowest mark in the NCAA, trailing only UCF.
LEADING THE LEAGUE: Eastern Michigan sits on top of the MAC in offensive rebounds per game (14.4), thanks in large part to senior James Thompson IV. The forward leads the league in offensive rebounding by more than a full rebound (4.4) this season, while also sitting in second in the league in field goal percentage (65.5) and third in rebounding (10.3).
Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure leads the league in field goal percentage at 66.7 percent (58-of-87).
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan finishes its home-and-home series with MAC leader and No. 19-ranked Buffalo Friday, Jan. 18. The Eagles and Bulls will play on ESPNU with tip time schedule for 7 p.m.
The Eagles have won two straight, including a record-setting win over Kent State University, 95-61, Jan. 12, to improve to 8-8 on the season and 2-1 in the MAC . Meanwhile, the Zips have lost two straight road games, most recently a 73-56 setback at Northern Illinois.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Michael Reghi on play-by-play, and Jacki Windon providing analysis. Eastern fans can also listen to Chad Bush and Matt Dery on WEMU 89.1. Additional coverage can be found by following @EMUHoops on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.
RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOK: Eastern's romp of Kent State Saturday, Jan. 12, saw multiple records written, as the 95 points scored was the most for EMU against KSU, and the 34-point win was the second-largest margin of victory over the Golden Flashes in program history.
The Eagles' 63.2 percent shooting effort from beyond the three-point line was the third-best in program history, while the 65.4 percent overall shooting percentage was fourth-best. The Green and White also knocked down 12 threes in the game, good for a tie of eighth-best in EMU laurels.
Eastern's 34-point win also marked the biggest MAC loss for Kent State in the Rob Senderoff era.
STRONG START TO #MACTION: The Eastern Michigan "Big Three" have come alive since the start of Mid-American Conference play, as redshirt seniors Elijah Minnie and Paul Jackson, as well as senior James Thompson IV have upped their game to another level.
Minnie is averaging 22.7 points per game, while shooting 55.2 percent from downtown. His points per game ranks second in conference play, while his 16 made threes is tops in the league.
Thompson is averaging 15.7 points per game, while leading the conference in rebounding with a 12.3 per game average, and is also on top of the MAC in shooting percentage with a 73.9 clip.
Jackson has averaged 15.0 points per game and is making a living setting up his teammates, turning in 5.3 assists per contest.
TOUGHEST IN THE MAC: The Eagles' record of 8-8 is a bit misleading for those not paying attention. Eastern has played the seventh-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 MAC team with the 88th-most difficult schedule in the country.
THIRD TIMES A CHARM: After using a different starting lineup for seven consecutive games, Eastern Michigan rolled out the same starters for the third straight game against Kent State, Jan. 12, to record-breaking success. 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 each #MACtion game of the season.
ALL-TIME VS. AKRON: The Eagles look to pick up their first win in James A. Rhodes Arena since Feb. 1, 2010 when Jay Higgins' 17 points led EMU to a 62-59 victory.
Though the series has been one-sided in favor of UA since the turn of the century, it has been EMU that has won the last two meetings between the Eagles and Zips. Last season, the Green and White defeated Akron at home, 63-49, and again in the MAC Tournament, 67-58, for the first time in program history thanks to a 21-1 run that erased a 19-point deficit.
Eastern is 22-27 all-time against Akron, and looks to win its third straight over the Zips for the first time since 1997, when the Eagles' win streak reached nine games.
THREE-POINT IMPROVEMENT: Eastern had its best showing from the three-point line of the season in its 34-point victory over Kent State, Jan. 12, knocking down a season-high 12 from long range while shooting an eye-popping 63.2 percent.
It surpasses the Eagles' second-best performance of the year from its previous game at Ball State when they made eight and shot 61.5 percent.
CHASING DOWN THE REBOUND RECORD: Senior James Thompson IV is the NCAA's active career rebound leader with 1,267 during his three-plus seasons with Eastern. The Baton Rouge, La. native needs 159 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.
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 59.7-percent is the second-lowest mark in the NCAA, trailing only UCF.
LEADING THE LEAGUE: Eastern Michigan sits on top of the MAC in offensive rebounds per game (14.4), thanks in large part to senior James Thompson IV. The forward leads the league in offensive rebounding by more than a full rebound (4.4) this season, while also sitting in second in the league in field goal percentage (65.5) and third in rebounding (10.3).
Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure leads the league in field goal percentage at 66.7 percent (58-of-87).
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan finishes its home-and-home series with MAC leader and No. 19-ranked Buffalo Friday, Jan. 18. The Eagles and Bulls will play on ESPNU with tip time schedule for 7 p.m.
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