Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, January 18
Buffalo, N.Y.
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Buffalo
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eastern Hoops Travels to No. 16 Buffalo Friday Night on ESPNU
1/16/2019 6:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Eagles and Bulls tip off at 7 p.m. inside Alumni Arena
| Men's Basketball at Buffalo | |
| Date | Friday, Jan. 18 | 7 p.m. |
| Venue | Buffalo, N.Y. | Alumni Arena (6,783) |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Watch | ESPNU |
| Listen | WEMU 89.1 FM |
| @EMUWBB | @EMUAthletics | |
BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team faces a tall task as it looks to bounce back from a mid-week Mid-American Conference loss, traveling to No. 16 University at Buffalo, Jan. 16, for Friday night #MACtion in Alumni Arena.
The Eagles fell on the road to the University of Akron, Jan. 15, by a 51-49 final. Meanwhile, after a brief scare on the road at Western Michigan, Buffalo pulled away for an 88-79 win in Kalamazoo.
The game will be broadcast on ESPNU with Robert Lee on play-by-play, and Julianne Viani providing analysis. Eastern fans can also listen to Chad Bush and Kyler Ludlow on WEMU 89.1. Additional coverage can be found by following @EMUHoops on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.
TOUGHEST IN THE MAC: The Eagles' record of 8-9 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 Associated Press Top-25 teams and two against opponents in the top-10.
Miami is the next-closest team with the 85th-most difficult schedule in the country.
#MACTION STRONG: The Mid-American Conference has always fought for national recognition as one of the premier mid-major conferences in the country, and this year the conference NET ranking proves the point.
The MAC comes in at No. 8 in the NET rankings, trailing just the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC, Big East, American, and PAC-12.
BOUNCE BACK KIDS: Coming off a loss against No. 20 Buffalo, Jan. 4, Eastern Michigan bounced back with a gritty 84-82 double-overtime win at Ball State, Jan. 8. 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 14-7 when coming off a loss.
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…: Redshirt senior Elijah Minnie became the first Eagle this season to be named MAC Co-West Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday, Jan. 14. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native won the award for his offensive explosion that helped carry EMU to a 2-0 week against Ball State, Jan. 8, and Kent State, Jan. 12.
The forward averaged 23.5 points per game, while also pulling down 7.5 rebounds and swatting 2.5 shots per contest. Minnie shot 8-of-13 from the floor against the Cardinals, knocking down 6-of-8 from beyond the three-point line for a total of 25 points, including the game-tying three at the end of regulation. The redshirt senior followed that performance with an 8-of-14 night from the floor that included a 5-of-9 showing from beyond the arc.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: Redshirt senior Elijah Minnie's MAC Co-West Player of the Week honor was not the only award given out to a basketball player in Ypsilanti this week, as redshirt senior Danielle Minott of the EMU women's basketball team earned MAC West Player of the Week as well.
Minott nearly broke her own school records against Buffalo, Jan. 9, scoring 43 points against the Bulls, to go along with 12 rebounds. She followed that up with a 25-point, 11 rebound performance in a thrilling win over Western Michigan.
It marked the first time since 2013 that Eastern has held Player of the Week honors on both the men's and women's side. Ray Lee (2012-17) and Janay Morton (2013-16) were named the league's top player Dec. 16.
ALL-TIME VS. BUFFALO: Eastern Michigan and the University at Buffalo have squared off 27 times in program history, with the Eagles trailing by four games in the all-time series with a record of 11-16.
The two teams began the series with an Eastern win, 88-76, Jan. 15, 1971. After another win for the then-Hurons in the 1972 season (109-96), the two teams did not play one another again until the Bulls began Mid-American Conference play in the 1998-99 season.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE: The Bulls have held the upper hand over the Eagles in the Rob Murphy era of EMU basketball, having only defeated the Bulls three times in 10 chances. EMU last defeated UB Jan. 12, 2016 by a final score of 81-69. In that game, then-freshman James Thompson IV had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. He would later be named MAC Freshman of the Year.
You have to venture back to the beginning of this millennium to get to Eastern's last win in Buffalo, having not won since Feb. 4, 2004. The Eagles were victorious by a 77-66 final, as Markus Austin led the way with 19 points and John Bowler added a double-double of 15 points and 12 boards. At that point Eastern had won six of nine games against the Bulls.
LAST TOP 25 WIN: EMU's last victory over a ranked opponent in the regular season was a lifetime ago. Literally. Only six of 16 players were alive the last time Eastern pulled off an upset! The Eagles traveled across Washtenaw County and knocked off No. 21 Michigan in overtime, 89-83, Dec. 17, 1997.
Elijah Minnie, James Thompson IV, Paul Jackson, Boubacar Toure, Damari Parris, and Bud Jones were all toddlers the last time the Green and White were victors over a Top-25 team.
CHASING DOWN THE REBOUND RECORD: Senior James Thompson IV is the NCAA's active career rebound leader with 1,278 during his three-plus seasons with Eastern. The Baton Rouge, La. native needs 148 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.
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 14.3 boards on the offensive side is ninth-best in the NCAA.
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 19.0 points per game while shooting 500 percent from downtown. His points per game is second in conference play, while his 18 made threes is tops in the league.
Thompson is averaging 13.3 points per game while pulling down 12.0 rebounds per game, and is second in the MAC in shooting percentage with a 71.4 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.
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 59.6-percent is the second-lowest mark in the NCAA, trailing only UCF.
SWIPER NO SWIPING: The Eagles are having a "down" season compared to previous years in the defense category, currently ranking fourth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (70.0 ppg), and coming in eighth in defensive field goal percentage (43.7) after leading both categories in 2017-18.
LEADING THE LEAGUE: Eastern Michigan sits on top of the MAC in offensive rebounds per game (14.3), 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 (65.2) and third in rebounding (10.3).
Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure leads the league in field goal percentage at 67.7 percent.
THREE-POINT WOES: Eastern Michigan has had two-fold troubles at the three-point line this season, shooting just 29.4 percent from downtown on offense, while allowing opponents to shoot 34.8 percent. In fact, the Eagles have made (102) three's and have allowed (155) so far in 2018-19.
ANOTHER SHOWDOWN AGAINST THE TOP-25: Eastern Michigan takes on its fourth Associated Press Top 25 opponent of the season in No. 16 Buffalo, Jan. 18, after already taking on No. 1 Duke in Durham, No. 5 Kansas in Lawrence, and then-No. 20 Buffalo in the Convocation Center earlier this season.
Buffalo was just the second team to come into the Convocation Center ranked in the Top 25, joining UMass, who came away with a 69-57 victory Dec. 3, 2013, when ranked No. 21.
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center Tuesday, Jan. 22 with another tough intra-division battle as Bowling Green State University pays visit to Ypsilanti for a 7 p.m. game.
The Eagles fell on the road to the University of Akron, Jan. 15, by a 51-49 final. Meanwhile, after a brief scare on the road at Western Michigan, Buffalo pulled away for an 88-79 win in Kalamazoo.
The game will be broadcast on ESPNU with Robert Lee on play-by-play, and Julianne Viani providing analysis. Eastern fans can also listen to Chad Bush and Kyler Ludlow on WEMU 89.1. Additional coverage can be found by following @EMUHoops on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.
TOUGHEST IN THE MAC: The Eagles' record of 8-9 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 Associated Press Top-25 teams and two against opponents in the top-10.
Miami is the next-closest team with the 85th-most difficult schedule in the country.
#MACTION STRONG: The Mid-American Conference has always fought for national recognition as one of the premier mid-major conferences in the country, and this year the conference NET ranking proves the point.
The MAC comes in at No. 8 in the NET rankings, trailing just the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC, Big East, American, and PAC-12.
BOUNCE BACK KIDS: Coming off a loss against No. 20 Buffalo, Jan. 4, Eastern Michigan bounced back with a gritty 84-82 double-overtime win at Ball State, Jan. 8. 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 14-7 when coming off a loss.
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…: Redshirt senior Elijah Minnie became the first Eagle this season to be named MAC Co-West Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday, Jan. 14. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native won the award for his offensive explosion that helped carry EMU to a 2-0 week against Ball State, Jan. 8, and Kent State, Jan. 12.
The forward averaged 23.5 points per game, while also pulling down 7.5 rebounds and swatting 2.5 shots per contest. Minnie shot 8-of-13 from the floor against the Cardinals, knocking down 6-of-8 from beyond the three-point line for a total of 25 points, including the game-tying three at the end of regulation. The redshirt senior followed that performance with an 8-of-14 night from the floor that included a 5-of-9 showing from beyond the arc.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: Redshirt senior Elijah Minnie's MAC Co-West Player of the Week honor was not the only award given out to a basketball player in Ypsilanti this week, as redshirt senior Danielle Minott of the EMU women's basketball team earned MAC West Player of the Week as well.
Minott nearly broke her own school records against Buffalo, Jan. 9, scoring 43 points against the Bulls, to go along with 12 rebounds. She followed that up with a 25-point, 11 rebound performance in a thrilling win over Western Michigan.
It marked the first time since 2013 that Eastern has held Player of the Week honors on both the men's and women's side. Ray Lee (2012-17) and Janay Morton (2013-16) were named the league's top player Dec. 16.
ALL-TIME VS. BUFFALO: Eastern Michigan and the University at Buffalo have squared off 27 times in program history, with the Eagles trailing by four games in the all-time series with a record of 11-16.
The two teams began the series with an Eastern win, 88-76, Jan. 15, 1971. After another win for the then-Hurons in the 1972 season (109-96), the two teams did not play one another again until the Bulls began Mid-American Conference play in the 1998-99 season.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE: The Bulls have held the upper hand over the Eagles in the Rob Murphy era of EMU basketball, having only defeated the Bulls three times in 10 chances. EMU last defeated UB Jan. 12, 2016 by a final score of 81-69. In that game, then-freshman James Thompson IV had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. He would later be named MAC Freshman of the Year.
You have to venture back to the beginning of this millennium to get to Eastern's last win in Buffalo, having not won since Feb. 4, 2004. The Eagles were victorious by a 77-66 final, as Markus Austin led the way with 19 points and John Bowler added a double-double of 15 points and 12 boards. At that point Eastern had won six of nine games against the Bulls.
LAST TOP 25 WIN: EMU's last victory over a ranked opponent in the regular season was a lifetime ago. Literally. Only six of 16 players were alive the last time Eastern pulled off an upset! The Eagles traveled across Washtenaw County and knocked off No. 21 Michigan in overtime, 89-83, Dec. 17, 1997.
Elijah Minnie, James Thompson IV, Paul Jackson, Boubacar Toure, Damari Parris, and Bud Jones were all toddlers the last time the Green and White were victors over a Top-25 team.
CHASING DOWN THE REBOUND RECORD: Senior James Thompson IV is the NCAA's active career rebound leader with 1,278 during his three-plus seasons with Eastern. The Baton Rouge, La. native needs 148 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.
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 14.3 boards on the offensive side is ninth-best in the NCAA.
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 19.0 points per game while shooting 500 percent from downtown. His points per game is second in conference play, while his 18 made threes is tops in the league.
Thompson is averaging 13.3 points per game while pulling down 12.0 rebounds per game, and is second in the MAC in shooting percentage with a 71.4 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.
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 59.6-percent is the second-lowest mark in the NCAA, trailing only UCF.
SWIPER NO SWIPING: The Eagles are having a "down" season compared to previous years in the defense category, currently ranking fourth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (70.0 ppg), and coming in eighth in defensive field goal percentage (43.7) after leading both categories in 2017-18.
LEADING THE LEAGUE: Eastern Michigan sits on top of the MAC in offensive rebounds per game (14.3), 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 (65.2) and third in rebounding (10.3).
Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure leads the league in field goal percentage at 67.7 percent.
THREE-POINT WOES: Eastern Michigan has had two-fold troubles at the three-point line this season, shooting just 29.4 percent from downtown on offense, while allowing opponents to shoot 34.8 percent. In fact, the Eagles have made (102) three's and have allowed (155) so far in 2018-19.
ANOTHER SHOWDOWN AGAINST THE TOP-25: Eastern Michigan takes on its fourth Associated Press Top 25 opponent of the season in No. 16 Buffalo, Jan. 18, after already taking on No. 1 Duke in Durham, No. 5 Kansas in Lawrence, and then-No. 20 Buffalo in the Convocation Center earlier this season.
Buffalo was just the second team to come into the Convocation Center ranked in the Top 25, joining UMass, who came away with a 69-57 victory Dec. 3, 2013, when ranked No. 21.
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center Tuesday, Jan. 22 with another tough intra-division battle as Bowling Green State University pays visit to Ypsilanti for a 7 p.m. game.
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