Men's Hoops Flies South to Sunshine

Men's Basketball at Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic
Date	Nov. 22, 2 p.m. \| Nov. 24, 12 p.m.
Venue	Montego Bay, Jamaica \| Monetgo Bay Convention Center (6,200)
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats
Watch	CBS Sports Network
Twitter	@EMU Hoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team goes abroad as it flies to Montego Bay, Jamaica, as a part of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic. While there, the Eagles will take on the University of Maryland Baltimore County and North Carolina A&T. This will be the first action seen between the Green and White and both the Retrievers and the Aggies. The first game against UMBC will be Friday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m., while the second game will take place Sunday, Nov. 24, at 12 p.m., against N.C. A&T.
Both games can be viewed on CBS Sports Network, or follow along on WEMU (89.1 FM) with veteran broadcaster Chad Bush on the call.

LAST TIME ABROAD: In 2016 the Eagles traveled to Nassua, Bahamas and took part in three formal exhibition contests against Bahamian National Teams (Pyramid Food Rockets, PJ Stingers, and College of the Bahamas). All three games were played under International Basketball Federation rules.

FINDERS KEEPERS: Junior Yeikson Montero is tallying up steals, currently snagging 11, which leads the Mid-American Conference. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native is three steals ahead of eighth-ranked redshirt senior Boubacar Toure.

LAST TIME AGAINST AMERICA EAST: The last time Eastern Michigan competed against a team from the America East Conference was Dec. 17, 2016 in Burlington, Vt. against the Catamounts, losing 82-74. James Thompson IV led the Eagles with a double-double of 13 points and 21 rebounds.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE MEAC: Nov. 18, 2017 is the last time Eastern faced a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team, beating Howard University, 76-66 in Ypsilanti, Mich. Elijah Minnie led the team in scoring with 21 points, and James Thompson IV put in a double-double effort with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
One current Eagle participated in the contest, then-redshirt freshman Ty Groce pulled down six boards and scored seven points.

SHUT 'EM DOWN: The Green and White currently lead the Mid-American Conference in average points allowed per game, holding the opposition to 52.5 points through four games.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Through four games, Eastern has had no fewer than eight players record points in a game. Nine Eagles scored against Siena Heights, Nov. 8, before 10 notched points versus Goshen, Nov. 12. Eight ballers found the box score against UMD, Nov. 14, and most recently, nine hoopsters logged points against North Texas, Nov. 16.

"PUT ME IN, COACH": Eastern's bench scoring has outmatched that of its opponent in each of its first four contests, giving EMU a 57-point bench advantage in 2019, 130-73. In the Eagles' most recent contest against North Texas, Nov. 16, the Green and White tallied 16 points from its non-starting five, an effort that outmatched the opponent by nine. Additionally, freshman Shamar Dillard led the bench in scoring with seven points.

FIRST TIME FOES: The 2019-20 campaign will be the first time that EMU will face both UMBC and NC A&T.

WHAT WAS LOST: After losing 1,674 points (75%) and 670 rebounds (89%) of production from the 2018-19 team, EMU is in search of new offensive leaders this season. The top returner in each category from last year's squad is redshirt senior Boubacar Toure (266 points, 243 rebounds), a likely candidate to be a production leader this season. Through three games, Toure is averaging 13 points, and 10.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 73.9 percent from the floor, a career-best mark.

SPLASH CITY: The Green and White have four players shooting 50%-or-better from the field so far in the 2019-20 season. Leading the way is redshirt senior Boubacar Toure who is shooting .704, followed by his tag-team buddy, junior Jalen King who holds a clip of .667 off the bench. Rounding out the shot-hitters is juniors Chris Barnes and Darion Spottsville who have a .542 and .500 shooting percentage, respectively.

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE: Eastern Michigan will face off against nine different Division I conferences as a part of its non-conference slate. The Eagles will take on teams from, America East, Big Ten, Big West, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, the Horizon League, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Missouri Valley, and Mountain West conferences, in addition to their Mid-American Conference match ups.

ALL-TIME VS MEAC: The Eagles have faced teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference eight times, holding a 7-1 record all-time. EMU have played six different teams in the MEAC, and their only loss came against Maryland Eastern Shore, 65-61 on Nov. 26, 2001.

ALL-TIME VS AMERICA EAST: Eastern Michigan holds a 2-2 record against teams in the America East Conference. Both loses came at the hands of the University of Vermont, as well as three of the four games played were against the Catamounts. The other victory was against the University of Maine, Dec. 20, 1967, at the Wayne State Centennial Classic, 73-61.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE, BOUBACAR TROUBLE: Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure is off to a hot start for the Green and White, averaging 11 points and 10 rebounds per contest in EMU's first four games. Toure has notched two double-doubles this season, doing so most recently against Michigan-Dearborn, Nov. 14, where he recorded a team-best 14 boards and tied for the team-lead in points, with 15. Toure has 16-career double-doubles, the most by any current Eagle, and leads the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage (70.4%), and second in rebounding (10. rpg).

JAMES…CHRIS JAMES: Freshman guard Chris James is off to a great start in his freshman season. The Long Beach, Calif. native is averaging 10.8 points per game, the most by any freshman in the MAC, and has recorded double-digit points in three of four contests for the Eagles thus far. James also leads the Eagles from deep, averaging .615 (8-13).

GROCE PROFIT: Redshirt junior Ty Groce has led the Eagles in scoring in three of four games, hitting 15 points against Siena Heights, Nov. 8, and setting a career-high with 19 over Goshen, Nov.12. Most recently, Groce tallied 15 points at North Texas, Nov. 18. The Ypsilanti, Mich. native is averaging 14 points per game, with a .432 field goal percentage, improving from last season.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will conclude its trip to Montego Bay Jamaica against North Carolina A&T, as a part of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic, Sunday, Nov. 24, at 12 p.m. The action will be broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU hoops, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team on social media, at @EMUHoops.

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Players Mentioned

Chris Barnes

Shamar Dillard

Ty Groce

Chris James

Jalen King

Elijah Minnie

Yeikson Montero

Darion Spottsville

James Thompson IV

Boubacar Toure

Eastern Michigan Athletics