Eastern Returns to the Convo to Host MAC West-Leading Toledo

Men's Basketball vs. Toledo
Date	Tuesday, Feb. 19 \| 7 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 for a crucial Mid-American Conference showdown with local rival University of Toledo Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.
   Eastern (11-14, 5-7 MAC) fell 71-58 in a cross-division battle at Kent State, Feb. 16, while Toledo (20-5, 8-4 MAC) lost to No. 25 Buffalo, 88-82, in the MAC's ESPNU showcase game, Feb. 15.
   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 and Matt Dery on WEMU 89.1. Additional coverage can be found by following @EMUHoops on Twitter, and through live stats at EMUEagles.com.

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN: Eastern's slow start to MAC play in 2018-19 almost mirrors the start to conference action in 2017-18 exactly. Not only is its record after 12 games identical to last season's at 5-7, EMU also had the same record after five games (2-3), eight games (3-5), and 10 games (4-6).
   The Green and White went on to rattle off six straight wins to end the regular season to finish second in the MAC West and secure a first round bye in the MAC Tournament.

HELD OFF THE GLASS: Part of Eastern's offensive success has been thanks to second-chance opportunities brought by the Eagles' offensive rebounding prowess. Against Kent State Feb. 16, however, EMU was only able to grab six offensive rebounds in the game, under half of its usual 12.9 per game.
   Furthermore, KSU kept James Thompson IV from his usual rebounding self, allowing just one offensive board to the league leader.

A WIN WOULD: Eastern Michigan currently sits tied for seventh place in the Mid-American Conference standings, and is third in the MAC West. A win would draw the Eagles to within two games of division-leading Toledo, and put them just a half game behind Central Michigan.

SINGLE-DIGIT DIMES: EMU had just seven assists in its 71-58 loss to Kent State, Feb. 16, tying its lowest output in MAC play with its 59-48 loss to Miami, Feb. 2. It marked the second-fewest assists in a game behind two five-assist performances (at Rutgers, Nov. 19; vs. UC Irvine, Dec. 19).

MURPHY'S 11: Eastern Michigan head coach Rob Murphy rolled out his 11th starting lineup of the season in its loss at Kent State, Feb. 17. The Eagles saw the combination of redshirt senior Paul Jackson, sophomore Kevin McAdoo, redshirt sophomore Ty Groce, senior James Thompson IV, and redshirt senior Elijah Minnie start a game for the first time this season. Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure and redshirt freshman Tariq Silver were relegated to bench roles.

ALL-TIME VS. TOLEDO: Eastern Michigan and Toledo have played 105 times in program history, with the Rockets holding a narrow edge in the all-time series, 53-52.
   EMU won the first-ever meeting with UT in 1918, and then went on to lose 15-straight meetings. The Green and White would get their revenge, however, winning 31-of-38 contests between 1985 and 2000.

AGAINST TOLEDO IN THE MURPHY ERA: Since Rob Murphy took over as Eastern Michigan's head coach before the 2011-12 season, he has gone 8-10 against Toledo overall and holds a 6-2 mark in the Convocation Center.

LAST SEASON AGAINST THE ROCKETS: EMU and UT squared off three times in the 2017-18 season, with the Eagles coming out on top in two of the three ordeals. Unfortunately, the lone Toledo win was a 64-63 thriller in the MAC Tournament semi-final.
   Eastern's win in the Convocation Center came Feb. 20, 2018 on the heels of a 10-point comeback, with Elijah Minnie leading the way with 23 points and six rebounds. James Thompson IV also tallied 23 points and pulled down seven boards, while Paul Jackson added a double-double of 18 points and a career-high 10 assists. Tim Bond added a season-high 17 points to go with five rebounds.

MILESTONE WATCH: Senior James Thompson IV is the NCAA's active career rebound leader with 1,363 during his three-plus seasons with Eastern. The Baton Rouge, La. native needs 64 boards to pass all-time EMU record holder Kennedy McIntosh.
   Eastern also has a pair of redshirt seniors trying to become members of the 1,000 point club, as both Paul Jackson and Elijah Minnie are within striking distance of the milestone. Jackson needs 144, or an average of 20.6 over the final seven games, to reach the mark. Minnie has slightly less ground to cover, needing 91 points, or an average of 13.0 points per game, in that stretch.

DEFENSE RISING: The Eastern Michigan defense has been rising up the MAC statistical rankings and now sits in fourth place in points allowed and sixth in defensive field goal percentage on the season. The Eagles are holding opponents to 69.4 points per contest and allow them to shoot 43.1 percent from the floor.

STREAK SNAPPED: Redshirt senior Paul Jackson had been on a 13-game double-digit scoring streak, dating back to a 13-point performance against Siena Heights, Dec. 22 before being held to just three points at Kent State, Feb. 16. The Stone Mountain, Ga. native still averaged 14.0 over the 14-game stretch, and has also averaged 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 rebounds per contest.
   The streak falls one short of Jackson's best of 14 that he rattled off from Nov. 12 to Jan. 6 last season.

CRASHING THE BOARDS: Eastern Michigan has made a living crashing the boards in the 2018-19 season. The Eagles not only lead the Mid-American Conference in offensive rebounds, but their 12.9 boards on the offensive side is 12th-best in the NCAA. Senior James Thompson IV is one of the nation's leaders in offensive rebounds per game at 4.0.

LEADING THE LEAGUE: Eastern Michigan sits on top of the MAC in offensive rebounds per game (12.9), thanks in large part to senior James Thompson IV. The forward leads the league in offensive rebounding by nearly a full rebound (4.0) this season, while also sitting in second in the league in field goal percentage (64.4) and rebounding (10.4). The forward also has the top rebounding mark in MAC-only action, pulling down 11.1 boards per contest.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan return to the Convocation Center Saturday, Feb. 23 against Western Michigan University at 2 p.m. as part of Glow Night 2.0.

Eastern Returns to the Convo to Host MAC West-Leading Toledo

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Ty Groce

Paul Jackson

Kevin McAdoo

Elijah Minnie

Tariq Silver

James Thompson IV

Boubacar Toure

Eastern Michigan Athletics