Men's Hoops Hosts Northern Illinois Saturday for Alumni Day

Men's Basketball vs. Northern Illinois
Date	Saturday, Feb. 9 \| 2 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 welcomes fellow Mid-American Conference West opponent Northern Illinois University to the Convocation Center Saturday, Feb. 9 for a 2 p.m. tipoff.
   Eastern (9-13, 3-6 MAC) is looking to rebound from a 59-48 home loss to Miami, Feb. 2, while Northern Illinois (12-11, 5-5 MAC) is looking to get back on track after falling in the final seconds at home against Ball State, 72-71, Feb. 5.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley on play-by-play and EMU coaching legend Ben Braun 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.

WELCOME BACK ALUMNI: Saturday's showdown with Northern Illinois will see the return of men's basketball alumni from multiple generations, with over 20 legends of the Green and White expected to return to Eastern Michigan for the game.
   Highlighting those expected back in Ypsilanti are Hall of Famers Earl Boykins (1995-98), Ben Braun (1985-1996), Jack Brusewitz (1980-82), Alvin Jagutis (1968-71), Grant Long (1985-88), and Brian Tolbert (1993-96).

FINDING THE ROTATION: After playing just six players against Central Michigan, Jan. 29, head coach Rob Murphy dipped into his bench and used 11 players in the Eagles' game against Miami, Feb. 2. The bench scored just four points in both instances.

THOMPSON OFF THE BENCH: Senior James Thompson IV came off the bench against Miami Feb. 2, marking just the second time in his Eastern career that the forward has been utilized as a reserve. The Baton Rouge, La. native also sat to start the Northeastern game, Dec. 1, which snapped a 71-game start streak.
   Thompson has started 120 of 122 career games.

HOW MAY I ASSIST YOU?: Redshirt senior Paul Jackson has upped his game since MAC play began, especially in the assist category. The guard has averaged 5.4 assists per game since the start of league action, including six games of 5-or-more assists, and a 10-dime game at Western Michigan, Jan. 26.

TOURE'S TORRID SHOOTING: Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure is leading the Mid-American Conference in shooting percentage at a .690 clip this season. If able to keep the same pace for the remainder of the year, it would be the highest single-season field goal percentage in Eastern Michigan history.

ANYTHING BUT FREE: Eastern Michigan shot just 55 percent (11-of-20) from the charity stripe in its loss to Miami, Feb. 2. It was the third-lowest output in any game this season that the Eagles had at least 10 attempts.

EIGHT IS NO LONGER GREAT: After using the same starters for eight straight games to start MAC play, the Eagles changed things up against Miami, Feb. 2. Redshirt sophomore Ty Groce re-entered the starting five, replacing senior James Thompson IV. Redshirt senior Paul Jackson sophomore Kevin McAdoo, redshirt junior Boubcar Toure, and redshirt senior Elijah Minnie rounded out the starting five for Eastern.

FREE THROW EXTRAVAGANZA: In Eastern's four-point loss at Central Jan. 29, the Chippewas knocked down 26-of-28 (92.8 percent) free throws, marking the most made shots from the charity stripe for an opponent since Jan. 23, 2018 when Buffalo went 27-36.
   In the very next game against Miami Feb. 2, the RedHawks knocked down 20-of-25 chances from the line, marking the first time back-to-back opponents have made 20-or-more free throws since Oakland (21-of-23, Dec. 22), and Syracuse (20-of-26, Dec. 29) did so last season.

ALL-TIME VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The history between Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois dates all the way back to the 1926 season, and the Eagles trail the Huskies in the all-time series, 42-54. EMU has a record of 28-22 at home and hasn't lost to NIU in the friendly confines of the Convocation Center since Jan. 11, 2011.
   The Green and White held the upper hand when playing in Ypsilanti last season, overpowering Northern by an 82-53 final, Feb. 24. Elijah Minnie led the way with 26 points, while James Thompson IV added 14, Paul Jackson 13, and Tim Bond 11. The Huskies pulled out the victory when they hosted the Eagles, Jan. 13, by a 72-66 final.

AGAINST NORTHERN ILLINOIS IN THE MURPHY ERA: Since head coach Rob Murphy began his tenure at the helm of Eastern Michigan in the 2011-12 season, he has accumulated an overall record of 13-5 against Northern Illinois, including an incredible 9-0 mark inside the Convocation Center.

CHASING DOWN THE REBOUND RECORD: Senior James Thompson IV is the NCAA's active career rebound leader with 1,329 during his three-plus seasons with Eastern. The Baton Rouge, La. native needs 98 boards to pass all-time EMU record holder Kennedy McIntosh. He is also first in the NCAA in active career double-doubles with 68 and trails McIntosh as EMU's all-time leader by 10.

TOUGHEST IN THE MAC: The Eagles' record of 9-13 is a bit misleading, as they have played the 26th-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 76th-most difficult schedule in the country.

SWIPER NO SWIPING: The Eagles are having a "down" season compared to previous years in the defense category, currently ranking fifth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (70.9 ppg), and coming in eighth in defensive field goal percentage (43.5) after leading both categories in 2017-18.

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 13.7 boards on the offensive side is 13th-best in the NCAA. Senior James Thompson IV is third in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game at 4.18.

LEADING THE LEAGUE: Eastern Michigan sits on top of the MAC in offensive rebounds per game (13.7), thanks in large part to senior James Thompson IV. The forward leads the league in offensive rebounding by a full rebound (4.2) this season, while also sitting in second in the league in field goal percentage (63.5) and rebounding (10.3). The forward also has the top rebounding mark in MAC-only action, pulling down 11.0 boards per contest.
   Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure leads the league in field goal percentage at 69.0 percent, is third in blocked shots at 1.4 per contest, and is fifth in rebounding at 8.2 caroms per contest.

BENCH POINTS PARITY: The offensive production from Eastern Michigan has been top-heavy all season, but the last five games have shown an even greater disparity in bench points between the Eagles and their opponents. The Green and White have been outscored on average 19.6 to 6.0 over the past five games, with Eastern cracking double-digit bench points just once (13 against Western Michigan, Jan. 26).

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan hits the road for a matchup against Ohio University in Athens, Ohio Tuesday, Feb. 12 for a 7 p.m. tip.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Ty Groce

Paul Jackson

Kevin McAdoo

Elijah Minnie

James Thompson IV

Boubacar Toure

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