Men's Basketball Begin MAC Road Trip Tuesday at Ohio

Men's Basketball at Ohio
Date	Tuesday, Jan. 7 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Athens, Ohio \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN +
Radio	WEMU 89.1
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team begins a two-game road swing starting at Mid-American Conference foe Ohio University Tuesday, Jan. 7, in Athens, Ohio. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
   EMU (10-4, 0-1 MAC) dropped its league-opener against Akron, 69-45, inside the Convocation Center, Jan. 4. OU hold a 8-6 record (0-1 MAC) and fell on the road to Western Michigan, 77-65, to open conference play, Jan. 4.
   Fans can watch the action on ESPN+ with Marty Bannister and Jim Scoby or listen to WEMU (89.1) where Chad Bush will have the call. As always, fans can follow along on EMUEagles.com or on Twitter by following @EMUHoops.

AMONG THE LEADING LEADERS: Eastern Michigan leads both the nation and the Mid-American Conference in steals per game (11.4). EMU also ranks first in the MAC and third among Division I teams in total steals with 160. The Eagles are forcing 19.6 turnovers per game; which leads the league and ranks fifth in the nation. Eastern's scoring defense of 61.3 points per game ranks second in the conference behind Ball State (60.9 ppg), while the Eagles' 335 free-throw attempts is good for third in the MAC.
   Individually, redshirt senior Boubacar Toure leads the Mid-American Conference with a 66.3 field goal percentage (55-for-83) and ranks second (43rd nationally) with 3.3 offensive rebounds pre game. The Dakar, Senegal native is tied-for-fifth in the league in blocks per game (1.2). Redshirt junior Ty Groce is leading the team with 28 steals, which ranks third in the MAC and 64th in the nation. The Ypsilanti, Mich. native also sit fourth in the league with 2.0 steals per contest.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Despite a 69-45 loss to Akron, Jan. 4, redshirt senior Boubacar Toure posted his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. The Dakar, Senegal native has pulled down double-figure rebounds in five games this year and has led the Eagles on the boards in nine. Toure has tallied 12 double-doubles in his EMU career.

versaTYle: Redshirt junior Ty Groce has proven to be a versatile player on the floor. He is leading the team with 171 points (12.2 ppg). The Ypsilanti, Mich. native has hit double-digits in 10 games during the 2019-20 campaign, and in seven of eight games (10 at UC Irvine, Nov. 30; 23 vs. Valpo, Dec. 3; 16 at Detroit Mercy, Dec. 7; 10 vs. Northeastern, Dec. 17; 12 at UNLV, Dec. 28; 11 vs. Concordia, Dec. 30; 13 vs. Akron, Jan. 4).
   Groce has led the Green and White in scoring in eight games this season, including a career-high 23 points versus Valpo, Dec. 3. The versatile guard also posted a career-best in rebounds (11) against UMBC, Nov. 22, in the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic, dished out a career-high in assists (5) versus Concordia, Dec. 30, and tied his career-best in blocks (3) at North Texas, Nov. 16.
   During the 2018-19 season, Groce finished the season with 160 points and 101 rebounds; numbers that he is on pace to shatter this year, having already grabbed 53 rebounds.

FINDERS KEEPERS: The Eagles currently lead both the nation and Mid-American Conference with 11.4 steals per game. In-state foe Central Michigan is second in the league with 10.0. The Green and White have stolen the ball 160 times this season, including 22 times against Goshen, Nov. 11, which leads the MAC for single-game performances, and 18 times versus Concordia, Dec. 30. The 15 steals against UMBC in the Jamaica Classic, Nov. 22, are tied for the most in Classic history.
   Redshirt junior Ty Groce leads the team with 2.0 steals per game (28 this season), which ranks fourth in the MAC followed closely by junior Yeikson Montero's 1.8 steals per game.
   Seven players have double-digit steals on the season, which includes EMU's primary starting-five: Groce (28), Montero (25), junior Noah Morgan (21), redshirt senior Boubacar Toure (20), junior Darion Spottsville (17), freshman Chris James (15), and junior Chris Barnes has 12, respectively. Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan are the only schools in the MAC that have seven players with steals in double figures.

SHUT 'EM DOWN: The Green and White ranks second in the MAC and 31st in the nation holding their opponents to 61.3 points per game. Ball State leads the conference in scoring defense (60.9 ppg). The Eagles have held eight opponents to under 55 points in 2019. This fierce defense has outscored the opposition by double-digits in five games this season and is sixth in the MAC with a scoring margin of +5.0.
   EMU has topped three opponents by 30+ points in the non-conference portion of its 2019-20 schedule (Siena Heights, Nov. 8; Goshen, Nov. 12; Concordia; Dec. 30). Eastern's largest victory margin was against Goshen when the Eagles won by 52 points (101-49). The 52-point margin is tied for fourth under the Rob Murphy era.
   The highest victory margin under Murphy is 62 points when the Eagles defeated Siena Heights, 117-55, Dec. 11, 2016, inside the Convocation Center. This victory margin (+62) and points scored (117) ranks first in the EMU record books.

PRESSURE LEADS TO TURNOVERS: The Eastern Michigan defense is forcing opponents to turn the ball over 19.6 times a game, which leads the MAC and ranks sixth among Division I teams. EMU also holds a +4.1 turnover margin (19.6-15.4), which is good for second in the league and 25th in the NCAA.
   Eastern holds a 6-3 mark (nine games) when it forces more opponents turnovers. In addition, the EMU's defensive pressure has forced 20+ opponent turnovers in six games this season.
   The Eagles are protecting ball well as they have posted seven games with less than 15 turnovers and two with less than 10.

DARION DISHING DIMES: Junior Darion Spottsville is the general on the court for the Eagles, leading the team with 29 assists (2.1 apg) this season. In the Green and White's contest against Detroit Mercy, Dec. 7, the Phoenix, Ariz. native registered seven of the team's 12 assists in the game. The junior guard has led the team in assists four times this season.

BOXOUT: Eastern Michigan ranks fourth in the MAC in rebounding defense, holding the opposition to 34.6 rebounds per game this season. The league is led by Ohio with 32.7 and then followed by Ball State (33.6) and Northern Illinois (34.5), respectively.
   The Eagles have outrebounded their opponents in eighth games this year, including two with a double-digit margin (+23 vs. Goshen, Nov. 12; +16 vs. Michigan-Dearborn, Nov. 14). In the four losses this season, EMU has been outrebounded by 10 or more in three of them (-10 at UC Irvine, Nov.30; -10 at Michigan State, Dec. 21; -20 at UNLV, Dec. 28).

.500 OR BETTER: The Eagles have two players that are shooting 50 percent-or-better from the field. The Green and White are led by redshirt senior Boubacar Toure, hitting at 66.3 percent on 55-of-83 shooting, which ranks among MAC players. The Dakar, Senegal native is followed by junior Jalen King at 58.3 percent (14-of-24).
   Toure has shot over 70 percent from the field (min. 7 attempts) in seven games this season. His season-high of 77.8 percent (7-of-9) was hit against Michigan-Dearborn, Nov. 14 and Concordia, Dec. 30.

OVER THE LAST DECADE: Over the last 10 years (2010-2020), Eastern Michigan has won 163 games and 75 Mid-American Conference contests. The Eagles have finished in the top-three of the MAC West Division six times, including a first-place finish when Head Coach Rob Murphy took the helm during the 2011-12 season.
   EMU has been to two CollegeInsider.com Tournaments (2013-14; 2017-18) and one College Basketball Invitational (2014-15) over the last decade, which included two postseason victories (March 18, 2014 vs. Norfolk State, 58-54; March 14, 2018 vs. Niagara, 86-65).
   The Eagles have seen six student-athletes join the 1,000-point club (Ray Lee, 1,873; Brandon Bowdry, 1,856; James Thompson IV, 1,823; Carlos Medlock, 1,574; Justin Dobbins, 1,078; Tim Bond, 1,042). Thompson IV (1,452) and Bowdry (1,006) also found their way into the 1,000-rebound club as the only two in EMU history to have reached over 1,000 points and rebounds during their career.

IN HOT PURSUIT: The Eagles started the 2019-20 campaign with 10-3 record; which ranks second under the Rob Murphy era for a 13-game start to a season.
   Prior to the UNLV loss, Dec. 28, EMU tied with Coach Murphy's 2014-15 squad for the best 11-game start to a season with a 9-2 record. In that season, the Eagles finished 21-14 overall and 8-10 mark in the Mid-American Conference. EMU eventually fell in the semifinals in the conference tournament and received a bid to the College Basketball Invitational.
   However, EMU had its best 10-game opening to a season in the Murphy era before dropping a non-conference affair at Michigan State, Dec. 21, and matched the 1996-97 squad who reached the Mid-American Conference championship game, ultimately losing to Miami.

CREEPING TOWARDS THE POLLS: Eastern Michigan received points for the third-straight week for the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll in its most recent release, the week of Dec. 30. The Eagles earned
21 points this week, 12 points the week of Dec. 23, and 32 during the week of Dec. 16.
   The last EMU team to receive votes was the 2018-19 squad, which received 13 points on Dec. 3, 2018. The last time the Eagles cracked into the poll was during the 2017-18 campaign. EMU was ranked in the poll twice, hitting its best spot, No. 22, Nov. 20, 2017.
   Three MAC teams have cracked the 2019-20 Mid-Major poll during the week of Dec. 30, with Kent State ranking 11th with Bowling Green and Buffalo ranking 19th and 23rd, respectively. Along with EMU (21 points), two other conference institutions received votes this week: Toledo (46) and Akron (43).

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan came up short its Mid-American Conference opener, falling 69-45 to Akron, Jan. 4. Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure notched his fourth double-double of the season and 12th of his EMU career as he finished with 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Redshirt junior Ty Groce was the second Eagle to reach double-digits on the score sheet, tallying a team-best 13 points, while adding four boards and a pair of steals.
   The Eagles (10-4, 0-1 MAC) struggled mightily on the offensive end, ending the afternoon with a 27.1 percent (13-of-48) field-goal percentage, while the Zips (11-3, 1-0 MAC) finished at a 52.2 percent (24-of-46) efficiency. EMU recorded more steals than Akron (9-6) and out-rebounded its MAC East opposition by a 35-29 margin, turning 16 offensive boards into 15 second-chance points.

DOUBLE-DIGIT DEDICATION: Redshirt junior Ty Groce leads Eastern Michigan in scoring with 12.2 points per game. Junior Noah Morgan is close to averaging double-figures as he is tallying 9.9 points per contest.
   Groce is the only Eagle to reach double-digits in 10 games this year, while junior Yeikson Montero has tallied double figures in eight contests. Groce posted a career-high 23 points against Valpo, Dec.3, while Montero scored a career-best 16 points at Detroit Merct, Dec.7. Morgan has reached double-figure scoring in seven games in 2019 and tallied a career-best 21 points versus Valpo.

CHARITY STRIPE: The Eagles have found their way to the charity stripe 335 times so far this season, which ranks 23rd in the nation and second in the MAC. Through 14 games in 2018, the Eagles attempted 225 free throws, which is 110 less from their current total. In fact, the Green and White have had more free-throw attempts than its opponent in 12 games this year.
   Converting those opportunities into points, junior Chris Barnes leads the team from the charity stripe, shooting 81.5 percent on 18-of-22, Barnes is followed by classmate Yeikson Montero and freshman Shamar Dillard who hit 75.6 (31-41) and 73.5 (25-34) percent from the free-throw line, respectively.

TOURE TAKEOFF: Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure is shooting a team leading 66.3 percent (55-for-83) from the field this year, which leads the MAC. He is averaging 3.3 offensive boards a game (46), which is good for second in the Mid-American Conference. The Dakar, Senegal native has notched eight double-figure scoring performances as well as pulling down 10+ boards in six games this season. Toure leads the team with four double-doubles with his most recent performance (11 pts., 17 rebs.) versus Akron, Jan. 4.
   The redshirt senior has been efficient while shooting but also anchors the Eagles 2-3 zone, having tied his career-high in blocks (4) at Detroit Mercy, Dec. 7. The redshirt senior center is tied-for-fifth with 1.2 blocks per game (17 total) and has totaled 20 steals.

STRAIGHT DEALIN': EMU was straight dealin' with its third 20-assist game of the 2019-20 season. The Eagles tallied 20 assists against Siena Heights, Nov. 8, Goshen, Nov. 12, and Concordia, Dec.30.
   Against the Cardinals, redshirt junior Ty Groce led the team with a career-high five dimes, while freshman Shamar Dillard and junior Noah Morgan each had three, respectively.
   This is the first time the Eagles have had three games with 20-or-more assists under the Rob Murphy era.

LAST TIME AGAINST OHIO: Eastern Michigan and Ohio last met on Feb. 12, 2019, ending in a 66-57 EMU victory in Athens, Ohio. The Eagles (11-13, 5-6 MAC) recovered from a slow start and moved them into a tie for second place in the MAC West Division standings.
   Elijah Minnie led the Eagles with 19 points and pulled down six rebounds, while James Thompson IV notched the 69th double-double of his career with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Paul Jackson tacked on 10 points and dished out a game-high seven assists.
   Eastern Michigan received contributions from up and down its lineup, as it outscored Ohio in bench points, 11-3, marking just the third time in MAC play the Eagles have cracked double-digits in reserve points. The Eagles also held the advantage in overall shooting percentage (45.3 percent to 41.8 percent), three-point shooting (33.3 percent to 25.0 percent), rebounding (31 to 30), and fastbreak points (19 to 10).

SCOUTING OHIO: Led by first-year head coach Jeff Boals, Ohio enters Tuesday's game coming off a 77-65 loss at Western Michigan, Jan. 4. The Bobcats hold a 8-6 overall record (0-1 MAC) and are 2-3 over the last five games.
OU has three players averaging double-digit scoring, who is led by sophomore guard Jason Preston (15.6 ppg). He is followed by redshirt sophomore forward Ben Vander Plas (13.9) and redshirt senior guard Jordan Dartis (13.0), respectively. Dartis leads the Bobcats with 24 3-pointers, while graduate student Sylvester Ogbonda (54.4) and Vander Plas (51.8) are shooting above 50 percent from the floor. On the boards, Vander Plas is averaging a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game, while Preston is dishing out almost eight helpers per contest.
   Ohio averages 71.2 points per game and are shooting 45.5 percent from the field (362-769), which ranks second in the MAC. The Bobcats are also dishing out 15.4 assist per game. On the defensive side, Ohio is holding its opponents to a league-best 32.71 rebounds per game.

ALL-TIME VS. OHIO: Eastern Michigan trails Ohio, 46-29, in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1972-73 season. The Eagles won the last meeting, 66-57, in Athens, Ohio, Feb. 12, 2019. EMU are 4-6 against Ohio in the last 10 games, and have only won six times in Ohio's Convocation Center in 47 seasons.

ALL-TIME VS. MAC: The Green and White hold a 337-423 program mark against Mid-American Conference teams. Eastern has played Central Michigan the most (195 times), while facing Western Michigan 111 times and Toledo 105 times.
   Since the 1974-75 season when Eastern started competing in the MAC, EMU has won four regular-season titles and four MAC Tournament titles (1988, 1991, 1996, 1998), which led to four NCAA Tournament appearances. Under Rob Murphy, the Eagles hold a 69-70 MAC record and clinched a MAC West title in 2012.

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, Horizon League, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Missouri Valley, and Mountain West conferences, in addition to their Mid-American Conference match-ups.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will conclude a two-game road trip at Northern Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. CT). The Eagles trail NIU, 54-44, in the all-times series.

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Players Mentioned

Chris Barnes

Tim Bond

Shamar Dillard

Ty Groce

Paul Jackson

Chris James

Jalen King

Elijah Minnie

Yeikson Montero

Noah Morgan

Darion Spottsville

James Thompson IV

Boubacar Toure

Eastern Michigan Athletics