EMU Concludes MAC Road Swing at Northern Illinois Saturday

Men's Basketball at Northern Illinois
Date	Saturday, Jan. 11 \| 3:30 p.m. CT (4:30 p.m. ET)
Venue	DeKalb, Ill. \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Radio	WEMU 89.1
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

DeKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team concludes a two-game road stint Saturday, Jan. 11, at Northern Illinois University for a Mid-American Conference West Division showdown in DeKalb, Ill. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. CT (4:30 p.m. ET) in NIU's Convocation Center.
   EMU (10-5, 0-2 MAC) still searches for a MAC victory as its second half rally came up short in a 74-68 loss at Ohio University, Jan. 7. NIU (8-7, 1-1 MAC) dropped its first MAC contest, 68-67, at Central Michigan, Jan. 7.
   Fans can watch the action on ESPN3 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 (11.8). EMU also ranks first in both the NCAA and the MAC in total steals with 177. The Eagles are forcing 19.7 turnovers per game; which leads the league and ranks sixth in the nation. Eastern's scoring defense of 62.1 points per game ranks second in the conference behind Ball State (61.3 ppg), while the Eagles' 348 free-throw attempts is good for third in the MAC.
   Individually, redshirt senior Boubacar Toure ranks second in the MAC with a 66.3 field goal percentage (59-for-89) and ranks third (54th nationally) with 3.1 offensive rebounds pre game. The Dakar, Senegal native is fifth in the league in blocks per game (1.3). Redshirt junior Ty Groce is leading the team with 32 steals, which ranks fourth in the MAC and 36th in the nation. The Ypsilanti, Mich. native also sits fourth in the league with 2.1 steals per contest.

THE CONVO: Eastern Michigan will play in a Convocation Center for six-straight games (Dec. 30 - Jan. 18), but of course some are not in Ypsilanti, Mich. Ohio, Northern Illinois and Kent State are among EMU who have its men's basketball programs play in the Convocation Center. Eastern will host four opponents in the Convo and two games on the road at Ohio's and NIU's Convocation Center.

CRASHIN' THE BOARDS: Boubacar Toure has pulled down 10+ rebounds in seven games this season and has led the team in rebounding 11-of-15 games this year. The redshirt senior leads the team averaging 8.5 boards per game (128 total), including 5.4 defensive and 3.1 offensive rebounds a contest. In MAC play, Toure is averaging 13.5 boards to go along with 9.5 points per game.

versaTYle: Redshirt junior Ty Groce has proven to be a versatile player on the floor. He leads the team with 183 points (12.2 ppg). The Ypsilanti, Mich. native has hit double-digits in 11 games during the 2019-20 campaign, and in eight of nine 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; 12 at Ohio, Jan. 7).
   Groce has led the Green and White in scoring in 11 games this season, including a career-high 23 points versus Valpo, Dec. 3. The 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.
   Groce finished the 2018-19 season with 160 points and 101 rebounds; numbers that he is on pace to shatter this year, having already grabbed 81 rebounds.

FINDERS KEEPERS: The Eagles lead both the nation and Mid-American Conference with 11.8 steals per game. In-state foe Central Michigan is second in the league with 9.9. The Green and White have stolen the ball 177 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 21 steals per game (32 this season), which ranks fourth in the MAC, followed closely by junior Yeikson Montero's 2.0 steals per game.
   Seven players have double-digit steals on the season, which includes EMU's primary starting-five: Groce (32), Montero (30), junior Noah Morgan (24), redshirt senior Boubacar Toure (22), junior Darion Spottsville (19), 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 43rd in the nation holding their opponents to 62.1 points per game. Ball State leads the conference in scoring defense (61.3 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 seventh in the MAC with a scoring margin of +4.3.
   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 19.7 times a game, which leads the MAC and ranks sixth among Division I teams. EMU also holds a +3.8 turnover margin (19.7-15.9), which is good for second in the league and 24th 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 seven 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.

DOUBLE-DIGIT DEDICATION: Redshirt junior Ty Groce leads Eastern Michigan in scoring with 12.2 points per game. Juniors Yeikson Montero and Noah Morgan are close to averaging double-figures as they are tallying 9.9 and 9.8 points per game, respectively. In MAC play, Groce and Montero are averaging in double-figures at 12.5 and 11.0 points per contest.
   Groce is the only Eagle to reach double-digits in 11 games this year, while Montero has tallied double figures in nine contests. Groce posted a career-high 23 points against Valpo, Dec.3, while Montero scored a career-best 18 points at Ohio, Jan. 7. Morgan has reached double-figure scoring in seven games in 2019 and tallied a career-best 21 points versus Valpo.

DISHING DIMES: Three Eagles have tallied 25-or-more assists this season in Noah Morgan (31), Darion Spottsville (29) and Ty Groce (25). Morgan leads the team with 2.1 helpers per game, while Spottsville and Groce are dishing out 1.9 and 1.7, respectively.
   Morgan posted five assists in back-to-back contests (vs. Siena Heights, Nov. 8; vs. Goshen, Nov. 12) to start the 2019-20 season and has led the Eagles in assists six times this season. In the Green and White's contest against Detroit Mercy, Dec. 7, Spottsville registered seven of the team's 12 assists in the game, while Groce notched a career-high five helpers against Concordia, Dec. 20.

.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 59-of-89 shooting, which ranks second 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. seven 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.

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.

BOXOUT: Eastern Michigan ranks fourth in the MAC in rebounding defense, holding the opposition to 34.7 rebounds per game this season. The league is led by Ohio with 32.7 and then followed by Ball State (34.0) and Northern Illinois (34.5), respectively.
   The Eagles have outrebounded their opponents in eight games this year, including two with a double-digit margin (+23 vs. Goshen, Nov. 12; +16 vs. Michigan-Dearborn, Nov. 14). In the five 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).

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 a 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 fourth-straight week for the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll in its most recent release, the week of Jan. 5. The Eagles earned four point this week. EMU received 21 points the week of Dec. 30, 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 Jan. 5, with Kent State ranking 13th with Akron and Bowling Green ranking 19th and 24th, respectively. Along with EMU (4 points), three other conference institutions received votes this week: Toledo (43), Buffalo (13), and Ball State (6).

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan's late rally was not enough to overcome its 22 turnovers in a 74-68 loss at Ohio, Jan. 7 in Athens, Ohio. Yeikson Montero notched his ninth double-figure scoring performance of the season, as he finished with a career-high 18 points, including four from beyond the arc. Ty Groce also reach double-digits for the 11th-time this year with 12 points to go along with six boards, four assists and four steals. Defensively, Boubacar Toure led all players with 10 rebounds, nine of which were defensive, and swapped away two shots.
   EMU posted a solid offensive performance as the Eagles shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field compared to Ohio's 46.4 percent (26-for-56) efficiency. Eastern struggled beyond on the three-point line in the second half, ending the evening with a 38.1 clip (8-for-21), while the Bobcats shot 48 percent (13-for-27) from deep.
    The Eagles recorded more steals with the 17-11 advantage and forced 21 OU turnovers. EMU outscored Ohio in the following categories: turnovers (23-21), in the paint (28-22), fast breaks (16-4) and the bench (22-12). The Bobcats outrebounded EMU by two (35-33) and forced 22 Eastern turnovers, the most this season.

CHARITY STRIPE: The Eagles have found their way to the charity stripe 348 times so far this season, which ranks 39th in the nation and third in the MAC. Through 15 games in 2018, the Eagles attempted 249 free throws, which is 99 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 83.3 percent on 20-of-24, Barnes is followed by freshman Shamar Dillard and classmate Yeikson Montero who hit 76.3 (29-38) and 75.6 (31-41) percent from the free-throw line, respectively.

TOURE TAKEOFF: Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure is shooting a team leading 66.3 percent (59-for-89) from the field this year, which ranks second in the MAC. He is averaging 3.1 offensive boards a game (47), which is good for third in the Mid-American Conference. The Dakar, Senegal native has notched eight double-figure scoring performances as well as pulling down 10+ boards in seven 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 fifth in the league with 1.3 blocks per game (19 total) and has totaled 22 steals.

LAST TIME AGAINST NIU: Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois last collided on March 2, 2019, ending in a 75-69 EMU victory in DeKalb, Ill. The Eagles (14-15, 8-8 MAC) erased an eight-point second half deficit, knocking down 15-of-17 free throws in the final period, to secure a comeback victory.
   James Thompson IV led the way with 15 points and 17 rebounds, registering his 13th double-double of the season. Paul Jackson dropped in 13 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, while Boubacar Toure turned in his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-best 16 rebounds.
   Eastern finished the game shooting 82.1 percent (23-of-28) from the charity stripe, marking its third-best percentage from the line on the campaign and its most free throw makes. Though the paint points were even between the two at 28-to-28, Eastern dominated in rebounding (45-to-26) and second chance points (17-to-18). In fact, the duo of Thompson and Toure out-rebounded the Huskies themselves, 33-to-26. The Eagles finished with a narrow advantage in shooting percentage (42.6 percent to 42.4 percent), and three-point shooting (42.9 percent to 33.3 percent).

SCOUTING NIU: Led by ninth-year head coach Mark Montgomery, Northern Illinois enters Saturday's game coming off a buzzer-beater loss, 68-67, at Central Michigan, Jan. 7. The Huskies hold a 8-7 overall record (1-1) and are 2-3 over the last five games.
   NIU opened Mid-American Conference play with a 73-72 win over two-time defending MAC Tournament champion Buffalo. Over the last three games, the Huskies have either lost or won by a margin of one point.
    Northern Illinois' leading scorer is Eugene German, who leads the MAC and ranks 22nd in the country in scoring with 20.7 points per game and has dished out team-high 44 assists. Lacey James leads Northern Illinois in rebounds with 7.9 per game. He is the Huskies' second-leading scorer with 9.4 points per game.

ALL-TIME VS. NIU: Saturday's game is the 98th meeting between Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois since the series started in 1926. EMU trails NIU, 54-44, in the all-time series with the Eagles winning the last three games. Eastern Michigan hold a 7-3 mark over the last 10 games, and are 15-5 over the last 20.

ALL-TIME VS. MAC: The Green and White hold a 337-424 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 69-71 MAC record and clinched a MAC West title in 2012.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan continues Mid-American Conference play as the Eagles return home for a West Division match-up against Ball State Tuesday, Jan. 14. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside the Convo.

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Players Mentioned

Chris Barnes

Tim Bond

Shamar Dillard

Ty Groce

Paul Jackson

Chris James

Jalen King

Yeikson Montero

Noah Morgan

Darion Spottsville

James Thompson IV

Boubacar Toure

Eastern Michigan Athletics