Men's Basketball Continues MAC Play at Central Michigan Saturday

Men's Basketball at Central Michigan
Date	Saturday, Jan. 16 \| 4:30 p.m. ET
Venue	Mount Pleasant, Mich. \| McGuirk Arena
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team heads back on the road for a Mid-American Conference rematch with in-state rival Central Michigan University Saturday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. inside McGuirk Arena.
   EMU (4-4, 1-3 MAC) made its way back in the win column with a 67-56 victory over non-conference opponent Calvin University, Jan. 14. CMU (5-7, 1-4 MAC) is on a three-game losing streak after falling most recently to Kent State, 94-85, Jan. 12. The Chippewas' only conference win comes from an 87-60 victory over the Eagles, Dec. 29.
   Fans can catch the action on ESPN3, with CMU's Adam Jaksa providing the play-by-play, and Matt DeVries serving as the analyst. WEMU (89.1 FM) will also broadcast the game with Tom Helmer on the call. As always, fans can follow along on EMUEagles.com/livestats or on Twitter by following @EMU_MBB.

AMONG THE LEADERS: Eastern Michigan leads the Mid-American Conference in four statistical categories: steals per game (10.5), turnovers forced (18.3), turnover margin (+5.8), and fewest fouls (117). The Eagles' 10.5 swipes per contest rank third in the NCAA. Eastern Kentucky ranks first in the nation with 12.2 steals per game, and VCU follows with 11.5, respectively. Additionally, EMU's +5.8 TO margin and 18.3 TO's forced are good for ninth and 11th among Division I programs, respectively.
   Individually, senior Yeikson Montero leads the MAC and ranks 15th in the country in steals per game (2.5). The guard also ranks third in the conference with 20 total steals. Redshirt junior Bryce McBride is second in the league averaging 2.3 swipes per game, which is good for 36th in the nation. Additionally, redshirt senior Ty Groce ranks first in the MAC in total blocks (12) and third averaging 1.5 blocks per game.

COVID WOES: It's no secret that the schedule is always up in the air due to COVID-19 protocols, and EMU has fallen victim to game postponements and cancelations during the 2020-21 season. The Eagles have had seven games either postponed, canceled, and/or rescheduled this year: at Valparaiso (canceled), vs. Olivet (rescheduled), vs. Central Michigan (rescheduled), at Buffalo (rescheduled), vs. Kent State (postponed), vs. Akron (rescheduled) and vs. Miami (time rescheduled). Throughout the conference, 13 games have been either canceled or postponed, with 10 of those being league games.

THE GREAT SCHEDULING PUZZLE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many teams have had to shuffle their schedules around, including Eastern Michigan. The Eagles' contest at Buffalo that was originally scheduled for Jan. 5 will now be played on Thursday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. inside UB's Alumni Arena. Additionally, EMU will still host Miami Saturday, Jan. 23, but will tipoff at 5:30 p.m. instead of noon. The contest against Kent State, originally scheduled for Jan. 2, has not been rescheduled yet.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Eastern Michigan Head Coach Rob Murphy has found some consistency in the Eagles' lineup as four players have started five-or-more games. Redshirt senior Ty Groce, senior Yeikson Montero, and junior Bryce McBride have made the starting lineup in all eight games played this season, while sophomore Drew Lowder has started in five. Those four Eagles have scored a combined 394 points out of EMU's 591 total this year, which comes up to 66.7 percent.
   McBride leads the team averaging 14.4 points per game, while Groce and Montero are adding 14.0 and 13.0, respectively. Lowder is also tallying 9.0 points per contest.

GETTING TO THE LINE: Junior Bryce McBride has been able to get himself to the free throw line throughout the first eight games of the season. The Jackson, Tenn. native is shooting 79.2 percent from the charity stripe, sinking 42-of-53 attempts. His free throw percentage ranks 11th in the Mid-American Conference, while his 42 makes is good for fourth. Additionally, his 53 attempts doubles other Eagles this season as the next highest free throw attempts comes from redshirt senior Ty Groce with 25, respectively.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Two Eagles recorded double-doubles in EMU's 67-56 victory over Calvin, Jan. 14. Redshirt senior Ty Groce and redshirt junior Miles Gibson notched their second double-doubles of the season against the Knights. Groce led the team with 19 points and 10 rebounds, which was good for his third career double-double, while Gibson added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
   The game against CU was the second time during the 2020-21 season that two Eagles recorded a double-double in a game. The first came when Gibson and senior Yeikson Montero posted double-doubles in a 95-35 win over Adrian, Dec. 9. Gibson tallied career-highs in both points (13) and rebounds (13), while Montero added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

GETTING THAT DUB-DUB: Redshirt senior Ty Groce recorded his third career double-double against Calvin, Jan. 14, as he scored a team-best 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 38 minutes of play. Groce shot 8-of-11 from the field and dished out an assist.
   The Ypsilanti native notched his first double-double of the 2020-21 season versus in-state rival Central Michigan, Dec. 29. The forward went 7-of-10 from the floor to score 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. This was Groce's second double-double against the Chippewas, as he tallied his first career with 22 points and 12 rebounds, Feb. 11, 2020.

HOLD 'EM TO 60-OR-LESS: When holding opponents to 60 points-or-less, Eastern Michigan has better luck in the win column. The Eagles are 4-0 during the 2020-21 campaign when holding their opponents under the 60-point plateau. Additionally, the Green and White has tallied an impressive 88-13 mark during the Rob Murphy era (2011-present) when keeping its competition below 60 points.

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan routed Calvin to pick up its fourth win of the season, defeating the Knights 67-56, Jan. 14, inside the Convocation Center. With the win over Calvin, the Eagles registered their second consecutive win at home. EMU found success in transition, recording 16 of their 67 points off of fast break points.
   Four Eagles scored in double figures, two of which registered double-doubles. Redshirt senior Ty Groce paced all players with 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds to earn his third career double-double. Joining him with a double-double was redshirt junior Miles Gibson, who contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds of his own, for his second career double-double. Junior Bryce McBride and senior Yeikson Montero produced strong numbers as well, scoring 16 and 13 points, respectively. McBride also produced career-highs in free-throws made (10) and rebounds (8).
   The Eagles posted a 42.6 field goal percentage (20-of-47) to best the Knights who shot 34.3 percent (23-of-67) from the field. The Green and White were stale beyond the arc, shooting 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) compared to Calvin who found more success shooting a 25 percent (7-of-28) efficiency. EMU outdid CU in fast break points (16-2), points in the paint (32-24), and defensive boards (33-20). However, Calvin held the advantage in offensive boards (15-8) and bench points (29-16).

SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Led by ninth-year head coach Keno Davis, Central Michigan enters Saturday's game on a three-game losing steak, coming off a 94-85 loss to Kent State, Jan. 12. CMU holds a 5-7 overall record and a 1-4 mark in Mid-American Conference play.
   Central Michigan has three players who are averaging in double-figures. The Chippewas are paced by Travon Broadway Jr., who is averaging 16.1 points per game and shooting 45.9 percentage from the field (62-of-135). Meikkel Murray and Caleb Huffman follow with 12.8 and 11.8 points per game, respectively. Murray is grabbing a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game, while Devontae Lane is leading CMU with 36 total assists and 21 total steals. Matt Beachler has drained a team-high 22 triples on 22-of-56 shooting (39.3 percent).
   The Chippewas average 80.8 points per game and shoot 45.6 percent from the field (344-of-755). CMU leads the MAC in free throws made (201) and attempts (312) with a 64.4 clip from the charity stripe. On the defensive side, the Maroon and Gold are giving up 77.7 points per game and are forcing 14.8 opponent turnovers. CMU ranks second in the MAC averaging 8.9 steals per game behind Eastern's 10.5.

ALL-TIME VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Saturday's game will be the 199th meeting between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. EMU has met CMU the most out of any school in the Mid-American Conference with the series dating back to 1906 (115 years). The Chippewas hold the all-time series advantage with a 103-95 mark. CMU earned the first game of the 2020-21 season series with a 87-60 win inside the Convocation Center, Dec. 29. However, EMU notched both wins of the 2019-20 season series, with the most recent victory coming on Feb. 29, 2020, when the Eagles topped the Chippewas, 67-63.
   The Green and White is 7-3 against CMU over the last 10 games, and boasts a 12-8 record in the Rob Murphy era. The Eagles have won three of the last four games inside CMU's McGuirk Arena and hold a 35-51 overall record against the Chippewas in Mount Pleasant.

ALL-TIME VS. THE MAC: The Green and White hold a 347-439 program mark against Mid-American Conference teams. Eastern has played Central Michigan the most (198 times), while facing Western Michigan 113 times and Toledo 111 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 76-85 MAC record and clinched a MAC West title in 2012.

FIRST MAC WIN: Eastern Michigan returned to the win column, as the Eagles posted a 71-59 victory over Akron, Jan. 9. The win was EMU's first Mid-American Conference victory of the 2020-21 season.
   The Green and White held the Zips to 59 points, a season-low for UA. Additionally, the EMU defense forced 17 Akron turnovers which led to 17 Green and White points.

LOWDER CAREER DAY: Sophomore newcomer Drew Lowder posted a career day against Akron, Jan. 9. The Jackson, Mich. native paced the Eagles with a career-best 18 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field. The guard led the Green and White with three triples and added three assists in nearly 29 minutes of play.
   Lowder has scored in double-figures twice this year and is averaging 9.0 points per game. The sophomore ranks 17th in the Mid-American Conference averaging 1.9 three-pointers per game.

SHARING THE WEALTH: Eastern Michigan has shown that there is not a clear leading scorer, and are sharing the point wealth this year. The Eagles have had three games with at least five players scoring in double-figures. Against Akron, Jan. 9, all five EMU starters scored in double-figures, as sophomore Drew Lowder led with a career-high 18 points. Senior Yeikson Montero recorded his fifth double-digit scoring performance with 14 points, while redshirt senior Ty Groce, junior Bryce McBride, and senior Noah Morgan added 10 points apiece, respectively.
   Five Eagles scored in double-digits in the 94-65 victory over Olivet College, Dec. 27. Montero led the Green and White with a season-high 25 points, while McBride recorded his fourth-straight double-figure scoring performance with 17 points. Lowder and senior Darion Spottsville each added 11 points, while sophomore Chris James scored 10, respectively.

80 IS NOT THE MAGIC NUMBER: There are many factors that go into the result of a game, but allowing opponents to score 80-plus points is kryptonite for the Green and White. The Eagles are 0-4 this season when allowing 80-or-more points in a game. In the Rob Murphy era (2011-present), EMU is 8-45 when giving up 80+ points.
   However, when Eastern Michigan scores more than 80 points, it is 2-0 this season and 9-10 since Murphy took the helm of the program.

SETTLING IN: Junior college transfer Bryce McBride from Dyersburg Community College (Tenn.) is settling in well in Ypsilanti, averaging 14.4 points per game on 31-of-79 (.392) shooting from the field, and is 11-of-38 (.289) from beyond the arc while averaging 31.5 minutes a game. The newcomer leads the team in assists with 26 and is second in steals with 18. The junior's 2.3 steals per game is good for second in the Mid-American Conference and 36th in the nation.
   McBride is currently third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3), and 12th in assists per game (3.3). The Jackson, Tenn. native has tallied a career-high four assists four times this season.

SHUTTING DOWN MR. AKRON: Heading into the game against Akron, Jan. 9, UA's Loren Cristian Jackson led the Mid-American Conference averaging 24.5 points per game, which ranked fourth in the nation. Eastern Michigan's tenacious defense held the senior to 10 points, two assists, and four turnovers in 32 minutes of play.
   The Eagles' zone defense was too much for the Zips, as UA committed 17 turnovers and shot 25 percent (7-of-28) from the three-point line. Additionally, Akron's 59 points scored was a season-low for the Zips.

BLOCK PARTY: Five Eagles recorded at least one block in the 71-59 victory over Akron, Jan. 9. Redshirt senior Ty Groce, seniors Yeikson Montero and Noah Morgan, redshirt Miles Gibson, and junior Bryce McBride each added a block against the Zips.
   The Eagles have posted three games during the 2020-21 season with at least three players have recorded one block. Most recently against Calvin, Jan. 14, Gibson notched a career-high two blocks, while McBride and sophomore Chris James tallied a block each, respectively. The first occurrence was against Adrian, Dec. 9, when Groce posted a career-high 4 blocks, and senior Axel Okongo and James added two each, respectively.

STEAL MACHINES: Eastern Michigan is known for their tenacious defense and giving opponents fits and the 2020-21 season is no different. The Eagles are averaging 10.5 steals per game, which leads the Mid-American Conference and ranks third in the NCAA.
   Senior Yeikson Montero leads the team with 20 steals, (2.5 spg), while junior Bryce McBride and redshirt senior Ty Groce have tallied 18 and 12, respectively. Montero's 2.5 steals per game ranks first in the MAC and 15th nationally.

PROTECTING THE RIM: Eastern Michigan ranks third in the Mid-American Conference averaging 3.25 blocks per game (26 total) through the first eight games this season. The Eagles totaled a season-high eight blocks in a 95-35 win over Adrian, Dec. 9.
   Redshirt senior Ty Groce ranks second in the MAC averaging 1.5 blocks per game (12 total). The forward has recorded at least one block in six of the eight games this year, including two games with 3-or-more swats. The Ypsilanti, Mich. native recorded a career-high four blocks against the Bulldogs, Dec. 9.

COMBINED WINS: Eastern Michigan men's basketball has tallied 207 victories in the Convocation Center since it opened for the 1998-99 season. The Eagles notched their 200th win in the Convo with a 66-62 win over Buffalo, Feb. 4, 2020.
   The Convocation Center's dedication game was on Dec. 9, 1998 with a men's basketball game against the University of Michigan in front of a crowd of 7,647 - the largest attendance since its opening. The EMU men's and women's basketball programs have a combined 397 victories inside the Convo - the women's program has accumulated 190 wins since 1998-99.
   On the anniversary of the Convo dedication, Dec. 9, 2020, Eastern put up the largest margin of victory (+60) for a men's squad inside the building, trouncing Adrian College, 95-35.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will return to the Convocation Center for a Mid-American Conference showdown with in-state rival Western Michigan Tuesday, Jan. 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will also celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day.
   The Eagles and Broncos have yet to meet during the 2020-21 season with WMU holding the advantage in the all-time series, 61-52. The rival split the season series last year with EMU defeating Western, 69-51, Feb. 15, 2020, inside the Convo and the Broncos taking the 70-54 win on March 2, 2020, in Kalamazoo.

Men's Basketball Continues MAC Play at Central Michigan Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Miles Gibson

Ty Groce

Chris James

Drew Lowder

Bryce McBride

Yeikson Montero

Noah Morgan

Axel Okongo

Darion Spottsville

Eastern Michigan Athletics