Men’s Basketball Heads to Chicago for Clash with DePaul on Sunday

Men's Basketball at DePaul
Date	Sunday, Nov. 28 \| 1 p.m. CT
Venue	Chicago, Ill. \| Wintrust Arena
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Media Guide.
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	FS1 \| Find FS1 on Your TV
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics

CHICAGO, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will finish off the Blue Demon Classic with a matchup against DePaul University Sunday, Nov. 28, inside Wintrust Arena. The game will begin at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET).
   Eastern (2-3) heads to the Windy City after defeating Western Illinois, 72-68, Nov. 24. The Eagles are now 2-0 and averaging 87.5 points per game inside the friendly confines of the Convocation Center this season. DePaul (4-0), which looks to remain undefeated on the young season, will host Northern Kentucky, Nov. 26, before EMU comes to town.
   The game will be broadcast on FS1 with Tom Werme (pxp), Stephen Bardo (analyst). Meanwhile, veteran broadcasters Tom Helmer and Greg Steiner will also bring fans the action on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Sports App.

LONG TIME COMING: After a nearly 42-year gap, EMU and DePaul will reunite on the hardwood. The last time the schools played was Dec. 19, 1979, at Bowen Field House in Ypsilanti.
   One of the most memorable games in Bowen history, the nationally-ranked Blue Demons withstood a valiant EMU effort to record a 57-55 victory before a sold-out crowd. EMU outscored DePaul 29-20 in the second half after trailing by 11 points at the intermission.

BLOWING INTO TOWN: Separated by just 250 miles, Eastern Michigan treks to Chicago for the first time since the 2012-13 season. That season the Eagles dropped a 78-47 setback to UIC, Dec. 15. Eastern's last win in the Second City occurred during the 1993-94 campaign when then-Head Coach Ben Braun led the squad to a 96-75 triumph at Chicago State, Dec. 22, 1993.

BLUE DEMON CLASSIC REWIND: The Blue Demon Classic features a round-robin format with DePaul, Eastern Michigan, Northern Kentucky, and Western Illinois. The Blue Demons host three games, while Northern Kentucky had two home games. Eastern Michigan hosted one game, against Western Illinois, Nov. 24.
   EMU is 1-1 in the tournament, averaging 72.5 points per game against NKU and WIU. Four different EMU student-athletes are in double figures in points, led by Monty Scott's 18.5 per game. Noah Farrakhan (17.5), Bryce McBride (11.5), and Nate Scott (11.0) have also excelled against the competition, while the team has shot 48.7 percent (56-for-115) in the classic.

PLAYING THEM TIGHT: Eastern Michigan has had plenty of high-leverage moments in its first five contests. Four of Eastern's five games this season have been decided by six points-or-less, 68-62 (at Indiana, Nov. 9), 103-98 (vs. Illinois State, Nov. 12), 74-73 (at Northern Kentucky, Nov. 18), and 72-68 (vs. Western Illinois, Nov. 24).

DISHING OUT DIMES: The Eagles tallied a season-high 11 assists against Western Illinois, Nov. 24, during a 72-68 win inside the Convocation Center. The mark was a team combination with senior Monty Scott and junior Bryce McBride leading the effort with three apiece.
   Scott leads the team in helpers this season with 18, which ties for eighth in the Mid-American Conference.

SECOND HALF HEAT: The Eagles defeated Western Illinois 72-68, Nov. 24, sinking 16-of-26 shots in the second stanza. Eastern, down by two at the half, mounted a comeback fueled by 61.54 percent shooting from the field in the second half. The shooting effort was the best shooting half EMU has experienced in the 2021-22 season. Furthermore, the Green and White drained 11-of-13 (.846) free throws down the stretch.

MARATHON MAN: Freshman Noah Farrakhan is tied for seventh in the Mid-American Conference in minutes per game with an average of 32.8. Farrakhan also ties for 87th in the nation in field goal attempts with 76.

NEW BLOOD: A total of 69.9 percent (258-of-369) of EMU's scoring and 57.2 percent (111-of-194) of its rebounding have come from newcomers to the roster. Of that 69.9 percent of the team's total scoring, an incredible 64.3 percent (166-of-258) have come from just two players: freshman guard Noah Farrakhan and senior guard Monty Scott, who happen to be half brothers.

DEEP IMPACT: The Green and White shot a season-high 47.1 percent from three at Michigan State, Nov. 20, hitting 8-of-17. Additionally, EMU's 38.9 percent from deep on the season is first in the MAC, and tied for 39th in the country. Furthermore, the Eagles rank first by committee, with no one player in the top-15 in the conference in three-point shooting percentage.

VETERAN DEFENSE: Senior Monty Scott is averaging 1.6 steals per game, sixth in the MAC. Scott leads Eastern with eight steals. The Eagles are eighth in the Mid-American Conference with 30 total steals.

FRESHMAN FORCE: Freshman guard Noah Farrakhan continues to lead the Eagles in the scoring column, having done so in three of five games this season. Farrakhan scored 14 at Michigan State, Nov. 20, to lead the team. The freshman has scored in double-digits in all five games this season and ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference with 17.5 points per game.

DOING MO: Eastern Michigan saw freshman Mo Njie record a career-high four rejections at Michigan State, Nov. 20. Njie snagged a career-high seven rebounds to lead the team at NKU, Nov. 18. Furthermore, the freshman is second in the MAC with 1.5 blocks per game, and his six total blocks help Eastern tie for third in the MAC with 3.80 blocks per game.

MIGHTY MONTY: Senior transfer Monty Scott used his veteran experience to set up his teammates, as he dished out five assists at Michigan State, Nov. 20, the most yet while in a Green and White uniform. Scott once handed out seven helpers as a member of the Portland State Vikings. His 3.2 assists per game are tied for eighth in the Mid-American Conference.
   Additionally, the Union, N.J. native leads the team with a 54.8 field goal shooting percentage, which ranks seventh in the MAC.
   Furthermore, Scott has scored in double-digits in four-straight games. Most recently, the senior led the Eagles with 16 points in the win over Western Illinois, Nov. 24.

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING: EMU got double-digit scoring from senior Monty Scott (16), freshman Noah Farrakhan (14), and junior Bryce McBride (12) against Western Illinois, Nov. 24.
    The Eagles continue to have at least three players score in double-digits, as it has happened in all but one game this season (4-of-5). Only two members of the Green and White scored 10-or-more at Indiana, Nov. 9,

CAPITALIZE AT THE LINE: Eastern Michigan is led by freshman Noah Farrakhan at the free throw line, (minimum eight attempts) through the first five games this season, shooting 85.7 percent (18-of-21). Farrakhan has shot 100 percent from the charity stripe in the last three games (NKU: 2-2, MSU: 4-4, WIU: 2-2).

HEATH VERSUS THE BIG EAST: EMU Head Coach Stan Heath was named the 2012 Big East Conference Coach of the Year and helped the University of South Florida get its first ever-wins in the NCAA Tournament. In his second season at USF, Heath led the Bulls to their most BIG EAST wins (at the time) in 2008-09 and engineered the school's first victory against a top-10 ranked team.
   No season was more special than the 2011-12 campaign, where Heath led the Bulls to their first NCAA Tournament in 20 years, tied the school record for wins in a season (22) and set the school record for conference wins in a season (12).

STAN VERSUS DEPAUL: Even though EMU and DePaul have not played in recent years, Head Coach Stan Heath is very familiar with the Blue Demons from his tenure at South Florida (2007-14). Heath was 8-1 against DePaul while in Tampa, including winning his final eight contests after dropping the inaugural meeting, 69-61, Feb. 9, 2008, in Chicago.

TURN THE TIDE: Eastern looks to turn the tide against DePaul. The Eagles currently hold a 0-5 all-time record against the Blue Demons, heading into the Sunday, Nov. 28 matchup.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE BLUE DEMONS: In the last contest against DePaul, Dec. 30, 1979, Eastern Michigan gave the No. 6 Blue Demons a scare inside Bowen Field House, in a 57-55 loss.
   EMU was down 37-26 at halftime but closed the gap in the second half, as Anthony White missed the go-ahead 35-footer to end the game. Jack Brusewitz led the Eagles in scoring with 13 points. He and Marlow McCain pulled in four rebounds to lead the squad as well. Eastern was slightly outshot in the game, with both teams having 30 attempts, but the Green and White made 13 to the Blue Demon's 16.

ALL-TIME VERSUS THE BIG EAST: Eastern Michigan is currently 0-10 all-time against Big East opponents. The Eagles have played DePaul the most (0-5), followed by Marquette (0-2), Xavier (0-2), and St. John's (N.Y.) (0-1).

BLOCK(E) DEFENSE: Eastern Michigan recorded a season-high six blocks at Michigan State, Nov. 20. The total is tied for fourth in the Mid-American Conference for single-game performances this season. This performance followed a five-block contest at NKU, Nov. 18, which is tied for the fifth best in the conference.

LUKA'S INTRODUCTION: Freshman Luke Savicevic played his first minutes of the season at Michigan State, Nov. 20. Savicevic played a total of 11 minutes, scoring eight points, including hitting 2-of-3 from deep and grabbing a steal.

BEST OF THE YEAR (SO FAR): EMU held a 13-point advantage (35-22) with just under one minute remaining in the first half of its contest at Northern Kentucky, Nov. 18. It is the largest lead for Eastern at any point during this 2021-22 season. EMU's previous best advantage was eight, a margin it held for a brief period over Illinois State, Nov. 12.
    EMU's 35 points are the most for the team in a first half, and fourth-most in any half this season for the Eagles. EMU's previous best first half total was 32, which it put up vs. Illinois State, Nov. 12.

20/20 VISION: Eastern Michigan saw a pair of 20+ point performances in consecutive games. Senior Monty Scott dropped a season-high 28 points, while junior Bryce McBride added 23 against Illinois State, Nov. 12. Scott again crossed the 20-point plateau, dropping 21 at NKU, Nov. 18, while freshman Noah Farrakhan added 21 of his own.
    The last time the Green and White had back-to-back contests with two 20+ scorers was in the 2016-17 season. In both contests, it was former Eagles Willie Mangum IV and Raven Lee that did the damage. The two scored 22 and 21, respectively, against Northern Illinois, Feb. 25, 2017. The following game was Lee's famous 50-point, record-breaking performance, against Central Michigan, Feb. 28. The 50-point effort is still the program record. Mangum IV added 24 in that contest.

HALF BROTHERS: The dynamic duo of half brothers senior Monty Scott and freshman Noah Farrakhan have proven to be a crucial offseason addition to the Eagles. Most recently, the duo totaled 42 points at Northern Kentucky, which made up 57.5 percent of EMU's total offensive output (73).
   Furthermore, Scott and Farrakhan have been responsible for 45 percent (166-of-369) of Eastern's offense through five games this season.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles head to the Golden State, taking on UC San Diego for the first time in program history Thursday, Dec. 2. The game will start at 10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

MAKE PLANS FOR GERVIN DAY PRESENTED BY GAMEABOVE - DEC. 11: The Iceman is returning home! E-Club Hall of Famer and NBA Legend George Gervin will be coming home as a part of the upcoming men's basketball game against Florida International Saturday, Dec. 11. The fun-filled day will be presented by GameAbove.
   Gervin will be the focal point of the afternoon with fun activities and giveaways. Be sure to wear white against FIU as we "ice out" the Convo. Fans can buy tickets to the Dec. 11 contest for 24 percent off in honor of Gervin's EMU jersey number, 24.
   Recently announced, Gervin will be the subject of a currently untitled documentary directed by One9 and produced by MSM, alongside GameAbove and its subsidiary Front Runner Films. Mike Tollin, the producer of The Last Dance, will be heading the production as well.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Men’s Basketball Heads to Chicago for Clash with DePaul on Sunday

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