Men's Hoops Opens MAC Play Dec. 28 at Defending Champion Ohio

Men's Basketball at Ohio
Date	Tuesday, Dec. 28 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Athens, Ohio \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Media Guide.
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics

ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – With the non-conference slate behind it, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team rounds out the 2021 calendar year at Ohio University Tuesday, Dec. 28. The Mid-American Conference campaign gets going at 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center in Athens.
   Eastern (5-6, 0-0 MAC) saw its three-game winning streak snapped with a 67-55 setback at Valparaiso, Dec. 20. Meanwhile, Ohio (9-2, 0-0 MAC) stretched its streak to four in-a-row with an 85-70 triumph over USC Upstate, Dec. 21.
   The game will be televised on ESPN3. Fans can also listen to the game on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer on the call.

MAC LID LIFTERS: Since the 1974-75 season, Eastern holds an 18-29 mark in MAC openers along with a 8-17 record in conference-opening contests away from Ypsilanti.

48TH MAC SEASON: The 2021-22 season will be the 48th for the Eagles in the Mid-American Conference. The first year of MAC play for EMU was 1974-75 when the then-Hurons went 12-14 and 4-9 in league play.

TROPHY HUNTING: Eastern Michigan will search for its first conference championship since 1998 as it enters league play. That year, the Eagles captured the regular-season and tournament titles to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history. Overall, EMU has claimed four regular-season and tournament crowns (1988, 1991, 1996, 1998), along with one MAC West title (2012).

EARLY MAC PLAY: For just the fourth time since the turn of the century, Eastern Michigan opens Mid-American Conference play before the calendar flips to the month of January. Last year, EMU dropped a 91-74 decision to Toledo, at the Convocation Center, Dec. 4, 2020. In 2003, Kent State knocked off Eastern Michigan, 83-74, in Ypsilanti, Dec. 2, while EMU upended Ohio, 65-55, Dec. 8, 1999.

HEATH VERSUS THE MAC: In his second stint as a Mid-American Conference head coach, Stan Heath has posted a 17-1 record against league foes. During the 2002 campaign, Heath guided Kent State to the NCAA Elite Eight, with his lone MAC blemish coming against Buffalo.

ALUMS ON THE SIDELINE: Tuesday's contest will mark a rare occurrence as two alumni of their respective schools square off on the hardwood. EMU's Stan Heath is a 1988 graduate of the school, while Ohio's Jeff Boals earned his degree from the school in 1995. Bowling Green's Michael Huger is the only other MAC head coach guiding his alma mater.

ROAD WOES: EMU is still in search of its first road win of the 2021-22 campaign, posting a 0-6 mark. The Green and White have been outscored by 15 points per game (EMU 64.3, OPP 79.3). Eastern is shooting 39.9 percent from the field compared to 47.4 for the opposition, to go along with being on the short side of the rebounding margin (EMU 34.7, OPP 38.3).

VALPARAIS-NO! EMU was held to a season-low 55 points by Valparaiso, as the squad dropped its final non-conference test, Dec. 20. Eastern's held an advantage as big as 11 in the second half, 47-36. However, Valparaiso started shooting hot, responding with a 31-8 run to earn the 67-55 win.    The Green and White scored 32 of their 55 points in the paint, as the squad was just 1-for-11 from the long-line.

DROP IT LIKE IT'S SCOTT: Senior Monty Scott has scored double-figures in 10 consecutive games dating back to Nov. 12 against Illinois State. Scott poured in just seven against Indiana, Nov. 9, in his EMU debut. Since opening night, the senior guard has averaged 15.9 points per game on 64-of-132 shooting (48.5%).

NATE SAYS NO: Senior transfer Nate Scott has played four consecutive games with a block, rejecting shots against Northwood, Dec. 5, Niagara, Dec. 8, FIU, Dec. 11, and Valparaiso, Dec. 20. Additionally, the senior has tallied four games this season with multiple blocks. Scott leads the team in total blocks (11), fifth-best in the Mid-American Conference. Furthermore, EMU is third in the MAC in blocks with 39.

PAINT THE TOWN GREEN: Eastern Michigan has averaged 31.6 points per game in the lane this season. EMU's season-high was 46 paint-points at UC San Diego, while the low came against Michigan State when the squad notched just 14.

TAKING ON THE CHAMPS: For the first time since the 2018-19 season Eastern Michigan will open conference play against the defending MAC Tournament Champion. That season, EMU fell to No. 20 Buffalo, 74-75, at the Convocation Center, Jan. 4, 2019.
   EMU's last win over the previous year's postseason champ came in 2020, when the Eagles upset the Bulls, 66-62, in Ypsilanti, Feb. 4.

ALL-TIME VS. OHIO: Tuesday's game marks the 79th meeting between Eastern Michigan and Ohio. The Bobcats lead the all-time series, 52-26, which dates back to the 1972-73 season. This will be the first of two meetings between the two schools during the 2021-22 season, Ohio will travel to Ypsilanti, Feb. 12, 2022.
   Ohio won the meeting during the 2020-21 campaign, as EMU last recorded a victory in the rivalry during the 2018-19 season (66-57 - Feb. 12). The Eagles are 3-7 against Ohio in the last 10 games and have only won six times at Ohio's Convocation Center.

LAST TIME IN ATHENS: Ben Vander Plas registered 13 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as Ohio beat Eastern Michigan, 86-67, Feb. 25, 2021. Ben Roderick had 17 points for Ohio, which won its sixth-straight game. Lunden McDay added 14 points.
   Ohio posted a season-high 30 assists.
   Ty Groce had 18 points for the Eagles, while Bryce McBride added 17 points.
    EMU posted a 38 percent efficiency from beyond the arc (8-of-21), while OU made 12 triples for a 44 percent clip. The Eagles held the advantage at the free throw line, shooting 79 percent compared to the Bobcats' 60 percent. Ohio held the edge in rebounds (37-24), assists (30-12), and blocks (2-0). Each team recorded eight steals.

EMU'S LAST WIN IN ATHENS: James Thompson IV tallied 18 points and 15 rebounds to lead Eastern Michigan to a 66-57 win over Ohio, Feb. 12, 2019. Elijah Minnie had 19 points for Eastern Michigan. Paul Jackson added 10 points and seven assists.
   Jason Carter had 18 points for the Bobcats, whose losing streak stretched to four games. Teyvion Kirk added 18 points and six rebounds. Doug Taylor had three blocks.

NOAH STOPPIN' HIM: Freshman Noah Farrakhan continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game, ranking fourth in the Mid-American Conference and 93rd in the nation. Most recently, Farrakhan scored 17 points at Valpo, Dec. 20.

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING: EMU got double-digit scoring from freshman Noah Farrakhan (17), senior Monty Scott (17), and senior Darion Spottsvillle (10) versus Valpo, Dec. 20. The performance marked the ninth time this season that at least three EMU players have scored 10+ in a game, as it has happened in all but two games this season (9-of-11).

BENCH BOSS(ES): Eastern has now gotten 20+ points from its bench in nine of its 11 games this season. Additionally, EMU is averaging 22.7 points per game from its bench this season, a significant advantage over its opponents, which average just 20.4 points per game from their non-starters this season. Most recently, the Eagles saw five bench points against Valparaiso, Dec. 20.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan returns home to usher in 2022 with a 2 p.m. contest against the University at Buffalo, Jan. 1, 2022. This will be the first time in EMU's 125 years of playing basketball that the program will complete on New Year's Day.
   All-time it is just the second time that an EMU basketball team has rung in the new year with a game. During the 2004-05 season, the women's program defeated Columbia, 71-46, at the Convocation Center, Jan. 1.

Men's Hoops Opens MAC Play Dec. 28 at Defending Champion Ohio

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Players Mentioned

Noah Farrakhan

Ty Groce

Bryce McBride

Monty Scott

Nate Scott

Eastern Michigan Athletics