Men's Basketball Hosts Buffalo Tuesday

Men's Basketball vs. Buffalo
Date	Tuesday, Feb. 16 \| 5:04 p.m. ET
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1FM) \| TuneIn Radio \| Podcast
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics
Game Sponsor	EMUCU

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – After a 21-day layoff, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to action and will play host to the University at Buffalo Tuesday, Feb. 16. Tipoff is slated for 5:04 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
   EMU (4-8, 1-7 MAC) is on a five-game Mid-American Conference losing streak, as the Eagles dropped a league affair at Akron, 86-65, Jan. 26. Buffalo (9-6, 7-4 MAC) has won three straight games, including a 86-54 victory over Western Michigan, Feb. 12.
   Fans can catch the action on ESPN3, with Ryan Wooley providing the play-by-play and Matt Dery 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 two statistical categories: steals per game (9.2), and turnovers forced (16.7), while ranking second with a +3.2 turnover margin, respectively. The Eagles' 9.2 swipes per contest ranks eighth in the NCAA. Additionally, EMU's 16.7 TOs forced and +3.2 TO margin are good for 20th and 32nd among Division I programs, respectively.
   Individually, senior Yeikson Montero leads the MAC and ranks 31st in the country in steals per game (2.1). Additionally, redshirt senior Ty Groce ranks fifth in the conference with a 54.6 field goal percentage (65-of-119).

THE GREAT SCHEDULING PUZZLE: Many teams have shuffled their schedules due to complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Eastern is included. EMU still has seven Mid-American Conference games to reschedule. The contests against Kent State (Jan. 2), Western Michigan (Jan. 19), Northern Illinois (Jan. 30), Bowling Green (Feb. 2), Ohio (Feb. 6), Miami (Feb. 9), and Ball State (Feb. 13) are still to be played.

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 cancellations during the 2020-21 season. The Eagles have had 12 games either postponed, canceled, and/or rescheduled this year.

Date	Game	Results
Dec. 16	at Valparaiso	Canceled
Dec. 19	vs. Olivet	Rescheduled (Dec. 27)
Dec. 21	vs. Central Michigan	Rescheduled (Dec. 29)
Jan. 2	vs. Kent State	Postponed
Jan. 5	at Buffalo	Reschedule (Jan. 21)
Jan. 19	vs. Western Michigan	Postponed
Jan. 23	vs. Miami	Time Adjustment
Jan. 30	at Northern Illinois	Postponed
Feb. 2	vs. Bowling Green	Postponed
Feb. 6	at Ohio	Postponed
Feb. 9	at Miami	Postponed
Feb. 13	vs. Ball State	Postponed

TY TEARING THROUGH: Redshirt senior Ty Groce posted a career-high 28 points at Akron, Jan. 26. The Ypsilanti native went 9-of-16 from the field and sunk a personal-best nine free throws in 36 minutes of play. It was the second time this season and the fourth in his career, Groce has scored 20-plus points.
   The forward has scored in double figures 10 times this season and 40 times in his career. Groce is averaging a team-high 14.2 points per game and is shooting 54.6 percent from the field (65-of-116).

McBRIDE FROM DOWNTOWN: Junior Bryce McBride drained a career-best five three-pointers at Akron, Jan. 26, en route to 20 points. The guard went 7-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-12 from beyond the arc in 33 minutes of play. McBride also dished out four assists and grabbed four rebounds against the Zips.
   The Jackson, Tenn. native has 20-plus points in three games this season and has led the team in scoring four times. McBride is averaging 14.0 points per game and co-leads the team with 20 triples made.

GETTING THAT DUB-DUB: Redshirt senior Ty Groce recorded his fourth-career double-double at Akron, Jan. 26, as he tallied a career-best 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 36 minutes of play. The senior shot 9-of-16 from the floor and sunk nine free throws.
   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. That was Groce's second double-double against the Chippewas, as he tallied his first career with 22 points and 12 rebounds, Feb. 11, 2020.

FREE THROW IMPROVEMENT: Eastern Michigan is tied for third in the Mid-American Conference with a 75.9 free throw percentage (176-of-232). Through 12 games during the 2019-20 season, the Eagles were shooting 63.2 percent from the charity stripe (189-of-299). This year's numbers are a 12.7 percent improvement over a season ago.
   In 2019-20 the Eagles struggled from the free throw line, finishing the season with a 62.7 clip (448-of-714).

CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Eastern Michigan Head Coach Rob Murphy has found some consistency in the Eagles' lineup as four players have started eight-or-more games. Redshirt senior Ty Groce, senior Yeikson Montero, and junior Bryce McBride have made the starting lineup in all 12 games played this season, while sophomore Drew Lowder has started in eight. Those four Eagles have scored a combined 584 points out of EMU's 860 total this year, which comes out to 67.9 percent.
   Groce leads the team averaging 14.2 points per game, while McBride and Montero are adding 14.0 and 12.8, respectively. Lowder is also tallying 8.5 points per contest.

TY IN #MACTION: Redshirt senior Ty Groce has been a major contributor in Mid-American Conference games despite playing center after primarily playing on the wing last season. Groce leads the team averaging 14.2 points per game and is shooting 54.4 percent from the field (43-of-79), which ranks seventh in the conference. The forward ranks second on the team grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game, and has tallied a team-high six blocks.
   The Ypsilanti, Mich. native has scored in double-figures in seven of the eight league games this season.

GETTING TO THE LINE: Junior Bryce McBride has been able to get himself to the free throw line throughout the first 12 games of the season. The Jackson, Tenn. native is shooting 84.1 percent from the charity stripe, sinking 58-of-69 attempts. His free throw percentage ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference, while his 58 makes is tied for seventh. Additionally, his 69 attempts nearly doubles any other Eagle this season, as the next highest free throw attempts comes from redshirt senior Ty Groce with 44.

CHARITY STRIPE STREAK: Eastern Michigan made 31-straight free throws before missing one at the charity stripe between Jan. 14 and Jan. 21. The Eagles went 8-of-8 late in the second half against Calvin, Jan. 14, before shooting 13-of-13 at Central Michigan, Jan. 16. EMU went 10-of-10 from the line before missing one in the second half at Buffalo, Jan. 21. This is the best stretch during the modern statistical era (1998-present) since the Eagles went 39-of-42 (92.9 percent), March 4, 2006, between Ball State (25-of-29) and Western Michigan (14-of-16), March 6, 2006.
   The Eagles shot 100 percent against CMU and 94.1 percent at Buffalo, which is the best back-to-back free throw performance by an EMU team under Head Coach Rob Murphy (2011-present).

ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Senior Yeikson Montero notched his third career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds at Buffalo, Jan. 21. The guard shot 8-of-14 from the floor and pulled down eight defensive rebounds against the Bulls.
   Montero's first double-double came against Adrian, Dec. 9, when he posted 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native also recorded 19 points and a career-best 14 rebounds at in-state rival Central Michigan, Jan. 16. Montero co-lead the team with three double-doubles this season.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Two Eagles recorded double-doubles in EMU's 75-64 loss at Central Michigan, Jan. 16, in senior Yeikson Montero and redshirt junior Miles Gibson. Montero led the team with 19 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, which was good for his second career double-double. Gibson tallied his third career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
   The game against CMU was the third time during the 2020-21 season that two Eagles recorded a double-double in a game. The last time EMU had two players notch double-doubles three times in a season was during the 2009-10 season. During the 2017-18 season, Eastern had two Eagles record double-doubles in a game four times, which is the most since the 1998-99 campaigns.

GIBSON GETS ANOTHER: Redshirt junior Miles Gibson is in his first year donning the Green and White and has tallied three double-doubles this season. The Richmond, Va. native recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes of play against Central Michigan, Jan. 16.
   The guard/forward posted his first and second double-doubles of the 2020-21 season versus Adrian, Dec. 9 and Calvin, Jan. 14. Gibson posted 13 points and a career-high 13 boards against the Bulldogs, then tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds versus the Knights. Gibson co-leads the team with three double-doubles this season.

GOING FOR 100: Eastern Michigan was perfect from the free throw line, going 13-for-13 at Central Michigan, Jan. 16. It was the first time that the Eagles shot 100 percent from the charity stripe since 2013. EMU last did it when it went 4-of-4 at Kentucky, Jan. 2, 2013.

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.

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 0-7 this season when allowing 80-or-more points in a game. In the Rob Murphy era (2011-present), EMU is 8-48 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 14.0 points per game on 45-of-126 (.357) shooting, while averaging 33.0 minutes a game. The junior leads the team with a 84.1 free throw percentage, which ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference. The newcomer leads the team in assists with 37 and is second in steals with 22.
   McBride is currently 12th in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5), and tied for 15th in assists per game (3.1). The Jackson, Tenn. native has tallied a career-high four assists five times this season.

.500 OR BETTER: Two Eagles are shooting 50 percent-or-better from the field, with a minimum of 20 attempts, so far this season. EMU is led by redshirt senior Ty Groce, who has hit 54.6 percent of his shots (65-of-119), which ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference. Following the forward is classmate Darion Spottsville, who is shooting 52.5 percent (21-of-40).
   Groce has scored in double-digits in 10-of-12 games this season, and is averaging 14.2 points per game. Spottsville has scored in double-figures four times this year, with his most recent performance of 12 points at Buffalo, Jan. 21

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan fell to Mid-American Conference foe Akron, 86-65, Jan. 26 inside James A. Rhodes Arena.
    Individually, redshirt senior Ty Groce notched his fourth-career double-double with a career-high 28 points, and grabbed 11 rebounds. The Ypsilanti native shot 9-of-16 from the field and drained nine from the charity stripe. Junior Bryce McBride recorded 20 points, including a career-high five triples and a team-high four assists, while sophomore Drew Lowder added 10 points.
   The Eagles went 22-of-60 from the field, shooting a 36.7 field goal percentage. EMU struggled from beyond the arc, posting a 30.0 percent clip (9-of-30). The Zips recorded a 47.8 field goal percentage (33-of-69), and went 10-of-29 from the three-point line (34.5 percent). The Zips won the rebounding battle, 50-31. But, the Eagles held the steals advantage at 6-3.

SCOUTING BUFFALO: Led by second-year head coach Jim Whitesell, Buffalo enters Tuesday's game coming off a 86-54 win over Western Michigan, Feb. 12. The Bulls are on a three-game winning streak and hold a 9-6 overall record with a 7-4 Mid-American Conference mark.
   Buffalo has four players who are averaging in double-figures. The Bulls are paced by Jeenathan Williams, who is averaging 17.9 points per game and is shooting 47.0 percent from the field (108-of-230).
Jayvon Graves is contributing 15.0 points per game, while Josh Mballa is recording nearly a double-double with 15.0 points and 9.8 rebounds, respectively. Ronaldo Segu is also adding 13.8 points a game, and has drained a team-high 34 three-pointers.
   The Bulls average a MAC-best 82.2 points per game and shoot 46.0 percent from the field (462-of-1,004). UB is draining 7.7 triples per game and is grabbing a conference-high 43.0 rebounds. On the defensive side, Buffalo is holding opponents to 7.6 points per game and a 40.9 opponent clip from the field (383-of-936), which leads the MAC. Additionally, the Bulls are tallying 3.8 blocks per game, which is good for first in the conference.

ALL-TIME VS. BUFFALO: Tuesday's game marks the 31st meeting between Eastern Michigan and Buffalo. The Bulls hold the edge in the all-time series, 18-12, which began in 1971. UB took the first meeting in the 2020-21 season series with a 92-77 win, Jan. 21. However, EMU broke a UB five-game winning streak with a 66-62 victory, Feb. 4, 2020. That was the Eagles' first win over UB since the 2015-16 season when EMU topped the Bulls, 81-69, inside the Convocation Center, Jan. 12, 2016.
   EMU holds a 8-7 record against UB in Ypsilanti and has only beaten the Bulls four times in the Rob Murphy era.

LAST TIME AT HOME VS. BUFFALO: Eastern Michigan thwarted Buffalo, 66-62, Feb. 4, 2020, inside the Convocation Center. The win marked the first EMU victory over the Bulls since January 2016. The win also tallied the 200th victory for the Eastern Michigan men's basketball program inside the Convocation Center since it's opening during the 1998-99 season.
   Yeikson Montero kept his hands busy registering four rebounds and five steals, tying his career-high in the latter. This season, Montero has had more games acquiring five steals than finishing games with none. Boubacar Toure fought valiantly ending the night with eight points, five rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Toure's performance marks the eleventh time he's seized a block and steal in the same game in the 2019-2020 season.
    In addition, Derek Ballard Jr. seized every opportunity thrown at him as he scored five points (2-2 from the field), five rebounds, and one steal in just seven minutes of action. Ty Groce did a little bit of everything for EMU. The Ypsilanti-native paced the Eagles with 14 points, while dishing out three assists, swiping four steals, and tying his career-high in blocks (3).
   The Green and White frustrated the Bulls as they wrapped up the first frame with five blocks and six steals. On the offensive end, the Eagles shot 11-of-23 (47.8%) from the field and 4-of-10 (40%) from beyond-the-arc.

ALL-TIME VS. THE MAC: The Green and White hold a 347-444 program mark against Mid-American Conference teams. Eastern has played Central Michigan the most (199 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 77-89 MAC record and clinched a MAC West title in 2012.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: EMU has won 118-of-159 games at home during the Rob Murphy era, and started last season 6-0 at the Convocation Center. Under Coach Murphy, the Eagles have opened the season 6-0 at home in six of his first nine seasons as head coach. EMU posted a 7-0 start in the Convo in three seasons (2014-15; 2016-17; 2017-18).

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 399 victories inside the Convo - the women's program has accumulated 192 wins since 1998-99. If both the men's and women's teams post victories on Saturday, Jan. 23, EMU will have a combined 400 wins inside the Covno between both programs.
   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 continues Mid-American Conference play with a trip to Kent State University Saturday, Feb. 20. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside KSU's M.A.C. Center. Saturday's game will be the first meeting between the Eagles and Golden Flashes during the 2020-21 season.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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Derek Ballard Jr.

Miles Gibson

Ty Groce

Drew Lowder

Bryce McBride

Yeikson Montero

Darion Spottsville

Boubacar Toure

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