Men's Hoops Set to Host Bowling Green Tuesday

Men's Basketball versus Bowling Green
Date	Tuesday, Feb. 23 \| 7:04 p.m. ET
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1FM) \| TuneIn Radio \| Podcast
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics
Game Sponsor	EMUCU

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to Ypsilanti to host Bowling Green State University Tuesday, Feb. 23. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:04 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
   EMU (4-9, 1-8 MAC) is on a six-game Mid-American Conference losing streak, as the Eagles dropped a league affair at Kent State, 64-51, Feb. 20. Bowling Green (12-9, 8-7 MAC) is on a two-game win streak and coming off a week break. The Falcons posted a 75-62 victory at Ball State, Feb. 16.
   Fans can catch the action on ESPN+ where Ryan Wooley will have the call and Matt Dery will be 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 (9.4), and turnovers forced (16.5), while ranking second with a +3.5 turnover margin, respectively. The Eagles' 9.4 swipes per contest ranks seventh in the NCAA. Additionally, EMU's 16.5 TO's forced and +3.5 TO margin are good for 24th and 30th among Division I programs, respectively.
   Individually, senior Yeikson Montero leads the MAC and ranks 16th in the country in steals per game (2.3). Additionally, redshirt senior Ty Groce ranks fifth in the conference with a 53.8 field goal percentage (70-of-130).

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 six Mid-American Conference games to reschedule. The contests against Kent State (Jan. 2), Western Michigan (Jan. 19), Northern Illinois (Jan. 30), Miami (Feb. 9), Ball State (Feb. 13), and Buffalo (Feb. 16) 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 13 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	Rescheduled (2/23)
Feb. 6	at Ohio	Rescheduled (2/25)
Feb. 9	at Miami	Postponed
Feb. 13	vs. Ball State	Postponed
Feb. 16	vs. Buffalo	Postponed

BACK IN #MACTION: After a 25-day layoff, Eastern Michigan made it back on the court at Kent State, Feb. 20. Despite the Eagles pause, EMU had three players score in double-figures against the Golden Flashes. The Green and White were paced by senior Yeikson Montero, who scored 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting. The guard also contributed five steals and three rebounds to his statline. Classmate Ty Groce was the second Eagle to reach double-digits with 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while redshirt junior Miles Gibson added 12.

FREE THROW IMPROVEMENT: Eastern Michigan is tied for fourth in the Mid-American Conference with a 76.0 free throw percentage (184-of-242). Through 13 games during the 2019-20 season, the Eagles were shooting 63.1 percent from the charity stripe (197-of-312). This year's numbers are a 12.9 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 and senior Yeikson Montero have made the starting lineup in all 13 games played this season, while junior Bryce McBride and sophomore Drew Lowder have started in 12 and eight, respectively. Those four Eagles have scored a combined 618 points out of EMU's 911 total this year, which comes out to 67.8 percent.
   Groce leads the team averaging 14.1 points per game, while McBride and Montero are adding 13.4 and 12.9, 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 primarily playing center after playing on the wing last season. Groce leads the team averaging 14.1 points per game and is shooting 53.3 percent from the field (48-of-90), which ranks eighth in the conference. The forward leads the team, grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game, and has tallied a team-high six blocks.
   The Ypsilanti, Mich. native has scored in double-figures in eight of EMU's nine league games this season.

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 where Groce has scored 20-plus points.
   The forward has scored in double figures 11 times this season and 41 times in his career. Groce is averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game and is shooting 53.8 percent from the field (70-of-130).

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 13.4 points per game and ranks second on 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 grab 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.

GETTING TO THE LINE: Junior Bryce McBride has been able to get himself to the free throw line throughout the first 13 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 eighth in the Mid-American Conference, while his 58 makes ranks sixth. 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 46.

BOWLING GREEN RECEIVING VOTES: Bowling Green received 12 votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, announced Feb. 15. KSU is one of six Mid-American Conference schools that earned votes in this week's poll. Toledo and Akron are both ranked, No. 9 and No. 12, respectively.

SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN: Led by sixth-year head coach and Bowling Green alum Michael Huger, BGSU enters Tuesday's game coming off a 62-75 victory at Ball State, Feb. 16. The Falcons hold a 12-9 overall record and are 8-7 in the Mid-American Conference. BGSU is on a two-game win streak.
   Bowling Green has three players averaging double-digit scoring, who is led by Justin Tuner (20.5 ppg). He is followed by Daeqwon Plowden (13.2) and Trey Diggs (11.4), respectively. Plowden is averaging a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game, while Diggs leads the team with 46 triples.
   BGSU is averaging 78.7 points per game and is shooting 42.5 percent (588-1385) from the field, while holding opponents to 75.6 points per game. The Falcons are dishing out 12.8 assists per game and pulling down 37.7 rebounds per game.

ALL-TIME VS. BOWLING GREEN: Tuesday's game marks the 95th meeting between Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green. EMU trails BGSU, 51-43, in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1915-16 season. The Falcons are on a four-game winning streak over the Eagles and hold the 10-game advantage with a 6-4 mark. Eastern Michigan is 24-20 in Ypsilanti against Bowling Green.

LAST TIME AT HOME VS. BOWLING GREEN: Eastern Michigan was unable to halt Bowling Green perfect start to Mid-American Conference play in an 80-67 setback Jan. 22, 2019 inside the Convocation Center. All five EMU starters reached double-digits in the contest, but BGSU pulled away late in the first half to secure its 10th consecutive victory.
    James Thompson IV paced the Green and White with 16 points and 12 rebounds, matching a career-high with a pair of triples en route to his eighth double-double of the campaign. Kevin McAdoo notched 13 points and added a team-high with three assists, while Elijah Minnie tallied 12 points and led the Eagles with two blocks and a steal. Paul Jackson and Boubacar Toure each contributed 11 points.
    EMU committed nine turnovers, equaling its season-low against NCAA Division I opposition set against Drexel, Nov. 9, 2018. Though the Eagles finished 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the floor, BGSU ended the night at 48.3 percent (29-of-60) and narrowly outrebounded the Eagles, 37-33. The Green and White out-blocked the Falcons by a 3-2 margin and tallied 22 points in the paint compared to BGSU's total of 20.

ALL-TIME VS. THE MAC: The Green and White hold a 347-445 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 77-90 MAC record and clinched a MAC West title in 2012.

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-leads 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 13.4 points per game on 48-of-130 (.369) shooting, while averaging 32.3 minutes a game. The junior leads the team with a 84.1 free throw percentage, which ranks eighth in the Mid-American Conference. The newcomer leads the team in assists with 37 and is second in steals with 23. The Jackson, Tenn. native has tallied a career-high four assists five times this season.

.500 OR BETTER: Redshirt senior Ty Groce leads the team with a 53.8 field goal percentage (70-of-130), which ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference. Groce has scored in double-digits in 11-of-13 games this season, and is averaging 14.1 points per game.

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan dropped a Mid-American Conference affair at Kent State, 64-51, Feb. 20, inside KSU's Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
   Three Eagles recorded double-digit scoring performances as senior Yeikson Montero led the way with 15 points, including three triples. Montero also added a team-best five steals, three rebounds, and two assists in 33 minutes of play. Classmate Ty Groce was the second Eagle to reach double figures as he scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Redshirt junior Miles Gibson tallied 12 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals, while senior Darion Spottsville dished out four dimes and added five points.
    Eastern posted a 35.2 field-goal percentage (19-of-54), and struggled from beyond the arc shooting 26 percent (5-of-19). Kent State finished the afternoon with a 45.3 percent efficiency (24-of-53) and drained eight triples. The Golden Flashes won the rebounding battle (40-24), but the Eagles notched 11 steals compared to KSU's six.

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 the women's program posts a victory against Toledo Saturday, Feb. 21, 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 the Ohio University Thursday, Feb. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside OU's Convocation Center. This will be the first meeting between the Eagles and Bobcats during the 2020-21 season.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Miles Gibson

Ty Groce

Paul Jackson

Drew Lowder

Kevin McAdoo

Bryce McBride

Elijah Minnie

Yeikson Montero

Darion Spottsville

James Thompson IV

Boubacar Toure

Eastern Michigan Athletics