Men's Hoops Set to Conclude 2020-21 Home Slate Against NIU Saturday

Men's Basketball vs. Northern Illinois
Date	Saturday, Feb. 27 \| 1:04 p.m. ET
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Program
Live Stats	Fan Stats
Watch	ESPN3
Listen	WEMU (89.1FM) \| TuneIn Radio \| Podcast
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics
Game Sponsor	St. Joe's

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will conclude the 2020-21 home schedule and will host Northern Illinois University Saturday, Feb. 27. Tipoff is slated for 1:04 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. Saturday's game contest will be the first game of a EMU basketball doubleheader with the women's program taking on Central Michigan at 6:30 p.m.
   EMU (4-11, 1-10 MAC) is on a eight-game Mid-American Conference losing streak, as the Eagles dropped a league affair at Ohio, 86-67, Feb. 25. Northern Illinois (2-14, 1-10 MAC) has lost the last five league games. Most recently, the Huskies fell 102-74 to Buffalo, Feb. 23.
   Fans can catch the action on ESPN3 where Ryan Wooley will have the call and Greg Steiner 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 (9.1), and turnovers forced (15.9), while ranking third with a +2.9 turnover margin, respectively. The Eagles' 9.1 swipes per contest ranks 12th in the NCAA. Additionally, EMU's 15.9 TO's forced and +2.9 TO margin are good for 32nd and 37th among Division I programs, respectively.
   Individually, senior Yeikson Montero leads the MAC and ranks 12th in the country in steals per game (2.5). Additionally, redshirt senior Ty Groce is tied for sixth in the conference with a 53.4 field goal percentage (87-of-163).

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 include Kent State (Jan. 2), Western Michigan (Jan. 19), Northern Illinois (Jan. 30), Miami (Feb. 9), Ball State (Feb. 13), and Buffalo (Feb. 16).

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

THANK YOU, SENIORS: Eastern Michigan would like to honor four individuals who have dedicated their time and effort to the EMU men's basketball program: Yeikson Montero, Noah Morgan, Darion Spottsville, and Ty Groce.
   Montero joined Eastern Michigan after two years at Pensacola State. In his 47 career games as an Eagle, the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic has 487 points and has recorded 94 steals. Yeikson has tallied 24 double-figure scoring performances and has led the Green and White in scoring nine times. He will graduate in the spring with a bachelor's degree in sport management and plans to play professional basketball after college.
   Morgan came to Ypsilanti after a season at Northwest Florida State. Noah has played in 42 career games donning the Green and White. The Mount Vernon, New York native has tallied 387 career points with 17 double-digit scoring performances. Noah also recorded a career-high 30 points at Kent State last season. He is a communication major and plans to play professional basketball.
   Spottsville joined the EMU squad after two seasons at South Mountain Community College. In his 46 career games as an Eagle, Darion has 202 points and 104 assists. The Phoenix, Arizona native earned the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court award for academic excellence last season, and has led the Eagles in assists 17 times. Darion will graduate in the spring with a degree in sport management with a minor in communication. He plans to play basketball as long as he can then wants to become a basketball coach.
   Groce has dedicated five years to the Eastern Michigan program and hails from Ypsilanti. The forward has played in 113 career games as an Eagle. Ty has tallied 882 career points, which ranks 44th in program history. He ranks tenth in program history with 132 career steals, and holds a 43.7 field goal percentage. Ty has tallied four career double-doubles, including 43 double-digit scoring performances. The Ypsilanti native has led the Green and White in scoring 19 times in an EMU uniform. The forward posted a career-high 28 points earlier this season at Akron, and pulled down a personal-best 13 rebounds against Olivet. He will graduate in the spring with a bachelor's degree in history and plans to play professionally after graduating.

HOW MAY I ASSIST YOU?: Senior Yeikson Montero dished out a career-high six assists in EMU's 82-69 loss to Bowling Green, Feb. 23. It was the senior's first game with five-or-more assists in his career. Montero's previous personal-best came on Nov. 16, 2019, when he notched four dimes against North Texas.
   Montero ranks fourth on the team with 22 total assists this season, averaging 1.5 dimes per game.

GROCE ON FIRE: Over the last three games (Feb. 20 - Feb. 25), redshirt senior Ty Groce has led Eastern offensively and defensively. The forward is averaging 18.0 points per game with a 50.0 field goal percentage (22-of-44). Groce also boasts a 71.0 percent clip from the free throw line (5-of-7), and is grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game.
   Most recently, the Ypsilanti native posted a team-best 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3 percent) at Ohio, Feb. 25.
   Groce leads the team averaging 14.9 points per game, and is sixth in the Mid-American Conference with a 53.4 field goal percentage (87-of-163). The senior has led the Eagles in scoring six times this year.

MORGAN SEASON-HIGH: Senior Noah Morgan recorded a season-high 14 points versus Bowling Green, Feb. 23. The guard went 7-of-12 from the field, and added a personal-best seven rebounds to his statline. The double-figure scoring performance was Morgan's 17th of his career and third this season.
   The Mount Vernon, N.Y. native averages 6.7 points per game, which ranks sixth on the team.

DYNAMIC TRIO: In Mid-American Conference games, the Eagles have seen consistent numbers from three players in redshirt senior Ty Groce, junior Bryce McBride, and senior Yeikson Montero. All three are averaging in double-figures with Groce leading the way with 15.3 points per game. McBride follows with 13.0 , while Montero is adding 11.0, respectively. Of EMU's 724 total points scored during MAC games this season, the three Eagles own 59.7 percent of those points (432).

FREE THROW IMPROVEMENT: Eastern Michigan ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference with a 75.8 free throw percentage (207-of-273). Through 15 games during the 2019-20 season, the Eagles were shooting 64.3 percent from the charity stripe (224-of-348). This year's numbers are an 11.5 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).

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 400 victories inside the Convo, thanks to the EMU women's program (193 Convo wins) who helped make history with a 69-59 over Toledo, Feb. 21.
   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.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Eastern Michigan Head Coach Rob Murphy has found some consistency in the Eagles' lineup as three players have started 12-or-more games. Redshirt senior Ty Groce and senior Yeikson Montero have made the starting lineup in all 15 games played this season, while junior Bryce McBride has started in 12, respectively. Those three Eagles have scored a combined 575 points out of EMU's 1,047 total this year, which comes out to 58.8 percent.
   Groce leads the team averaging 14.9 points per game, while McBride and Montero are adding 13.7 and 12.4, respectively.

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 15.3 points per game and is shooting 52.8 percent from the field (65-of-123), which ranks sixth in the conference. The forward leads the team, grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game, and has tallied a team-high seven blocks.
   The Ypsilanti, Mich. native has scored in double-figures in 10 of EMU's 11 league games this season.

GETTING TO THE LINE: Junior Bryce McBride has been able to get himself to the free throw line throughout 15 games this season. The Jackson, Tenn. native is shooting 84.6 percent from the charity stripe, sinking 66-of-78 attempts. His free throw percentage is tied for fifth in the Mid-American Conference, while his 66 makes ranks seventh.

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 0-9 this season when allowing 80-or-more points in a game. In the Rob Murphy era (2011-present), EMU is 8-50 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.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Led by interim Head Coach Lamar Champman, Northern Illinois enters Saturday's game coming off a 102-74 loss to Buffalo, Feb. 23. The Huskies hold a 2-14 overall record with a 1-10 Mid-American Conference mark.
   NIU has two players averaging in double-figures. Tyler Cochran leads the team averaging 15.4 points per game, while Trendon Hankerson is adding 12.7. Cochran is also grabbing a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game, while Kaleb Thornton has dished out 38 assists.
   The Huskies average 61.6 points per game and shoot 40.1 percent from the field (381-of-950). NIU is giving up 77.1 points per game, but is averaging 3.4 blocks per game, which is good for third in the MAC.

ALL-TIME VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Saturday's game is the 100th meeting between Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois since the series started in 1926. EMU trails NIU, 56-44, in the all-time series with the Eagles winning three of the last five games. The Huskies claimed both games during the 2019-20 season.
   Eastern Michigan holds a 6-4 mark over the last 10 games, and are 28-23 in Ypsilanti.

ALL-TIME VS. THE MAC: The Green and White hold a 347-447 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 77-92 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).

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan fell to Mid-American Conference opponent Ohio, 86-67, Feb. 25, in Athens, Ohio. EMU finished the afternoon with a 43.6 field goal percentage (24-of-55), but couldn't maintain OU's 55.7 percent clip (34-of-61).
    Individually, redshirt senior Ty Groce led the Green and White with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. The forward also added a team-high six rebounds and dished out three assists. Junior Bryce McBride was the second Eagle to reach double-digits with 17 points and led the team with three from downtown. Redshirt junior Miles Gibson added eight points, while senior Darion Spottsville tallied a team-best five assists.
    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.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will hit the road with a trip to Muncie, Ind. to take on Ball State University Tuesday, March 2. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday's game will be the first meeting between the Eagles and Cardinals during the 2020-21 season.

Men's Hoops Set to Conclude 2020-21 Home Slate Against NIU Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Miles Gibson

Ty Groce

Bryce McBride

Yeikson Montero

Noah Morgan

Darion Spottsville

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Men's Hoops Set to Conclude 2020-21 Home Slate Against NIU Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Miles Gibson

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Yeikson Montero

Noah Morgan

Darion Spottsville

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