Eastern Michigan Athletics
Last Dance for Eastern Michigan: Three Unforgettable Weeks
4/1/2021 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Men's Basketball Sweet 16 Series told by T.C. Cameron
In the final week of the regular season, Eastern clinched the Mid-American Conference title in a dominant, 65-46 win at Kent State. The following Saturday afternoon, Eastern celebrated the program's second MAC regular season title in four years, defeating Ball State at a sold-out Bowen Field House.
The championship trophy was awarded, and the nets were cut down, yet Head Coach Ben Braun was worried.
"We didn't have a great strength of schedule," Braun said, "so a loss in the MAC tournament meant no NCAA or NIT bid. We had everything to lose."
After making the 39-mile drive east to Detroit's Cobo Arena, EMU pounded Kent State, 66-47, in Friday night's quarterfinal round. A semifinal with Bowling Green awaited.
"In 1990, we were good enough to win the MAC, but we didn't believe we could beat Ball State," Assistant Coach Gary Waters said. "In 1991, Bowling Green didn't believe they could beat us, and it would be obvious in that semifinal."
Down 13-0 to start the game, and down nine in the second half, EMU rallied all the way back to tie the game on a Lorenzo Neely jump shot with 33 seconds left in regulation. After pushing the game into overtime — and a palpable exhale from those of us in the arena — EMU scored the first 11 points of overtime and extended the season with a 72-66 victory.
Now Toledo and 40 more minutes was all that stood between Eastern and the automatic NCAA bid. It was a scene similar to EMU's 2019 Quick Lanes Bowl football game in Detroit, as the then-Hurons completed the Ohio trifecta in front of almost 6,000 Eastern fans. Carl Thomas partially blocked Keith Wade's potential game-tying 3 point shot in the last minute, and Marcus Kennedy knocked down two free throws to secure a 67-66 win.
"When you're a mid-major, an entire season of success can crash in just a few possessions, but our fans wanted this as badly as we did," Braun said. "That crowd in Detroit is one of the memorable moments of my career. We were exhausted but they lifted us when we needed it most."
Eastern was given a No. 12 seed, paired with Mississippi State from the Southeastern Conference at Syracuse's Carrier Dome. Remember the schedule strength that seemed like a liability? It turned into an asset in disguise.
Within the NCAA Tournament, 12 seeds are annually one of the most popular upsets picks, because 12's own 50 wins in 140 games (.357). While not as successful as 10 or 11 seeds — 10s are 55-85 (.393) and 11s are 52-88 (.371) — a 12 easily outpaces the two bracket spots no mid-major wants. A 13 seed has won just 29 times (.207), while an 8-9 seed game virtually guarantees a game with a No. 1 seed in the second round.
I was part of a couple thousand EMU fans who attended the games in Syracuse. It was a surreal scene, similar to when the Detroit Pistons played at the Pontiac Silverdome, as 30,000 fans filled a football stadium. Eastern was lethargic in the first 10 minutes — Neely was throwing up on the floor — but Eastern ended the game with a flourish, running the stunned Bulldogs off the floor, 76-56.
Eastern had so thoroughly dominated Mississippi State, the pep band from Villanova our administration hired actually started to master the refrain and bridge of the fight song. As students, we cobbled together what we could to afford second round tickets and booked another night in the world's lousiest hotel room. We were ecstatic to do it, too, because No. 13 Penn State shocked No. 4 UCLA, 74-69.
Eastern would play Penn State on St. Patrick's Day with a Sweet 16 berth on the line. What a day to wear green. EMU again overcame extraordinary circumstances — our two best interior players fouled out to start overtime — to earn what was then the biggest victory in school history. There was redemption, too. Remember Roger Lewis, who missed two free throws at Michigan? He made a nifty backdoor cut and dropped in the game-winning bucket in overtime, easily the biggest basket of the year.
Cramped in a hand-me-down economy sedan, it took eight hours to drive back to Ypsilanti with three other students, but when we arrived on campus, Eastern Michigan was already the must-know story of the tournament.
EMU led the roundup from the Associated Press. The Green and White were on the front page of The New York Times' sports section, in addition to a lengthy game story. With Michigan excluded and Michigan State eliminated, feature stories told of the only school left to represent the Mitten. The Baltimore Sun urged readers to get to know the upstarts from Ypsilanti.
Trucks from Detroit's television and radio stations parked outside of Bowen Field House throughout the week. Playing No. 1 seed North Carolina tends to bring a lot of curious reporters to your front door, and they had questions.
Another MAC school made it to the Sweet 16? Where is Ypsilanti? What is a Huron? Who is Ben Braun? Marcus Kennedy…where did he come from, and why haven't we heard of him before? They have twins? Their captain was throwing up on the floor in the first round?
After a week in the spotlight, Friday finally arrived, and I along with hundreds of others packed into Tommy Chicarelli's Spaghetti Bender to watch the game. As tip-off grew closer, there was a problem: no games were playing on the bar's big screen. When tip time came and went, the bar's staff began telling tables an all-city outage from the local cable provider was causing the problem.
So, seated at tables set out on what is usually a dance floor, we settled in and listened to Eastern Michigan battle No. 1 North Carolina. With John Fountain describing the action on WEMU, the big crowd roared with approval whenever EMU knocked down a big shot, then quieted so everyone could continue to hear the action. It was a communal experience like no other, and spoke to how engaged we all were with this team.
Just a handful of minutes remained in the half when the video feed arrived. At the half, Eastern trailed by just five, 47-42, but would need a near-perfect second half to advance.
It didn't happen. The Tar Heels owned all the advantages as the deficit ballooned to 25 points in the final moments. The final score was 93-67, but among the students, there was appreciation. EMU won the MAC, the conference tournament, advanced to the Sweet 16 and played No. 1 North Carolina gamely until there was nothing left to give.
Braun was sitting with Kirk Profit and EMU Regent Roy Wilbanks on the plane ride back home. Wilbanks looked at Braun and said, "I just want you to know how proud the administration and Ypsilanti community is of you and your team … so we ought to be able to get to the Final Four next year, right?"
"I laughed and said, 'We're losing four starters and seven seniors — we're not going to the Final Four," Braun said. "Let's celebrate the season — it was a great ride."
— T.C. Cameron is the author of Miracle Maples (2019) and Navy Football: Return to Glory (2017). A 1995 graduate of EMU, he's lived in Annapolis, MD since 2009. Follow him on Twitter: @ByTCCameron.
