EMU Looks to Remain Perfect in MAC Play Saturday Versus Ball State

Men's Basketball vs. Ball State
Date	Saturday, Jan. 8 \| 3:30 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| George Gervin GameAbove 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

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns home to the George Gervin GameAbove Center to play Ball State University Saturday, Jan. 8, with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The game will be the second leg of a doubleheader, as EMU women's basketball takes on Central Michigan University at 1 p.m.
   Eastern (6-6, 1-0 MAC) earned its first road win of the season at Western Michigan, Jan. 4, besting the Broncos 85-79 inside University Arena. Ball State (6-7, 1-1 MAC) comes to Ypsilanti after a one-point loss to Kent State, 66-65, that same day.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Ryan Wooley (pxp), Justin Rose (analyst), and Lexi Ayala (sideline) on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer on the call.

STARTING IT OFF THE RIGHT WAY: For the first time since the 2016-17 season, Eastern opened MAC play with a victory as it defeated instate rival Western Michigan, 85-79, Jan. 4. The last time EMU began league action with a win was against Central Michigan, 85-63, Jan. 3, 2017.
   Additionally, it marked the first time Eastern Michigan won its conference opener on the road since the 2015-16 campaign, when the Green and White upended CMU in Mount Pleasant, 99-80, Jan. 6, 2016.

LOOKING FOR 2-0: EMU can move to 2-0 in conference play for the first time in 22 years with a win over Ball State, Jan. 8. The last time Eastern was unblemished in its first two MAC games came during the 1999-2000 season. That season, the Eagles defeated Buffalo, 75-53, Jan. 5, and then upended BSU, 99-93, in triple overtime in Muncie, Jan. 8.

WE WANT IT MORE!: Eastern Michigan leads NCAA Division I basketball with an average of 79.5 possessions per game. Head Coach Stan Heath's uptempo Eagles have pushed that total to 85.7 possessions per game over their last three games.
   Last season, EMU averaged 71.3 possessions per game, ranking 164th in Division I.

TRANSFERRING TO THE TOP: Freshman Noah Farrakhan tops the list for the top transfer scoring average increases across the Division I ranks. Farrakhan has notched a 14.9 point per game increase, while Western Michigan's Lamar Norman Jr. ranks second with a 13.9 ppg jump from a year ago.

BY COMMITTEE: Eastern continues to get it done by committee, having three-or-more players score in double-figures in 10-of-12 games this season. Most recently, freshman Noah Farrakhan led the squad with 25 points at Western Michigan, Jan. 4. Junior Bryce McBride scored 17 points in the contest, while seniors Thomas Binelli and Darion Spottsville both chipped in 11.

HEATH VERSUS THE MAC: In his second stint as a Mid-American Conference head coach, Stan Heath has posted an 18-1 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.

SENIOR STUDS: Monty Scott, Nate Scott, and Darion Spottsville have combined to score 37 percent of the team's points this season, including 44 percent of all Eagles scoring over the last five games.

DROP IT LIKE IT'S SCOTT: Senior Monty Scott has scored double-figures in 10-of-12 games this season. The senior guard has averaged 14.6 points per game on 71-of-150 shooting (47.3%).

NATE SAYS NO: Senior transfer Nate Scott recorded a block in four straight games, rejecting shots against Northwood, Dec. 5, Niagara, Dec. 8, FIU, Dec. 11, and Valparaiso, Dec. 20. The Naperville, Ill. product sat out the team's most recent game at WMU, Jan. 4.
   Additionally, the senior has tallied four games this season with multiple blocks. Scott leads the team in total blocks (11), seventh-best in the Mid-American Conference. Furthermore, EMU is fifth in the MAC in blocks with 43.

YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT: EMU is averaging 27.9 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference and 59th nationally. In its most recent contest, Eastern grabbed 25 defensive boards at Western Michigan, Jan. 4.

PAINT THE TOWN GREEN: Eastern Michigan has averaged 32.8 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. Most recently, the Eagles scored 40 of their 85 points in the paint at WMU, Jan. 4, making it the fourth game this season that the Green and White have scored 40-or-more paint points.

NOAH STOPPIN' HIM: Freshman Noah Farrakhan continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game, ranking fifth in the Mid-American Conference and 66th in the nation. Most recently, Farrakhan scored 25 points at Western Michigan, Jan. 4.

BIG GAME BOBBY: EMU Assistant Coach Bob Simon held it down against Western Michigan, serving as the bench boss for the night and beating Western Michigan 85-79, Jan. 4. The contest was the first time in 7,978 days that Simon has served as the head coach in a collegiate basketball contest. He last led the Wayne State University women's team against Ferris State University in the first round of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, March 2, 2000.

STARTING HOT: Eastern Michigan started the game hot defensively as Western Michigan failed to score its first points until the 17:18 mark in the opening half. EMU raced out to an 8-0 lead in that stretch, its best game-opening mark of the 2021-22 season. Eastern's 17-point halftime lead (47-30) was the biggest for the team in any game this season. The team's previous best margin at the half was 11, against Northern Kentucky, Nov. 18.
   EMU's 47 first-half points are the most for the team against a Division I opponent in any half of a contest since it scored 49 against Western Michigan, Jan. 26, 2019. Furthermore, freshman Noah Farrakhan scored 20 first-half points, a career-best for the first-year Eagle, and the most for any Eastern player since Yeikson Montero did it Dec. 27, 2020, against Olivet.

TURNING ROAD TIDES: Eastern's 85-79 win over Western Michigan, Jan. 4, is the team's first road win of the season. EMU was previously 0-6 on the road. The Eagles scored a season-best 85 points in the road contest. The Green and White only averaged 64.3 per game on the road this season coming into the contest.

BENCH BOSS(ES): Eastern has now gotten 20+ points from its bench in 10 of its 12 games this season. Additionally, EMU is averaging 23.1 points per game from its bench this season, a significant advantage over its opponents, which average just 20.1 points per game from their non-starters this season. Most recently, the Eagles saw 27 bench points against WMU, Jan. 4.

NEW BLOOD: A total of 70.4 percent (617-of-877) of EMU's scoring and 61.7 percent (271-of-439) of its rebounding have come from newcomers to the roster. Of that 70.4 percent of the team's total scoring, an incredible 57.4 percent (354-of-617) have come from just two players: freshman guard Noah Farrakhan and senior guard Monty Scott, who happen to be half brothers.

MIGHTY MONTY: Senior Monty Scott continues to show his veteran leadership, as he is first on the team in field goals made (71) and third in field goal percentage (47.3 percent). Scott's 47.3 percent is sixth in the MAC and 165th nationally. Additionally, his 71 made field goals is good for ninth in the conference and 197th in the country.
   The Union, N.J. native also leads the team with 34 assists.

BENCH HERO BRYCE: Junior Bryce McBride has been stellar off the bench this season, totaling 130 of his 139 points as a reserve. Eastern Michigan has seen 277 points from its non-starters this season, with McBride being the responsible party for 46.9 percent of those. Furthermore, the junior has led the team in points coming off the pine in three contests. Most recently, the guard scored 18 of EMU's 27 bench points against WMU, Jan. 4.

ALL-TIME VS. BALL STATE: The contest Saturday, Jan. 8 between Ball State and Eastern Michigan will be the 112th meeting between the two teams. The Cardinals hold the upper hand in the all-time series with a 66-45 record. Additionally, the Eagles have a 3-7 record from 2017-2021 (last 10 meetings) and have not bested BSU since March 5, 2019.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE CARDINALS: The Eagles fell 65-100, March 2, 2021, in Muncie, Ind. the last time the two teams met. Three Eagles recorded double-figure scoring performances with Ty Groce leading the way with 21 points, including seven free throws. The forward also contributed a team-high seven rebounds and added two assists. Noah Morgan and junior Bryce McBride each tallied 12 points. Morgan led the team with five helpers, while McBride drained a team-best three triples.

LAST TIME BESTING THE CARDS IN YPSI: The last time Eastern defeated Ball State at home was Senior Night, March 5, 2019. Former Eagle standout James Thompson IV scored 20 points and grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds to become the all-time program leader in rebounds. EMU bested the Cardinals, 68-61.
   Also scoring in double-figures in the meeting was Paul Jackson (17) and Elijah Minnie (13). EMU was the superior team on the offensive end, finishing 49 percent (25-of-51) from the field, while Ball State was held to a 38.5 (20-of-52) percent efficiency. The Eagles also edged the Cardinals with more points in the paint (34-28), steals (7-6), and points off turnovers (17-10).

PLAYING THEM TIGHT: EMU has had plenty of high-leverage moments to open the year. A total of seven of the 12 games this season have been decided by six points-or-less.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan welcomes Central Michigan to the George Gervin GameAbove Center Tuesday, Jan. 11, for a 7 p.m. tip. The contest can be streamed on ESPN3.

EMU Looks to Remain Perfect in MAC Play Saturday Versus Ball State

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Players Mentioned

Thomas Binelli

Noah Farrakhan

Ty Groce

Bryce McBride

Yeikson Montero

Noah Morgan

Monty Scott

Nate Scott

Darion Spottsville

Eastern Michigan Athletics