Eastern Basketball Set for Clash with #22 Michigan

GAME #2 - EASTERN MICHIGAN vs. #22/22 MICHIGAN
Date	Friday, Nov. 11 \| 9 p.m.
Venue	Detroit, Mich. \| Little Caesars Arena
Preview Info	EMU Notes \| Media Guide
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPNU
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Tickets	Purchase Season Tickets
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics

DETROIT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to action Friday, Nov. 11, as the Eagles (1-0) are set for a showdown in Motown against No. 22 University of Michigan (1-0) inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. The game between the Washtenaw Country rivals is set to tip at 9 p.m. and will be aired live to a national television audience on ESPNU. Both teams are coming off victories on opening night (Nov. 7) with the Eagles taking down Wayne State University, 75-66, and the Wolverines defeating Purdue University-Fort Wayne, 75-56.
    The game will be broadcast live on WEMU (89.1) radio and the Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer, the Voice of Eastern Michigan Athletics, on the call and Greg Steiner providing analysis. The game also will be aired live on ESPNU with Jordan Bernfield and Robbie Hummel calling the action.

OPENING TIPS:
» With the win over Wayne State helped Eastern improved to 30-19 in its season opener as a member of NCAA Division I (1974-75 season) as well as 40-9 in home openers.
» The Eagles hold an all-time record of 85-79 in neutral site competitions. Their last neutral site game was a 58-54 win over North Carolina A&T, Nov. 24, 2019, in the final of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic Championship game.
» Eight players made their EMU debuts in the game Wayne State game, including four in the starting lineup. All told, 14 players logged minutes in the victory.
» According to 247 Sports, the group of Tyson Acuff, Emoni Bates, Jalin Billingsley, and Legend Geeter rank as the fourth-best transfer class in the nation ahead of the 2022-23 season.
» Newcomer Bates is already highly regarded in the Mid-American Conference as the coaches voted him to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team. The coaches also voted on team finishes and EMU slated to finish seventh in the standings with one coach picking Eastern to win the MAC Tournament title.
» Stan Heath is back for his second year with the Eagles and is one 49 head coaches in NCAA Division I currently guiding their alma maters.

LID LIFTED: The Eagles recently opened their 49th season as a member of NCAA Division I after rising to the highest level in time for the 1974-75 season. Following the victory over Wayne State Nov. 7, the Eagles now hold a 30-19 record in their first game of the year and are 26-5 when the season opener comes on their home court. Additionally, the Eagles are now 40-9 record in their home opener.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN: The Wolverines, under the direction of fourth-year head coach and UM All-American Juwan Howard, head into the game with a 1-0 record after defeating Purdue-Fort Wayne, 75-56, Nov. 7, at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. Michigan was led offensively by Hunter Dickinson's 22 points while Jett Howard added 21. The Wolverines forced 14 Mastodon turnovers in the game and allowed 11 assists while holding PUFW to just 29.6 percent shooting overall. UM connected on 46.9 percent shooting from the floor while blocking eight shots and stealing the ball seven times.

IN THE SERIES WITH MICHIGAN
» Friday's game will mark the 31st meeting in the series that Michigan leads, 27-3. The first game in the series was played Feb. 16, 1931, in Ann Arbor, a 46-8 win for UM.
» Despite the deficit in the overall series, the Eagles won the last meeting, a stunning 45-42 victory in Ann Arbor, Dec. 9, 2014, that snapped a seven-game UM winning streak.
» UM won the only other neutral-site contest in the series, a 71-56 decision, Dec. 28, 1974. The game was part of the Motor City Tournament and played at the University of Detroit Mercy's Calihan Hall in Detroit.
» The game Friday will mark the 14th time in the series the Wolverines enter the contest holding a national ranking (No. 22 in both polls). The last time UM was ranked when meeting EMU came Dec. 20 2012, a 93-54 win for the second-ranked Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

MOTOR CITY MEETINGS: The game at Little Caesars Arena Friday will mark the second time in the series the Eagles and Wolverines have met in a neutral site game and, for the second time, the neutral site is located in Detroit. The first neutral-site contest between the two Washtenaw Country foes was Dec. 28, 1974, a 71-56 victory for the Maize and Blue inside Calihan Hall, the home of the University of Detroit Mercy, as part of the Motor City Tournament.

RANKED FOES: Eastern has lost its last 21 in a row against nationally ranked foes, most recently in an 83-67 setback to No. 13/12 Michigan State Nov. 25, 2020. The last time the Eagles pulled an upset came Dec. 17, 1997, in an 89-83 overtime victory over then-No. 21 Michigan in Ann Arbor. That year, the Eagles would finish the season as the MAC Tournament Champions and earned the No. 13 seed in the NCAA East Region, where they fell to No. 16/10 Michigan State, 83-71, in Hartford, Conn.

ALMA MATER MEETINGS: For the second game in a row and the second time in at least five games this year, the Eagles will be involved in a game in which both coaches are guiding their alma maters. Stan Heath and EMU defeated Bryan Smothers and Wayne State Nov. 7, and will now turn their attention to Juwan Howard and Michigan. The other games include two with Bowling Green and head coach Michael Huger and one with Jeff Boals and Ohio. The sixth possible game would come in the Cancun Challenge if EMU were to face Jay Ladner and Southern Miss.

A 'HOME' GAME: When the Eagles head to Little Caesars Arena Nov. 11, several members of the roster will be heading home. Four individuals hail from the city of Detroit, including Tyson Acuff, Colin Golson Jr., Orlando Lovejoy, and Javantae Randall while three others hail from the metropolitan area, including Legend Geeter (River Rouge), Yusuf Jihad (Farmington Hills), and Derek Ballard Jr. (Southfield). Additionally, three members of the coaching staff are also heading home, including Detroit natives Head Coach Stan Heath and Assistant Coach Shawn Trice, along with Assistant Coach Bob Simon, who hails from Redford.

QUICK REVIEW • EMU DOWNS WAYNE STATE: Five Eagles put up double-digit points as the Eastern Michigan men's basketball team defeated the Wayne State Warriors, 75-66, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center Nov. 7. The game was the season opener for the Eagles (1-0) while the Warriors played the contest as an exhibition.
    EMU had five players score in double figures, led by freshman Orlando Lovejoy, who recorded a team and game-high 18 points and added two steals in the win. Sophomore Jalin Billingsley tacked on 16 points and two steals while sophomore Noah Farrakhan added on 12 points.
    Eastern forced 21 Wayne State turnovers while committing just nine themselves in Monday's game. The Eagles turned those takeaways into 22 points on the offensive end of the floor.
    After jumping out to a 20-17 advantage, Eastern Michigan went on a 10-0 run with 6:20 left in the first half to increase its lead to 30-17. The Eagles then added two points by the end of the half and entered halftime with a 35-20 advantage. The Green and White capitalized on 18 Warrior turnovers in the first half, turning them into 16 points on the other end of the floor.
    Following intermission, Eastern Michigan kept widening its lead, jumping to 61-42 advantage before going on a 7-0 run which was finished off by a Billingsley jumper to grow the lead to 68-42 with 4:55 to go in the contest. The Warriors narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Eagles still cruised the rest of the way for the 75-66 win. The Green and White took care of business in the paint, recording 22 of its 40 points in the lane.

START ME UP: The starting lineup against Wayne State Nov. 7, featured four newcomers joining returner Noah Farrakhan. The four newcomers not only debuted for the Eagles, but also made their first collegiate starts, including Jalin Billingsley, who played 30 games at Georgetown University last year, and Tyson Acuff, who made 16 starts for Duquense University last year. Redshirt freshman Legend Geeter earned the start in his collegiate debut after sitting out last season at Providence College while true freshman Orlando Lovejoy rounded out the starters.

MAKING DEBUTS: Head Coach Stan Heath sent 14 different players to the floor against Wayne State Nov. 7, including eight individuals logging their first collegiate minutes. The four newcomers in the starting lineup were joined by four other rookies making their debuts, a group that included redshirt freshmen Prakash Ketterhagen and Javantae Randall and true freshmen Derik Pranger and JZ Zaher.

MANY FIRSTS: Numerous firsts were recorded against Wayne State Nov. 7, by the all the players making their debuts, including:
» Redshirt freshman Legend Geeter recorded his first collegiate points (10) and rebounds (8).
» Redshirt freshman Javantae Randall recorded his first rebound (1), assist (1), and steals (2).
» Redshirt freshman Prakash Ketterhagen recorded his first assist (1).
» True freshman Orlando Lovejoy recorded his first points (18), rebound (1), assists (3), steals (2), and blocked shot (1).
» True freshman Derik Pranger recorded his first rebounds (2), assist (1), and steals (3).

WE HAVE FIVE ON IT: Five different Eagles finished the game with double-digit point totals, including Orlando Lovejoy with 18, Jalin Billingsley with 16, both Noah Farrakhan and Colin Golson Jr. with 12, and Legend Geeter with 10. The last time EMU had five or more players reach double figures in a game was Jan. 11, 2022, in a 99-68 win over Central Michigan University.

MORE-LANDO: Orlando Lovejoy put on a show in his collegiate debut as the Detroit native posted 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, one rebound, three assists, two steals, and one block in 31 minutes of play. Overall, Lovejoy's 18 points was the most among all players on both teams, as were six made free throws, three helpers and one block (tie). He also led the team in minutes played and posting the second-most steals of any player in the contest.

COME ON IN: The game with Wayne State Nov. 7, saw 4,677 fans on hand inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center, the fourth-highest attendance since the facility opened in 1998. The season-opener's attendance surpassed was the highest since Nov. 10, 2017, when the Eagle defeated Spring Arbor University, 92-60. The 4,677 fans are also the largest to see a game in the Stan Heath era, surpassing the 3,991 fans that attended the Dec. 11, 2021, game with Florida International University on George Gervin Day, a 92-88, four overtime victory for EMU.

MORE-LANDO: Orlando Lovejoy put on a show in his collegiate debut as the Detroit native posted 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, one rebound, three assists, two steals, and one block in 31 minutes of play. Overall, Lovejoy's 18 points was the most among all players on both teams, as were six made free throws, and one block (tie). He also led the team in minutes played, was second in assists, and posted the second-most steals.

EARLY RANKINGS: Although only one game has been played, Orlando Lovejoy has found himself at the top of the MAC rankings in assist-to-turnover margin with a 0.0. In his debut game, Lovejoy handed out three assists and did not turn the ball over.

THE BAKERY IS OPEN: The Eagles' defense put on a show against Wayne State Nov. 7, as they forced the Warriors into 21 total turnovers, including a blistering 18 in the first half. The 21 miscues are the third-most for a Stan Heath team at Eastern behind 25 by Florida International, Dec. 11, 2021, and 22 by Illinois State University, Nov. 12, 2021.

QUICK HANDS: Of the 21 turnovers forced by Eastern Michigan, 10 resulted in steals with true freshman Derik Pranger leading the way with three. Three of his teammates each chipped in a pair of thefts, including Jalin Billingsley, Orlando Lovejoy, and Javantae Randall.

DROPPING DIMES: The Eagles handed out 13 assists on the night with Luka Savicevic leading the way with four. The North Macedonia native was one off his career high of five set last year at Miami University March 4, 2022, and was the most of any player in the game. Combined with Orlando Lovejoy's three helpers, the duo's seven assists were more than Wayne State had as a team (six). Noah Farrakhan added two helpers with four other players each dishing out one, including the first in the careers of Javantae Randall, Derik Pranger, and Prakash Ketterhagen.

BIG GAINS: In the team's exhibition with Grand Valley State University Oct. 27, the Eagles struggled at the free throw line as they converted 13-of-24 (38.1 percent). Against Wayne State in the season opener Nov. 7, Eastern fared much better as it knocked down 88.9 percent after connecting on 8-of-9 attempts.

BREAKING TRENDS: Last year, the Eagles were 0-18 in games in which their opponent finished the game with a higher shooting percentage. Eastern broke that trend under Heath as the Eagles won for the first time when being out-shot by an opponent as the Warriors won the shooting battle, 45.1 percent to 44.8 percent.

MILESTONE WATCH: Heading into the season, several wins can help the Eagle reach several milestone victories. With the win over Wayne State Nov. 7, Eastern needs 15 more wins to bring its all-time victory total to 1,350 while three more wins would mark 675 all-time wins as an NCAA Division I member. On the home front, the Eagles are now six wins from 225 victories inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.

UP NEXT: The Eagles will play their first true road game of the 2022-23 season when they travel to Peoria, Ill., Tuesday, Nov. 15, to face the Bradley University Braves. The game, which is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) and air on ESPN+, is part of the Cancun Challenge with both teams set to head to Cancun, Mexico, Nov. 22-23, at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tyson Acuff

Derek Ballard Jr.

Emoni Bates

Jalin Billingsley

Noah Farrakhan

Legend Geeter

Colin Golson Jr.

Yusuf Jihad

Prakash Ketterhagen

Orlando Lovejoy

Derik Pranger

Luka Savicevic

JZ Zaher

Eastern Michigan Athletics