Men's Hoops Hits the Road Still Looking for MAC Tournament Berth

Men's Basketball at Ball State
Date	Saturday, Feb. 26 \| 3:30 p.m.
Venue	Muncie, Ind. \| Worthen Arena
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

MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – With just three games remaining in the regular season, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team is still in the hunt for a berth in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament, March 10-12. The Eagles are one of four MAC squads with five league wins and just one win behind Miami, which has six.
   Eastern looks to further solidify its postseason hopes when it travels to Ball State University Saturday, Feb. 26. Game time is scheduled for approximately 3:30 p.m. at Worthen Arena, as the contest is the second leg of a doubleheader with the BSU women's team hosting Northern Illinois University at 1 p.m.
   The Eagles (10-18, 5-12 MAC) rode the hot-hands of senior Darion Spottsville and freshman Noah Farrakhan to a 74-72 victory over NIU, Feb. 22. Meanwhile, the Cardinals (12-15, 7-9 MAC) could not overcome a triple-double by Kent State's Malique Jacobs in a 93-83 setback, Feb. 22.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Joel Godett (pxp) and David Eha (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer.

FARRAKHAN CHASING HISTORY: Freshman guard Noah Farrakhan scored 31 points versus Northern Illinois, Feb. 22, to pass Earl Boykins (375) and Raven Lee (380) with 396 points so far this season. Farrakhan sits third all-time in freshman scoring and is just the fifth freshman in the 21st century to make the list.
   The guard is on pace to score 445 points. The point total would place him second all-time behind James Thompson IV (490), needing 95 points to pass the former Eagle.

TOP FRESHMAN SCORERS: Guard Noah Farrakhan is ranked ninth nationally among Division I freshmen at 16.5 points per game. The MAC's top freshman scorer, Farrakhan is one of just two first-year players in the top-10 list shorter than 6-foot-7.

STILL IN THE HUNT: With three games left to play, there is no clear cut answer on who will fill the remaining seeds in the upcoming MAC Tournament, March 10-12. Toledo, Ohio, Kent State, Buffalo, and Akron have already punched their tickets, while the remaining three positions are still up for grabs. Eastern is currently tied with Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, and Bowling Green with five wins, while Miami (6) and Ball State (7) are still within striking distance.
   The MAC recently announced some tweaks to the tiebreaker policy. Of note, head-to-head results will take precedence over winning percentage when either of the following occur.
   1) When two-or-more teams (a) have the same number of wins but different loss totals, (b) have a total games/matches played differential of no more than one (1) game/match, and have played each other at least one time.
   2) When two-or-more teams (a) have the same number of losses but different win totals, (b) have a total games/matches played differential of no more than one (1) game/match, and have played each other at least one time.

FIRST YEAR HEAD COACHES: Stan Health is just the eighth EMU head coach since 1940 to win 10-or-more games in their first season on the bench. Since the beginning of World War II, only seven of the program's 15 bench bosses have hit double-digits in victories. Rob Murphy was the last coach to reach double figures in 2011-12 when his team notched 11, meanwhile, Milton Barnes set the standard with 22 wins in his first season in 1996-97. Health reached the feat with three contests left in the regular season.

BULKING UP: With a career-high 31 points against Northern Illinois, Feb. 22, Noah Farrakhan was responsible for 41.9 percent of all points by EMU (74), In addition, the New Jersey native shot 11-of-14 from the field and 3-of-3 from long range. His performance marked his eighth outing hitting 50%-or-more of his shots and fifth making at least nine shots from the field. Furthermore, he has recorded four consecutive double-digit outing and team-best 18 overall this season.

IMPROVEMENT ON THE BOARDS: Senior captain Darion Spottsville has helped the team on the glass, averaging 4.6 rebounds this season through 28 games, after only grabbing 1.9 boards per contest through 17 games last season. Spottsville has had five-or-more rebounds in 12 contests this season, a total he only saw once in the 2019-20 campaign. Furthermore, the senior's 37 offensive rebounds leads the team, while his 130 total is tied for second for the Eagles. Most recently, the senior grabbed 11 rebounds, a career-high, marking his first double-digit rebounding performance.

DARION'S DAY: Senior Darion Spottsville's 11 boards versus the Huskies, Feb. 22, was the first outing of his career recording double-digits in rebounds. Additionally, Spottsville ended the contest with eight points, going 1-of-1 from three, and 3-of-4 from the line, adding four assists, a steal, and a block, in 35 minutes of play.

FOR THREE!: The Eagles shot well from three-point range against Northern Illinois, Feb. 22, knocking down 7-of-15 (46.6%) long-range attempts. EMU has connected on seven-or-more three-pointers in 15 games this season. Additionally, the Green and White's performance was the sixth reaching the 40 percent plateau from beyond-the-arc.

PUTTING ON THE PRESSURE: EMU's defense forced 13 NIU turnovers, Feb. 22, marking the 10th time EMU has forced their opponents to commit at least 10 turnovers in conference play.

STARTING STRONG: Freshman Noah Farrakhan scored 23 first-half points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the floor against the Huskies, Feb. 22. That number is tied for the second-best first-half effort by any Eagle since the start of the 2016-17 season. Former Eagle Raven Lee dropped 26 in the first half against CMU en route to a 50-point game, Feb. 28, 2017, while Willie Mangum IV had 23 against Gardner Webb, Nov. 18, 2016.

THE NOAH EFFECT: Noah Farrakhan's 31 points marked a career-high while donning the Green and White. The last Eagle to drop 30 points in a game was Noah Morgan who tallied 30 points at Kent State on 11-of-18 (61.1%) shooting from the field, including 6-of-11 (54.5%) from three-point land. Moreover, the guard's 11 makes tie his personal best, while his field goal percentage 78.5% (11-of-14) is a season-best.

HELPING HANDS: Eastern Michigan totalled 17 total assists in the game against NIU, Feb. 22, the most it has recorded in a game all season. Additionally, it was the second time this season the Eagles have dished out at least 15 assists and 16th outing with 10-or-more.

ON THE BOARDS: The Eagles out-rebounded NIU, 37-26, tying the team's season-high rebounding margin in a game this year, and marking the seventh contest this season the Green and White have bested their opponent on the glass.

DON'T SWEAT IT: The Green and White's two-point victory over Northern Illinois, 74-72, gave EMU its sixth win this season in games decided by five-points-or less. Eastern's overall record in those games thus far in the 2021-22 campaign is 6-2.

NOAH DOWNTOWN: Freshman Noah Farrakhan leads Eastern Michigan from downtown, shooting 41.9 percent (39-of-93). Additionally, Farrakhan is on pace to finish the season 43-of-102 (.421). The freshman would be the first EMU player to finish a season shooting 40 percent-or-better from deep (minimum of 100 attempts) since the 2005-06 season when two Eagles did so. Carlos Medlock was 45-of-107 (.421), and Danny McElhinny went 72-of-171 (.421).

YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT: EMU is averaging 26.3 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference and 101st nationally. Eastern grabbed 29 defensive boards most recently against NIU, Feb. 22.

EASTERN'S IRON MAN: Between COVID and injuries, there has been one constant in Eastern Michigan's lineup, senior captain Darion Spottsville. The guard is the only player on the team to have played in all 28 games so far this season and has started in 24 of those contests. Furthermore, Spottsville is first on the team in offensive rebounds (37), tied for second in total boards (130), and is third on the squad in blocks (16).

TAKE THE FREEBEES: Eastern currently ranks fifth in free throw attempts (506), seventh in makes (356), and percentage (70.4%) in the Mid-American Conference. Junior Bryce McBride leads the team, shooting 79.0 percent (83-of-105), which ranks 14th in the conference. Freshman Noah Farrakhan is 17th in the MAC with 67 free throws made on 89 tries.

MARKED IMPROVEMENT: Freshman Mo Njie continues to grow and make an impact for Eastern Michigan. Njie scored a career-high 16 points against Northern Illinois, Feb. 22. The Centerville, Ohio product has reached double figures in points in five of the last nine games, after having only done it once prior.

OFF THE ROAD FOR A BIT: Eastern hits the road just twice more in the regular season with ventures to Ball State, Feb. 26, and Miami, March 4.

SCOTT. NATE SCOTT: Senior Nate Scott has reached double-digits in seven of his last 10 games (vs. Miami - 25, vs. Toledo -17, at Ohio -16, at Kent State - 11, at Buffalo – 11, at Central Michigan – 10, vs. Buffalo - 13). The senior is averaging 10.9 points per game over that span on 41.7 percent (38-of-91) from the field and 87.5 percent (14-of-16) from the free throw line.
    Most recently against NIU, Feb. 22, Scott rejected a personal-best three shots and is second on the team with 20 blocked shots this season.

SWAT TEAM: Eastern Michigan currently ranks third in the Mid-American Conference in blocks per game (3.32) and total blocks (93). EMU is led by freshman Mo Njie who has 27 total blocks this season. Njie's 1.1 blocks per game is sixth in the conference and 175th nationally. Njie and Akron's Aziz Bandaogo are the only freshmen ranked in MAC's top seven for blocks.
    Recently against NIU, Feb. 22, the Eagles were led by senior Nate Scott who rejected a career-high three shots in the contest. Scott is second on the team with 20 blocks and ranks 14th in the conference (0.7 bpg).

BAND OF BROTHERS: Basheer and Yusuf Jihad are slated for a brotherly showdown Saturday, Feb. 26, when EMU and Ball State meet on the hardwood. The pair squared off earlier this season back in Ypsilanti, Jan. 8. Yusuf cracked the score column with a free throw while Basheer was held scoreless in five minutes of action.
   Yusuf, a transfer from Oakland, is the oldest and has two more brothers, Hamza, and Imran, as well as three sisters, Asiata, Qiyammah, and Suhaillah.
   Both Yusuf and Basheer were late bloomers when it comes to basketball. The brothers, separated by 16 months, started at similar times: Yusuf in sixth grade and Basheer in fifth.
   They had basketball in their blood with their great-grandfather having been a member of the Harlem Globetrotters in the 1940s and family members playing overseas and in college.

EASTERN ROOTS IN MUNCIE: Two Eastern Athletics staff members have direct roots to Muncie. Eastern Michigan head volleyball coach Darcy Dorton is originally from the Delaware County city, while Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee completed his undergraduate degree at Ball State (1997), and also served as a graduate assistant in its ticket office from 1997-99.
    On the flip side, BSU Associate Director of Athletic Communications Brad Caudill holds his undergraduate degree from EMU and worked for the legendary Jim Streeter in the SID Office.

ALL-TIME VS. BALL STATE: The contest between Ball State and Eastern Michigan will be the 113th meeting between the two teams. The Cardinals hold the upper hand in the all-time series with a 67-45 record. Additionally, the Cardinals bested the Eagles in the first meeting of the season Jan. 8, 78-72.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE CARDINALS: Eastern Michigan fell 78-72 to Ball State, Jan. 8, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.    The Eagles were led by freshman Colin Golson Jr. with 16 points. Freshman Noah Farrakhan tacked on 13 points and four steals while senior Darion Spottsville chipped in 12 points off the bench. EMU forced 19 BSU turnovers on the night. Eastern turned those takeaways into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Additionally, Farrakhan's four steals led the way for Eastern Michigan.

LAST ROAD WIN IN MUNCIE: A three-pointer by Elijah Minnie with just 10 seconds left in regulation sent the Eastern Michigan to overtime at Ball State, as the Eagles were able to pull out a road victory over the Cardinals in double overtime, 84-82, in Worthen Arena, Jan. 8, 2019.
   Minnie finished the night with a team-high 25 points, knocking down 6-of-8 three-pointers in the contest, to go along with seven boards and three steals. James Thompson IV registered a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 19 rebounds. Both Paul Jackson and Kevin McAdoo finished with 15 points each, while Jackson added a team-high five assists. Ty Groce finished just shy of double-figures with nine points, and tied Minnie for the team lead of three steals.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan closes out the home portion of the schedule Tuesday, March 1, against in-state rival Western Michigan University. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
   Prior to the game, EMU will honor five student-athletes and a manager on senior day. The group includes Monty Scott, Darion Spottsville, Axel Okongo, Thomas Binelli, Nate Scott, and head student manager Isaiah Buyaba.

Men's Hoops Hits the Road Still Looking for MAC Tournament Berth

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Players Mentioned

Thomas Binelli

Noah Farrakhan

Colin Golson Jr.

Ty Groce

Yusuf Jihad

Bryce McBride

Noah Morgan

Mo Njie

Axel Okongo

Monty Scott

Nate Scott

Darion Spottsville

Eastern Michigan Athletics