Men's Basketball Treks to Buffalo Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m.

Men's Basketball at Buffalo
Date	Tuesday, Feb. 8 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Buffalo, N.Y. \| Alumni 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

BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team wraps up its seven-day, 956-mile road trip Tuesday, Feb. 8, against the University at Buffalo. The Mid-American Conference matchup is slated for a 7 p.m. tip from Alumni Arena.
   Eastern (8-14, 3-8 MAC) was unable to hold on to a halftime lead as it dropped a 90-71 decision Saturday, Feb. 5, at Kent State University. Meanwhile, Buffalo (11-8, 5-4 MAC) powered past Central Michigan University, 74-54, at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Mich., Feb. 5.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Fans can also listen to the game on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer.

ROAD TRIPPIN': Eastern Michigan is at the tail end of three consecutive road games with contests at Ohio, Feb. 3, Kent State, Feb. 5, and Buffalo, Feb. 8. The team has remained on the road for the entirety of the trip and will return home following the game in Buffalo, N.Y.
   It is the team's longest in-conference road swing since Feb. 5-11, 1998. That year, the Eagles played at Akron (Feb. 5 - L, 76-69), at Kent State (Feb. 7 - W, 79-74), and at Ball State (Feb. 11 - W, 89-77).

DROPPING IT LIKE IT'S 2017: Eastern Michigan's offense is on pace for its most productive scoring campaign since 2017-18. That season, the Eagles tallied 2,509 points for an average of 71.7 points per game. This season, EMU is averaging 71.4 ppg and is on pace 2,213 this year.

DROPPING DIMES: Against Kent State, Feb. 5, the Eagles recorded 11 assists, three more than the number of turnovers it committed (8). The team's +3 margin is its second-best of the season. Overall, Eastern has had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio just three times this season.

WE WANT IT MORE!: After leading NCAA Division I basketball for more than three weeks, Eastern Michigan ranks seventh nationally with an average of 75.9 possessions per game. The Eagles have not had the same success on the road, where they average 72.0 this season.
    Last season, EMU averaged 71.3 possessions per game, ranking 164th in Division I.

FRESHMAN TOP-10: Freshman Noah Farrakhan cracked the top-10 on the all-time freshman scoring list at Eastern Michigan with 17 points against Toledo, Feb. 1. The Newark, N.J. native became the ninth freshman to score 272 points-or-more in a season and the first since James Thompson IV (490) in 2015-16.
   Moreover, Farrakhan is just the fifth freshman in the 21st century to make the list. The guard is on pace to score 425 points by the end of the regular season. The point total would place him second all-time behind Thompson. The freshman needs 20 points to move into seventh and pass Kennedy McIntosh (315).

FROM THREE!: The Eagles shot well from three-point range at Kent State, Feb. 5, knocking down 9-of-21 long-range attempts. That number ties for the team's second-best effort of the season from deep. The Eagles have hit nine triples in a contest four times, including against the Golden Flashes. Eastern's season-best effort from deep was 14, which it hit against Miami, Jan. 29. Furthermore, it was Eastern's fifth game this season shooting 40 percent-or-better from long range.

FIRST HALF BOOM: EMU scored 39 points in the first half at Kent State, Feb. 5, its most since dropping 55 in the opening 20 minutes against Miami, Jan. 29. Including the contest at KSU, EMU has dropped 39-or-more first half points three times this season. Aside from the team's previously mentioned efforts, the Eagles also put up 39 first-half points at UC San Diego, Dec. 2.

CUTTING DOWN THE MISCUES: Eastern committed just eight turnovers in the contest against Kent State, Feb. 5, the second-fewest of the season. EMU's previous best came versus Central Michigan, Jan. 11. The Eagles surrendered just seven possessions against the Chippewas. Eastern has committed 10-or-fewer turnovers five times this season, but had not done so, prior to the game against Kent State, since its game at Akron, Jan. 22 (9 total turnovers).

SPOTTING UP VERSUS THE FLASHES: Senior Darion Spottsville scored a career-best 20 points at Kent State, Feb. 5, while hitting a personal-best 4-of-4 from downtown. Furthermore, the senior shot 7-of-10 from the field, making it the first time he attempted 10 field goals since Feb. 20, 2021, where he shot 1-of-10 against Kent State. His seven makes were also a career-high.

BENCH PRODUCTION: The Eastern Michigan bench scored 33 points against Kent State, Feb. 5, marking the sixth game of the year that the bench has produced 30-or-more.

BENCH BOSS(ES): Eastern has received 20-or-more points from its bench in 15 of its 22 games this season. Overall, EMU is averaging 22.9 points per game from its bench this season, an advantage over its opponents, which average 21.3 points per game from their non-starters this season. Most recently, EMU saw its bench score 33 points at Kent State, Feb. 5.

SCOTT STILL HOT: Senior Nate Scott has reached double-digits in four consecutive games for the first time in his career (vs. Miami - 25, vs. Toledo -17, at Ohio -16, at Kent State - 11). Additionally, in that four-game span, the senior has shot well, hitting 58.1 percent (25-of-43) from the field, 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from deep, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

TAKE THE FREEBEES: Eastern currently ranks fourth in free throw attempts (412), fifth in makes (2300), and sixth in percentage (72.8%) in the Mid-American Conference. Freshman Noah Farrakhan leads the team, shooting 80.3 percent (53-of-66), which ranks seventh in the conference. The freshman most recently hit 1-of-1 at Kent State, Feb. 5.

SWAT TEAM: Eastern Michigan currently ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference in blocks per game (3.36), and total blocks (74). EMU is led by freshman Mo Njie who has 19 total blocks this season. Njie's 1.0 block per game is seventh in the conference.

YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT: EMU is averaging 26.6 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference and 94th nationally. Eastern grabbed 20 defensive boards most recently in its loss at Kent State, Feb. 5.

BENCH HERO BRYCE: Junior Bryce McBride has been stellar off the bench this season, totaling 194 of his 250 points as a reserve. Eastern Michigan has seen 503 points from its non-starters this season, with McBride being the responsible party for 38.6 percent of those. Furthermore, the junior has led the team in points coming off the pine in five contests.

PAINT THE TOWN GREEN: Eastern Michigan has averaged 30.6 points per game in the lane this season. EMU scored a season-high with 50 paint points against Central Michigan, Jan. 11, while the low came against Michigan State, Nov. 20 when the squad notched just 14.
    EMU has scored 40+ points in the paint five times this season.

ALL-TIME VS. BUFFALO: Tuesday's game marks the 31st meeting between Eastern Michigan and Buffalo. The Bulls hold the edge in the all-time series, 18-12, which began in 1971. EMU broke a UB five-game winning streak with a 66-62 victory, Feb. 4, 2020. That was the Eagles' first win over Buffalo since the 2015-16 season when EMU topped the Bulls, 81-69, inside the Convocation Center, Jan. 12, 2016.

LAST WIN IN BUFFALO: Eastern Michigan has not posted a win inside Alumni Arena since Feb. 4, 2004, when the team notched a 77-66 victory. Markus Austin scored 19 points to lead EMU, while John Bowler had 15 points and 12 rebounds. JaQuan Hart had 12 points and James Douglas 11.
   Eastern Michigan erased a seven-point second half deficit with an 18-3 run midway through the period. Austin highlighted the run with a three-point play at 10:03 that put the Eagles ahead for good. Dan Redder closed the run with a layup that made the score 56-48 with 7:24 left.
   Turner Battle led Buffalo with 20 points. Daniel Gilbert scored 11 points and Mario Jordan 10.
   Buffalo's Mark Bortz, a 78-percent free throw shooter in conference play entering the game, went 3-12 from the free throw line and was a big part of the Bulls' 10-24 performance in foul shots.

LAST MEETING WITH BUFFALO: Jeenathan Williams had 24 points as Buffalo topped Eastern Michigan, 92-77, at Alumni Arena, Jan. 21, 2021. Ronaldo Segu had 19 points and six rebounds for Buffalo. LaQuill Hardnett added 13 points and five assists. Jayvon Graves had 12 points. Buffalo posted a season-high 27 assists.
   Eastern Michigan totaled 50 points in the second half, a season high for the team. Bryce McBride had 20 points for the Eagles. Yeikson Montero added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Darion Spottsville had 12 points.

LAST EMU WIN OVER BUFFALO: Ty Groce posted 14 points and three blocks as Eastern Michigan narrowly defeated Buffalo, 66-62, for its 200th win at the Convocation Center, Feb. 4, 2020. Derek Ballard Jr. scored all of his five points, grabbed five rebounds, and had a steal in a five-minute span late in the second half as the Eagles led 63-58 on his layup with 1:39 to play.
   Thomas Binelli had 11 points for Eastern Michigan, which had not beaten Buffalo since 2016. Darion Spottsville added 11 points and Yeikson Montero had five steals.
   Josh Mballa had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls (14-9, 5-5). Gabe Grant added 10 points and Jayvon Graves had eight points and 10 rebounds.

ON THE HORIZON: Join EMU basketball for Superhero Day at the George Gervin GameAbove Center Saturday, Feb. 12. Eastern women's basketball tips at 1 p.m. against Mid-American Conference foe Akron, followed by men's basketball at 3:30 p.m. versus Ohio.
   This basketball doubleheader is packed with experiences for the whole family. Take pictures and interact with live superheroes in attendance including The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and more. Your young hero in training can also put their skills to the test at "Swoop's Escape" inflatable obstacle course, or try out our 360-photobooth with superhero props.
   Dress up as your favorite superhero, and be sure to pick up a FREE Block E cape on your way into the game. Tickets to both games are just $10! To purchase tickets call the EMU Athletics Ticket Office at 734.487.3669 or visit EMUEagles.com/tickets.

Men's Basketball Treks to Buffalo Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Derek Ballard Jr.

Thomas Binelli

Noah Farrakhan

Ty Groce

Bryce McBride

Yeikson Montero

Mo Njie

Nate Scott

Darion Spottsville

Eastern Michigan Athletics