EMU Set to Host Ohio Saturday, Feb. 12, for Superhero Day

Men's Basketball vs. Ohio
Date	Saturday, Feb. 12 \| 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) – After spending plenty of time on the road recently, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will be at home for five of its next seven games beginning Saturday, Feb. 12, against Ohio University. Tipoff is set for approximately 3:30 p.m. inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The contest is the second leg of a doubleheader with the EMU women's team hosting the University of Akron at 1 p.m.
    Eastern (8-15, 3-9 MAC) closed a seven-day road swing Tuesday, Feb. 8, with a 102-64 setback at the University at Buffalo. Meanwhile, Ohio (20-4, 11-2 MAC) is the first Mid-American Conference team to reach 20 wins after outlasting Central Michigan University, 81-72, in Mount Pleasant, Mich., Feb. 10.
   The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Ryan Wooley (pxp) and Dannie Rogers (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.

SUPERHERO DAY: Saturday's 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 (Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo), Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man. Your young hero in training can also put their skills to the test at "Swoop's Escape" inflatable obstacle course, or try out the 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.

WE WANT IT MORE!: After leading NCAA Division I basketball for more than three weeks in December, Eastern Michigan ranks ninth nationally with an average of 75.9 possessions per game. The Eagles have had great success at home, where they average 81.3 this season. Last season, EMU averaged 71.3 possessions per game, ranking 164th in Division I.

WELCOME HOME!: After a seven-day, 956-mile road trip, EMU is finally back at home after stops at Ohio, Feb. 3, Kent State, Feb. 5, and Buffalo, Feb. 8. The team remained on the road for the entirety of the trip and returned home following the game in Buffalo, N.Y.
    It was 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).

SCOTT. NATE SCOTT: Senior Nate Scott has reached double-digits in five consecutive games for the first time in his career (vs. Miami - 25, vs. Toledo -17, at Ohio -16, at Kent State - 11, at Buffalo - 11). He leads the team at 15.6 points per game over that span, and has raised his scoring average from 7.1 to 9.0 during the streak. Additionally, in that five-game span, the senior has shot well, hitting 52.8 percent (28-of-53) from the field, 40.0 percent (14-of-35) from deep, and 88.9 percent (8-of-9) from the free throw line.

SWAT TEAM: Eastern Michigan currently ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference in blocks per game (3.4), and total blocks (79). EMU is led by freshman Mo Njie who has 23 total blocks this season. Njie's 1.0 block per game is sixth in the conference and 159th nationally. Njie and Akron's Aziz Bandaogo are the only freshman ranked in MAC's top six for blocks.
   Against Buffalo, Feb. 8, Njie had four blocks. It was the second time the freshman has totaled four-or-more swats in a game, having done so previously at Michigan State, Nov. 20.

MARKED IMPROVEMENT: Freshman Mo Njie continues to grow and make an impact for Eastern Michigan. Over his last four contests he has averaged 9.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. The Centerville, Ohio product has reached double figures in points in three of the four games, after having only done it once prior to the current streak.

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 21 points at Buffalo, Feb. 8.

TAKE THE FREEBEES: Eastern currently ranks fifth in free throw attempts (431), fifth in makes (311), and sixth in percentage (72.2%) in the Mid-American Conference. Freshman Noah Farrakhan leads the team, shooting 80.3 percent (53-of-66), which ranks 10th in the conference. Junior Bryce McBride is seventh in the MAC with 76 free throws made on 97 tries, while his 78.4 percent clip ranks 12th

YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT: EMU is averaging 26.1 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference and 127th nationally. Eastern grabbed 15 defensive boards most recently in its loss at Buffalo, Feb. 8.

BENCH HERO BRYCE: Junior Bryce McBride has been stellar off the bench this season, totaling 194 of his 262 points as a reserve. Eastern Michigan has seen 524 points from its non-starters this season, with McBride being the responsible party for 37.0 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 31.0 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.

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 is just the eighth freshman to score 300 points-or-more in a season and the first since James Thompson IV (490) in 2015-16.

MORE ON FARRAKHAN: Freshman Noah 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 15 points to move into seventh and pass Kennedy McIntosh (315).

DEFENSIVE STRUGGLES: Eastern Michigan has given up 75-or-more points in six consecutive games, the longest stretch since the 2004-05 season. Opponents have shot 50.1 percent (199-for-397) from the floor with an average of 8.8 three-pointers made during the span. EMU has turned the ball over an average of 13.2 times per game resulting in 16.3 points a contest.

SO, WE MEET AGAIN: Eastern Michigan and Ohio are meeting for the second time in nine days, as the Bobcats got the better of the Eagles in Athens, 81-68, Feb. 3. The turnaround is the quickest for an EMU opponent since 2017 when the Green and White battled Toledo with just seven days in between. Eastern knocked off Toledo at home, 71-69, March 2, before the Rockets bounced the Eagles, 64-63, in the MAC Tournament, March 9.
   EMU will also have a nine-day turnaround coming up against Buffalo, as the two will meet again Feb. 17 after playing in western New York on Feb. 8.

ALL-TIME VS. OHIO: Saturday's game marks the 80th meeting between Eastern Michigan and Ohio. The Bobcats lead the all-time series, 53-26, which dates back to the 1972-73 season. Ohio already claimed first blood in the series this year, with an 81-68 victory in Athens, Feb. 3.
       EMU last recorded a victory in the rivalry during the 2018-19 season (66-57 - Feb. 12). The Eagles are 2-8 against Ohio in the last 10 games, and are 6-7 all-time against the 'Cats inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.

LAST MEETING IN YPSILANTI: Ben Vander Plas scored 22 points with 11 rebounds as Ohio beat Eastern Michigan, 60-58, at the Convocation Center, Jan 18, 2020. Jason Preston had 14 points and eight rebounds for Ohio. Preston distributed seven assists though committed eight turnovers. Jordan Dartis scored 11 points while Sylvester Ogbonda collared 14 rebounds.
   Noah Morgan scored a career-high 23 points for the Eagles, while Ty Groce added 17 points and Jalen King grabbed 10 boards.

LAST EMU WIN OVER OHIO: James Thompson IV tallied 18 points and 15 rebounds to lead Eastern Michigan to a 66-57 win over Ohio in Athens, Ohio, Feb. 12, 2019. Elijah Minnie had 19 points for Eastern Michigan, while Paul Jackson added 10 points and seven assists.
   Jason Carter had 18 points for the Bobcats, whose losing streak stretched to four games. Teyvion Kirk added 18 points and six rebounds. Doug Taylor had three blocks.

LAST VICTORY IN YPSILANTI: Eastern Michigan never played from behind, leading for 39 of the 40 minutes in a dominating 76-40 victory over Ohio, Jan. 27, 2015. At the time, it was the largest conference victory since EMU cruised to a 104-67 decision over Central Michigan 18 years prior, Jan. 8, 1997.
    The 36-point win was also the Eagles' largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent since Eastern downed Navy, 99-52, Jan. 7, 2004. Behind an impressive defensive display, EMU held Ohio to its lowest point total in program history since March 14, 1985, when the Bobcats fell to Kansas, 49-38, in the NCAA Midwest Regional.
    Behind a team-high 19 points from Raven Lee, 11 different Eagles scored throughout the game. Mike Talley recorded 16 points, while dishing out seven assists and Karrington Ward reached double figures with 12 points as well. Eastern found success on offense, sinking half of its shots by going 32-of-64 from the floor. The Eagles' defense forced 18 Ohio turnovers and converted them into 24 points. EMU also dominated the paint, 44-18, and pushed the ball down the court to hold a 24-2 advantage in fastbreak points.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns to the road Tuesday, Feb. 15, with a trip to mid-Michigan to battle in-state rival Central Michigan University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The Eagles already knocked off the Chippewas, 99-68, at home earlier this season, Jan. 11.

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Players Mentioned

Noah Farrakhan

Ty Groce

Bryce McBride

Noah Morgan

Mo Njie

Nate Scott

Eastern Michigan Athletics