Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Miami
Men's Hoops Visits Miami in Saturday Matinee
1/26/2023 3:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles looking to snap skid while building off strong showing at Toledo Tuesday
| Men's Basketball at Miami | |
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 28 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Venue | Oxford, Ohio | Millett Hall |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes (PDF) | Media Guide (PDF) | Digital Game Programs |
| Live Stats | Fan Stats | Media Stats |
| Watch | ESPN3 |
| Listen | WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) | The Varsity Network App | Eastern Insider Podcast |
| @EMU_MBB | @EMUAthletics | |
OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Coming off a tough road loss, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns to the road this weekend with the Eagles visiting Miami University Saturday, Jan. 28, in a 3:30 p.m. contest in Oxford, Ohio. The Eagles (4-16, 1-6 MAC), who fell at the University of Toledo, 84-79, Jan. 24, despite Emoni Bates' career-high 43 points, will look to snap a five-game overall skid when it faces the RedHawks (7-13, 1-6 MAC) inside Millett Hall.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 with Steve Baker and Randy Hollowell on the call. Tom Helmer, the Voice of the Eagles, will have the radio call on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app.
OPENING TIPS:
» Eastern is coming off its closest loss in MAC play after falling at Toledo by five points (84-79). Prior to the game with the Rockets, Jan. 24, the six-point loss at Western Michigan, Jan. 10, was the closest.
» Emoni Bates is coming off a monster game in which the hometown product went off for 43 points on 15-of-23 shooting, including 9-of-14 from three, to break his previous career-high of 36 points, which he scored at South Carolina, Dec. 30. The 43 points rank as the ninth-most in a single game in EMU history.
» Bates' point total stands as the sixth-best in the NCAA this year and the 18th game of 40+ points scored this year. He also is 1-of-15 players with at least one 40-point game and the only sophomore.
» Bates' nine triples rank as the ninth-most in a game this year nationally and makes him 1-of-4 players to record multiple games of eight made threes this year. He also is the only sophomore on that list.
» Noah Farrakhan tallied 14 points and career-high nine rebounds, coming up one board short of his first double-double. He also moved up to No. 72 on the program's all-time scoring ledger with 689 points.
» Farrakhan's five assists were not only a season-high, but also helped him make it 20 games in a row this year and 32 overall dating back to last year in which he has recorded at least one helper.
» The team was 11-of-26 from three at Toledo, Jan. 24, to extend its streak to 571 games in a row with at least one made triple. The last time EMU failed to hit a triple was Jan. 24, 2004, at Miami.
SCOUTING MIAMI: The RedHawks enter Saturday's game with a 7-13 overall record and, similar to the Eagles, stand 1-6 in MAC play. Miami has lost its last four games, three of which have come on the road with its last game ending in a 73-68 defeat at Akron, Jan. 24. The last time the RedHawks were victorious came in a 91-80 home win, Jan. 10, over visiting Buffalo. Individually, first-year head coach Travis Steele's squad is led by Mekhi Lairy, who averages 17.2 points per game and 4.3 assists. Two other RedHawks are scoring in double-figures, including Morgan Safford with 15.3 points and Anderson Mirambeaux with 13.4 points. Both players are the top two rebounders on the squad with averages of 6.0 and 5.9, respectively.
IN THE SERIES WITH MIAMI:
» Miami leads the all-time series with Eastern, 53-28, with the two teams trading wins in the last three games.
» The RedHawks hold a 30-7 advantage when playing host to the series in Oxford and have won two in a row.
» In the last meeting, March 4, 2022, the Eagles dropped a 76-63 decision at Miami to close out the first season of play under Head Coach Stan Heath.
» Prior to Miami winning four of the last five games, the Eagles have won six in a row and eight of the previous 10. That streak halted a 16-game winning streak for the RedHawks.
» An Eagle victory Saturday would not only snap an overall five-game losing streak, it would end a two-game slide against Miami in Oxford. A win would come one day shy of exactly one year since the last win, an 85-75 home win, Jan. 29, 2022, while standing one day past five years since EMU's last win in Oxford, a 58-48 decision, Jan. 27 2018, over the RedHawks.
QUICK REVIEW • TOLEDO: Emoni Bates scored 43 points, but the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team fell to the University of Toledo Rockets, 84-79, on the road Tuesday inside Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio.
Bates added seven rebounds to his 43-point game to lead the Eagles (4-16, 1-6 MAC). With his point total, Bates recorded the sixth-highest point total in a game nationally this season and the most in the MAC, surpassing his own game high of 36 he scored at the University of South Carolina, Dec. 30. The 16th different player to score 40 points this year nationally, Bates' 43 points rank as the ninth-most in a single game in program history. Additionally, Bates, who scored 27-consecutive points in the first half, drained nine three-point baskets, tied for the second-most in a game in program history and ninth-most in a game this year nationally.
Noah Farrakhan helped out with 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists and Jalin Billingsley chipped in with six points and career-high three blocks.
The Eastern Michigan offense made hay from beyond the arc, pouring in 11 threes on 26 attempts. Bates hit nine treys for the Eagles in the contest.
After falling behind, 17-12, Eastern Michigan went on a 6-0 run with 11:23 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Bates, to take an 18-17 lead. The Eagles then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down, 36-35. After intermission, Eastern Michigan managed to gain control and had a 50-47 lead before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Farrakhan's jumper, to grow the lead to 57-47 with 12:08 to go in the contest. Toledo then asserted control, out-scoring the Eagles, 37-22, the rest of the way to hand Eastern Michigan the 84-79 loss.
BATES TAKES OFF AT TOLEDO: The performance Emoni Bates put on at Toledo, Jan. 24, is one of the best in program history and ranks highly in both the Mid-American Conference and NCAA this year for single-game excellence. Bates finished the game with 43 points on 15-of-23 shooting, including 9-of-14 shooting from three, and was 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He also added seven rebounds and one assist while playing 40 minutes. Here is a look at where he ranks:
IN THE NCAA THIS SEASON
» His 43 points are tied for the sixth-most in a single game (through Jan. 24 games).
» His 43 points mark the 18th time a player has scored 40+ in a game in NCAA Division I this year.
» He is one of 15 players to score 40+ points in a game and the only sophomore to do so.
» His nine three-point baskets ties for ninth-most in a single game this year and he is the only sophomore to accomplish the feat.
» He is 1-of-4 players in the NCAA to have two or more games with 8+ three-pointers made.
IN THE MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
» His 43 points are the most scored in a single game this year, surpassing the 36 he scored at South Carolina, Dec. 30, and the 36 Lamar Norman Jr. score for Western Michigan at Houston Christian.
» Since the 2010-11 season, Bates is only the eighth player in the MAC to score 40+ points in a game and the second from EMU, joining Raven Lee.
» The 43 points are the most by a MAC player since CJ Massinburg (Buffalo) also scored 43 at West Virginia, Nov. 9, 2018.
» His 43 points against the Rockets are the most in a MAC game since Jimond Ivey scored 48 for Akron at Ball State, Jan. 27, 2018.
» Bates' nine made triples are the most in a game this season by any MAC player and makes him the only player in the league with two or more games with eight makes this year.
IN EASTERN MICHIGAN HISTORY
» Bates' 43 points rank as the ninth-most in a single game in program history and are the most in a game since Raven Lee scored his school-record 50 at Central Michigan, Feb. 28, 2017.
» The 43 points marks the ninth time this year Bates has scored 20+ in a game, the 11th-most in a single season, with the 14 games standing as the program record.
» Bates is now the first Eagle to score 30+ in three or more games in the same season since 2001-02 when Ricky Cottrill recorded three games in the 30s for the Eagles.
» Bates scored 29 of his points in the first half, the most in the opening half of a game in program history, surpassing the 27 Raven Lee scored at CMU, Feb. 28, 2017.
» His nine made threes tied for the second-most in a game at EMU, equaling Raven Lee (Feb. 2, 2016 vs. Miami) and Derrick Dial (Jan. 5, 1998) on the ledger.
TEN OR MORE: In all but three games so far this season, Emoni Bates has scored in double figures as the sophomore is making his case for one of the top scorers in the MAC and the NCAA. With his 43 points at Toledo, Jan. 24, Bates reached double-figure points for the 16th time in the 19 games he has played while scoring at least 15 points for the 15th time. Additionally, he reached the 20-point mark for the ninth time this year, the 30-point mark for the third time, and the 40-point mark for the first time in his career.
20 AND OVER: With nine games of 20-or-more points this season, Emoni Bates ranks 11th for such games in a season for Eastern, dating back to the 1998-99 season. Should he reach 10 games with 20+ points scored, he would not only move into a tie for the seventh-most such games in a season with current teammate Noah Farrakhan (10 in 2021-22), but would give the Eagles back-to-back seasons with a pair of teammates reaching 10, 20-point games. The last time this happened came with Raven Lee and Elijah Minnie each tallied 13, 20-point games in 2016-17 and 2017-18, respectively.
MORE THAN AVERAGE: Emoni Bates is currently averaging 20.5 points per game, which ranks him second in the MAC and 18th nationally. He also is the highest scoring sophomore in the nation. If Bates is able to finish the year at or above 20.0, he would be the first Eastern player to average more than 20 points per contest for the season since the 2005-06 campaign when both John Bowler and Carlos Medlock accomplished the feat. If he is able to finish at 21.0 points per game or better this year, he would be the first Eagle to do so since Earl Boykins averaged 25.7 in 1997-98.
DOUBLE LEADER: Through the Toledo game, Jan. 24, Emoni Bates is leading the team in both scoring and rebounding as the sophomore is averaging 20.5 points and 5.7 rebounds. If he finishes the season leading both, it would mark the first time an Eagle has finished atop both categories in the same year since 2021-22 when Ty Groce averaged 15.2 and 6.9. Should Bates lead both categories and average over 20.0 points per game, he would be the first to do so since John Bowler averaged 20.1 points and 10.8 rebounds during the 2005-06 season.
CLOSING IN: Following the game at Toledo, Jan. 24, Emoni Bates brought his season total to 390 points, the 32nd-most in the entire NCAA this year. Bates is 64 points away from 454 points that would tie him with Kennedy McIntosh (1968-69) for the 10th-most points scored by a sophomore in program history. To reach the top five, he would need 119 points to tie Brian Tolbert (1993-95) for fifth place with 509 points and is 496 points away from equaling George Gervin's sophomore record when the Ice Man scored 886 points in 1971-72.
CLIMBING HIGHER: Noah Farrakhan continued his climb up the program's all-time scoring ledger as his 14 points scored at Toledo, Jan. 24, brought his career total to 689 points and a tie with Al Jagutis (1967-71) at the No. 72 position on the ledger. Farrakhan is currently averaging 12.9 points per game and, if that holds true to form in the game at Miami, Jan. 28, could see him move past five former Eagles and into the top-70 with over 700 points. Additionally, if Farrakhan were to maintain his current scoring average the rest of the regular season, he would reach the top-50 while surpassing 800 points.
NOT ALL SCORING: While Noah Farrakhan continues his climb up the program's all-time scoring ledger, he also continues to assist teammates on their scoring. Through 20 games played this year, Farrakhan has tallied at least one helper in all 20 contests and has dropped at least one dime in 32 consecutive games dating back to last season. In fact, in his two seasons with the Eagles, Farrakhan has recorded at least one assist in 42-of-45 games played (93.4 percent) for Eastern and, when including his one season with East Carolina (2020-21), he has done so in 49-of-57 career games (85.9 percent).
CLOSE AGAIN: In the past two games - home against Northern Illinois, Jan. 21, and at Toledo, Jan. 24 - Noah Farrakhan has come close to recording his first career double-double, falling just shy of the feat each time. In the game with the Huskies, Farrakhan finished with 26 points and eight rebounds, leaving him two boards shy of the accomplishment. At Toledo, he was even closer as he tallied 14 points and a career-high nine rebounds.
FROM THE STRIPE: Eastern Michigan has found great success from the free throw line this year with the Eagles converting 74.4 percent, which ranks fifth in the MAC. Through 20 games played (Jan. 24), the Eagles have made their way to the stripe 20+ times in 10 games, including in five of the last seven games, in which Eastern is converting at 75.6 percent in those games.
In three of the 10 games EMU has shot more than 20 free throws, it has converted over 85.0 percent of their chances in three of those games and nearly added a fourth after shooting 22-of-26 (84.6 percent) at Akron, Jan. 13. One game prior, at Western Michigan, Jan. 10, Eastern opened the game 14-of-14 from the line before finishing the game 19-of-21 for a 90.5 shooting percentage, the highest the team has posted since shooting 10-of-11 at Ohio, Feb. 3, 2022, a 90.9 conversion rate.
MOVING UP: The Eagles are currently hitting at a 74.4 percent clip from the free throw line this season. As it stands, the current Eagles have the second-best shooting percentage from the line in program history behind the 2020-21 team's 74.5 percent shooting following its 18 game, COVID-shortened season. When looking at teams that played full seasons, the 2007-08 squad leads the way at 72.9 percent following its 31-game slate.
CHARITY CHARTS: On an individual basis, Eastern players rank highly in league standings in regards to free-throw shooting with Tyson Acuff (78.7), Legend Geeter (78.3), Emoni Bates (76.9), and Noah Farrakhan (72.4) all ranking in the top 25. Their percentages in conference-only statistics all have them in the top 25 of the MAC as well with Bates sitting 11th (82.2), Farrakhan 12th (82.1), and Acuff 23rd (72.0). Geeter is not on the list as he doesn't have enough attempts to qualify in MAC play.
Overall, Eastern is the one of two schools to have four players ranked in the top 25 for free throw shooting in conference games, joining Toledo as the only two schools with four.
DOING IT ALL: Tyson Acuff finds himself ranked in the top 25 in several categories on the MAC statistics charts, including points, assists, free throw percentage, and steals. The sophomore floor general currently ranks 25th in the league with 12.4 points per game while converting 78.7 percent of his free throw attempts, which ranks 15th. With the ball in his hands, Acuff ranks 14th with 2.8 assists and standing 12th with 1.4 steals per game.
WAY DOWNTOWN: The Eagles connected on 11 three-point baskets, including nine from Emoni Bates, to extend the program's streak to 571 games in a row with at least one triple drained. Bates hit his first of four in a row to open the game with 13:18 remaining in the first half of play to extend the streak. The last time the Eagles failed to hit from downtown came Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami held Eastern to 0-of-7 from three.
HOME COOKING: According to the latest update from College Basketball Reference, Jan. 25, the Eagles currently rank fourth nationally in regards to points scored per game by in-state players with Eastern averaging 53.4 points per game from its Michigan-born players. Northern Iowa (68.5), Youngstown State (59.0), and Northern Colorado (54.3) rank just ahead of EMU. Additional research through 20 games played shows that those same in-state players have accounted for 73.9 percent of the team's scoring with Michigan-born Eagles having collected 1,068 of the team's 1,445 points.
UP NEXT: The Eagles return to their home court Tuesday, Jan. 31, when the Bobcats of Ohio University visit the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip and will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley and Justin Rose on the call and Dannie Rogers reporting from the sideline. Tom Helmer, the Voice of the Eagles, and Greg Steiner will call the game on WEMU (89.1 FM) and on the Varsity Network app.
