Eastern MBB Set to Host Central Michigan Saturday

Men's Basketball vs. Central Michigan
Date	Saturday, Jan. 7 \| 2 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| George Gervin GameAbove Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF) \| Digital Game Programs
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 WEMU-FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team is to play host to Central Michigan University Saturday, Jan. 7, in the first of back-to-back games against intrastate rivals as the Chippewas come to town for a 2 p.m. Mid-American Conference tilt inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The Eagles (3-11, 0-1 MAC) are coming off a home loss to Bowling Green State University in their MAC opener, Jan. 3, while the Chippewas (6-8, 1-0 MAC) won their opener at home over Miami University. The game will be the 205th in the all-time series.
    The game will air live on ESPN3 with Ryan Wooley and Greg Steiner 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 first played CMU in 1906 and this week's contest will mark the 205th meeting between the two schools, by far the most with any opponent (Western Michigan, 117).
» The game with CMU will mark the first of three games this year Eastern will play against both CMU and Western Michigan with the Michigan MAC Trophy on the line. The Eagles reclaimed the trophy last year.
» The Eagles connected on three, three-point shots against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, to mark the 565th game in a row they have knocked down at least one triple in a game.
» In the game with Bowling Green, Jan. 3, the Eagles were 26-of-33 from the charity stripe, setting season highs for both makes and attempts. The 26 makes marked the seventh time this year (in 14 games) Eastern has converted at least 20 free throw attempts in a game.
» The 23 made free throws are the most for Eastern in a MAC game since it went 31-of-39 at home against Miami in a 94-69 win, Feb. 2, 2016.
» Emoni Bates continues to lead the MAC in scoring with his 20.3 points per game average, which also ranks 16th in the NCAA. Bates has reached double-figure scoring in 12 of his 13 games played this year.
» Yusuf Jihad and Javantae Randle finished with seven and six rebounds, respectively, against Bowling Green, Jan. 3. It marks the sixth game this year with at least two players pulling down at least six boards.
» With one more victory, the Eagles will secure their 675th win as a member of NCAA Division I.

MICHIGAN MAC TROPHY: Eastern reclaimed the Michigan MAC Trophy last year with a 3-1 record against both Central Michigan (2-0) and Western Michigan (1-1), bringing the trophy to Ypsilanti for the fourth time. Created by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, the trophy is given annually to the winner of the three-time basketball series. Should the Eagles retain the crown, it would mark the second time Eastern has won the title in back-to-back seasons with the first coming with Eastern's first two wins; the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Additionally, retaining the title would mark the first time the Eagles would capture the title in both football and basketball in the same academic year.

SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas enter the game with a 6-8 overall record and stand 1-1 in the MAC after downing visiting Miami, 68-56, Jan. 3. Winners of two in a row, including a 63-61 win at Michigan, Dec. 29, CMU is 1-5 on the road after capturing their first road victory this year with its win in Ann Arbor. The Chippewas have a pair of players ranked among the top 15 in the MAC in scoring, including Jesse Zarzuela, who is 11th with 14.7 points per game, and Brian Taylor, who is tied for 13th with 14.5 points per contest. Taylor leads the team on the glass as he is averaging 6.1 rebounds per game.

IN THE SERIES WITH CENTRAL MICHIGAN:
» CMU leads the all-time series, 104-100, but Eastern has won the last two meetings, including a sweep of the two games played last season.
» In the last meeting, the Eagles posted a 99-68 victory, Feb. 5, 2022, in Mount Pleasant. Earlier in the season, the Eagles won, 85-79, in Ypsilanti, Jan. 11, 2022.
» Eastern holds a 56-41 record when the series is played in Ypsilanti with the two teams trading wins in each of the last five contests (EMU is 3-2 in that span).
» Eastern, who is entering its 205th game with Central Michigan, won the first meeting in the series, 24-19, when the teams met in Mount Pleasant, Feb. 9, 1906. This includes a stretch of seven seasons (1967-68 through 1973-74) in which the two teams did not play.
» Since joining the MAC in time for the 1974-75 season, the Eagles are 55-43 against the Chippewas and hold a 32-17 record when the two teams play in Ypsilanti.
» This year marks the first time since the 1977-78 season in which the EMU and CMU will not meet twice in the regular season. The last time it happened saw CMU win, 79-67, Feb. 4, 1978, in Ypsilanti.

MANY MEETINGS: This week's game will mark the 205th all-time meeting between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, by far the most of any series the Eagles have played. The next closest is the Eagles' series with Western Michigan, which has been played 117 times, with Ball State (113) and Toledo (112) right behind.

BACK IN THE DAY: The rivalry with Central Michigan dates back to the 1905-06 season. The series began with Eastern's 24-19 win in Mount Pleasant, Feb. 9, 1906, and makes the series the sixth-oldest on the books for the Eagles. The five series that started earlier are with Detroit Mercy (1897-98), Albion (1898-99), Michigan State (1900-01), Hillsdale (1902-03), and Adrian (1903-04).

QUICK REVIEW • BOWLING GREEN: The Eastern Michigan men's basketball team fell to visiting Bowling Green, 91-65, in both teams' Mid-American Conference opener, Jan. 3, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The Eagles (3-11, 0-1 MAC) had two players score in double figures, led by Emoni Bates, who had 15 points and two steals, while Tyson Acuff added 14 points and two steals.
    Javantae Randle added a career-high eight points, and his six rebounds were one shy of his career-best he recorded one game prior at the University of South Carolina, Dec. 30. Randle pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace the Eastern Michigan offense which grabbed 19 boards and turned them into 17 second chance points.
    Eastern Michigan struggled out of the gate, falling behind, 45-34, heading into halftime. Bowling Green kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 50-35 advantage before Eastern Michigan went on a 7-0 run to shrink the deficit to 50-42 with 16:42 to go in the contest. Bowling Green responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 91-65. Eastern Michigan got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 10 of its 31 total points.

QUICK NOTES • BOWLING GREEN GAME:
» Emoni Bates reached double-digit scoring for the 12th time in his 13 games played for the Eagles as he finished with a team-high 15 points on the night. He finished with a career-high 11 free throws made on 14 attempts, also a career mark. His previous career-best came twice earlier in the season when the sophomore converted on seven free throw attempts at Florida International, Nov. 30, and versus Florida Atlantic, Dec. 4.
» Tyson Acuff opened the game scoring the Eagles' first seven points as he was 2-of-3 from the floor (1-of-2 from three) and 2-of-2 from the line. That opening run tied his total game output from his previous competition as he scored seven at South Carolina, Dec. 30. Against BGSU, Acuff finished with 14 points with all three of the team's three-pointers while also tying for the team lead in both steals (two) and assists (one).
» Acuff hit a three-point shot with 15:20 remaining in the first half to extend Eastern's streak to 565 games in a row with at least made.
» Javantae Randle scored a career-high eight points, doubling his previous career best of four points he scored twice earlier this year, most recently at Oakland University, Nov. 19. Randle finished the game with eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor and added six rebounds, one shy of his career high.
» The Eagles were sent to the charity stripe a season-high 33 times where the Green and White converted on 26 of those attempts, a season-best mark. Previously, EMU attempted 27 free throws against the University of Michigan, Nov. 11, and converted 23 from the charity stripe against the University of Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18.
» Orlando Lovejoy scored his first points since the Eagles took on Illinois State, Dec. 7, with his running layup to beat the shot clock midway through the first half. The freshman, who had not scored in his previous three appearances, finished the game with four points on a perfect 2-of-2 shooting to go with one rebound.
» Luka Savicevic logged his first action since the game at Niagara, Dec. 11, as he played 23 minutes on the night. The sophomore finished the game with two points while adding one rebound, one steal, and one the team's two blocked shots.
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 43-55 in the all-time series with the Falcons and saw their current losing streak in the series extend to seven games. Eastern also fell to 22-22 all-time when playing host to the game. The loss is the fifth in a row when the game is played in Ypsilanti.
» The Eagles are now 19-30 in their all-time MAC openers. Eastern also is now 9-14 when its first MAC game is played at home. Eastern is 21-28 all-time in its first home MAC contest (does not necessarily mean first MAC game overall) of the year and has lost six in a row in home openers in league play. The last time the Eagles won their home MAC opener was an 85-63 win over Central Michigan, Jan. 3, 2017, exactly six years ago to the day.

FROM THE STRIPE: In its last two home games, Eastern has made its way to the free throw line more than 26 times in each game and has done well in converting those chances. With a 23-of-26 performance against Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18, and a 26-of-33 showing against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, the Eagles have combined to shoot 49-of-59 (83.1 percent) in those two games. Against the Titans, the 88.5 percent shooting ranked as the eighth-best percentage by any team inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center while the makes and attempts recorded against the Falcons stand as the most this season.

MOVING UP: After its 26-of-33 effort from the line against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, the Eagles continue to move up in the rankings as the team is hitting at a 75.2 percent clip, which ranks fifth in the MAC and 41st nationally. As it stands, the current Eagles have the best shooting percentage from the line in program history with the 2020-21 team's 74.5 percent shooting ranking first 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.

GET TO THE LINE: Eastern was 26-of-33 from the free throw line against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, marking the seventh time this year - and 10th under Stan Heath - the Eagles have connected on 20 or more free throws in a single game. The 26 makes are the most this season, surpassing the 23 made against Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18, and are the second-most under Heath following the 32 made against Illinois State, Nov. 12, 2021, in Heath's home coaching debut with Eastern. Additionally, the 26 makes are the most for Eastern against a MAC foe since Feb. 2, 2016, when the Eagles hit on 31-of-39 shooting at home against Miami.

LONG DISTANCE: The Eagles are connecting on an average of 6.7 three-point baskets per game this year and hitting 34.1 percent of those attempts as well. With three made threes against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, Eastern has connected on at least one made triple in each of its last 565 games in a row. The last time the Eagles failed to hit from downtown came Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami held Eastern to 0-of-7 from three.

DOUBLING UP: Emoni Bates finished the game with Bowling Green with a team-high 15 points to mark the 12th time in 13 games this year he has scored at least 10 points and his 11th with at least 15. Bates is currently averaging 20.3 points per game to lead the MAC and sits 16th nationally. He also is the highest scoring sophomore in the NCAA with Maxwell Lewis of Pepperdine ranked tied for 31st at 19.4 points per game. Bates is connecting on 2.9 made three pointers per game as well, which ranks him third in the conference and 39th nationally.

MAN IN THE MIRROR: In his 18 games with Memphis last year, Emoni Bates scored 25 three-point baskets, hitting at least one in 14 of those contests. Through 13 games played this year, Bates has already drained 38 deep shots. Additionally, during his time with the Tigers, Bates tallied three or more made triples in a game three times, something he has done eight times this year. Bates also has passed several other season totals from last year as he has already surpassed his 59 made field goals (currently has scored 86) and 59 rebounds (has 74) he pulled down for the Tigers.

MORE THAN AVERAGE: Emoni Bates is currently averaging 20.3 points per game, which ranks him first in the MAC and 12th 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.

CLEANING GLASS: Entering the game at South Carolina, Dec. 30, Javantae Randle had recorded 14 total rebounds, including a career-high four against Purdue Fort Wayne, Nov. 22, at the Cancun Challenge. In his past two games, Randle has nearly doubled his rebounding total as he pulled down 13 total boards, including seven at South Carolina and six against Bowling Green, Jan. 3. Included in those rebounds were six offensive boards, including four against the Falcons.

MORE BOARDS: With Javantae Randle's six rebounds and Yusuf Jihad's seven against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, the Eagles have now had at least two players record at least six rebounds in six games this year. Additionally, the Eagles have accomplished this feat in three consecutive games after Legend Geeter (seven) and Emoni Bates (six) did so against Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18, and Randle (seven) and Bates (six) did so at South Carolina, Dec. 30.

ROBIN HOOD: Through 14 games this year, the Eagles are averaging 6.64 steals per game as a team with three players currently ranked in the top 20 in the MAC. Those three Eagles include Tyson Acuff, who is eighth at 1.4 steals per game (18 steals in 13 games); Orlando Lovejoy, who is 17th at 1.2 (17 in 14 games); and Legend Geeter, who is 20th at 1.1 (16 in 14 games).

HAPPY TO HELP: Against Bowling Green, Jan. 3, both Tyson Acuff and Noah Farrakhan recorded one assist to maintain their stay among the top 20 in the MAC as the duo rank 13th (2.8) and 17th (2.6), respectively. For the season, Farrakhan has recorded at least one assist in all 14 games he has played while Acuff has tallied at least one helper in 12 of the 13 he has played.

HOME COOKING: According to the latest update from College Basketball Reference, Jan. 4, the Eagles currently rank third nationally in regards to points scored per game by in-state players with Eastern averaging 54.9 points per game from its Michigan-born players. Northern Iowa (67.4) and Youngstown State (59.3) rank just ahead of the Eagles. Additional research through 14 games played this year shows that those same in-state players have accounted for 74.8 percent of the team's scoring with Michigan-born Eagles having collected 769 of the team's 1,028 points so far in 2022-23.

MILESTONE WATCH: Heading into the season, several wins can help the Eagles reach several milestone victories. With the win over Detroit Mercy, Dec. 18, Eastern now needs 13 more wins to bring its all-time victory total to 1,350 while one more win would mark 675 all-time wins as an NCAA Division I member. On the home front, the Eagles are now five wins from 225 victories inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.

UP NEXT: Eastern is back in action Tuesday, Jan. 10, when it ventures to Kalamazoo, Mich., to face intrastate rival Western Michigan University in a 7 p.m. tip inside McGuirk Arena. The game between the rivals will be streamed live on ESPN+ and WEMU (89.1 FM).

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Players Mentioned

Tyson Acuff

Emoni Bates

Noah Farrakhan

Legend Geeter

Yusuf Jihad

Orlando Lovejoy

Javantae Randle

Luka Savicevic

Eastern Michigan Athletics