Eastern Returns Home to Take on Cleveland State Saturday

Men's Basketball vs. Cleveland State
Date	Saturday, Nov. 18, at 1 p.m.
Venue	George Gervin GameAbove Center (8,754) \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF) \| Digital Programs
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM) \| The Varsity Network App \| Eastern Insider Podcast
Twitter	@EMU_MBB \| @EMUAthletics
Fan Information	Purchase Tickets

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team is scheduled to host Cleveland State University in a 1 p.m. contest Saturday, Nov. 18, in the opening game of a doubleheader with the EMU women's basketball team. EMU will be renaming the court inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in honor of former head coach Ben Braun ahead of the men's game.

ON AIR
Eastern Michigan and Cleveland State will air on ESPN+. Brent Balbinot and Justin Rose will be on the call. Tom Helmer will have the call live on WEMU Radio (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network App.

OPENING TIPS
»   Eastern Michigan dropped a 100-57 decision to 10th-ranked Florida Atlantic, Nov. 14, in front of a raucous FAU school-record 3,161 fans in the Owls' home opener after making the Final Four in 2023.
»   Redshirt sophomore Legend Geeter was an efficient 6-for-7 from the floor, equaling his career high with 13 points.
»   Junior Tyson Acuff scored 20 points to lead the way for EMU, going 7-for-16 from the floor. Acuff has scored 20-plus points in a game five times in his career.
»   The Eagles are scheduled for their first of five doubleheaders with the EMU women's basketball team as the men's team battles Cleveland State at 1 p.m. with a pregame ceremony to rename the court inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in honor of former head coach Ben Braun. The EMU women's squad is scheduled to take on SIUE at approximately 3:30 p.m.
»   Eastern Michigan's Stan Heath is in his third year at the helm of the Eagles, holding an 19-46 record at EMU and 228-253 record over 16 years as a head coach. Fifty of NCAA Division I's head coaches are coaching their alma mater, up from 48 in 2022-23.

BEN BRAUN COURT NAMING
Ben Braun accepted the position of associate head coach at Eastern Michigan prior to the start of the 1985-86 season, but midway through the year, on Jan. 15, 1986, he was elevated to interim head coach. Success came quickly; within two years, he had the Eagles in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

In his 10+ seasons as EMU head coach, he led Eastern to arguably its most successful decade, finishing as the winningest head coach in program history with a 185-132 record. During his tenure, he was named MAC Coach of the Year three times (1987-88, 1990-91, 1995-96), directed the men's basketball team to multiple Mid-American Conference Regular Season and MAC Tournament Championships (1987-88, 1990-91, 1995-96), and led EMU to three NCAA postseason tournament appearances (1987-88, 1990-91, 1995-96), including a 'Sweet 16' appearance in 1990-91.

Braun's teams earned 10 wins against "Power Five" and other premier opponents – including Duke, Penn State, Mississippi State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Rutgers, Colorado, Washington State, and Texas Tech – while dominating traditional rivals Western Michigan, Central Michigan, and Toledo with a record of 50-19. Subsequent to beating Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, one of the greatest coaches in basketball history said, "I've been impressed with Ben for a long time. He has such high personal standards as a coach...and a special appreciation for the game of basketball. His teams are not only fundamentally sound, but they are smart." From a legendary coach, there is no higher praise in basketball.

Braun ranks 12th in league history with a .572 winning percentage (174-130) and 15th in conference-only winning percentage at 103-79 (.556). The only coach in EMU postseason history to win an NCAA Tournament game, he finished his tenure 3-3 in NCAA Tournament games.

TYSON ACUFF FOR 20 POINTS
Junior Tyson Acuff scored a season-high 20 points against 10th-ranked Florida Atlantic, Nov. 14, in a 7-for-16 shooting performance. Acuff has netted 20-plus points five times in his career, all of which have come at EMU.

TYSON ACUFF 13-13 FREE THROWS
Junior Tyson Acuff is 13-for-13 from the free throw line to start the 2023-24 season, including a 7-for-7 showing against Georgia Southern, Nov. 11. Acuff is one of 11 players in the country with at least 13 makes and a perfect free throw percentage to start the season. Only eight players in the nation have more free throw makes with a perfect percentage. Acuff's 7-for-7 performance from the free throw line marks the most free throws made without a miss by the junior in his career, topping his 5-for-5 performances at Bowling Green State University, Feb. 28, 2023, and at University of Rhode Island, Feb. 26, 2022, while he was at Duquesne. His seven makes also tie a career high.

TYSON ACUFF MILESTONES COMING SOON-ISH
Junior Tyson Acuff has a pair of milestones on the horizon as the transfer from Duquesne sits at 93 career three-point makes and 715 career points. Acuff netted 38 three-pointers and 239 points in his two seasons at Duquesne.

LEGEND GEETER CAREER-HIGH 13 POINTS
Resdshirt sophomore Legend Geeter was an efficient 6-for-7 from the floor against 10th-ranked Florida Atlantic, Nov. 14, equaling his career high with 13 points, which he scored at Illinois State University, Dec. 7, 2022. Geeter's six made field goals are a career high.

CYRIL MARTYNOV CAREER-HIGH FIVE POINTS
Sophomore Cyril Martynov scored a career-high five points against Florida Atlantic, Nov. 14, in 14 minutes of action. Martynov was 2-for-3 from the floor and tallied his first made free throw as an Eagle.

MT. MARTYNOV, SEVEN-FOOTER
Sophomore Cyril Martynov stands at seven feet tall and is one of five players in the MAC scaling at least seven feet, per each MAC school's official website. Miami's Reece Potter is the tallest in the conference at 7'1 while Bowling Green's Jason Spurgin, Central Michigan's Hunter Harding, and Western Michigan's Javonte Brown are all 7-foot.

PRANGER'S FIRST ACTION OF 2023-24
Redshirt freshman Derik Pranger saw his first action of the 2023-24 season at 10th-ranked Florida Atlantic, Nov. 14. Pranger played four minutes.

SEEKING 2-0 HOME START
Eastern Michigan is seeking a 2-0 start at home for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons. EMU started 1-1 at the George Gervin GameAbove Center in 2022-23 after topping Wayne State University, Nov. 7, 2022, before falling vs. University of California San Diego, Nov. 11, 2022. EMU won five-straight to open the 2021-22 home slate. EMU also started the 2020-21 home scheduled 1-1 but had a streak of 10-straight seasons with a 3-0 or better start at home starting with the 2011-12 campaign.

85-97 AGAINST THE HORIZON LEAGUE
Eastern Michigan is 85-97 against current Horizon League schools, including a 23-9 record against Cleveland State. EMU's 23 wins against CSU are the most against any Horizon League school. The Eagles have played the University of Detroit Mercy 88 times (22-62), 56 more games than any other school as Cleveland State and Eastern have played 32 times.

THREE UNIQUE LINEUPS IN FIRST THREE GAMES
Eastern Michigan has used a trio of different lineups in the opening three games of the 2023-24 season. Three different players (redshirt junior John McGriff, junior Tyson Acuff, and redshirt sophomore Legend Geeter) have started each game. Freshman Arne Osojnik has started two games while redshirt junior Connor Serven and junior Jalin Billingsley have each started one game.

THR33-POINT STR3AK, 585-STRAIGHT GAM3S
Eastern, which hit two threes against Florida Atlantic, Nov. 11, has now hit at least one triple in 585-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when Miami held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc.

NEW FOE, WHO DIS?
The Eagles are scheduled to play three first-time opponents as they meet Butler (Nov. 6), Georgia Southern (Nov. 11), and Central Arkansas (Nov. 25). EMU dropped a 94-55 decision against Butler before beating Georgia Southern, 70-60.

WHO'S BACK??
EMU returns 10 players from its 2022-23 roster including juniors Tyson Acuff, Jalin Billingsley, Yusuf Jihad, Kevin-David Rice, and Andrew Wells; redshirt sophomores Legend Geeter, Javantae Randle, and Prakash Ketterhagen; sophomore Orlando Lovejoy; and redshirt freshman Derik Pranger.

WHO'S GONE??
EMU lost six players from its 2022-23 roster including Emoni Bates (2nd Round pick in NBA Draft), Noah Farrakhan (transfer to West Virginia), Derek Ballard Jr. (graduation), Luka Savicevic (transfer to Lafayette), Collin Golson Jr. (transfer to Wayne State), and JZ Zaher (transfer to Bowling Green).

WHAT'S GONE??
EMU lost 1,114 of its 2,239 points (49.8%) from the 2022-23 season, most notably being the program's 15th NBA draftee as Emoni Bates was picked in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers (49th overall).

FRESH FACES
EMU added six newcomers to its 2023-24 roster including redshirt juniors John McGriff (Binghamton), Julius Ellerbe (East Central CC), Connor Serven (Illinois), and Micah Schnyders (Wheaton College), sophomore Cyril Martynov (Georgia Tech), and freshman Arne Osojnik (Ljubljana, Slovenia).

PRESEASON SECOND-TEAM ALL-MAC
Junior Tyson Acuff was named Preseason Second-Team All-MAC, Nov. 1. Acuff started 30-of-31 games in 2022-23, averaging 14.3 points per game to go with 2.7 rebounds per game, and a team-leading 2.8 assists per game. His 81.3 free throw percentage ranked eighth in the MAC. Acuff also led EMU with 1.3 steals per game. His season was highlighted by a 36-point output against Toledo, Feb. 11, which was the third-highest point total by a MAC player in the 2022-23 season.

2023-24 PRESEASON ALL-MAC TEAMS
First Team
Ali Ali, Guard, Akron, Sr.
Enrique Freeman, Forward, Akron, Sr.
Chris Payton, Forward, Kent State, Grad.
Jaylin Hunter, Guard, Ohio, Sr.
Dante Maddox Jr., Guard, Toledo, Jr.

Second Team
Tyson Acuff, Guard, Eastern Michigan, Jr.
Jalen Sullinger, Guard, Kent State, Jr.
Anderson Mirambeaux, Center, Miami, Sr.
David Coit, Guard, Northern Illinois, Jr.
AJ Brown, Guard, Ohio, So.

PRESEASON PICKED 11TH
After finishing tied for ninth in 2022-23, Eastern Michigan was picked 11th in the MAC preseason coaches' poll.

2023-24 Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Akron (11) – 121
2. Kent State – 104
3. Ohio (1) – 102
4. Toledo – 93
5. Northern Illinois – 82
T6. Bowling Green – 64
T6. Miami – 64
8. Ball State – 55
9. Buffalo – 38
10. Western Michigan – 33
11. Eastern Michigan – 22
12. Central Michigan – 14

Tournament Champion: Akron (9), Kent State (1), Ohio (1), Toledo (1)

HALF MICHIGAN-MADE
Half of the Eastern Michigan 16-player roster hails from Michigan while Illinois (two), Maryland (two), Colorado (one) are represented, as well as a pair of international student-athletes with one from Canada and another from Slovenia. A complete breakdown of the EMU roster can be found on page 10.

DOUBLEHEADER DAY
The Eagles are scheduled to play five double-headers with the EMU women's basketball team in 2023-24 with four of the five double-headers taking place in Ypsilanti. Both the EMU men's and women's teams will play Nov.18 (men vs. Cleveland State, women vs. SIUE), Jan. 6 (men vs. Kent State, women vs. Toledo), Jan. 20 (at Ohio), Jan. 27 (men vs. Buffalo, women vs. Ball State), Feb. 17 (men vs. Bowling Green, women vs. Northern Illinois). The EMU men also hosted a doubleheader with the EMU's volleyball team, Nov. 11. Men's basketball beat Georgia Southern, 70-60, while volleyball beat Kent State in straight sets.

EMONI BATES NBA + G-LEAGUE
Former Eagle Emoni Bates played his first significant minutes in the NBA, Oct. 31, for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the New York Knicks as the rookie netted nine points with six rebounds in 23 minutes. Bates later sent shockwaves through the G-League in his first game with the Cleveland Charge, scoring 29 points with seven made three-pointers, Nov. 10, in Cleveland's 119-106 win over the Wisconsin Herd.

NEXT UP
Eastern Michigan is scheduled to travel to the University of Detroit Mercy, Nov. 21, for a 7 p.m. game.

FOLLOW US
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).

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Players Mentioned

Tyson Acuff

Derek Ballard Jr.

Emoni Bates

Jalin Billingsley

Julius Ellerbe

Noah Farrakhan

Legend Geeter

Yusuf Jihad

Prakash Ketterhagen

Orlando Lovejoy

Cyril Martynov

John McGriff

Arne Osojnik

Derik Pranger

Javantae Randle

Kevin-David Rice

Luka Savicevic

Micah Schnyders

Connor Serven

Andrew Wells

JZ Zaher

Eastern Michigan Athletics