Eagles Travel to Syracuse for a Date with the Orange

Men's Basketball at Syracuse
Date	Monday, Dec. 19 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Syracuse, N.Y. \| Carrier Dome (35,446)
Game Notes	EMU Game Notes \| Syracuse Game Notes
Live Stats	EMUEagles.com
Watch	ESPNU \| WatchESPN
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) -- On the heels of a non-conference loss on the road, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team travels to Syracuse, N.Y. to square off with Syracuse University Monday night, Dec. 19, at the Carrier Dome. The Eagles (6-4) and Orange (6-4) will square off as Head Coach Rob Murphy returns to Syracuse for the fourth time since departing the SU staff as an assistant following the 2010-11 campaign.

Eastern is coming off of disappointing 82-74 loss at the University of Vermont Saturday, Dec. 17, where it trailed for 35 minutes and 31 seconds of the contest at Patrick Gymnasium. Despite shooting 44.3 percent, the Catamounts outshot EMU at a 48.3 percent clip. Syracuse is coming off of a 78-71 loss at home to Georgetown in a game honoring the legacy of Orange-great Pearl Washington.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Syracuse matchup will have both audio and video coverage on Monday evening. Fans can dial into 89.1 FM or listen over the internet at WEMU.org to hear the smooth sounds of veteran play-by-play voice, Chad Bush. Joining Bush on the call this season as the analyst will be Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director Sean Hostetter. Coverage on 89.1 WEMU will begin 10 minutes prior to the tip of each game this year.

In addition to the WEMU broadcast, the Eagles' game at the Carrier Dome will be broadcast live online on ESPNU. The play-by-play man for Monday's action will be Jay Alter, while Dalen Cuff will breakdown the game as the commentator. In addition, the game can be streamed live via ESPN3 at WatchESPN.com or on the WatchESPN app on your mobile devices if you have a television subscription to ESPN.

ALL-TIME VERSUS THE ORANGE: Monday evening's 7 p.m. contest will be the fifth time that EMU and Syracuse meet on the hardwood. Eastern Michigan has dropped three of its four games versus the Orange. Most recently, the Eagles fell in the Carrier Dome, 70-48, to No. 2-ranked Syracuse, Dec. 31, 2013.

In the last dance with the Orange, Glenn Bryant recorded a season-high 19 points to lead Eastern in scoring, also grabbing a team-best eight rebounds. The redshirt senior was on the receiving end of four alley-oops while shooting 8-of-11 throughout the contest. Ray Lee converted 4-of-5 from beyond the arc as the only other Eagle in double digits.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE ORANGE...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
1	Frank Howard	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-5	205	7.6	2.4	6.5	Suitland, Md.-Paul VI
3	Andrew White III	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-7	210	16.4	3.7	1.6	Richmond, Va.-Miller School
4	John Gillon	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-0	178	9.6	1.7	3.6	Houston, Texas-Strake Jesuit
20	Tyler Lyndon	F	So.-So.	6-9	223	11.8	7.4	1.7	Elizaville, N.Y.-New Hampton School
32	Dajuan Coleman	C	Sr.-Sr.	6-9	258	6.6	5.9	0.3	Jamesville, N.Y.-Jamesville-DeWitt

LAST TIME OUT: The Eagles' offense continued to roll on Saturday, Dec. 17, in an 82-74 loss at Vermont. Despite dropping the contest, the Green and White shot 44.3 percent from the floor, connecting on nine three point buckets. However, Vermont's offensive attack was too much for EMU, shooting 48.3 percent, while turning the ball over just seven times.

Willie Mangum IV led the squad with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting, connecting on five three pointers while Tim Bond posted 15 points. Jordan Nobles set a career-high in scoring with 14 points, while pouring in a pair of three-pointers. James Thompson IV had a career day as well, grabbing 21 rebounds, 13 points, three blocks, and three assists.

NOBLES KNOCKING IT OUT: Canton, Mich. native Jordan Nobles has put together back-to-back career scoring games, notching 13 points in the Eagles' victory over Siena Heights, Dec. 11, before pouring in 14 in the setback at Vermont, Dec. 17. In addition to his career-high in points, the redshirt-sophomore connected on a pair of threes, which is also a career-best for the 6-foot-9 forward.

NOT LOOSE WITH THE LID: Over the last three-game span, the Eagles have turned the ball over eight or less times in each game, including a low of five versus Siena Heights. Over the three-game set the Green and White is averaging just seven turnovers per contest.

TURNOVER POINTS NEEDED: The Eagles have won the points off turnover battle in every game this season, except for their loss at Vermont. In the contest in Burlington, Vt., the Green and White had just 11 points off turnovers while the Catamounts grabbed 15 points off of Eastern Michigan miscues to defeat Eastern.

THOMPSON TAKES CHARGE ON THE GLASS: EMU sophomore James Thompson IV put together the best rebounding performance by an Eagle since Kareem Carpenter grabbed 27 rebounds versus Western Michigan, Feb. 8, 1995, by grabbing 21 rebounds in Eastern's 82-74 loss at Vermont, Dec. 17. Of Thompson's 21 rebounds, 11 of them came on the offensive end.

TIES TO THE ORANGE: Eastern Michigan's men's basketball program has a few ties to Syracuse University. The Eagles' head coach, Rob Murphy, spent seven years as an assistant coach under Jim Boeheim with the Orange. Additionally, graduate assistant Ebony Heckstall graduated from Syracuse in 2008.

DEFENSIVE PARODY: Both Eastern Michigan and Syracuse run the 2-3 zone defensively and each of them run it almost exclusively. The 2-3 zone has caused fits for both EMU and SU opponents this season. Eastern forces teams into 18.9 turnovers per game, while the Orange own a +2.4 turnover margin, forcing teams into 14.3 miscues per contest.

RECORD BREAKING DAY: In EMU's win over Siena Heights, Dec. 11, the Eagles set a Convocation Center record by scoring 117 points. That number marked the most points scored by Eastern Michigan since its home arena opened in 1998. Additionally, the team had 26 assists on the day, breaking the previous single-game record of 25, a record that was set during the 2004-05 season. On the defensive side, EMU stole the ball 17 times, tying the third-most in program history.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY: Eastern Michigan has become known as one of the most active teams defensively and the numbers back up that claim. The Eagles have racked up a total of 117 steals this season, which ranks as the fifth-most in the NCAA as of Dec. 18. Additionally, their average of 12.6 steals per game are the second-best in the nation.

Individually, the Green and White boast five student-athletes who averaged one-or-more steal per contest, including Tim Bond, Ray Lee, Willie Mangum IV, Baylee Steele and Ty Toney. Bond, Lee, Mangum and Toney make up four of the top-five spots in the Mid-American Conference with Bond, Mangum and Toney leading the MAC with 2.2 steals per game.

EAGLES OFFENSE SOARING: Despite being known for their defensive activity, the Green and White's offense should not be overlooked. Eastern Michigan ranks 22ns in the NCAA and second in the MAC with 84.8 points per game. In addition, EMU's offense has been extremely efficient, shooting at a blistering 47 percent on the season, which ranks 79th in the country, while it is also the second-best mark in the league.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE: This season, Eastern Michigan has won the turnover battle in all but two contests. Additionally, the Green and White have forced more than 15 turnovers in seven of the Eagles' nine games this season. In total, EMU owns a +8.3 turnover margin, good for the second-best in the NCAA. As a team, Eastern Michigan turns the ball over just 11.9 times per contest, while forcing the opposition into 20.2 per game.

PLENTY OF OPTIONS: EMU has proven to have plenty of options on the offensive end of the floor this season. In fact, the Eagles are the only team in the Mid-American Conference with three student-athletes averaging 15-or-more points per contest. Willie Mangum IV leads the Green and White with 17.5 points per contest, good for fifth in the MAC, while Ray Lee's 17.4 points per game is eighth in the conference and James Thompson IV's 15.6 is 12th-best in the league.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING: As of Dec. 18, the Eagles are near the top of the country in multiple categories. Ray Lee is the 11th active leading scorer in the country with 1,575 career points scored. Additionally, James Thompson IV is one of the best rebounders in the country with 120 total rebounds, ranking 12th, while his 12 per game are good for third in the country. Thompson has seven double-doubles this year, which are the seventh-most in NCAA Division I basketball, and his 5.3 offensive rebounds per game ranks third. Tim Bond, Willie Mangum IV and Ty Toney have emerged as two of the top defensive players in the country as well. The EMU guard duo each have 22 total steals which ranks as the 42nd-most in the country, while their 2.2 swipes per game are tied for the 33rd best in NCAA Division I basketball.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE: EMU sophomore James Thomspon IV has proven to be one of the premier frontcourt players in the Mid-American Conference and country through his short time at Eastern Michigan. The Baton Rouge, La. native has racked up 26 double-doubles in just 43 games donning the Green and White. That number ranks as the seventh-most double-doubles recorded in EMU history. The 6-foot-10 forward needs just one more to jump up to sixth in the all-time rankings.

CHARITY CHAMPIONS: A season ago, EMU converted 72.1 percent of its free throw attempts, marking the third-best free throw percentage as a team in Eastern Michigan history. To this point of the season, the 2016-17 Eagles are hitting their free throws at an 74.1 percent clip, which would break the EMU all-time record of 72.9 percent.

In addition, EMU's Ray Lee has continued to show his worth at the free throw line in the early goings of this year. The Detroit, Mich. native ranks eighth overall in EMU history for free throws made (394), while also being tied for 10th in career free throw percentage (.785).

ON THE HORIZON: Following their Monday evening contest with Syracuse, the Eagles return home to for a Thursday afternoon matchup with Marygrove University. Eastern Michigan will meet up with the Mustangs, Thursday, Dec. 22, at 2 p.m. in the Convocation Center.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Ray Lee

Willie Mangum IV

Jordan Nobles

Baylee Steele

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

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