EMU Looks to Get Back On Track at Toledo

Men's Basketball at Toledo
Date	Tuesday, Feb. 7 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Toledo, Ohio \| Savage Arena (7,014)
Game Notes	EMU Game Notes \| UT Game Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN 3
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- After losing its second straight game, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team stays on the road for a Mid-American Conference West Division showdown. The Eagles (13-10, 5-5 MAC) head down US-23 to square off with the University of Toledo, Tuesday, Feb. 7. The Green and White will hit the court against the Rockets (11-12, 4-6 MAC) at 7 p.m. at Savage Arena.

The Green and White come into the MAC West battle following an 81-69 setback on the road at Northern Illinois, Feb. 4. It was the Eagles' second loss in as many games, and it dropped them into third place in the division.

For the Rockets, they have lost their last three games. Most recently, Toledo fell on the road against against cross-divisional rival Bowling Green in a highs scoring, 104-100, affair. The game with the Falcons needed two overtimes to decide the victor of the Battle of I-75

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Toledo matchup will have both audio and video on Tuesday 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 for the conference road game will be analyst Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director Sean Hostetter as well as on-site engineer and Associate Athletic Director Greg Steiner. Coverage on 89.1 WEMU will begin 10 minutes prior to the tip of each game this year.

For those wishing to watch the Eagles' game live, tune into ESPN3, where Mason Lowry will call the UT versus EMU contest. Jay Gast will join Lowry on the broadcast to provide analysis. Fans can also stream the game on their WatchESPN app as well.

ALL-TIME VERSUS TOLEDO: The Eagles trail in the series with Toledo, as Eastern looks at a tally of 52-48 in favor of the Rockets. Recent history shows that EMU and UT have tended to trade wins back and forth. However, last season the Green and White swept Toledo, winning both regular season matchups before knocking off the Rockets in the first round of the 2016 MAC Tournament at the Convocation Center.

Last season, Eastern Michigan defeated Toledo, 91-85, at home, Feb. 20, to start the series before traveling to Savage Arena and walking away victorious in the final regular season contest of the year, 79-75, March 4. The win at Toledo setup a first round tournament game at the Convocation Center, March 7. The Eagles completed the sweep with a 69-60 win.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE ROCKETS...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
1	Jonathan Williams	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-3	200	20.6	3.0	2.6	Southfield, Mich.-Lathrup
13	Jaelan Sanford	G	So.-So.	6-4	195	14.3	1.9	3.1	Evansville, Ind.-Reitz
23	Steve Taylor, Jr.	F	Sr.-Sr.	6-9	240	16.0	12.5	3.8	Chicago, Ill.-Marquette
25	Jordan Lauf	G	Sr.-Sr.	6-5	200	7.6	5.5	1.8	Napoleon, Ohio-Napoleon
35	Nate Navigato	F	So.-So.	6-8	215	9.2	2.7	1.4	Geneva, Ill.-Geneva

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan hit the road to take on Northern Illinois, Feb. 4, and walked away on the wrong end of an 81-69 decision. The loss handed EMU its second straight setback and fifth MAC loss of the year.

The Green and White finished the game 25-of-55 (45.5 percent) from the floor, mirroring the offensive performance from Northern Illinois. The difference came at the free throw line, however, as NIU finished 24-of-29 (82.8 percent), while EMU was 12-of-20 (60 percent). Eastern came out on top in second chance points, 16-10, in addition to also matching the Huskies with seven three pointers. Willie Mangum IV paced the EMU attack, totaling 17 points with four three pointers, along with four assists. Both James Thompson IV and Ty Toney notched 12 points, with Thompson also pitching in seven boards and three assists, while Toney notched two rebounds and two assists.

SCOUTING THE ROCKETS: The Toledo offense is not only one of the best in the Mid-American Conference, but one of the best in the country as well. The Rockets average 81.8 points per game, which is second best in the league. A large part of their success is based on their senior duo of Jonathan Williams and Steve Taylor Jr. From the backcourt, Williams averages 20.6 points per game while shooting at a 45.4 percent clip. In the front court, Taylor is one of the best bigs in the country. He pours in 16 points per contest while pulling down a MAC-best 12.5 rebounds per game. In addition to leading the league in rebounding, Taylor holds down the number three spot in the country in that category.

TRIPLE THE FUN: EMU and Toledo square off twice per year in the regular season because of their affiliation with the West Division in the MAC. However, over the past three seasons, the Eagles have met Toledo for a third matchup in the conference tournament. In 2014, Toledo bounced the Green and White from the tournament in the semifinals before sending EMU home from Cleveland in the quarterfinals during the 2015 tournament. Last season, Eastern finally got the best of the Rockets in the first round with a 69-60 victory at the EMU Convocation Center.

A LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE: Currently riding a two-game losing streak, the EMU men's basketball team has lost two games in a row for the third time this season. With that being said, the Eagles have not lost more than two straight games this season. In fact, the last time Eastern lost more than two games in a row was last season when EMU lost five straight during MAC play.

TIM B, PLAYING D: After being named to the All-MAC Defensive Team a season ago, EMU junior guard Tim Bond has continued to prove why he is such a hot defensive commodity through the 2016-17 season. The Baltimore, Md. native is currently leading the Mid-American Conference in steals with 50 and an average of 2.2 per game. Last year, Bond racked up 67 steals which ranked third all-time in a single season. Bond is on pace to surpass that total this season. Currently, the 6-foot-7 guard has amassed 134 steals in almost three seasons which ranks ninth in the EMU career record book.

It's not just Bond's ability to pick the opponent's pocket that shows his defensive prowess. He is also a stellar shot blocker. With 20 blocks this year, the junior is in the top-15 in the MAC. Additionally, he has racked up 62 blocks in his career, a number that puts him just seven blocks away from the EMU career top-10.

IN RARE COMPANY: Earlier this year James Thompson IV became just the 26th EMU student-athlete to record 500-or-more rebounds in a career. The sophomore currently has 590 career rebounds and sits at No. 14 on the all-time list. Thompson is on pace to pull down 325 rebounds this season. That number, coupled with his 352 from a year ago would give him 677, which would rank 11th in EMU history.

WILLIE TAKES IT DOWNTOWN: Senior guard Willie Mangum IV is on pace to have one of the best three-point shooting seasons in Eastern Michigan history. Averaging nearly three three-point makes per game, Mangum is on pace to knockdown 87 triples. That number would be the second most in EMU history. Additionally, the Richmond, Va. native needs to connect on just 15 more long balls to enter the EMU top-10 for career three-point field goal makes. He currently has 130 three pointers in his two seasons at Eastern.

CONVOCATION MISCONDUCT: Despite the 166-107 record inside the Convocation Center, including a stout 76-21 tally under Rob Murphy, the Eagles have struggled on their home court since beginning Mid-American Conference play. Holding a record of just 2-3, the Green and White started off on the right foot, defeating Central Michigan at home, 85-63, but since are 1-3, including a pair of losses in which they have not broken the 70-point mark. In games at the Convo, EMU is shooting 42.5 percent from the floor, but 45.4 percent in road games in MAC play. Additionally, the Eagles' defense has been stout on the road, only allowing their opponent to score 70-or-less in all four games away from Ypsilanti. In addition to the tough luck record, the Green and White have been assessed seven technical fouls in five MAC home games.

BREAKING THE CURSE: Historically, the Eagles have not fared well when playing at Millett Hall. In fact, the Green and White had not entered Oxford, Ohio and walked away with a win in over 20 years. That all changed Saturday, Jan. 28, when Eastern Michigan stepped inside of Millett and defeated Miami, 74-57. That broke a 12-game losing streak in Oxford.

WHERE THEY STAND: If the 2017 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament were to start today, the Eagles would hold the No. 7 overall seed, although they would be tied for the fifth-best record in the MAC.

STUFF IT: EMU sophomore center Baylee Steele proved to be the right man in the middle of the Eagles' 2-3 zone in the loss to Ball State, Jan. 24. The Norwalk, Iowa native blocked a season-best five shots against the Cardinals. That was the first time an EMU student-athlete stuffed five-or-more since James Thompson IV blocked five versus Siena Heights, and the most versus an NCAA Division I opponent since former Eagle Karrington Ward blocked Buffalo five times, Feb. 18, 2015.

SECOND HALF STARS: It has become quite evident that the Eagles have grown into a second half team during the 2016-17 campaign. Since the beginning of Mid-American Conference action, Eastern Michigan is performing at a much higher level in the second half. In MAC games, the Green and White averages just 32.2 points in the first half, while shooting 41.2 percent from the floor. In the second half, the Eagles post 40.1 points and connect on shots at a 46.7 percent mark. Additionally, Eastern Michigan is being outscored by its opponents in the first half, while besting the opponent by four points in the second 20 minutes of MAC games.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Although the Eagles have lost 10 games this season, there have been trends that show why that is the case. In losses, the Eagles are shooting well below their season mark of 45.4 percent. In setbacks, EMU is connecting on its field goal attempts at a 39 percent clip. Additionally, the Eagles' 70 points per game average is 9.4 points less than the season average. It isn't just the offense that has struggled in the losses, as the Green and White are rebounded at a -6.5 margin in losses and force just 14.7 turnovers compared to the 17.7 turnovers that opponents average overall this year.

RETURN OF THE MAC: With MAC play ramping up, so has Eastern Michigan's defensive play. Since beginning conference play, EMU has only allowed 68.8 points per game, which leads the league. Additionally, the Eagles' opponents are shooting just 39.4 percent from the floor and 30 percent from beyond the arc. Eastern is posting a conference best 8.9 steals per game over the MAC season, while also blocking 5.1 shots per contest, both of which rank as the highest rate in the league.

ON THE HORIZON: Following their Tuesday evening contest with Toledo, the Eagles continue Mid-American Conference action by returning to the Convocation Center, Friday, Feb. 10. Eastern Michigan will host Akron in a rematch from earlier this year. The Eagles dropped a 70-63 decision to the Zips and will look to get revenge on a nationally televised contest on ESPNU at 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Willie Mangum IV

Baylee Steele

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

Eastern Michigan Athletics