Eagles and Zips Square Off in Nationally Televised Contest

Men's Basketball vs. Akron
Date	Friday, Feb. 10 \| 7 p.m.
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center (7,784)
Game Notes	EMU Game Notes \| Akron Game Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPNU \| ESPN 3
Listen	89.1 FM WEMU
Twitter	@EMUHoops \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Currently riding a three game losing streak, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team returns home to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center this Friday, Feb. 10, to square off with the University of Akron for the second time this season. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. between the Eagles (13-11, 5-6 MAC) and Zips (20-4, 10-1 MAC) at the Convo, and all the action can be found on a natioanlly televised ESPNU broadcast.

The Green and White return home after losing its third game in a row, Tuesday, Feb. 7, when EMU traveled to Toledo. The Eagles were knocked off, 73-57, down at Savage Arena after failing to get the offense rolling, while the Rockets were hot from beyond the arc, connecting on 10-of-20 three-point shot attempts.

The Zips return to the hardwood following a dramatic finish at home against Ball State, Feb. 7. With 2.3 seconds on the clock, the Cardinals turned the ball over, allowing the Zips one final attempt to take the lead. The ball was inbounded to Isaiah Johnson on the wing and he connected on a 16-footer to give UA the 65-63 win at home.

FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eastern Michigan versus Akron matchup will have both audio and video coverage on Friday 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 will be broadcast live online on ESPNU. The play-by-play man for Friday's action will be John Brickley, while Adam Finkelstein 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 AKRON: The Eagles trail the all-time series with Akron by a slim six game margin, 20-26. Eastern dropped a pair of games against the Zips a season ago, and followed that up by falling on the road earlier this season, Jan. 20, by a 70-63 tally.

In the game at the J.A.R. last month, the Eagles spread the wealth with eight players contributing on the score sheet, led by seniors Ty Toney and Willie Mangum IV, who finished with 17 and 13, respectively. Sophomore Baylee Steele also finished in double figures, scoring 10 while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.

LIKELY LOOK FOR THE ZIPS...

#	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	ppg	rpg	apg	Hometown-Previous School
0	Jiamond Ivey	G	So.-So.	6-4	194	10.0	5.5	2.4	Cleveland, Ohio-Ginn Academy
2	Kwan Cheatam Jr.	F	Sr.-Sr.	6-10	235	11.7	7.8	1.8	Cincinnati, Ohio-Winton Woods
14	Noah Robotham	G	Jr.-Jr.	6-1	165	8.7	1.8	2.7	Las Vegas, Nev.-Bishop Gorman
23	Isaiah Johnson	C	Sr.-Sr.	6-10	290	16.6	7.4	3.0	Cincinnati, Ohio-Walnut Hills
55	Antino Jackson	G	Jr.-Jr.	5-11	160	11.6	2.4	3.1	Houston, Texas-Cypress Springs

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan hit the road to take on Toledo, Feb. 7, and walked away on the wrong end of a 73-57 decision. The loss handed EMU its third straight setback and sixth MAC loss of the year.

The Eagles' offense struggled in the contest, shooting just 39.1 percent from the floor, meanwhile Toledo knocked down shots at a scorching 52.8 percent. The Rockets connected on 10 triples while the Green and White struggled, hitting just three three-pointers in the game. Despite forcing 15 Toledo turnovers and turning the ball over just nine times, the Eagles were only able to manage 12 points off those flip flops. Ty Toney paced the Eagle offense, scoring 13 points on 6-of-16 shooting, while Willie Mangum IV poured in 11. James Thompson IV notched nine points and led the game with 11 rebounds, while Tim Bond and Jordan Nobles each contributed eight points each, respectively.

SCOUTING THE ZIPS: The Akron Zips are flying high, winners in 13 of their last 14 games, while boasting an overall record of 20-4 and a MAC leading 10-1 mark in conference play. The preseason favorite in the MAC East Division, Akron is one of the best scoring teams in the conference. The Zips rely heavily on the long ball, connecting on 10.4 three point field goals per game, good for seventh in the nation, while their 37.7 three-point field goal percentage is second in the MAC and 65th in the country. Isaiah "Big Dog" Johnson is Akron's go to threat, scoring 16.6 points per game while connecting on his field goal attempts at an astounding 63.3 percent clip, which is good for 12th-best in the NCAA. Not only is Johnson great scoring the basketball, but he is one the Zips' leading assist men. The 6-foot-10, 290 lbs. senior center averages three dimes per contest.

TROUBLE WITH THE ZIPS: Historically the series may be close, however recent history does not bode well for the Eagles when it comes to squaring off with Akron. Dating back to the 2004-05 campaign, the Green and White holds just a 3-15 record against the Zips. At home during that span, Eastern has a record of 2-5 versus Akron at the Convocation Center.

ESPNU COMES TO YPSI:The Eagles and Zips game has been selected to be played on ESPNU this season. The last time ESPNU came to the Convocation Center was during the 2013-14 season when Ohio visited Ypsilanti, Jan. 25. The Eagles came out on the short end of the stick in that game. However, the last time Eastern played a game on ESPNU inside the borders of Washtenaw County, the Eagles defeated Michigan, 45-42, Dec. 9, 2014.

NOT A NUMBER YOU LIKE TO SEE: The Eagles managed to score just 22 points in the first half of the loss at Toledo Tuesday night, Feb. 7. That number was the second-lowest output in a half by Eastern Michigan this season. The only other half in which the Green and White had a lower scoring number was in the first half of its win over Ohio, Jan. 14, when the Eagles scored just 19 points at the OU Convocation Center.

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 51 and an average of 2.1 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 135 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 611 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 85 triples. That number would be tied for the second most in EMU single season history. Additionally, the Richmond, Va. native needs to connect on just 14 more long balls to enter the EMU top-10 for career three-point field goal makes. He currently has 131 three pointers in his two seasons at Eastern.

WHERE THEY STAND: If the 2017 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament were to start today, the Eagles would hold the No. 10 overall seed, although they would be tied for the seventh-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.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Although the Eagles have lost 11 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' 68.8 points per game average is 9.7 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 -6.7 margin in losses and force just 14.7 turnovers compared to the 17.6 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 69.2 points per game, which leads the league. Additionally, the Eagles' opponents are shooting just 40.6 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from beyond the arc. Eastern is posting a conference best nine steals per game over the MAC season, while also blocking 4.8 shots per contest, both of which rank as the highest rate in the league.

ON THE HORIZON: Following their Friday evening contest with Akron, the Eagles continue Mid-American Conference action at the Convocation Center, Tuesday, Feb. 14. Eastern Michigan will host Ohio in a rematch from earlier this year. The Eagles defeated the Bobcats and will look to complete the sweep OU at 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Tim Bond

Willie Mangum IV

Jordan Nobles

Baylee Steele

James Thompson IV

Ty Toney

Eastern Michigan Athletics