MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will hit the road to challenge Ball State University Tuesday, March 2. The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside BSU's Worthen Arena.
EMU (5-11, 2-10 MAC) snapped an eight-game Mid-American Conference losing streak with a 91-57 victory over Northern Illinois, Feb. 27. Ball State (9-11, 7-8 MAC) is on a two-game win streak after a 97-91 win over Central Michigan, Feb. 27.
Fans can catch the action on ESPN3. WEMU (89.1 FM) will also broadcast the game with Tom Helmer on the call. As always, fans can follow along on EMUEagles.com/livestats or on Twitter by following @EMU_MBB.
AMONG THE LEADERS: Eastern Michigan leads the Mid-American Conference in two statistical categories: steals per game (9.1), and turnovers forced (15.9), while ranking second with a +3.1 turnover margin, respectively. The Eagles' 9.1 swipes per contest ranks 12th in the NCAA. Additionally, EMU's 15.9 TO's forced and +3.1 TO margin are good for 32nd and 37th among Division I programs, respectively.
Individually, senior Yeikson Montero leads the MAC and ranks 12th in the country in steals per game (2.4). Additionally, redshirt senior Ty Groce is tied for sixth in the conference with a 53.4 field goal percentage (93-of-174).
THE GREAT SCHEDULING PUZZLE: Many teams have shuffled their schedules due to complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Eastern is included. EMU has six Mid-American Conference games that would need to be rescheduled. The contests include Kent State (Jan. 2), Western Michigan (Jan. 19), Northern Illinois (Jan. 30), Miami (Feb. 9), Ball State (Feb. 13), and Buffalo (Feb. 16).
COVID WOES: It's no secret that the schedule is always up in the air due to COVID-19 protocols, and EMU has fallen victim to game postponements and cancellations during the 2020-21 season. The Eagles have had 13 games either postponed, canceled, and/or rescheduled this year.
| Date | Game | Results |
| Dec. 16 | at Valparaiso | Canceled |
| Dec. 19 | vs. Olivet | Rescheduled (Dec. 27) |
| Dec. 21 | vs. Central Michigan | Rescheduled (Dec. 29) |
| Jan. 2 | vs. Kent State | Postponed |
| Jan. 5 | at Buffalo | Reschedule (Jan. 21) |
| Jan. 19 | vs. Western Michigan | Postponed |
| Jan. 23 | vs. Miami | Time Adjustment |
| Jan. 30 | at Northern Illinois | Postponed |
| Feb. 2 | vs. Bowling Green | Rescheduled (2/23) |
| Feb. 6 | at Ohio | Rescheduled (2/25) |
| Feb. 9 | at Miami | Postponed |
| Feb. 13 | vs. Ball State | Postponed |
| Feb. 16 | vs. Buffalo | Postponed |
SENIOR SPARK: The Eastern Michigan four seniors in Ty Groce, Yeikson Montero, Noah Morgan, and Darion Spottsville, who were honored prior to tip against Northern Illinois, Feb. 27, put on a show in EMU's 91-57 win over the Huskies. The four Eagles combined to score 63 of EMU's total points on 60.5 percent shooting from the field and 72.7 percent from deep.
Morgan led all scorers with a season-high 22 points, while adding four assists and three rebounds. Montero finished the contest with 20 points and five rebounds, while Groce added his fifth career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Spottsville contributed six points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
HOT SHOOTING: The Green and White posted a season-high 50.8 field-goal percentage in EMU's 91-57 victory over Northern Illinois, Feb. 27. The Eagles went 31-of-61 from the field against the Huskies. The 91 points scored was EMU's highest against a Division I opponent during the 2020-21 season.
Three Eagles recorded 15+ scoring performances, which is the first time since EMU's 95-35 win over Adrian College, Dec. 9, 2020. Leading the Eagles was senior Noah Morgan, who tallied a season-best 22 points, while classmate Yeikson Montero added 20 points. Redshirt senior Ty Groce posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
SPLASH CITY: Eastern Michigan came alive from downtown in its 91-57 victory over Northern Illinois, Feb. 27, as the Eagles drained 12 three-pointers. The 12 triples is the second-highest made for EMU this season with the most coming (14) from Eastern's win over Olivet, Dec. 27, 2020. The Green and White went 12-of-21 from beyond the arc for a season-best 57.1 clip. The last time EMU shot above 50 percent from beyond the three-point line against Valparaiso, Dec. 3, 2019, when Eagles shot a 56.3 efficiency on 9-of-16 shooting.
Senior Yeikson Montero led the Eagles with four triples, while junior Bryce McBride tallied three from deep. Seniors Ty Groce and Noah Morgan each added two three's, and redshirt junior Derek Ballard Jr. drained one, respectively.
GETTING THAT DUB-DUB: Redshirt senior Ty Groce recorded his fifth-career double-double against Northern Illinois, Feb. 27, as he tallied 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 35 minutes of play. The forward drained two three-pointers and dished out three assists.
The Ypsilanti native notched his first double-double of the 2020-21 season versus in-state rival Central Michigan, Dec. 29. The forward went 7-of-10 from the floor to score 15 points and grab 13 rebounds. That was Groce's second double-double against the Chippewas, as he tallied his first career with 22 points and 12 rebounds, Feb. 11, 2020.
WE WANT MOR(E)GAN: Senior Noah Morgan recorded a season-high 22 points versus Northern Illinois, Feb. 27. It was the guard's first 20-plus point performance during the 2020-21 season. Morgan went 7-of-12 from the field and sunk a career-best six free throws. The senior also added four assists and three rebounds to his statline. The double-figure scoring performance was Morgan's 18th of his career and fourth this season.
The Mount Vernon, N.Y. native averages 8.1 point per game, which ranks fifth on the team.
GROCE ON FIRE: Over the last three games (Feb. 23 - Feb. 27), redshirt senior Ty Groce has led Eastern offensively and defensively. The forward is averaging 18.7 points per game with a 52.3 field goal percentage (23-of-44). Groce also boasts a 62.0 percent clip from the free throw line (5-of-8), and is grabbing 7.7 rebounds per game.
Most recently, the Ypsilanti native notched his fifth-career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in EMU's 91-57 victory over Northern Illinois, Feb. 27.
Groce leads the team averaging 14.9 points per game, and is fifth in the Mid-American Conference with a 53.4 field goal percentage (93-of-174). The senior has led the Eagles in scoring six times this year.
DYNAMIC TRIO: In Mid-American Conference games, the Eagles have seen consistent numbers from three players in redshirt senior Ty Groce, junior Bryce McBride, and senior Yeikson Montero. All three are averaging in double-figures with Groce leading the way with 15.3 points per game. McBride follows with 13.1 , while Montero is adding 11.8, respectively. Of EMU's total 815 points scored during MAC games this season, the three Eagles own 59.0 percent of those points (481).
THANK YOU, SENIORS: Eastern Michigan honored four individuals who have dedicated their time and effort to the EMU men's basketball program: Yeikson Montero, Noah Morgan, Darion Spottsville, and Ty Groce.
Montero joined Eastern Michigan after two years at Pensacola State. In his 48 career games as an Eagle, the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native has 507 points and has recorded 94 steals. Yeikson has tallied 25 double-figure scoring performances and has led the Green and White in scoring nine times. He will graduate in the spring with a bachelor's degree in sport management and plans to play professional basketball after college.
Morgan came to Ypsilanti after a season at Northwest Florida State. Noah has played in 43 career games donning the Green and White. The Mount Vernon, New York native has tallied 409 career points with 18 double-digit scoring performances. Noah also recorded a career-high 30 points at Kent State last season. He is a communication major and plans to play professional basketball.
Spottsville joined the EMU squad after two seasons at South Mountain Community College. In his 47 career games as an Eagle, Darion has 208 points and 106 assists. The Phoenix, Arizona native earned the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court award for academic excellence last season, and has led the Eagles in assists 17 times. Darion will graduate in the spring with a degree in sport management with a minor in communication. He plans to play basketball as long as he can then wants to become a basketball coach.
Groce has dedicated five years to the Eastern Michigan program and hails from Ypsilanti. The forward has played in 114 career games as an Eagle. Ty has tallied 897 career points, which ranks 44th in program history. He ranks tenth in program history with 136 career steals, and holds a 43.8 field goal percentage. Ty has tallied five career double-doubles, including 43 double-digit scoring performances. The Ypsilanti native has led the Green and White in scoring 19 times in an EMU uniform. The forward posted a career-high 28 points earlier this season at Akron, and pulled down a personal-best 13 rebounds against Olivet. He will graduate in the spring with a bachelor's degree in history and plans to play professionally after graduating.
FREE THROW IMPROVEMENT: Eastern Michigan tied for third in the Mid-American Conference with a 76.5 free throw percentage (224-of-293). Through 16 games during the 2019-20 season, the Eagles were shooting 64.7 percent from the charity stripe (236-of-365). This year's numbers are an 11.8 percent improvement over a season ago. In 2019-20, the Eagles struggled from the free throw line, finishing the season with a 62.7 clip (448-of-714).
COMBINED WINS: Eastern Michigan men's basketball has tallied 208 victories in the Convocation Center since it opened for the 1998-99 season. The Eagles notched their 200th win in the Convo with a 66-62 win over Buffalo, Feb. 4, 2020.
The Convocation Center's dedication game was on Dec. 9, 1998 with a men's basketball game against the University of Michigan in front of a crowd of 7,647 - the largest attendance since its opening. The EMU men's and women's basketball programs have a combined 401 victories inside the Convo. The EMU women's program (193 Convo wins) helped make history with a 69-59 over Toledo, Feb. 21, to notch EMU's 400th basketball win inside the Convo.
On the anniversary of the Convo dedication, Dec. 9, 2020, Eastern put up the largest margin of victory (+60) for a men's squad inside the building, trouncing Adrian College, 95-35.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Eastern Michigan Head Coach Rob Murphy has found some consistency in the Eagles' lineup as three players have started 13-or-more games. Redshirt senior Ty Groce and senior Yeikson Montero have made the starting lineup in all 16 games played this season, while junior Bryce McBride has started in 13, respectively. Those three Eagles have scored a combined 665 points out of EMU's 1,138 total this year, which comes out to 58.4 percent.
Groce leads the team averaging 14.9 points per game, while McBride and Montero are adding 13.8 and 12.9, respectively.
TY IN #MACTION: Redshirt senior Ty Groce has been a major contributor in Mid-American Conference games despite primarily playing center after playing on the wing last season. Groce leads the team averaging 15.3 points per game and is shooting 53.0 percent from the field (71-of-134), which ranks sixth in the conference. The forward leads the team, grabbing 6.8 rebounds per game, and has tallied a team-high eight blocks.
The Ypsilanti, Mich. native has scored in double-figures in 11 of EMU's 12 league games this season.
GETTING TO THE LINE: Junior Bryce McBride has been able to get himself to the free throw line throughout 16 games this season. The Jackson, Tenn. native is shooting 85.2 percent from the charity stripe, sinking 69-of-81 attempts. His free throw percentage ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference, while his 69 makes ranks seventh.
HOLD 'EM TO 60-OR-LESS: When holding opponents to 60 points-or-less, Eastern Michigan has better luck in the win column. The Eagles are 5-0 during the 2020-21 campaign when holding their opponents under the 60-point plateau. Additionally, the Green and White has tallied an impressive 89-13 mark during the Rob Murphy era (2011-present) when keeping its competition below 60 points.
80 IS NOT THE MAGIC NUMBER: There are many factors that go into the result of a game, but allowing opponents to score 80-plus points is kryptonite for the Green and White. The Eagles are 0-9 this season when allowing 80-or-more points in a game. In the Rob Murphy era (2011-present), EMU is 8-50 when giving up 80+ points. However, when Eastern Michigan scores more than 80 points, it is 2-0 this season and 9-10 since Murphy took the helm of the program.
STEAL MACHINES: Eastern Michigan is known for their tenacious defense and giving opponents fits, and the 2020-21 season is no different. The Eagles are averaging 9.1 steals per game, which leads the Mid-American Conference and ranks 11th in the NCAA.
Senior Yeikson Montero leads the team with 38 steals (2.4 spg), while junior Bryce McBride and redshirt senior Ty Groce have both tallied 23, respectively. Montero's 2.4 steals per game ranks first in the MAC and 16th nationally.
SCOUTING BALL STATE: Led by eighth-year Head Coach James Whitford, Ball State enters Tuesday's game coming off a 97-91 victory over Central Michigan, Feb. 27. The Cardinals hold a 9-11 overall record with a 7-8 Mid-American Conference mark.
BSU has four players averaging in double-figures and is paced by Ishmael El-Amin who is averaging 16.2 points per game. He is followed by K.J. Walton and Jarron Coleman, who are adding 15.2 and 12.0, respectively. Brachen Hazen is also contributing 10.2 points per game. Walton is grabbing a team-best 5.6 rebounds per game, while El-Amin has drained a team-high 44 three-pointers. Luke Bumbalough leads Ball State with 58 total assists.
The Cardinals average 73.0 points per game and shoot 44.2 percent from the field (516-of-1168), while holding opponents to 74.6 points a game. BSU is draining 8.4 triples per game, and is dishing out 13.6 assists.
ALL-TIME VS. BALL STATE: Tuesday's game is the 108th meeting between Eastern Michigan and Ball State. EMU trails BSU, 64-43, in the all-time series and have lost three-straight games against the Cardinals. The Eagles last victory over Ball State came on March 5, 2019, when EMU posted a 68-61 victory inside the Convocation Center. Eastern Michigan holds a 3-7 mark over the last 10 games.
ALL-TIME VS. THE MAC: The Green and White hold a 348-447 program mark against Mid-American Conference teams. Eastern has played Central Michigan the most (199 times), while facing Western Michigan 113 times and Toledo 111 times. Since the 1974-75 season when Eastern started competing in the MAC, EMU has won four regular-season titles and four MAC Tournament titles (1988, 1991, 1996, 1998), which led to four NCAA Tournament appearances. Under Rob Murphy, the Eagles hold a 78-92 MAC record and clinched a MAC West title in 2012.
LAST TIME OUT: Eastern Michigan University picked up an impressive victory over Northern Illinois, 91-57, Feb. 27. Last time EMU had three players score 15-plus points was in a 95-35 win over Adrian College, Dec. 9, 2020. The win snaps an eight-game conference losing streak and pushes the Eagles to 5-11 overall (2-10 MAC). The loss drops the Huskies to 2-15 (1-11 MAC).
As fate would have it, the seniors shined bright in their final game at the Convocation Center. The four combined to score 63 of the Eagles' points on 60.5 percent shooting from the field and 72.7 percent from deep. Noah Morgan led all scorers with a season-high 22 points, while adding four assists and three rebounds.
Yeikson Montero finished the contest with 20 points and five rebounds, while Ty Groce added his fifth career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Darion Spottsville contributed six points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will conclude the 2020-21 regular season with a trip west to in-state rival Western Michigan University Friday, March 5. The game is scheduled to tip between the Eagles and Broncos at 7 p.m. inside University Arena.
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Men's Basketball Heads to Muncie to Challenge Ball State Tuesday - EMU Eagles
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