EMU is in similar straights. Since their shocking win over Purdue, they have lost six straight D1 games, with their only win during that period coming against Siena Heights. Which brings up a point. The Eagles have gone way to the extreme in scheduling. Most teams figure they should play one non-D1 team and usually dip into the NCAA's DII for an opponent. The Eagles have dipped three times into the non-D1 pool except ALL THREE of those opponents have been from the NAIA and not even the NCAA.
So, when you know they are 7-8, they are 4-8 against D1 competition. Furthermore, of their four wins, three were against teams with RPI of 296 or below, with their only quality win being that game against Purdue.
They do have some quality losses--UM, Kentucky, UMass and Syracuse, for example.
They opened up the MAC season with a loss to Ball State in YPSI. Their RPI is 209 and their kenpom.com is 304.
The first thing you notice is that on a per game basis, EMU has trouble scoring the ball. They play at the same pace BG does, more or less, so that's not it. The are 330th in points per game. They are only scoring at .9 points per possession, which is 315th in D1 and means that the winner of tomorrow's game could end up scoring in the 30s.
I kid.
How goes that happen? Well, they are 323rd in Effective FG% and in free throw rate. They turn the ball over a lot, too (23% of possessions) which is 10th in the MAC. They are slightly above average in offensive rebounding (and they get a lot of practice).
So, this is a team that really, really struggles on the offensive end.
How is it, you ask, that they are not winless...or worse?
They are pretty good on defense. They allow .98 points per possession which is just a tick better than average. The Effective FG% is also a tick above average. They do a nice job on turnovers (4th in the MAC---BG is first in not making turnovers, so that will be a good test). They keep teams off the line pretty well (3rd in MAC) but they allow 37% of offensive rebounds against, which is not very good.
Individually, their leading scorer is Derek Thompson at 11 PPG (shooting 38% from the field and 37% from 3). They have Arkansas transfer Glenn Bryant at 10 (shooting 39% and 17% on 29 freaking attempts from 3) and Wyoming transfer Daylen Harris at 9 PPG (he is shooting 43%).. They play a very even rotation, and no player plays more than 29 minutes, which somewhat impacts those scoring totals.
Da'Shonte Riley, 7'0" and Syracuse transfer, leads the team with 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Harrison and Bryant also contribute on the boards. Their leading assist man is Jalen Ross who has 3.2 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game. He is a freshman.
So, that's the story on the Eagles. Let me say this. After this road trip, BG really needs to win this game. I know expectations were not very high for this team--and hence perhaps not that much is at stake--but if this team has any pretensions of getting the 8th place finish it would take to host a home game, they are going to need to win at home.
Luckily, BG has tended to play well at the Stroh, but that's going to have to pan out in a victory or it is going to be a rainy night in Lyndhurst.
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