EMU MBB Plays Host to Kent State Tuesday – Eastern Michigan University Athletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team, returning home following back-to-back road losses, will look to get back into the win column when it plays host to Kent State University Tuesday, Jan. 17, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The game between the Eagles (4-13, 1-3 MAC) and the Golden Flashes (14-3, 4-0 MAC) is set for a 7 p.m. tip from Ypsilanti. EMU Athletics will be honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in and around the game with Kent State that will feature a special presentation of the MLK Student Scholarship winners, MLK committee, and a pregame gospel choir.
   The game will air live on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley and Justin Rose on the call. Tom Helmer, the Voice of the Eagles, will have the radio call on WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network app.
 
OPENING TIPS:
»  Head Coach Stan Heath is set to lead his current team against Kent State, who he guided for the 2001-02 season, his first season a collegiate head coach. His teams are 1-3 against KSU, including 0-2 at EMU and 1-1 during his time leading South Florida.
»  EMU Athletics will be honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jan. 17. The game with Kent State will feature a special presentation of the MLK Student Scholarship winners, MLK committee, and a pregame gospel choir.
»  EMU’s game at Ball State, originally slated for Feb. 4, has been moved ahead to Feb. 3, and will be aired live to a national audience on CBS Sports Network at 6:30 p.m. from Muncie, Ind.
»  With 18 points at Akron, Jan. 13, Noah Farrakhan moved into the program’s top 80 in scoring as his 646 career points rank him 79th all-time at Eastern. Ty Toney (2015-17) is 78th at 648 points.
»  Noah Farrakhan is not only scoring the ball, he is dishing it as well. With two helpers at Akron, Jan. 13, Farrakhan has now recorded at least one assist in all 17 games this year and, dating back to last year, has done so in 29 consecutive games. For his career, he has recorded at least on assist in 39-of-42 games.
»  In the last four games, the Eagles are averaging 20 trips to the free throw line and are converting at an 80.0 percent clip. For the year, EMU is hitting at 76.7 clip, which ranks second in the MAC and 14th nationally.
»  Eastern was 5-of-23 from three at Akron, Jan. 13, and extended its consecutive game streak for scoring at least one triple to 568 games in a row.
»  The bench scored 38 points at Akron, Jan. 13, the most it has tallied all season. It is the most since the bench scored 52 against Central Michigan in EMU’s 99-68 win, Jan. 11, 2022.
 
MARK YOUR CALENDARS, PART I: Fans are encouraged to get their tickets now for the Saturday, Jan. 21 doubleheader as the men’s and women’s games with Northern Illinois will be surrounded by a day of celebration.
»  Former men’s head coach Ben Braun will be on hand for a special alumni reception during the women’s game (1 p.m.) before serving as the television analyst for the men’s contest on ESPN+. Braun also will be recognized at the under-12-minutes timeout in the first half of the men’s game.
»  Fans can also celebrate the football team’s 2022 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Championship by picking-up posters, taking photos with a life-size cut-out of Head Coach Chris Creighton. A specialty baked potato bar also will be available to fans during the men’s game.
»  The women’s game will be the team’s Pride Game and fans can pick up free, Eastern-themed Pride T-Shirts (while supplies last) and visit with various campus groups that focus on LGBTQIA+ communities.
»  The men’s game will be the team’s Local Heroes Day with a visit from the Mayor of Ypsilanti and members of her office while highlighting their efforts within in the local community.
»  Alumni can purchase discounted tickets ($8) for the doubleheader and the men’s Feb. 11 game with Toledo by using the code EMUALUM when purchasing their tickets online.
 
MARK YOUR CALENDARS, PART II: The game between Eastern and Ball State, originally slated for Feb. 4, in Muncie, Ind., has been selected by CBS Sports Network to be aired live to a national audience one day earlier, Feb. 3, starting at 6 :30 p.m., the MAC announced, Jan. 12. The wildcard selection is one of four weekly windows both CBSSN and ESPNU have for the remainder of the season that will…