Eastern Michigan (7-10, 3-2) at Miami (7-10, 1-4)
The Eagles come into Millett feeling good about themselves after a 24 point home win over Toledo. Eastern is 3-2 in the MAC with their other wins at home vs. Western and at NIU. They lost at Central and at Ball St. Their lone notable non-conference win came at home vs. Illinois St. They were competitive in losses at Temple and at Notre Dame. Chicago St. won in Ypsilanti by 4. Coach Charles Ramsay likes to play a lot of guys, and they have gotten better since last year.
Projected Starters:
G Carlos Medlock, 6' Jr. 14 pts, 4 ass. 37% FG, 30% 3PFG, 77% FT. The straw that stirs the drink. He'll have the ball in his hands a lot. He wants to go to the basket and finish or create for others. Capable shooter.
G Jesse Bunkley, 6'5 Sr. 11 pts, 3 reb. 41% FG, 37% 3PFG, 86% FT. Offensively talented, shoots the 3 well. Good finisher in transition. Athletic and quick, plays good defense.
G Travis Lewis, 6'2 Sr. 4 pts, 6 reb. 45% FG, 44% 3PFG, 78% FT. Much improved from last year. More of a glue guy than anything else. He plays much taller than 6'2 on the glass. Doesn't look to shoot much, but he usually takes good shots.
F Wendale Farrow, 6'7 Jr. 4 pts, 4 reb. 44% FG, 67% FT. JUCO transfer.
F Justin Dobbins, 6'8 So. 11 pts, 5 reb. 51% FG, 67% FT. Very good in the paint area offensively. Good footwork and quickness. Can step out and hit the little jump shot.
Off the Bench:
G Jarred Axon, 5'11 Sr. 9 pts, 2 reb. 37% FG, 39% 3PFG, 77% FT. Backup point guard. Can shoot the deep ball, and will take the NBA 3 if open. Not the quickest guy defensively which is why he's not playing as much as last year. That and Medlock is healthy.
F Zane Gay, 6'4 Jr. 6 pts, 3 reb. 55% FG, 31% 3PFG, 74% FT. Instant offense off the bench. Can go to the basket and shoot the 3.
F James Matthews, 6'8 Sr. 5 pts, 4 reb. 49% FG, 82% FT. Big body underneath. If he gets position on the block, it's 2 points. Have to force him to make an athletic move. Not the quickest off his feet. He can definitely be scored on in the post.
G Tyler Jones, 6'2 Jr. 3 pts, 2 reb. 28% FG, 23% 3PFG, 82% FT. Backup quarterback playing with the team for the first time. Being quick and athletic makes him good defensively.
F Will Cooper, 6'6 Fr. 2 pts, 2 reb. 44% FG, 50% FT. A big forward underneath.
Eastern wants to keep the floor spread, giving their wings room to operate and their bigs enough room to establish position down low. They'll run their wings off their big men down low for a 3 or a pick and roll opportunity. They'll run some high pick and roll for Medlock also and let him create. Once the shot goes up, they'll crash the boards hard. They also like to get out and run because they have the athletes who can finish on the break.
Defensively, the Eagles are better, but not much better. They'll play man-to-man and put some heavy pressure on the point guard as he comes up the floor. But after 15-20 seconds, their defense breaks down, leaving open looks. Opposing teams shoot 37% from 3, only good for 246th in the country. They rebound well, assuming they're in the correct position to do so.
Eastern has success when they take care of the ball and commit to the defensive end. They average 16 turnovers a game, a lot for an experienced team. In terms of overall offensive efficiency, they just crack the top half of Division 1. Again, it'll come down to containing dribble penetration. Eastern has good shooters, but not great shooters. And we'll have to do the job on the boards. At the other end, we have to be patient, but aggressive when we get an opportunity to score. We had great movement without the ball last year against these guys and it led to one of our better offensive performances. The same needs to happen tomorrow.
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