It’s easy to look at the Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team’s record and say it has been a disappointment so far.
Picked to place as high as second in the Mid-American Conference West Division, the Eagles were riding the momentum of last season’s moderately successful campaign, hoping it would transfer to this season.
It appears as though the 2010-2011 rendition of EMU men’s basketball will need to create its own momentum, or this season could be another mediocre season, in a long line of mediocrity.
To be fair, EMU won its only home game of the season thus far (they played last night). Otherwise a tough road schedule has caused problems for the Eagles, who are 0-6 away from the Convocation Center and had lost five in a row heading into last night. It’s especially not a good excuse when the teams you are losing to are good, but beatable teams like James Madison, Canisius or Monmouth.
In order to be a successful team, the Eagles will eventually need to learn on to win games on the road, especially when they get to the MAC portion of the schedule.
The Eagles really seem to be lacking something thus far. Their defense looks out of sync, and with the loss of Justin Dobbins and Carlos Medlock it’s easy to understand why, but six games in and they’ve yet to figure it out.
The Eagles have given up 504 points this season through seven games, which averages out to 72 per game, while averaging only 62.3 points on offense.
Brandon Bowdry has held up his end of the bargain thus far, averaging nearly 20 points per-game, and just under nine rebounds (best in the MAC). Bowdry is second in points per game this season, and third in total points with 139.Offensively he seems to be forming a bond with newcomer Darrell Lampley, who is averaging 3.7 assists per game but the combo has not been enough for the Eagles.
Aside from Lampley, secondary scoring has not yet made its presence known for the Eagles. Eventually to get back on track the Eagles will need to find someone on their roster who can contribute more in points, or start relaying even more heavily on Bowdry.
The two-game home stand should do them some good, but the Eagles will still need to be on their toes. Like every season it’s important for them to win all the home games they can, but it is magnified when the team has done so poorly on the road.
It’s too early this season to call the Eagles a disappointment, but you can’t be happy with the way the team is trending. If EMU can win both of its games before getting back out on the road it could really help this team’s confidence. Is it too early for a must-win game? I don’t think so. This team needs to stop the bleeding as soon as it can.
Check www.theeasternecho.com for the story on the Eagle’s game against Drake from Wednesday night. Be sure to add @Echo_Sportspage on Twitter, and check out Ryan’s radio show Thursdays from 2:30-4 p.m. on Eagle Radio.
