The Eastern Michigan men’s basketball team will look to improve its recent success over Mid-American Conference rival Toledo when it faces the Rockets at the Convocation Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The Eagles (7-10, 2-1 MAC) will hope to continue their five-game winning streak over Toledo (8-9, 0-3 MAC), in a series that has seen mostly blowout victories for EMU. After a hot start to MAC play, the Eagles will test its second-highest ranked defense (49.3 points against average) against Toledo’s highest scoring offense in the MAC (74.1 points per game).
A weak non-conference start for the Eagles slowed the thought of a possible NCAA tournament berth, but a resurgence in conference play has the team playing with a revived confidence and heightened expectations.
Senior guard Darrell Lampley continues to lead the way for EMU, averaging 13.5 points per game, while sophomore center Da’Shonte Riley shines on the defensive end of the floor, averaging just over one block and one steal per game.
The lack of size in the Toledo front court could be a huge weakness when facing the 7-foot Riley. No player averaging more than 20 minutes per game is over
6-foot-7 for the Rockets.
The Eagles have been most successful on defense, allowing opponents just 49.3 points per game, and a field goal percentage of just 34 percent (48 for 141).
After an 8-6 start in non-conference play, Toledo has struggled against MAC opponents. The Rockets have allowed an average of 76.3 points per game in their contests, and suffered blowout losses at the hands of Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
Pearson has been the star for the Rockets this season, but Toledo has two other players averaging over 12 points per game. 5-foot-11 freshman guard Julius Brown and 6-foot-2 junior guard Dominique Buckley have both provided consistent scoring for the Rockets, while Pearson leads the team in rebounds with 7.9 per game.
The primary focus for the Eagles’ defense will be to shut down 6-foot-4-inch Pearson, who scores a bulk of his points at the free throw line and driving to the paint. While Pearson won’t often attempt from behind the three-point stripe, his teammates are third in the MAC in three-point field goal percentage (.349).
Pearson ranks fifth in the MAC in scoring, fourth in total rebounds (134), and ninth in field goal percentage (.498). Pearson scored a career-high 27 points on Nov. 27 against Victory University.
Look for the Eagles to stop the dribble-drive penetration against the Rockets. If the Eagles collapse too hard on Pearson, the Rockets could shoot a high percentage from three-point range. Making Pearson a non-factor, much easier said than done, must be a big priority for EMU.
After the match against Toledo on at the Convocation Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday, the Eagles will hit the road and travel to Buffalo, N.Y., and face the University of Buffalo at 7 p.m. on Jan. 24.
