The Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team is set to begin their 2022-23 campaign on Nov. 7 inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center against the Wayne State Warriors.
After going on a 10-21 run last season with a 5-15 record in conference play, expectations for the Eagles are high this year after former No. 1 recruit Emoni Bates announced his commitment to EMU.
"I've known several of the guys on the team from playing together and competing. Having a strong relationship and bond with my teammates and coaching staff was important to me,” Bates said in a statement about his decision to play at EMU.
Joining Bates on the court this year are three transfers; Tyson Acuff (Duquesne), Jalin Billingsley (Georgetown), and Legend Geeter (Providence), who were all named top players during their high school careers in their home state.
True freshmen Derik Pranger (Colorado Prep), Joey Zaher (Flint Powers Catholic), and former teammate of Bates Orlando Lovejoy (Summit Academy North), also join the Eagles' roster this season.
With this year's additions to the team and the likes of returning players, head coach Stan Heath is looking to build a championship team and clip a ticket to the NCAA Tournament in March for the first time since 1998.
The 2023 three-day MAC Tournament will be held at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, with a championship date set for March 11.
The national tournament will run from March 14 to 15 in Dayton, Ohio. The first and second round games will be March 16-19, and the NCAA Regionals will be held March 23-26. The NCAA Final Four is set for April 1-3.
However, before that tournament ticket is clinched, the Eagles have ample opportunity to showcase their young talented team during the 31-game regular season.
EMU will play in 18 Mid-American Conference games and 13 non-conference games. One of those non-conference games will be a matchup broadcasted on ESPNU against the University of Michigan on Nov. 11 at Little Caesars Arena.
This season, the Eagles will also stamp their passport with a trip to Cancun to compete in the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 22-23 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. All games played in Mexico will be aired live on FloHoops.com.
Aside from the contest against Michigan on Nov. 11, the Eagles will appear on two additional national broadcasts: Jan. 13 against the University of Akron on ESPNU and Jan. 24 against the University of Toledo on CBS Sports Network.
Right out of the gate, the Eagles will play five away games starting with the trip to Detroit to play the No. 22 ranked University of Michigan. It won’t be until Nov. 27 that the Eagles will be back in Ypsilanti to take on the University of California San Diego, then head back on the road on Nov. 30 for a game at Florida International University.
Back at home on Dec. 4, the Eagles will face Florida Atlantic University, a team they haven’t competed against before.
A matchup between the Eagles and the University of Detroit Mercy on Dec. 18, teams who haven’t been on the same court together since 2019, will be one of the final non-conference games of the season. The last non-conference game will be away against the University of South Carolina on Dec. 30.
After the new year, EMU will participate in some MACtion against Bowling Green State University on Jan. 3 at home.
The next four games will be conference games on the road until Jan. 31, when the Eagles face Ohio University in Ypsilanti and then they’re back on the road to play Ball State University (Feb. 4) and the University at Buffalo (Feb. 7).
With a break from traveling, the Eagles will play four home games at the George Gervin GameAbove Center beginning Feb. 11 in a game against Toledo. The game on Feb. 25 against Ball State will end the Eagles’ home game streak.
A game on the road against NIU on Mar. 3 will end the regular season.
The full 2022-23 EMU men's basketball season schedule can be viewed online.
On Oct. 26, the Mid-American Conference announced its 2022-23 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll where votes across the league placed EMU to finish seventh overall, an improvement from last season's eleventh-place finish prediction.
EMU held one vote to win the conference tournament this season while sophomore Emoni Bates was named to the preseason All-MAC Second Team, making him the only preseason selection that didn’t play in the MAC last year.
With the season underway, all eyes will be on the Eagles to see what this new era of players under the leadership of Stan Heath can do this season.
Season tickets can be purchased by visiting EMUEagles.com/tickets, calling 734.487.3669, or stopping by the EMU Ticket Office.
For more information about Eastern Michigan's men's basketball team, visit EMUEagles.com. and follow the team on Twitter @emu_mbb and Instagram @emumbb.
