East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team is set to face Oakland University on Thursday, November 21, at 7 p.m. The game will take place at the Athletics Center O'Rena in Rochester, Michigan. This marks the third consecutive season that these teams will meet.

Fans can watch the game live on ESPN+, with Tom Helmer providing commentary on WEMU (89.1 FM) and through the Varsity Network App.

In their previous outing against Cleveland State on November 16, Eastern Michigan led by two points with less than four minutes remaining but ultimately lost 71-63 after a nine-point run by Cleveland State. Senior Jalen Terry has been a standout player for Eastern Michigan, scoring 25 points with six three-pointers in back-to-back games against IU-Indy and Cleveland State. He is one of only five players from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) to achieve this feat since the start of the 2002-03 season.

Senior Yusuf Jihad will return to his former team's venue after transferring from Oakland. Last season, he scored 15 points against Oakland when they defeated Eastern Michigan 77-63.

Eastern Michigan's head coach Stan Heath is in his fourth year leading the team, holding a record of 33-64 at EMU and an overall coaching record of 242-271 over his career.

Jalen Terry continues to impress as he leads his team in rebounds despite being just six feet tall. He averages a team-high of 7.3 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the MAC.

The Eagles have been strong on offensive rebounds this season, reaching double figures in all four games so far—a first since the start of a season for them since 2020-21.

Eastern Michigan ranks first in several MAC categories: rebounds per game (38.8), offensive rebounding (13.5), and field goal percentage defense (.382). They are tied for second in scoring defense with an average of allowing just 66 points per game.

Senior Jalin Billingsley recorded a MAC season-high of 32 points during their win over Siena Heights on November 8, along with ten rebounds for his second career double-double performance.

Eastern Michigan was picked ninth in the MAC preseason coaches' poll after finishing tenth last year.

Looking ahead, Eastern Michigan will travel to Houston for their next matchups against Houston Christian and Northern Arizona later this month.

For more updates about Eastern Michigan's men's basketball team throughout their season, fans can visit EMUEagles.com or follow them on social media platforms like Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).