NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from Emoni Bate’s near upset of Michigan

Eastern Michigan did lead Michigan at the half but fell short in their attempt to upset the Wolverines. Emoni Bates and Noah Farrakhan had an outstanding 1st half of play that gave the Eagles a lead at halftime.

Bates who did not play in the Eagles’ season opener, had a great first half against the Wolverines where he shot seven for nine from the floor for 17 points and three rebounds. He also made two back-to-back step-back three-pointers from the top of the key that had the Eastern Michigan student section out of their seats. Farrakhan made five of his eight goal attempts for 15 points to go with his three rebounds and an assist to help the Eagles to a 45-42 lead at the half.

The Eagles shot the ball well in the 1st half and executed their offense efficiently

Against a good Michigan defense, Eastern Michigan’s field goal percentage in the first half was 53.3% on 16 for 30 shooting. The Eagles also shot 40% from beyond the arc in the first half and were nine for twelve from the free throw line. Eastern Michigan outrebounded the Wolverines 21-17 as well and had four assists and only five turnovers at the half. The Eagles’ offense moved the ball around and looked for quality shots on most possessions and you can see head coaches Stan Heath’s offense beginning to take shape in his second year as the Eagles coach.

Eastern Michigan big men were unable to contain Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson

Dickinson had an outstanding game where the vast majority of his points game in the paint. He shot 13 for 17 from the field and five for six from the free throw line for 31 points. He also avoided foul trouble with only one foul in this game and he was for the most part able to post up and dominate offensively in the paint. He was the number one contributor to the Wolverines’ victory over Eastern Michigan.

The Eagles had the lead for the majority of the game due to good free throw shooting

Overall, Eastern Michigan shot 20 for 27 for 74.1% from the free throw line which was not great but they made free throws at important times throughout the game. Orlando Lovejoy for example was perfect from the line making all four of his free throw attempts as well as Colin Golson Jr. who made both of his free throws. Tyson Acuff and Legend Geeter only missed one free throw each and were combined seven for nine from the line last night. The Wolverines in the comparison shot only 62.5% from the free throw line making only 25 of their 40 attempts.

Emoni Bates showed that he could be the MAC Player of the Year this season

Even though Bates attempted a game-high 19 shot attempts and had zero assists, he worked well with in the Eastern Michigan offense and he was able to make shots from inside the paint as well from beyond the three-point arch. His teammates benefitted from the attention he was receiving on offense and Bates attacked the rim and was able to shoot well from the outside as well. He made three of his five free throw attempts and made three of his six three-point shots as well.

Bates ended up the game with 30 points and only had three turnovers against a good quality Big Ten opponent. If he keeps up this pace in MAC conference play, he should be able to win play of the year honors.