The perils of playing on the road have gotten to Eastern Michigan so far this season, as it has posted a goose egg in games away from its home Convocation Center.
The Eagles will make their ninth road appearance Wednesday when they take the court at The Convo, where they have come up winless in their last four trips. With a win, Ohio would improve to 7-0 in Mid-American Conference play for the first time since the 1960-61 season.
During the past 10 years, the home team has dominated the teams’ series, as the host has taken all but two games.
Eastern Michigan’s last win at The Convo came in 2003, when the Eagles (10-10, 3-3 MAC) upset Ohio (15-5, 6-0 MAC) by three points in overtime.
The Eagles, however, seem to have staying power against the Bobcats. Despite finishing better than .500 in one season during the past decade, they have won half the teams’ meetings.
“I would just put that under, ‘Every MAC game is hard’ and every day is a different challenge,” Ohio coach Jim Christian said.
The Eagles bowed out of the MAC Tournament in the first round this past season, but totaled 14 wins and seemed to be moving in the right direction under the guidance of first-year head coach Rob Murphy, being that they placed first in the MAC West.
Divisional crown in hand, Murphy became the second coach to win his half of the conference since Christian did so in the 2002-2003 season — his first with Kent State.
Murphy was a member of Christian’s staff that season and the next before making the move to Syracuse, where he coached under Jim Boeheim, who is the NCAA’s all-time second-winningest coach.
As a result, Christian said Murphy’s zone schemes resemble Boeheim’s tendencies more than anything he instituted during their time together at Kent State.
“They play 30-40 minutes of two-three zone, utilizing his best players and running quick-hitters to get his best players the ball — kind of Syracuse traits,” Christian said. “And they’re one of the better zone teams in the country.”
Ohio’s first encounter with Murphy’s team mechanics was not a pretty one for the Bobcats, as they shot only 31 percent from the field and never led in the contest.
“I don’t think anyone on our team has forgotten that,” Ohio junior guard Nick Kellogg said.
Kellogg, who had only one point against the Eagles last season, said though the Bobcats try to shut past performances out of their minds, there is plenty of worth in recalling last year’s performance when it comes to preparing for Wednesday’s game.
“Thinking about that game last year and things we can improve on, it definitely gives us a sense of where we can look to attack,” he said.
The largest share of the Eagles’ offense stemmed from the play of then-junior guard Derek Thompson, who scored 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
He averages a team-high 11 points this year, and leads a pack of 10 upperclassmen that features redshirt juniors Glenn Bryant, a forward, and Daylen Harrison, a utility man, who average 10 points per game apiece.
In order to head into its weekend matchup against Akron unbeaten in MAC play, Ohio, which has shot 55 percent from the floor in its last five outings, will have to keep its eye set on the Eagles. Christian has said time and time again this season that Ohio can’t overlook any team on its schedule — even when its most anticipated conference game looms just around the corner.
“Every day is a different challenge,” Christian said. “That’s what makes the season so difficult, is because you have to compete for 16 nights. If you don’t, anybody beats you.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
