FAU Hosts Eastern Michigan To Kickstart Home Schedule What : #10 FAU (1-0) vs Eastern Michigan (1-1) When : Tue. Nov. 14th, @ 7:00 PM Where : Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena Series : Second matchup. Owls won 101-73 against Eastern Michigan in their inaugural encounter last season. TV : ESPN+ Radio : FoxSports 640 Live Stats : Here Line : FAU -27 FAU at a Glance Offense – 75 PPG, 46% FG, 35% 3PT Defense – 62 PPGA, 43% FGA, 35% 3PTA Rebounding – 33 RPG Owls, 31 RPG Opponents Owl Notables FAU began their season on the right track, handily beating Loyola Chicago in convincing fashion on the road. They now look forward to hosting their first game of the year in front of their home fans, who will be more than excited to see the team perform and defend their homecourt at The Burrow. Eastern Michigan is a worthy opponent to start with, as the Owls overwhelmed them in a 101-73 blowout victory on the road when they met last season. Brandon Weatherspoon (pictured below) is deserving of praise for being effective in his role as a starter last Wednesday. The back-to-back threes he made in the first half ignited a huge run for the Owls to separate themselves from the Ramblers, as the senior guard finished with 12 points and two assists on 4-5 shooting including three triples. Streak & Record Updates Record home win streak of 18 games National Home Win Streaks [as of November 10th] 1. UCLA 26 2. FAU 18 Another thing to keep an eye on for the Owls is their defense. They were very active and stout with how they moved defensively as they made 11 steals and five blocks, disrupting Loyola Chicago’s rhythm and ability to find scoring opportunities, which will be key in shutting down Eastern Michigan. Expect Alijah Martin to look more calmer heading into Tuesday night. He had five points and seven rebounds on 1-8 shooting, playing 25 minutes in his first game since sustaining an injury during the offseason. As he practices more with the team to improve his form, it is possible to see Martin have the glimpses of excellence he had towards the end of last season. Following this game, FAU will stay at home as they host Bryant on November 18th at 6:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Eastern Michigan Team Site : Here Eastern Michigan at a Glance Offense – 63 PPG, 40% FG, 33% 3PT Defense – 77 PPGA, 45% FGA, 26% 3PTA Rebounding – 36 RPG, 37 RPG Opponents Eagle Notables Eastern Michigan began the year with a tough 94-55 loss to Butler, a team FAU will be playing to begin the ESPN Invitational during Thanksgiving week, but bounced back with a 70-60 win over Georgia Southern at home. Even though the team no longer has Emoni Bates, who got drafted in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 49th pick of this year’s NBA Draft after averaging 19.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 40.7% shooting from the field and 33.1% from deep in his lone season with the Eagles, the team has two players capable of providing consistent scoring despite having a bottom 50 offense in the nation. Tyson Acuff, who was second in scoring behind Bates with 14.3 points per game, is maintaining his points average of 14 per game but has been off with his shot-making as his accuracy rate is just 30% from the field and 9% from beyond the arc. He does have another scoring partner in Arne Osojnik, who leads the Eagles with 15.5 points and a team-high seven three-pointers. Whether these two are struggling or not, the Owls have to keep tabs on them to prevent them from comfortable evenings. Eastern Michigan has a hard time keeping the ball secure in their possession. They have turned the ball over 33 times, 18 against Butler and 15 against Georgia Southern, ranking in the bottom 50 of the country (tied-310th) in least turnovers committed. This is an area they must be better in, or the Owls will exploit it almost immediately. After this matchup, the Eagles will go back to Michigan to host Cleveland State on November 18th at 1:00 PM. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
