Miami men’s basketball looking to extend win streak to three against Eastern Michigan
The Miami University Redhawks will be looking to continue their two-game winning streak in a duel against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles this Saturday in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
The RedHawks currently sit at sixth place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with a 14-14 overall record (8-7 in MAC play). The Eagles, also coming off of two straight wins, sit at 10th in the conference with a 12-16 record overall (5-10 in MAC play).
Miami’s last showdown was against the Bowling Green State University Falcons. After a slow first half which saw them go down by three, a 15-0 run midway through the second half propelled them to an exciting victory. They were led by 20 points from senior guard Darweshi Hunter and 15 points from junior guard Bradley Dean off the bench.
The Eagles last faced their rivals from the west in the Western Michigan University Broncos. The game came down to the final minutes, with Eastern Michigan clawing their way to a 70-67 victory. Leading the way was first-year guard Arne Osojnik with 22 points, while junior guard Tyson Acuff chipped in 17.
Acuff is currently leading the team in points-per-game at 21.7, putting him at eighth in the category across all of Division 1. However, Bowling Green had the ninth-ranked scorer in junior guard Marcus Hill, whom the RedHawks held him to eight points, showing that they are certainly up to the task to put up another stifling defensive effort.
Miami previously matched up with Eastern Michigan in Oxford last month, defeating them 71-54. The RedHawks were led by a career-high 23 points from first-year guard Eian Elmer, along with 14 points and six assists from senior forward Bryce Bultman.
For the Eagles, Acuff dropped 19 points and junior guard Julius Ellerbe had 11. It was a dominant effort that saw the RedHawks lead for 39 out of the 40 minutes of game time.
The RedHawks currently hold a 54-29 all-time record over the Eagles, with their matchups dating back to 1975. However, the two schools are split 5-5 over their last 10 matchups, meaning a very competitive game is afoot.
Miami enters the contest with a 69.9% chance of victory, according to ESPN analytics. Tip-off is at 1 p.m.
With three games left in the regular season, the RedHawks can use their momentum for quite the run in the MAC tournament later this month.
