Tag: Eastern Michigan Eagles

Eastern Michigan’s Jalin Billingsley drops Akron with a stealthy game-sealing putback dunk

“SLAM DUNK! BILLINGSLEY! EASTERN MICHIGAN!”

Oh, baby. March Madness hasn’t arrived yet, but the madness — pun absolutely intended — is already starting. Eastern Michigan men’s basketball team put away Akron with a filthy putback dunk that you have to see to believe.

Listen, we’re big fans of wild ways to end games. The more chaotic, the better. That’s why Jalin Billingsley of Eastern Michigan deserves a ton of praise for the guts it took to pull off a game-winning putback dunk for the win — see what we did there? — over Akron with 1.9 seconds left in regulation.

The matchup was down to the wire. With the clock moving lightning fast, Billingsley’s teammate Arne Osojnik tried to sink Akron with a clutch 3-point basket. But, it rimmed out. The crowd was already celebrating what they likely thought was a victory when Jalin came flying in, seemingly out of nowhere, with a timely left-handed bucket. The Eastern Michigan bench immediately exploded, and Akron fans, with hands on their heads in disbelief, went noticeably quiet.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

College golf facilities: Eastern Michigan Eagles and GameAbove Golf Performance Center

Check out Eastern Michigan’s GameAbove Golf Performance Center.

Eastern Michigan held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the GameAbove Golf Performance Center at Eagle Crest Golf Course on Jan. 16, 2024.

The two-story facility, perched elegantly overlooking the 18th green and Ford Lake, was made possible through an $8 million gift from GameAbove, a dedicated group of Eastern Michigan alumni. The facility stands as a testament to EMU’s commitment to excellence in collegiate golf. This state-of-the-art training complex, spanning 13,000 square feet, is designed to propel the Eastern men’s and women’s golf teams to new heights of success. With locker rooms, meeting spaces, indoor putting and chipping areas, and cutting-edge simulators, the facility provides an unparalleled training environment for all elements of the game.

The building features a dedicated practice range, spanning 6,619 square feet, which offers student-athletes the opportunity to hone their skills with targeted training sessions. A specialized area covering 5,383 square feet has been designated for chipping and putting, ensuring that every aspect of the game is meticulously addressed in the training regimen. Additionally, the inclusion of two TrackMan 4 Simulators, totaling 1,974 square feet, adds a cutting-edge dimension to the training experience. These simulators bring the outdoor game indoors, allowing for precision training regardless of external conditions.

Here’s a look at more college golf practice facilities.

Photos: GameAbove Golf Performance Center

Eastern Michigan lands former Florida TE from transfer portal

After four years at the University of Florida, tight end Jonathan Odom is transferring to Eastern Michigan University.

Florida tight end [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] is headed to the MAC West.

After playing in the Swamp for four years (and earning his degree), Odom will look for a more stable role on the field at Eastern Michigan, according to an announcement put out on Twitter Friday night.

Odom overcame an ACL tear suffered last December and was ready for action by the start of the regular season, but he went down again after just four games, presenting the opportunity to redshirt before moving on.

His departure leaves Florida with four scholarship tight ends on the roster. Senior Keon Zipperer will return after missing all of 2023 with a knee injury, redshirt freshmen Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen appear primed to break out even more as sophomores and Tony Livingston should get more snaps in Year 2. Four-star commit Amir Jackson is set to join the program too.

Odom is leaving a crowded position room to become a bigger fish in a smaller pond. Blake Daniels led all tight ends on the team with 149 yards and is out of eligibility. Jere Getzinger hauled in 15 receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Through 25 games with Florida, Odom totaled 16 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Kent State onside kick backfires into Eastern Michigan touchdown

The onside kick by Kent State seemed like a good idea. Then again there is a reason the Golden Flashes came in 1-5

This could be a sign you are going to have a bad day.

Kent State decided to try and surprise Eastern Michigan as it opened its MAC game against Eastern Michigan on Saturday.

The onside kick attempt … went awry to say the least.

Instead of coming up with the ball, the Golden Flashes, who came in 1-5, were looking at a 7-0 deficit after 6 seconds.

Kendric Nowling of the Eagles was alert, grabbed the kick, and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown.

Former top recruit Emoni Bates officially declares for 2023 NBA draft

Bates was named to the All-MAC third team after averaging 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Eastern Michigan sophomore Emoni Bates, a former top-five recruit, announced on Monday that he had declared for the 2023 NBA draft ahead of the early entry deadline.

Bates was named to the All-MAC third team after averaging 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 33% shooting from 3-point range. He finished third in the conference in scoring and had the ninth-highest-scoring game in the country when he produced 43 points on Jan. 24.

The 19-year-old joined the program last year after one season at Memphis. He committed to head coach Penny Hardaway as the fifth-ranked prospect in the class of 2021 but failed to live up to expectations after injuries and other issues limited him to just 18 games. He averaged 9.7 points.

He was then involved in a traffic stop that resulted in two felony charges.

Bates was arrested in September after police found a firearm in his vehicle. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering identification marks on a firearm, which resulted in 18 months of probation after he pled guilty. He was suspended by the school but was reinstated in October after the charges were dropped.

The conviction will be expunged from his record following his probation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cra8j-DLSM0/

Bates was viewed as one of the top high school prospects in recent memory and drew some comparisons to Kevin Durant. He became the first sophomore ever to win Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2020 and just the sixth underclassman to win at the time.

However, he has largely failed to live up to the hype in two years in college. He flashed some of that potential in spurts this season with the Eagles. He has been known as a scorer and showed that ability throughout the year, which could translate to the next level.

Despite a prolific career to this point, Bates is considered a potential second-round pick. There are questions regarding his size at 6 feet, 10 inches and 190 pounds, and his ability as a defender. He has also not established himself as a consistent shooter.

It is unclear if Bates has signed with an agent or retained his ability to return to school next season. But he will have the chance to gain feedback on his potential draft stock from teams in workouts and interviews over the next several weeks.

The NBA draft will take place on June 22.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=650262453]

Eastern Michigan Eagles Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players

Eastern Michigan College Football Preview 2022: Team breakdown, season prediction, keys to the campaign, and what you need to know

Eastern Michigan Eagles Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Eastern Michigan season with what you need to know and keys to the season.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Eastern Michigan Eagles Preview
Head Coach: Chris Creighton, 9th year at EMU, 37-57
26th year overall, 176-103, 2021 Preview
2021 Record: Overall: 7-6, Conference: 4-4
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Eastern Michigan Top 10 Players | Schedule

Eastern Michigan Eagles Preview 2022

Eastern Michigan needs to be graded on a curve.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, head coach Chris Creighton and the program won’t hear about anything other than winning seasons, MAC Championships, and bowl games being the norm, but it wasn’t all that long ago when the bar was set at not getting totally annihilated.

No, Eastern Michigan hasn’t won a bowl game under Creighton – the program is 1-5 all-time – but he has accounted for four of the six appearances.

Really, how bad was Eastern Michigan? From 1996 to 2015 the program only won more than four games once.

Now, after eight years under Creighton, this might be his best team yet with a ton of talent returning on offense, a whole lot happening up front on defense, and with a bowl game now a formality if everything goes right. That starts with …

Eastern Michigan Eagles Preview 2022: Offense

The offense needs some work. Overall it wasn’t bad – it averaged 30 points and 381 yards per game – but there wasn’t any running game to speak of and the passing attack wasn’t consistent enough. Fortunately, the attack is loaded with experience and potential upgrades. The big question though is …

Quarterback – one has to emerge and take the gig. Ben Bryant went back to Cincinnati, Preston Hutchinson left for Chattanooga, and Austin Smith is the lone holdover with every shot to make the job his. However, Cam’Ron McCoy is an interesting prospect from Cincinnati, and former Missouri Tiger and Troy Trojan Taylor Powell is like the best option.

The receiving corps has the parts no matter who the main man at QB is. 5-8 Hassan Beydoun led the team with 97 catches for 1,015 yards and four scores, and Dylan Grumman helped with 64 grabs. Outside of tight end, just about everyone of note is back.

The top four offensive linemen are expected to be back around First Team All-MAC guard Sidy Sow and Second Team All-MAC performers Brian Dooley at one tackle spot. Now they need to do more for a ground game that averaged 119 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry.

The rushing attack might not have been amazing when now-departed Jawon Hamilton wasn’t rumbling, but former Iowa transfer Samson Evans barreled for 13 touchdowns and Darius Boone Jr. was second on the team with 451 yards and six scores.

Eastern Michigan Eagles Preview 2022: Defense

The defense didn’t do enough on third downs, there weren’t any tackles for loss, and overall it allowed 436 yards and 30 points per game. There’s hope, though, with an experience defensive front and help from the transfer portal for the linebacking corps.

Tariq Spikes led the team with 90 stops in the middle of the linebacking corps, but he needs help around him in the 4-2-5 with Terry Myrick gone. Boston College transfer Joe Sparacio should be a factor.

The line has a good veterans in Alex Merritt, but hybrid end Jose Ramirez is the most important playmaker of the bunch with a team high 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 tackles for loss for a team that didn’t have a whole lot of big plays behind the line.

The secondary will get the most attention through fall camp. There aren’t a slew of big-time playmakers returning, but Kempton Shine is a good-tackling corner and safety Blake Bogan made 45 stops.

Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Eastern Michigan Top 10 Players | Schedule

Eastern Michigan Eagles: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Eastern Michigan Eagles Top 10 Players: College Football Preview 2022

Who are the top 10 Eastern Michigan players going into the 2022 college football season?

Eastern Michigan Eagles Preview 2022: Who are the top 10 players going into the season?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Eastern Michigan Eagles Preview 
EMU Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen | Schedule 

Penn State’s all-time record against every member of the MAC

Penn State has had little problems dealing with #MACTION, but two MAC schools own active winning streaks against the Nittany Lions.

Historically speaking, Penn State has been very good against teams currently residing in the MAC. That should be expected given Penn State’s place in college football history compared to most of the programs in the MAC. But two schools in the MAC will enter the 2021 season with active winning streaks against the Nittany Lions with no future game son the schedule lined up to give Penn State an upcoming chance of breaking those streaks.

The Toledo Rockets are the only non-power conference program in college football to own a 100 percent winning percentage against the Nittany Lions (excluding teams from the Ivy League), putting Toledo in some very elite company with programs like Clemson, Oklahoma, and Florida (and Vanderbilt!).

Penn State’s brief run under former head coach Bill O’Brien got off on the wrong foot with a home loss to the Ohio Bobcats in Beaver Stadium. Ohio is the only other MAC team with an active winning streak against the Nittany Lions. In fact, those are the only two games Penn State has ever lost to a team in the MAC to this day.

Here is a look at how Penn State fares all-time against schools currently in the MAC.

All data referenced is credited to College Football Reference. Rankings referenced are AP Top 25 where available.

If you want more, check out Penn State’s all-time records against current members of the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. We are also adding all-time records against non-power conferences. Here is Penn State’s all-time record against schools in the AAC.

Note: Penn State has never faced Ball State, Miami, or Western Michigan. Penn State will face Ball State in 2021.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. 

WATCH: Highlights from MSU Basketball’s season-opening victory over Eastern Michigan

Michigan State basketball tipped off the season with a relatively easy victory over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, 83-67.

[jwplayer ThHMsta4]

Michigan State basketball tipped off the season with a relatively easy victory over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, 83-67.

The Spartans were led offensively by junior guard Foster Loyer, who hit 6-of-10 three-point attempts en route to a career-high 20 points. Junior forward Joey Hauser (15 points), junior forward Gabe Brown (12 points), and senior guard Joshua Langford (10 points) each joined Loyer with double-digit scoring efforts against the Eagles.

Check out highlights from Wednesday night’s season-opening victory below:

MSU returns to the court on Saturday against Notre Dame. This home match-up will tipoff at 8 p.m. EST and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

[vertical-gallery id=32394]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1363]

Locked On Spartans: A WIN! HOORAY! MSU vs. Northwestern preview

Wil and Matt react to MSU’s opening night win over Eastern Michigan, and breakdown MSU football’s game against Northwestern on Saturday.

[jwplayer uZffHiR1]

Wil and Matt react to Michigan State’s opening night win over Eastern Michigan. Then they breakdown MSU football’s game against Northwestern on Saturday. Can the Spartans somehow score some points in this one? Maybe.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

[vertical-gallery id=32394]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1363]