It will be a battle between Mid-American opponents when the Eastern Michigan Eagles (14-13) welcome the Western Michigan Broncos (11-16) to Convocation Center. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 23 and will air on ES3.
The Eagles beat Toledo 91-85 on Saturday. Brandon Nazione was the team’s high scorer with 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting. The Broncos are coming off a 92-85 win over Central Michigan on Saturday. Thomas Wilder led the game in scoring with 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Broncos winning the first matchup 94-86. Wilder played a big role with 35 points and 10 rebounds.
The Eagles are looking to build on their records of 14-13 Straight Up (SU) and 9-11 Against The Spread (ATS). The Eagles have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire nation, averaging 83.2 points per game. The Eagles are a phenomenal shooting team from the line with 18.0 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in Division I.
On the other side, Western Michigan has a SU record of 11-16 and an ATS record of 11-11. The Broncos get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking 38th in the nation with 477 made (17.0 per game).
Following the Broncos’ latest win over Eastern Michigan, they evened up the head-to-head record over their most recent meetings, 5-5 SU. With a 6-4 record, the Eagles have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan each held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – EastMi, ATS Winner – EastMi
Notes
Eastern Michigan averages 78.3 points per game (ranked 55th). Western Michigan, on the other hand, allows 74.1 points per game (ranked 193rd).
The Eastern Michigan Eagles average 72.3 possessions and 1.084 points per possession in games this season. The Western Michigan Broncos average fewer possessions with 69.2, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.071.
Western Michigan has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.7%. Eastern Michigan is a losing 4-9 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Eastern Michigan Eagles average 18.0 three point attempts per game, while the Western Michigan Broncos attempt 18.0. When attempting 20 or more three pointers in a game, both teams have split 5-5 records.
The Eastern Michigan defense has forced an average TO% of 22.4% this season (ranked 14th). In games where it gives up a TO% of 22% or greater, Western Michigan has a losing 1-3 record.
