Conference play begins with one road trip and one home game.

Bowling Green is 6-7 with not an overpowering non conference schedule.
The starting lineup appears to be:

Leon Ayers III 6'5 Sr 16.8 ppg
Jamari Curtis 6'4 Sr. 12.4 ppg
Rashaun Agree 6'8 Jr. 10.6 ppg
Kaden Methney 5'11 So 10.2 ppg
Chandler Turner 6'7 Sr. 9 ppg

A well balanced scoring team. The top sub appears to be Sam Towns a 6'9 Jr.

CMU is 5-8 after an upset win against U of M. Their starting lineup appears to be:

Kevin Miller 6'0 So. 18.5 ppg
Brian Taylor 6'6 Sr. 14.4 ppg
Jesse Zarzuela 6'3 Jr. 11.3 ppg
Reggie Bass 6'4 Fr. 10.7 ppg
Markus Harding 6'10 So. 8.6 ppg

The main reserves are Mirestar Staft 6'11 Sr. and Carrington McCaskill 6'8 Jr.

The entire season can/will change if Farrakhan helps his buddy Bates out! Farrakhan unfortunately has struggled, he's shooting 39% from the field, and 63% on FT! He's way too talented for this too continue! Bates is averaging 21 pts A game! He has done what has been expected!

(12-31-2022 12:21 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  The entire season can/will change if Farrakhan helps his buddy Bates out! Farrakhan unfortunately has struggled, he's shooting 39% from the field, and 63% on FT! He's way too talented for this too continue! Bates is averaging 21 pts A game! He has done what has been expected!

Agree. I think we projected Emoni to score about 17.5 ppg.

(12-31-2022 12:53 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 12:21 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  The entire season can/will change if Farrakhan helps his buddy Bates out! Farrakhan unfortunately has struggled, he's shooting 39% from the field, and 63% on FT! He's way too talented for this too continue! Bates is averaging 21 pts A game! He has done what has been expected!

Agree. I think we projected Emoni to score about 17.5 ppg.

As I said before headlines read Bates leads EMU in scoring but EMU loses game. Rinse and repeat.

(12-31-2022 02:47 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 12:53 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 12:21 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  The entire season can/will change if Farrakhan helps his buddy Bates out! Farrakhan unfortunately has struggled, he's shooting 39% from the field, and 63% on FT! He's way too talented for this too continue! Bates is averaging 21 pts A game! He has done what has been expected!

Agree. I think we projected Emoni to score about 17.5 ppg.

As I said before headlines read Bates leads EMU in scoring but EMU loses game. Rinse and repeat.

Okay, let me repeat what I was thinking and was posted.

I think there was a 'consensus' that Emoni would ave. 17.5 - 20, Noah 12.5-15 and Accuff say 10.

However, Emoni is doing his thing, but others are not.

Hence your headline.

(12-31-2022 05:28 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 02:47 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 12:53 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 12:21 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  The entire season can/will change if Farrakhan helps his buddy Bates out! Farrakhan unfortunately has struggled, he's shooting 39% from the field, and 63% on FT! He's way too talented for this too continue! Bates is averaging 21 pts A game! He has done what has been expected!

Agree. I think we projected Emoni to score about 17.5 ppg.

As I said before headlines read Bates leads EMU in scoring but EMU loses game. Rinse and repeat.

Okay, let me repeat what I was thinking and was posted.

I think there was a 'consensus' that Emoni would ave. 17.5 - 20, Noah 12.5-15 and Accuff say 10.

However, Emoni is doing his thing, but others are not.

Hence your headline.

Hm I was thinking that this lineup has not won games even with Bates on the team so far.

(12-31-2022 09:03 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 05:28 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 02:47 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 12:53 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 12:21 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  The entire season can/will change if Farrakhan helps his buddy Bates out! Farrakhan unfortunately has struggled, he's shooting 39% from the field, and 63% on FT! He's way too talented for this too continue! Bates is averaging 21 pts A game! He has done what has been expected!

Agree. I think we projected Emoni to score about 17.5 ppg.

As I said before headlines read Bates leads EMU in scoring but EMU loses game. Rinse and repeat.

Okay, let me repeat what I was thinking and was posted.

I think there was a 'consensus' that Emoni would ave. 17.5 - 20, Noah 12.5-15 and Accuff say 10.

However, Emoni is doing his thing, but others are not.

Hence your headline.

Hm I was thinking that this lineup has not won games even with Bates on the team so far.

Exactly’79

This s no fault of Bates but the other transfers IMHO.

Billingsley - foot speed is too slow for D1 defense
Geeter - ditto
Emoni is a liability on defense but obviously the kid can score.

Acuff has the speed to excel offensively and defensively.
Lovejoy - arguably our best defenders.

Golson-where is he at? This guy should’ve been the starting PF from day one. The team may be disgruntled because we’re not winning.
Noah is playing out of position and sacrificing his game based on the request of Heath.

We’re sacrificing the development of Golson and Jihad for Billingsley and Geeter.

Starting lineup should be

PG Noah
SG Acuff
SF Bates
PF Golson
PF Jihad

6th man Lovejoy

(01-01-2023 11:39 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  Exactly’79

This s no fault of Bates but the other transfers IMHO.

Billingsley - foot speed is too slow for D1 defense
Geeter - ditto
Emoni is a liability on defense but obviously the kid can score.

Acuff has the speed to excel offensively and defensively.
Lovejoy - arguably our best defenders.

Golson-where is he at? This guy should’ve been the starting PF from day one. The team may be disgruntled because we’re not winning.
Noah is playing out of position and sacrificing his game based on the request of Heath.

We’re sacrificing the development of Golson and Jihad for Billingsley and Geeter.

Starting lineup should be

PG Noah
SG Acuff
SF Bates
PF Golson
PF Jihad

6th man Lovejoy

Not D1 level???? You go to such extremes. These guys are a sophomore and a redshirt freshman, give them some time to develop. Big men usually take a little longer. And these guys are doing some good things already.

I do agree that Golson should be getting more playing time, as he clearly plays the quickest offensively. BUT, he does not facilitate offensively (pass) as well as Geeter and I think Billingsley is emerging as the best defensive forward we have (0.7 bpg is really needed in the post). So hard to say who of the 3 should be the starters. And I like the development that Jihad is showing- though would not have him competing for the start just yet.

(01-01-2023 11:39 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 09:03 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 05:28 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 02:47 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 12:53 PM)emu steve Wrote:  Agree. I think we projected Emoni to score about 17.5 ppg.

As I said before headlines read Bates leads EMU in scoring but EMU loses game. Rinse and repeat.

Okay, let me repeat what I was thinking and was posted.

I think there was a 'consensus' that Emoni would ave. 17.5 - 20, Noah 12.5-15 and Accuff say 10.

However, Emoni is doing his thing, but others are not.

Hence your headline.

Hm I was thinking that this lineup has not won games even with Bates on the team so far.

Exactly’79

This s no fault of Bates but the other transfers IMHO.

Billingsley - foot speed is too slow for D1 defense
Geeter - ditto
Emoni is a liability on defense but obviously the kid can score.

Acuff has the speed to excel offensively and defensively.
Lovejoy - arguably our best defenders.

Golson-where is he at? This guy should’ve been the starting PF from day one. The team may be disgruntled because we’re not winning.
Noah is playing out of position and sacrificing his game based on the request of Heath.

We’re sacrificing the development of Golson and Jihad for Billingsley and Geeter.

Starting lineup should be

PG Noah
SG Acuff
SF Bates
PF Golson
PF Jihad

6th man Lovejoy

And there's only one ball.

(01-01-2023 08:21 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  

(01-01-2023 11:39 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 09:03 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 05:28 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-31-2022 02:47 PM)emu79 Wrote:  As I said before headlines read Bates leads EMU in scoring but EMU loses game. Rinse and repeat.

Okay, let me repeat what I was thinking and was posted.

I think there was a 'consensus' that Emoni would ave. 17.5 - 20, Noah 12.5-15 and Accuff say 10.

However, Emoni is doing his thing, but others are not.

Hence your headline.

Hm I was thinking that this lineup has not won games even with Bates on the team so far.

Exactly’79

This s no fault of Bates but the other transfers IMHO.

Billingsley - foot speed is too slow for D1 defense
Geeter - ditto
Emoni is a liability on defense but obviously the kid can score.

Acuff has the speed to excel offensively and defensively.
Lovejoy - arguably our best defenders.

Golson-where is he at? This guy should’ve been the starting PF from day one. The team may be disgruntled because we’re not winning.
Noah is playing out of position and sacrificing his game based on the request of Heath.

We’re sacrificing the development of Golson and Jihad for Billingsley and Geeter.

Starting lineup should be

PG Noah
SG Acuff
SF Bates
PF Golson
PF Jihad

6th man Lovejoy

And there's only one ball.

Golson is not a PF. But I like Golson a lot as a SF and Bates at PF. Best line-up to win games if Heath has the vision to try it and Bates doesn't resist. Would help his future big-time. Would force him to learn how to play good defense without fouling. He may grow to like blocking shots.

Golson wasn’t with the team for the last game, for whatever that is worth.

(01-01-2023 07:53 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(01-01-2023 11:39 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  Exactly’79

This s no fault of Bates but the other transfers IMHO.

Billingsley - foot speed is too slow for D1 defense
Geeter - ditto
Emoni is a liability on defense but obviously the kid can score.

Acuff has the speed to excel offensively and defensively.
Lovejoy - arguably our best defenders.

Golson-where is he at? This guy should’ve been the starting PF from day one. The team may be disgruntled because we’re not winning.
Noah is playing out of position and sacrificing his game based on the request of Heath.

We’re sacrificing the development of Golson and Jihad for Billingsley and Geeter.

Starting lineup should be

PG Noah
SG Acuff
SF Bates
PF Golson
PF Jihad

6th man Lovejoy

Not D1 level???? You go to such extremes. These guys are a sophomore and a redshirt freshman, give them some time to develop. Big men usually take a little longer. And these guys are doing some good things already.

I do agree that Golson should be getting more playing time, as he clearly plays the quickest offensively. BUT, he does not facilitate offensively (pass) as well as Geeter and I think Billingsley is emerging as the best defensive forward we have (0.7 bpg is really needed in the post). So hard to say who of the 3 should be the starters. And I like the development that Jihad is showing- though would not have him competing for the start just yet.

I've been Golson's biggest fan to date. He goes to the bucket with authority, has good hops and is very strong. He actually defended Ball State's Sparks FAR better than Njie did last year. While I do indeed question his limited usage this year, I must admit that I have not seen the improvement in his game that I expected. Vanzee brings up an intriguing issue. Why was he missing vs South Carolina? Discipline? Attitude issue?

(01-02-2023 05:43 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  

(01-01-2023 07:53 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(01-01-2023 11:39 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  Exactly’79

This s no fault of Bates but the other transfers IMHO.

Billingsley - foot speed is too slow for D1 defense
Geeter - ditto
Emoni is a liability on defense but obviously the kid can score.

Acuff has the speed to excel offensively and defensively.
Lovejoy - arguably our best defenders.

Golson-where is he at? This guy should’ve been the starting PF from day one. The team may be disgruntled because we’re not winning.
Noah is playing out of position and sacrificing his game based on the request of Heath.

We’re sacrificing the development of Golson and Jihad for Billingsley and Geeter.

Starting lineup should be

PG Noah
SG Acuff
SF Bates
PF Golson
PF Jihad

6th man Lovejoy

Not D1 level???? You go to such extremes. These guys are a sophomore and a redshirt freshman, give them some time to develop. Big men usually take a little longer. And these guys are doing some good things already.

I do agree that Golson should be getting more playing time, as he clearly plays the quickest offensively. BUT, he does not facilitate offensively (pass) as well as Geeter and I think Billingsley is emerging as the best defensive forward we have (0.7 bpg is really needed in the post). So hard to say who of the 3 should be the starters. And I like the development that Jihad is showing- though would not have him competing for the start just yet.

I've been Golson's biggest fan to date. He goes to the bucket with authority, has good hops and is very strong. He actually defended Ball State's Sparks FAR better than Njie did last year. While I do indeed question his limited usage this year, I must admit that I have not seen the improvement in his game that I expected. Vanzee brings up an intriguing issue. Why was he missing vs South Carolina? Discipline? Attitude issue?

I do recall you saying his defense on Sparks was good. I am wondering if it is worth a try to have him spend some time as the post defender. I hope his missing the South Carolina game is not a larger issue.

(01-01-2023 07:53 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(01-01-2023 11:39 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  Exactly’79

This s no fault of Bates but the other transfers IMHO.

Billingsley - foot speed is too slow for D1 defense
Geeter - ditto
Emoni is a liability on defense but obviously the kid can score.

Acuff has the speed to excel offensively and defensively.
Lovejoy - arguably our best defenders.

Golson-where is he at? This guy should’ve been the starting PF from day one. The team may be disgruntled because we’re not winning.
Noah is playing out of position and sacrificing his game based on the request of Heath.

We’re sacrificing the development of Golson and Jihad for Billingsley and Geeter.

Starting lineup should be

PG Noah
SG Acuff
SF Bates
PF Golson
PF Jihad

6th man Lovejoy

Not D1 level???? You go to such extremes. These guys are a sophomore and a redshirt freshman, give them some time to develop. Big men usually take a little longer. And these guys are doing some good things already.

I do agree that Golson should be getting more playing time, as he clearly plays the quickest offensively. BUT, he does not facilitate offensively (pass) as well as Geeter and I think Billingsley is emerging as the best defensive forward we have (0.7 bpg is really needed in the post). So hard to say who of the 3 should be the starters. And I like the development that Jihad is showing- though would not have him competing for the start just yet.

Wait. So Bates is "back" to starting? What changed? Just slow down the hot takes and observe, let things play out for awhile in MAC play, assess.

Bought new flags for the new conference season.

Looking at the line up info that ‘79 provided above, neither Bowling Green nor CMU have a size advantage over EMU. This is a good opportunity for EMU to take advantage of playing a couple home games against teams that are likely lower tier of the conference. A 2-0 start in conference play could initiate some much needed momentum after such a shockingly bad non-conference results. Conversely, a loss in either of these two very winnable games would be disastrous as things will mostly get tougher after this.

Hoping the Team/Coach doesn’t squander this opportunity.

Bates is currently the number 12 leading scorer.

We simply have to win these next few games! We've more talent on paper! Bates can very easily average 20-25 points in the MAC games! We need Farrakhan, Acuff, and Golson to contribute! Go Hurons! Go Eagles!

(01-03-2023 01:09 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  We simply have to win these next few games! We've more talent on paper! Bates can very easily average 20-25 points in the MAC games! We need Farrakhan, Acuff, and Golson to contribute! Go Hurons! Go Eagles!

We are getting a lot of discussion on Golson. I hope he is still with the team. The ambiguity of Vanzee’s comment on Golson not joining the team to SC sounds ominous.

But yes, we need Noah to start lighting it up too (hopefully no residual injury for him), as well as Tyson and Golson (if he is available). And we need Billingsley to keep turning up his defensive output. I am not being critical of Legend as I do still think he may be our best big man, but he has quietly underwhelmed me after showing so much promise earlier on.

Bates will have score 25-35 for us to win if no one else scores in double digits. What we need is someone some way to get 10 assists. Assists means we are running plays settings up our shooters. Which we haven't done in years.