E. Michigan puts streak on line vs UC Irvine
Eastern Michigan (6-0) vs. UC Irvine (4-4)
Bren Events Center, Irvine, California; Saturday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Michigan looks for its seventh straight win of the season as it battles UC Irvine. Eastern Michigan is looking to extend its current six-game winning streak. UC Irvine is coming off a 92-67 win in Las Vegas over Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday.
SUPER SENIORS: UC Irvine has relied heavily on its seniors this year. Eyassu Worku, Brad Greene, Tommy Rutherford and John Edgar Jr. have combined to account for 55 percent of the team's scoring this year and 54 percent of all Anteaters points over the last five games.GIFTED GROCE: Ty Groce has connected on 22.2 percent of the 27 3-pointers he's attempted and has gone 4 for 18 over his last three games. He's also made 74.2 percent of his free throws this season.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Anteaters have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Eagles. UC Irvine has 50 assists on 83 field goals (60.2 percent) over its previous three matchups while Eastern Michigan has assists on 25 of 56 field goals (44.6 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Eastern Michigan defense has forced opponents into turnovers on an impressive 33.3 percent of all possessions, which ranks the Eagles first among Division I teams. The UC Irvine offense has turned the ball over on 22.8 percent of its possessions (ranking the Anteaters 311th, nationally).
