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The men's season is starting to get a little interesting as the team is showing a lot of promise early in conference play. Buffalo lost by a small margin to the MAC favorite in Akron. UB then followed that up with a road win over Kent State where it seemed like they had complete control. If the Bulls can have another solid performance in this next game over Eastern Michigan, a top four seed shouldn't be out of question. So let's get to our preview of the Eagles:
Quick Facts
Opponent: Eastern Michigan
Head Coach: Rob Murphy (82-71, 5th year with Eastern Michigan)
Date/Time: 1/12/16, 7:00 PM
Home/Away: Away
Opponent's Mascot: An eagle
Current Record: 9-6 (1-1 MAC)
2014-15 Season Record: 21-14 (8-10 MAC)
Postseason: Lost to Louisiana-Monroe in Round 1 of the CBI
All-Time Series: Buffalo leads 12-9
Opponent's Roster and Stats
| Player | Position | Height | MIN | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | FT% | 3P% |
| James Thompson IV | C | 6'10" | 29.9 | 15.3 | 10.9 | 0.6 | 0.718 | 0.6 | 0 |
| Raven Lee | G | 6'3" | 24 | 15.1 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.452 | 0.8 | 0.372 |
| Willie Mangum IV | G | 6'1" | 27.6 | 14.1 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 0.386 | 0.74 | 0.304 |
| Brandon Nazione | F | 6'8" | 26.5 | 9.6 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 0.568 | 0.714 | 0.5 |
| Ty Toney | G | 6'2" | 27.8 | 9.3 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 0.342 | 0.692 | 0.172 |
| Tim Bond | G | 6'7" | 27.5 | 7.5 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 0.446 | 0.737 | 0.308 |
| Jodan Price | F | 6'8" | 21.9 | 7.2 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.391 | 0.667 | 0.344 |
| Ethan Alvano | G | 6'1" | 10.3 | 3.5 | 1 | 1.2 | 0.281 | 0.773 | 0 |
| Jordan Martin | G | 6'3" | 8.3 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 0.333 | 0.529 | 0 |
| Jordan Nobles | F | 6'9" | 7.9 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 0.45 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Trent Perry | G | 6'4" | 9.1 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.24 | 0 | 0.222 |
| Totals | -- | 78 | 38 | 13 | 0.452 | 0.684 | 0.293 |
This is going to be another tough challenge for UB's interior defense. Eastern Michigan easily has the best freshman in the conference. James Thompson is shooting for 15ppg on an outstanding 72% shooting. Thompson is a double double machine and if UB can stop him, EMU will struggle. EMU also has an experienced guard in Raven Lee. Lee is shooting the ball really well and averaging the same as Thompson.
Notable Opponents
- Won against Vermont (UB won against them)
- Lost to #3 Michigan State
- Played four non-Division I teams
Can We Win?
I think UB pulls away with a win in this one, especially if they show the solid interior defense they had against Kent State. EMU can't really shoot that well from outside. If we focus this one on the interior, I think we pull out another MAC road win.