KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team heads down to Florida for the bracketed portion of the Emerald Coast Classic this weekend, starting on Friday afternoon against Southeastern Louisiana.
GAME INFO
Matchup: Western Michigan (0-4) vs. Southeastern Louisiana (1-3)
Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 24 – 2:30 pm
Site: Raider Arena (Niceville, Fla.)
Video: FloHoops
Radio: Bronco Media Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
OPENING TIP
- Western Michigan heads to Florida on Friday and Saturday for the final two games of the Emerald Coast Classic.
- The Broncos are in the Emerald Coast Classic for the second time, having gone 1-1 in the 2018 edition.
- WMU is coming off of its second straight road loss to a Big Ten foe after falling at Ohio State on Sunday afternoon.
- Seth Hubbard netted a career-high 24 points on Sunday afternoon, 22 of which came in the second half.
- Owen Lobsinger snagged a career-high 11 rebounds against the Buckeyes.
- At 14.5 per game, Western Michigan is again atop the MAC in offensive rebounding, a category it led the league in last season at 12.2 per game.
- The Broncos and Lions are meeting for the second time in the last three seasons.
- Western Michigan knocked off SLU in overtime, 81-77, on Nov. 28, 2021, at the FGCU Invitational in Fort Myers, Fla.
EMERALD COAST CLASSIC
Western Michigan heads down to Niceville, Fla., this weekend for the bracketed portion of the Emerald Coast Classic. The Broncos face Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, and then close out the tournament on Saturday against either Tennessee State or Mercer.
THIS LOOKS FAMILIAR
The Broncos are playing in the Emerald Coast Classic for the second time, having also taken part in the 2018 edition of the tournament. That season, WMU beat Southern, 85-70, and then fell in overtime to Nicholls, 62-61. Seth Dugan averaged 25.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in the two games to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
LAST TIME OUT
In its campus game of the Emerald Coast Classic, Western Michigan fell at Ohio State on Sunday, 73-56.
Seth Hubbard poured in a career-high 24 points, 22 of which came in the second half.
Owen Lobsinger registered a career high of his own, grabbing 11 boards.
CLEANING THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
Western Michigan continued to crash the offensive glass on Sunday in Columbus as it grabbed 12, making it four straight games to the start the season that the Broncos have had at least 12 offensive rebounds. The Brown and Gold led the MAC in offensive rebounding a season ago (12.2/game), and once again are atop the league in that category at 14.5 per contest. Overall, WMU is second in the conference in rebounding with an average of 39.0 per game.
BOARDS BROTHERS
The duo of
Anthony Crump and
Titus Wright have been a large part of Western Michigan's success on the glass, with Crump ranking fourth in the MAC at 7.3 rebounds per game and Wright tied for eighth at 6.3. On the offensive glass, Wright is tied for third at 3.5 per game, while Crump and
Owen Lobsinger are tied for ninth with 2.0 per contest.
HOT-HAND HUBBARD
Seth Hubbard got hot down the stretch at the end of the 2022-23 campaign for WMU and it has carried over to the start of the new season, as he's scored in double-figures in each of the first four games. The sophomore had a career-high 24 points on Sunday, and has scored in double-figures in eight of his last 12 games going back to last season. This season, Hubbard is fourth in the league in scoring at 17.0 points per game and leads the MAC at 3.0 made three's per game.
SHARING IS CARING
Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro handed out a career-high 10 assists on Nov. 14 at Northwestern. It marked the first time a Bronco had registered 10 assists in a game since Thomas Wilder handed out 10 assists in a road tilt at Washington back on Dec. 18, 2016. De La Cruz Monegro is one of two players in the MAC (Giovanni Santiago, Kent State) to have a double-digit assist performance this season, and ranks fifth in the conference in assists (4.0) and ninth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6).
395 AND COUNTING
WMU has made at least one three-pointer in 395 straight games dating back to 2011. The Broncos are tied for second in the conference at 8.5 made three's per game.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Southeastern Louisiana enters the weekend having dropped three straight road contests, the most recent of which was a two-point loss at Santa Clara in an Emerald Coast Classic Campus Game. Roger McFarlane leads the three Lions in double-figures with an average of 16.3 points per contest. SLU is the Southland Conference preseason favorite.
SERIES HISTORY
The Broncos and Lions are meeting for the second time in the last three seasons. The previous meeting came on Nov. 28, 2021, at the FGCU Invitational in Fort Myers, Fla.
Lamar Norman Jr. led Western Michigan with 31 points that afternoon as the Brown and Gold outlasted SLU in overtime, 81-77.
ON THE HORIZON
Following its run in the Emerald Coast Classic, Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Friday, Dec. 1, as it takes on St. Thomas. Tip is slated for 5 pm.
