Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Central Michigan and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 29-23 lead against Eastern Michigan.

If Central Michigan keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 18-13 in no time. On the other hand, Eastern Michigan will have to make due with a 13-18 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Eastern Michigan Eagles @ Central Michigan Chippewas

Current Records: Eastern Michigan 13-17, Central Michigan 17-13

How To Watch

What to Know

Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. Both teams will face off in a Mid American battle at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday at McGuirk Arena. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Even though Eastern Michigan has not done well against Akron recently (they were 1-9 in their previous ten matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Not to be outdone by the Zips, the Eagles got past the Zips on a last-second shot courtesy of Jalin Billingsley with 2 seconds left in the second quarter.

Connor Serven was the offensive standout of the match as he scored 11 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Less helpful for Eastern Michigan was Billingsley's abysmal 0-5 three-point shooting.

Meanwhile, Central Michigan finally caught a break after three consecutive losses. They came out on top against the Huskies by a score of 69-63 on Tuesday.

Among those leading the charge was Derrick Butler, who scored 24 points. He didn't help Central Michigan's cause all that much against Toledo back in January but the same can't be said for this game. Cayden Vasko was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with three steals.

The Eagles are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a massive bump to their 13-17 record this season. As for the Chippewas, their win bumped their record up to 17-13.

Eastern Michigan is hoping to beat the odds on Friday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. This contest will be their 11th straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 5-4 against the spread).

Eastern Michigan ended up a good deal behind Central Michigan when the teams last played back in January, losing 80-64. Can Eastern Michigan avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.

Odds

Central Michigan is a big 10.5-point favorite against Eastern Michigan, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 10.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 130 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.

  • Jan 09, 2024 - Central Michigan 80 vs. Eastern Michigan 64
  • Jan 07, 2023 - Eastern Michigan 62 vs. Central Michigan 56
  • Feb 15, 2022 - Eastern Michigan 75 vs. Central Michigan 70
  • Jan 11, 2022 - Eastern Michigan 99 vs. Central Michigan 68
  • Jan 16, 2021 - Central Michigan 75 vs. Eastern Michigan 64
  • Dec 29, 2020 - Central Michigan 87 vs. Eastern Michigan 60
  • Feb 29, 2020 - Eastern Michigan 67 vs. Central Michigan 63
  • Feb 11, 2020 - Eastern Michigan 73 vs. Central Michigan 70
  • Feb 26, 2019 - Central Michigan 77 vs. Eastern Michigan 66
  • Jan 29, 2019 - Central Michigan 86 vs. Eastern Michigan 82