GAME FACTS – Fresh off a road sweep that allowed it to boost its win streak to 10 games, the Emory men's basketball team returns home this weekend for a pair of conference contests, starting with a Friday evening bout against the University of Chicago that is scheduled for an 8:00 pm tip, followed by a Sunday match-up against Washington University starting at noon.
THE COACHES – Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, 1994) is in his 11th year of patrolling the Emory sideline. Named head coach in April of 2007, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07). Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).
During his tenure with the Eagles, he ranks as the program's winningest coach, compiling a school and career record of 185-94. In games played at the Woodruff PE Center, Zimmerman posts a 107-26 ledger and a 78-68 mark in road/neutral settings.
He has guided Emory to nine straight winning seasons and five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). The Eagles are the lone D-III school to have won at least one NCAA contest in each of the past five years.
After going 17-33 his first two years at Emory, Zimmerman has compiled a won-lost slate of 168-61 (.733) since the 2009-10 season.
Mike McGrath (DePauw, '92) is in his 19th season at the helm of the Chicago program. He ranks as the school's all-time winningest coach with a 277-196 ledger. He has guided the Maroons to four UAA titles as well as four trips to the NCAA D-III Tournament.
In his 37th campaign calling the shots for Washington University is Mark Edwards (Washington Univ., '69). Heading into a Friday road date at Rochester, Edwards has registered a school and career record of 677-291. His WU squads have made 20 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and captured national titles in 2008 and 2009.
2017-18 RECORDS – Emory, ranked 13th in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, has won its last 10 games and posts an overall record of 14-2, 5-0 in the UAA. This past weekend, the Eagles made the most of their initial conference road weekend, winning at New York University (73-68) and Brandeis (90-57). Senior Adam Gigax pumped in a game-high 21 points in the victory over NYU, while seniors Christopher Avant registered a game-high 17 points and Whit Rapp 10 assists, respectively, in the Brandeis encounter.
Emory is 9-0 at home and 5-2 in road/neutral contests.
Chicago comes to town with an overall mark of 7-9, 3-2 in the UAA. The Maroons split a pair of road games last weekend, edging Carnegie Mellon 66-64 on Friday before seeing a three-game win streak snapped on Sunday when they came out on the short end of a 78-73 score to Case Western Reserve. UC has won six of eight home contests and is 1-7 on the road.
Wash U, ranked No. 2 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, takes a 14-2 slate (5-0 UAA) into the Friday contest at Rochester. The Bears own a six-game win streak which includes wins at Case Western (100-64) and Carnegie Mellon (104-70) this past weekend. WU posts a 7-1 record in road/neutral venues and stands 7-1 at home.
SERIES RECORDS – In a series that began in January of 1987, Chicago holds an all-time record of 36-25 against Emory. The Eagles have won the last five meetings including last year's 80-72 (in Atlanta) and 99-88 (in Chicago) match-ups. Emory stands 16-14 against UC in games played at the Woodruff PE Center and has won the last three and seven of the past eight games on its home floor.
Wash U claims a 47-13 advantage in the all-time series against Emory that saw the first game played in January of 1988. Last season, the Bears emerged with wins in both meetings, prevailing by a 71-63 count in Atlanta and 94-65 in Saint Louis. Wash U has won 21 of the 30 games contested at the Woodruff PE Center.
RAPP CONTINUES MARCH ON EMORY CAREER ASSISTS LIST – Whit Rapp's 16-assists weekend boosted his career total to 538. The holder of the No. 2 spot on the school's all-time assists chart, Rapp moved closer to Austin Claunch's (2008-12) No. 1 mark of 580. Rapp's 538 assists makes him Division's III No. 2 active career leader, second only to Ohio Wesleyan's Nate Axelrod's total of 587.
Rapp's 10 assists in Sunday's win vs. Brandeis represented his second game this year and 17th of his career with double figures.
Rapp stands in the No. 2 spot on Emory's all-time chart with a 5.78 per-game average, with that effort placing him as D-III's No. 3 active career leader.
In his 10 appearances this year, Rapp is averaging 7.6 assists per contest.
GIGAX CLIMBING EMORY CAREER LISTS – Adam Gigax continues his climb up a number of Emory career categories. His 28 combined points vs. NYU and Brandeis boosted his career total to 1,117, ranking 12th on the school's all-time chart. He is 10 points from tying Rashawn Allen's (2001-05) 11th-place mark of 1,127 points and 29 from tying Kevin Felner's (1989-93) 10th-place total of 1,146
In the three-point field goal department, the Mason, Ohio native knocked down six triples, increasing his career total to 189. Second on the Eagles' career list in treys, Gigax is aiming for the school's No. 1 mark of 227 held by Robert Spivey (2000-04). Finally, Gigax's career effort of 39.3 percent (189-481) from beyond the arc is eighth on the Emory all-time chart.
EMORY OFFENSE PUTTING UP POINTS – The Emory offense is scoring at an 85.9 points-per-game rate in overall play, good for the No. 2 spot in the UAA and 30th among all D-III programs (through Jan. 21). The Eagles have totaled 80 or more points in 13 of 16 contests and have registered five outings with 90 or more points. The Eagles' current scoring average stands as the third-highest seasonal mark in school history.
The Eagles are tossing in 83.2 points over their five UAA outings, good for second in the loop behind Wash U's 96.0 points.
WILLIAMS MAKES IMPACT – Romin Williams tied as Emory's No. 2 scorer in the Brandeis game, tallying 14 points in 17 minutes of action. Williams ended the day knocking down five-of-10 field goal opportunities, including four three-pointers in eight attempts, in posting his 12th double-figure contest of the campaign.
Williams is No. 2 on the club and fifth among UAA players in overall scoring average (15.4 ppg), and has either led or shared for team scoring honors on five occasions. He is second on the Emory score sheet with 37 three-point field goals and his 40.7 effort (37-91) from beyond the arc slots him in the No. 9 position on the conference ladder. Other UAA statistical categories that he finds himself ranked prominently include free throw percentage (7th, .772 (44-57)), assists (8th, 3.3 apg), three-point field goals per game (6th, 2.5) and steals (t-8th, 1.3 spg).
EMORY SOLID AT THE STRIPE – The Eagles continued their marksmanship at the free throw line over the weekend, converting 91.7 percent (11-12) of their opportunities vs. NYU and following that effort with an eight-of-nine effort in the Brandeis, giving them a two-game total of 19-of-21 (.904).
Emory has been successful on 70 percent or better of its free throw opportunities in 12 of its last 13 and in a total of 14 games this year, and its 79.4 percent (246-310) mark ranks first in the UAA and 3rd among all D-III programs (through Jan. 21). In their nine home dates, the Eagles are connecting at an 80.3 clip (167-208) from the stripe. In seven contests away from the Woodruff PE Center, Emory posts a 77.4 percent (79-102) mark at the line.
Through five league contests, Emory is shooting a UAA-best 85.9 percent (79-92) from the foul line.
CHRIS AVANT TOP SCORER vs. BRANDEIS – Christopher Avant's game-high
17 points in the Brandeis victory represented his second-highest point total of the season and the second time that he ranked as the squad's leading scorer. Avant concluded the contest five-of-seven from the floor while sink a season-high six free throws in seven opportunities.
In the Eagles' opening five UAA outings, he is second on the squad and tied for 11th among league players in scoring average (13.2 ppg) while his 67.6 percent (23-34) showing from the floor paces the team. He has been successful on 85 percent (17-20) from the stripe in conference play, good for the No. 6 spot on the UAA chart.
In overall action, Avant finds himself third on the club and 13th among UAA players in scoring average (13.2 ppg). The owner of 11 double-digit scoring outings, he is shooting a team-best 57.1 percent (72-126) from the floor, good for the No. 3 slot on the conference chart and fourth on the school's seasonal list. He has shot 50 percent or better from the field on 13 occasions this year.
Avant stands as Emory's top rebounder with his 7.1 per-game average ranking eighth on the league ladder. He has paced the Eagles in rebounds in 10 contests and has rang up four games with 10 or more caroms. He has been opportunistic on the offensive end of the floor with an average of 2.6 boards, slotting him eighth on the conference chart.
EMORY RESERVES PRODUCING – Emory has received productive play from its bench, with the Eagle reserves producing a total of 441 points (27.6 ppg) vs. 325 points (20.3 ppg) for the opposition's subs.
Emory's bench registered a season-high 49 points in the Brandeis triumph, the seventh time this year the subs had scored 30 or more points. Back on Nov. 21, the Emory reserves chalked up 46 points in a 109-103 win over Berry College.
DID YOU KNOW? – That Emory's 14-2 record is the third-best 16-game record in program history – the 1989-90 and 2011-12 teams stood 15-1 through 16 games … Emory's current 10-game win streak in the second-longest during Zimmerman's tenure and third-longest in program history – The 1989-90 team rattled off 17 straight Ws while the 2011-12 unit began that season with 12 straight victories … That Whit Rapp ranks 12th on the Eagles' all-time list with 126 steals … That Emory has seen five or more players score in double figures in six games this year, surpassing last season's total of four …
That the Eagles went 6-0 at home during the non-conference this season and have won their last 34 non-league contests dating from the early stages of the 2012-13 campaign (included in the streak are 6 NCAA Tourney wins) … Emory has won its last 15 and 22 of its last 23 home games … That Christopher Avant current holds down the No. 1 spot on the Eagles' all-time field goal percentage list, sinking 57.1 percent (209-366) of his attempts … That since the 2010-11 season, Emory has the No. 1 record among UAA teams in overall (153-51) play and the second-best mark in league action (73-30) .… Washington University has the conference's second-best overall ledger (148-52) and the top slate in conference play (75-28) … That entering the Chicago contest, Emory has at least one three-point field goal in its last 533 games -- The last time the Eagles failed to convert from beyond the arc came on Feb. 14, 1997, vs. Washington University (0-of-6) … Emory was won 43 of its last 44 games when allowing 69 or fewer points (7-0 in '17-18, 7-1 in '16-17, 13-0 in '15-16, 16-0 in '14-15) … That Christopher Avant's career-high 17 rebounds against Covenant tied the ninth-highest individual game total in school history and tied him with Will Trawick (vs. LaGrange, Dec. 1, 2013) for the most rebounds by a Zimmerman-coached player.
NOTES – Adam Gigax is first on the team and second in the league in scoring average (16.9 ppg) … Gigax has converted two or more triples in 14 of his 15 appearances and has been successful on 43.3 percent (52-120) of his three-point attempts, good for the No. 2 position on the UAA ladder … Gigax already has 52 three-pointers this year, good for a 19th-place tie on the Eagles' seasonal chart … Gigax is the UAA's No. 1 scorer in conference play (17.6 ppg) … In Emory's nine home contests, Gigax has converted 48.5 percent (32-66) from distance and 37.0 percent (20-54) on the road … Gebereal Baitey's 14 points vs. NYU marked his 10th double-figure scoring performance of the year … Baitey is averaging 11.1 points per outing in overall play, good for 17th place on the league ladder… The Eagles shot better than 50 percent in back to-back games for the first time this year this past weekend, sinking 52.9 percent (27-51) against NYU, followed by a 53.8 percent (35-65) performance vs. Brandeis … Emory has shot 50 percent or better from the field in five games this year (4-1) … Emory came up with a season-high 14 steals in the Brandeis contest, tying the program's 20th-highest team total … Emory has seven games with 10 or more thefts this year and paces the UAA in that category (8.9 spg) … In its 14 wins, Emory is shooting 38.3 percent (146-381) from three-point range compared to 26.5 percent (13-49) in its two losses … Emory has attempted more free throws than the opposition in seven games (7-0) … Emory has outrebounded nine opponents and has been outboarded on four occasions (three games are tied) … The Eagles have led by 10 or more points heading into halftime on six occasions this year … Emory is averaging 83.3 points in its nine home contests and 89.3 points in seven road/neutral outings … The Eagles are averaging 41.5 points during the first half of play and 44.4 points over the final 20 minutes … Gebereal Baitey claims eight games of two or more steals this year and 20 in his career … Freshman Matt Davet's 14-point showing against Brandeis was his seventh double-figure scoring performance of the year, and his two three-pointers against the Judges were the fifth time that he totaled two or more triples … Davet is shooting 37.7 percent (20-53) from beyond the arc, good for 15th place on the UAA ladder … Opponents are scoring at a 34.0 points-per-game clip in the first half and 40.6 points in the second half … The Eagles are 46-6 in their last 52 games when making 10 or more three-point field goals in a game (8-0 in '17-18) … Junior Beau Bommarito has eight double-figure scoring performances this season and has three-point field goals to his credit in a total of 12 contests … Since the 2012-13 season, the Eagles are 92-6 when outshooting the opposition from the floor (9-1 in '17-18, 17-1 in '16-17, 12-3 in '15-16, 18-0 in '14-15) … During Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach, Emory stands 150-18 when leading at halftime (13-0, in '17-18, 13-0 in '16-17; 18-3 in 2015-16) … Emory is 89-10 (.898) over its last 99 home contests … The Eagles have recorded 100 or more points 48 times in program history and own a 43-5 won-lost record in those affairs … During Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach, Emory has 17 contests of 100 or more points and stands 16-1 in such games.