Emory Men's Basketball Tangles With UW-Oshkosh In NCAA Tourney Round Of 16

Emory Men's Basketball Tangles With UW-Oshkosh In NCAA Tourney Round Of 16

GAME FACTS –  The Emory men's basketball program looks to continue its run in the postseason on Friday (Mar. 9) when it travels to Augustana College to play the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in a NCAA D-III Tournament Round of 16 contest.  The Carver Center on the Augustana campus will be the site of the first-ever meeting between the Eagles and Titans and tip is slated for 5:30 pm (CST).  Following the Emory vs. UW-Oshkosh contest, host Augustana will clash with John Carroll University at 7:30 pm.  The two winners advance to Saturday's Elite Eight TILT with a trip to the National Championships at stake.

The Tournament website can be found at:
http://www.athletics.augustana.edu/sports/2018/3/4/2018-ncaa-division-iii-mens-basketball-sectional.aspx

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 194-96.   In games played at the Woodruff PE Center, Zimmerman posts a 112-27 ledger and an 82-69 mark in road/neutral settings.  

He has guided Emory to nine straight winning seasons and six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).  The Eagles are the lone D-III school to have won at least one NCAA contest in each of the past six years.  

After going 17-33 his first two years at Emory, Zimmerman has compiled a won-lost slate of 177-63 (.737) since the 2009-10 season.

Pat Juckem (Lawrence University, '95) is in his sixth season at the helm of the UW-Oshkosh program. During his stint with the Titans he has compiled a school record of 92-72, which includes three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to his current post, Juckem was the head coach at Coe College (2006-12), where he led the Kohawks to a slate of 104-80.

Now in his 19th campaign as the head coach at Augustana is Grey Giovanine (Central Missouri State, '82). Heading into the weekend, he has registered a school record of 388-137. Over the last four seasons, he has guided the Vikings to a 104-21 ledger with three trips to the Elite Eight. In 25 years as a head coach, which includes a six-year stay at Lamar, Giovanine has chalked up a career effort of 468-192.

In his first season patrolling the sideline for John Carroll University is Pete Moran (John Carroll, '08).

2017-18 RECORDS – Emory, ranked No. 6 in the Feb. 26 D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll, brings a 23-4 won-lost effort into its Friday game vs. UW-Oshkosh.  The team's victory total is the second-highest in school history (1989-90 team owns that record at 25-4) and the sixth time an Eagle squad has reached the 20-win season plateau.

The Eagles are riding a seven-game winning streak and are coming off wo NCAA opening-round wins last weekend, hosting and topping Berry College, 91-72, and LeTourneau University, 83-82. Senior Christopher Avant averaged team highs in both points (19.0 ppg) and rebounds (7.5 rpg) over the two contests, while freshman Romin Williams finished with an 18.0 points-per-game mark.  Avant led the team's scoring effort with a career-high 22 points in the LeTourneau triumph, converting nine-of-17 from the floor, and both of his free throw attempts, in notching his 17th double-figure scoring performance of the year. Williams led all players with 25 points in the Berry contest, going eight-of-16 from the field including five-of-11 from distance. Senior guard Whit Rapp ran the Emory offense with precision, finishing with a total of 21 assists and just one turnover over the two games.

Emory finished with a 14-1 home record and is 9-3 in road/neutral contests.

UW-Oshkosh stands 22-7 and advanced to the Round of 16 after capturing opening-round games last weekend against Marietta College, 74-67, and host and No. 3-ranked Wittenberg, 68-60.  The Titans, ranked 24th in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, are 12-5 in road/neutral games.

Augustana, a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, claims an overall record of 24-5 after its wins last weekend over Greenville (123-111) and Hope College (95-83).  The No. 9 Vikings have won their last eight outings and begin the weekend with a 14-2 mark at home.

John Carroll will bring a 25-5 ledger into its contest against Augustana. The regular season co-champions of the Ohio Athletic Conference, the No. 20 Blue Streaks, upended Thomas More College, 95-72, and Wooster, 91-85, last weekend.  JCU is 10-5 in road/neutral affairs.

SERIES RECORDS – Friday's game against UW-Oshkosh will represent the first time the two schools have met in basketball.

Emory and Augustana have met one just one occasion, that coming in the 2016 Round of 16 when the Vikings recorded an 88-65 triumph at the Carver Center.

If Emory and John Carroll were to match-up during the weekend, that would mark the first-ever contest between the programs.

EMORY NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY (12-6)
Mar. 3, 1990 – Emory 91, Emory & Henry 81 (H)
Mar. 9, 1990 – Calvin 80, Emory 73 (N)
Mar. 10, 1990 – Emory 102, Averett 93 (A)
Mar. 2, 2013 – Emory 77, Randolph 56 (H)
Mar. 9, 2013- Whitworth 86, Emory 67 (A)
Mar. 8, 2014 – Emory 72, Centre 62 (H)
Mar. 14, 2014 – Emory 76, UW-Stevens Point 73 (ot) (A)
Mar. 15, 2014 – UW-Whitewater 74, Emory 51 (N)
Mar. 6, 2015 – Emory 88, Spalding 59 (H)
Mar. 7, 2015 – Emory 85, Whitworth 84 (H)
Mar. 13, 2015 – UW-Stevens Point, 73, Emory 53 (A)
Mar. 4, 2016 – Emory 76, Covenant College 51 (H)
Mar. 5, 2016 – Emory 84, Birmingham Southern 78 (ot)  (H)
Mar. 11, 2016 – Augustana 88, Emory 65 (A)
Mar. 3, 2017 – Emory 82, Texas Lutheran 69 (N)
Mar. 4, 2017 – Hardin-Simmons 95, Emory 85 (A)
Mar. 2, 2018 – Emory 91, Berry College 72 (H)
Mar. 3, 2018 – Emory 83, LeTourneau 82 (H)

RAPP EMORY'S ALL-TIME ASSISTS LEADER – Whit Rapp sits in the No. 1 spot on the school's career ladder with 618 assists. He became the Eagles' all-time leader in that category on Feb. 16 when his 10 assists in a 96-85 win over NYU moved his career mark to 583, bettering the previous mark of 580 held by Austin Claunch (2008-12).   

Entering Friday's NCAA Tourney contest against UW-Oshkosh, Rapp's 618 assists,
makes him Division III's No. 2 active career leader behind Nate Axelrod of Ohio Wesleyan (655).

Rapp dished out 13 assists in last Saturday's LeTourneau contest, his fourth game this year and 19th of his career with double figures. 

Rapp stands in the No. 1 spot on Emory's all-time chart with a 5.94 assists-per-game average, with that effort placing him as D-III's No. 3 active career leader. In addition, his four-year assist/turnover ratio mark of 3.59 is the top career effort among active D-III players.  

EMORY RESERVES PRODUCING –
 Emory continued to receive productive offensive play from its bench in last weekend's opening two NCAA contests, registering a 58-27 bulge in bench scoring.  Heading into the contest vs. UW-Oshkosh, Emory subs have produced a total of 766 points (28.4 ppg) vs. 501 points (18.6 ppg) for the opposition this year.

Emory's reserves saw a seven-game streak of outscoring the opposition subs come to an end in the Carnegie Mellon contest (Feb. 9) when the Tartans registered a 19-14 edge.  Over the last 14 outings, Eagle subs have posted a 422 (30.1 ppg)-223 (15.9 ppg) scoring advantage.

The Eagles have seen their bench players tally 30 or more points on 13 occasions.  On Jan. 21, Emory's bench registered a season-high 49 points in a 90-57 win over Brandeis. Back on Nov. 21, the Emory reserves chalked up 46 points in a 109-103 win over Berry College.

GIGAX ENTRENCHED ON EMORY CAREER LISTS – Adam Gigax checks into NCAA Sectional play prominently ranked in a number of Emory all-time categories.  The Mason, Ohio, native stands in the No. 8 position in career scoring with 1,230 points. He is 38 points from tying Alex Greven's (2009-13) seventh-place mark of 1,268 points.

In the three-point field goals department, Gigax has knocked down a total of 207 triples during his Emory career.   Second on the Eagles' all-time list in treys, Gigax trails only Robert Spivey's (2000-04) No. 1 mark of 227.  In addition, Gigax's career effort of 38.0 percent (207-545) from beyond the arc is 14th on the Emory all-time chart.

Finally, Gigax ranks eighth on the program's all-time list with 438 field goals and ninth in free throw percentage (.835, 147 of 176).

EMORY OFFENSE PUTTING UP POINTS – The Eagles are averaging 82.5 points per game in overall play, good for the No. 2 position among UAA squads and 58th nationally (through Mar. 4).   The Eagles have totaled 80 or more points in 18 contests and have registered seven outings with 90 or more points. 

The Eagles tossed in 78.2 points over their 14 UAA outings, good for second in the loop behind Washington University's 89.3 points.  In Emory's 15 home contests, it finished with an average of 82.7 points and is at 82.3 in 12 road/neutral outings.

WILLIAMS MAKES IMPACT
 – Freshman Romin Williams has made a big impact with the Eagles during his rookie campaign with his 15.5 points-per-game average tops on the team, fourth among UAA players and first among the league's freshmen.  

A double-figure scorer in 21 of his 26 appearances, he has ranked as the squad's leading point producer on 10 occasions, most recently against Berry College last Friday (Mar. 2) when he rang up a game-high 25 points, his seventh outing of 20 or more points this season.

Among his performances is a season-high 31 points vs. Chicago (Jan. 26) that ranks as the high-water mark by an Emory player this year.   In league action, he scored at a 13.6 per-game clip, good for the No. 7 spot in the conference chart.  

He is second on the Emory score sheet with 63 three-point field goals (tied for 9th on the program's seasonal chart) and his 39.6 effort (63-159) from beyond the arc ties for seventh on the conference ladder.  He has converted two or more treys in 15 contests and his average of 2.4 triples per game is fourth in the league.

Other UAA overall  statistical categories that he finds himself ranked prominently include field goal percentage (78h, .426), free throw percentage (3rd, .755 (71-94), assists (13th, 2.6 apg), and steals (11th, 1.2 spg).  

SECOND-ROUND THRILLERS THE NORM FOR EMORY – There is something about Emory hosting second-round games in the NCAA Tournament that make for great drama, with the last three of such contests at the Woodruff PE Center all down-to-the wire affairs with the outcomes being decided by a total of eight points.

In 2015, the Eagles trailed Whitworth by 11 points with 7:26 remaining in the game before rallying for an 85-84 victory, which saw Davis Rao calmly sink two free throws with five ticks on the clock, erasing a one-point deficit and giving Emory its winning margin.

In 2016, the Eagles faced a seven-point deficit with 6:39 on the clock against Birmingham Southern before a jumper by Rao with 34 seconds left knotted the score at 70-70.  Emory then withstood a pair of field goal attempts by the Panthers over the final six seconds, sending the game into overtime.  In the extra session, Emory would prevail, coming away with an 84-78 triumph.

Last weekend, Emory enjoyed an eight-point cushion with 3:23 left, only to see LeTourneau creep to within one point with 25 seconds remaining.  After an Emory turnover, a three-point try by LeTourneau in the waning moments missed its mark and allowed the Eagles to post the 83-82 victory.

EMORY SOLID AT THE STRIPE – A constant for the Eagles during the 2017-18 season has been their ability to be successful at the free throw line.  Emory paces the UAA and stands 14th nationally with a 76.9 free throw percentage showing.  

In their 15 home dates, the Eagles connected at a 77.4 clip (226-292) from the stripe compared to 76.0 percent (133-175) mark at the line in road/away contests. Emory concluded the UAA portion of its schedule shooting 78.8 percent (171-217) from the foul line, good for the top spot in the conference

Emory has converted 80 percent or better of its free throw attempts in a total of 10 games this year and its current season percentage is the third best in school history.

MORE RAPP REVELATIONS -- In his 21 appearances this year, Rapp is averaging 7.4 assists, good for the No. 1 spot among UAA players, No. 3 in the D-III ranks and tied for second on the school's seasonal chart. 

His 156 total assists rank 11th among D-III players this year and slot him 7th on the Eagles' seasonal chart. He has an outstanding assist/turnover ratio of 4.11 which sets the pace in the UAA and that stands fourth nationally.

In his last seven outings, Rapp has dished out 62 assists while turning the ball over just five times. In his last six contests, he is shooting 57.1 percent (16-28) from the floor and averaging 9.5 points.

EMORY USING THE LONG BALL – Emory has employed the trey ball as a significant part of its offense this year and is averaging 9.5 three-pointers per game, good for a 2nd-place tie in the UAA. The Eagles have converted 36.4 percent (257 of 706) from beyond the arc, third place on the league list, and have been successful on 40 percent or higher from distance on 11 occasions.

Emory has had seven players hit three pointers in two games this year - vs. Oglethorpe, Jan. 2 and vs. NYU, Feb. 16, and the team's 257 treys is a school seasonal record, topping the 256 triples that the 2015-16 squad sank.

EMORY SEASONAL THREE-POINTER LEADERS
1.     91 - Jeff Hall - 2004-05
2.     80 – Adam Gigax – 2016-17
3.     78 – Robert Spivey – 2000-01
4.     71 - Alex Gulotta  - 2010-11
        71 - Alex Foster - 2014-15
6.     70 – Adam Gigax – 2017-18
7.     67 - Alex Greven - 2012-13
8.     65 - Michael Thompson - 1998-99
9.     63 – Romin Williams – 2017-18                
               Robert Spivey – 2001-02               
               Kevin Felner – 1992-93

CHRIS AVANT TOP EMORY REBOUNDER – Christopher Avant topped the team with six rebounds against Berry in Emory's NCAA opener and followed that by tying Whit Rapp for squad honors with nine boards against LeTourneau, the 17th time he either led or tied for the team honors in that category.

Heading into NCAA Sectional play, his 7.1 rebounds-per-game average ranks first on the team and seventh on the UAA ladder.

Avant has grabbed 10 or more boards in six games this year and is averaging 2.9 rebounds per outing on the offensive end of the floor, the fifth-best mark in the UAA.  In conference action, he stood 10th on the UAA ladder in rebounding (6.1 rpg).

Career-wise, he has 410 rebounds to his credit and stands 19th on the school's all-time list in that category.  He has recorded a total of 11 double-figure rebounding contests during his career.

INDIVIDUAL TOP-SCORING  HALVES
19 pts – Romin Williams (2nd half) vs. Chicago – Jan. 26
17 pts – Romin Williams (1st half) vs. NYU – Feb. 16
16 pts – Adam Gigax (2nd half) vs. Carnegie Mellon – Jan. 12
16 pts – Romin Williams (2nd half ) vs. Oglethorpe – Jan. 2
16 pts – Romin Williams (1st half) vs. Transylvania – Dec. 29
16 pts – Romin Williams (1st half) vs. LaGrange – Nov. 26
14 pts – Matt Davet (2nd half) vs. Brandeis – Feb. 18
14 pts – Adam Gigax (2nd half) vs. Carnegie Mellon – Feb. 9
14 pts – Adam Gigax (1st half) vs. Washington Univ.  – Jan. 28
14 pts – Romin Williams (2nd half) vs. Hampden-Sydney – Dec. 2
14 pts – Romin Williams (2nd half) vs. Birmingham Southern – Nov. 29.

DID YOU KNOW?
 –  That Romin Williams' 404 points ranks as the highest total by an Emory freshman, passing Tim Garrett's previous mark 374 points set during the 1986-87 campaign … That Emory stands 14-5 in games when Whit Rapp has finished with 10 or more assists … Whit Rapp is 10th on the Eagles' all-time list with 139 steals … Emory has seen five or more players score in double figures in eight games this year, compared last season's total of four … That the Eagles went 8-0 at home during the non-conference this season and have won their last 36 non-league contests dating from the early stages of the 2012-13 campaign (included in the streak are 8 NCAA Tourney wins) … Emory has won 27 of its last 29 home games … That Christopher Avant currently holds down the No. 2 spot on the Eagles' all-time field goal percentage list, sinking 55.4 percent (265-478) of his attempts … Since the 2010-11 season, Emory has the No. 1 record among UAA teams in overall (162-53) play and the second-best mark in league action (80-32) .… Washington University has the conference's second-best overall ledger (156-54) and the top slate in conference play (83-29) … That Emory has at least one three-point field goal in its last 544 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 47 of its last 48 games when allowing 69 or fewer points (11-0 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 – The Eagles stand 11-0 this year when finishing with double-figure three-point field goal totals … Adam Gigax is second on the squad and sixth on the UAA ladder in scoring average (14.1 ppg) … Gigax, who has scored in double figures in 18 of 26 games, has produced five outing of 20 or more points this year (23 in career) … Gigax has chalked up 70 three-point field goals this year, placing him sixth on the school's seasonal chart, and his average of 2.7 treys per game is second among UAA players.
He has two or more treys to his credit in 18 contests … Gigax ranked as the UAA's No. 9 scorer in conference play (12.9 ppg) … Emory has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in six games (5-1) this season while the opposition has turned in seven (4-3) outings of 50 percent or higher … Gebereal Baitey has produced 17 double-digit scoring performances this year (25 career), including a pair of contests with 20 or more points … Baitey, who has shot 50 percent or better from the floor on 15 occasions, heads into the upcoming weekend shooting 48.1 percent (117-243) from the field, good for eighth place among the UAA leaders …Baitey is third on the team in minutes (29.9 mpg) and his 11.0 points-per-game scoring average in overall play places him 19th on the league ladder … Baitey claims 11 games of two or more steals this year, 23 during his career, and his 1.5 steals-per-game average is third in the conference … Chris Avant is third on the team and 13th in the UAA in overall scoring average (12.0 ppg) … A double-figure scorer in 17 games, he is shooting 53.8 percent (128-238) from the floor, good for fifth place on the conference chart … He has been successful on 50 percent or better of his floor attempts in 20 contests … Avant has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in six of his last seven outings and is connecting at a 53.5 percent clip (38-71) in that stretch … Emory has eight games with 10 or more thefts this year and paces the UAA in that category (8.0 spg) … In its 23 wins, Emory is shooting 38.0 percent (227-598) from three-point range compared to 27.8 percent (30-108) in its four losses … Emory has attempted more free throws than the opposition in 12 games (12-0) … The Eagles are 10-0 this season when attempting 20 or more free throws … Emory has outrebounded 13 opponents and has been outboarded on 10 occasions (four games are tied) … The Eagles have led by 10 or more points heading into halftime on eight occasions this year … Emory averaged 82.7 points in its 15 home contests and checks in at 82.3 points in 12 road/neutral outings … The Eagles are averaging 40.2 points during the first half of play and 42.3 points over the final 20 minutes …  Freshman Matt Davet has registered 11 double-figure scoring contests and has turned in 10 performances of two or more three-point field goals … Davet's 16 points against Rochester (Feb. 24) represented the fourth time this year that he ranked as the Eagles' leading scorer … Opponents are scoring at a 34.8 points-per-game clip in the first half and 39.5 points in the second half … The Eagles are 49-6 in their last 55 games when making 10 or more three-point field goals in a game (11-0 in '17-18) … Junior Beau Bommarito  has 10 double-figure scoring performances this season and has three-point field goals to his credit in a total of 18 contests … Since the 2012-13 season, the Eagles are 99-6 when outshooting the opposition from the floor (16-1 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 156-19 when leading at halftime (19-1, in '17-18, 13-0 in '16-17; 18-3 in 2015-16) … Emory is 94-11 (.894) over its last 105 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.