GAME FACTS – Looking to get back in the win column after a tough weekend, the Emory men's basketball team gears up for its final two regular-season road games of the season. On Friday (Feb. 10), the Eagles battle Washington University before clashing with Chicago on Sunday. The WU Field House will be the site of the 60th meeting between the Eagles and Bears with a scheduled start time of 7:00 pm (EST). On Sunday, the Ratner Center on the Chicago campus will be the setting for the 61st match-up between Emory and the Maroons, and that affair will begin at 1:00 pm (EST).
THE COACHES – Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, 1994) is in his 10th 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 166-90. In games played at the Woodruff PE Center, Zimmerman posts a 95-26 ledger and a 71-64 mark in road/neutral settings.
He has guided Emory to eight straight winning seasons and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). After going 17-33 his first two years at Emory, Zimmerman has compiled a won-lost slate of 149-57 (.723) since the 2009-10 season.
Mark Edwards is in his 36th year as the head coach at Washington University. Heading into Friday's match-up against Emory, Edwards has amassed a school and career record of 659-286, which includes D-III national titles in 2008 and 2009. The owner of 33 consecutive winning campaigns, Edwards has guided the program to 12 UAA championships and 19 trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Now in his 18th season calling the shots for the Chicago program is Mike McGrath (DePauw, '92). Prior to a Friday evening home tilt vs. Rochester, McGrath has recorded a school and career slate of 266-186. A three-time UAA Coach of the Year, McGrath has directed the Maroons to four UAA titles and four appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
2016-17 RECORDS – Emory starts the weekend with an overall record of 14-6, including a 5-4 showing in the UAA that is good for third-place tie with Carnegie Mellon. The Eagles are coming off a pair of road defeats this past weekend, dropping a 67-59 decision to Brandeis on Friday followed by an 80-79 verdict to New York University.
Senior Jim Gordon ranked as the squad's leading scorer over the two contests, averaging 17.0 points and shooting 50 percent (15 of 30) from the floor. Gordon set the pace in the Brandeis affair, pouring in 21 points on the strength of nine-of-17 field goal shooting, including three triples in eight opportunities. He finished off the weekend with a 13-point afternoon, converting six field goal attempts in 13 opportunities. Junior Christopher Avant averaged 9.0 points and shot 72.7 percent (9 of 11) from the floor while classmate White Rapp registered an effort of 10.0 assists per game.
Emory is 7-1 at home and 7-5 in road/neutral venues this year.
Wash U, ranked No. 5 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, will entertain Emory with an overall record of 17-3, 9-0 in the UAA. The Bears are on a hot streak with wins in their last 11 games, which includes a pair of home victories over the weekend, 93-80 vs. Carnegie Mellon and 102-97 vs. Case Western Reserve. WU stands 7-2 in contests that have been played on its home floor.
Chicago plays host to No. 4–ranked Rochester on Friday with a 12-8 ledger in overall play, 4-5 in the conference. The Maroons split home games this past weekend, upending Case Western Reserve, 99-73, before dropping an 85-83 outcome to Carnegie Mellon. UC starts the weekend with a 7-4 mark in home contests.
SERIES RECORDS – Wash U holds a 46-13 advantage in the all-time series vs. Emory. The Bears ended a three-game losing skid to the Eagles earlier this year (Jan. 13) when they captured a 71-63 victory at the Woodruff PE Center. WU holds a 25-4 mark against the Eagles in games that have been played in St. Louis.
In a series that has its beginnings in January of 1987, UC claims an all-time record of 36-24 against Emory. The Eagles have won the last four and five of the past six match-ups, and registered an 80-72 victory in the first meeting this season (Jan. 15). Adam Gigax paced Emory in that bout with team highs in both points (24) and rebounds (9).
STATS TO WATCH – Often times there are statistics that could play a role in determining if a team is successful or not, and in Emory's case the variables of field goal shooting and rebounding are worth keeping track of. Emory holds a 12-1 record when outshooting the opposition from the floor, with its lone defeat in such outings taking place last Sunday when it connected on 47.1 percent (33 of 70) of its field goal attempts compared to NYU's 45.8 percent (27 of 59).
In addition to field goal shooting, the Eagles sport an 10-1 mark when finishing with an edge in rebounding. Emory has won its last nine when posting more boards than the opposition with the only loss coming to LaGrange (46 vs. 39 rebs).
DID YOU KNOW? –That since the 2010-11 season, Emory has the No. 1 record among UAA teams in overall (134-47) play and the second-best mark in league action (64-29) .… Washington University has the conference's second-best overall ledger (130-47) and the top slate in conference play (67-26) … That entering the Wash U contest, Emory has at least one three-point field goal in its last 510 games -- The last time the Eagles failed to convert from beyond the arc came on Feb. 14, 1997, vs. Washington University (0-of-6) … That Emory finished 13-0 in 2015-16 and has won its last 35 contests when allowing 69 or fewer points (5-0 in 2016-17) … That Austin DaGue's career mark of 121 blocked shots is No. 4 on the school's all-time ladder … Emory has two current players among the program's all-time top 20 in three-point field goals, Adam Gigax holds down the No. 13 spot (124) while Jonathan Terry ranks 19th (114).
RAPP APPROACHES EMORY'S SEASON ASSISTS RECORD – Junior Whit Rapp totaled 20 assists in last weekend's Brandeis and NYU games and in the process moved closer to establishing the school's single-season assists record. Entering the Wash U fray, Rapp has 178 assists to his credit, the third-highest total in school history. Austin Claunch owns the top two marks, dishing out 180 during the 2011-12 campaign, which ranks second, and the No. 1 effort 186 turned in during 2010-11. Through 20 contests, Rapp averages a conference-best 8.9 assists per outing, good for the No. 3 position among all D-III players and the No. 1 spot on the school's seasonal chart.
Rapp's 11 assists in the NYU game represented his eighth double-figure effort of the season (13th in his career) and boosted his per-game average to 9.0 in conference affairs. In addition, Rapp stands second in the league and fifth nationally (through Feb. 5) in assist/turnover ratio (3.9). He has recorded 15 games of seven or more assists this year.
In Emory's home game vs. NYU (Jan. 29), he set the program's single-game record with 16 assists in an 84-75 win, surpassing the previous standard of 14 held by Michael Florin (vs. NYU, Feb. 1, 2015).
Career-wise, Rapp holds down the No. 4 position on the school's all-time chart with 410 assists, 11 shy of tying Paul Schuliger's (1987-91) third-place standard of 421.
GIGAX TOPS UAA SCORING CHART – After seeing an eight-game double-figure scoring streak that saw him average 22.7 points come to an end in the Brandeis game, Adam Gigax got back to the double-digit column when he chalked up a team-high 19 points against NYU. It marked the seventh time in the past 10 and the 12th occasion this season that he ranked as the Eagles' leading point producer.
Heading into the weekend, his 19.6 points-per-game scoring average in overall play leads the UAA and ranks 69th nationally (through Feb. 5). One of the league's premier long-range shooters, Gigax is No. 1 in the UAA and 19thth nationally (through Feb. 5) with an average of 3.35 triples per game. He has three pointers to his credit is 19 outings (17 games with two or more) and his 41.1 percent (67 of 163) mark from beyond the arc is fourth on the UAA chart and slots him 64th nationally. He has been solid at the free throw line as well, knocking down a team-high 81.0 percent (51 of 63) of his attempts, with that effort placing third in the league. Through nine conference games, he is averaging a league-best 20.0 points.
Gigax has drained 67 treys this season, good for a fifth-place tie on the school's seasonal ladder. He cracked the 100 career three-point plateau in the Wash U game (Jan. 13) and heads into the upcoming weekend with 124 triples during his career, placing him 13th all-time at Emory.
EMORY SEASONAL THREE-POINTER LEADERS
1. 91 - Jeff Hall - 2004-05
2. 78 – Robert Spivey – 2000-01
3. 71 - Alex Gulotta - 2010-11
71 - Alex Foster - 2014-15
5. 67 – Adam Gigax – 2016-17
67 - Alex Greven - 2012-13
7. 65 - Michael Thompson - 1998-99
8. 63 - Kevin Felner - 1992-93
63 - Robert Spivey - 2001-02
GORDON CONTINUES DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK – Jim Gordon registered a game-high 21 points at Brandeis and followed that with a 13-point afternoon against NYU, boosting his streak to 13 games with 10 or more points. On the year, Gordon has produced a team-high 19 double-digit scoring performances, three of which have seen him pick up 20 or more points.
Heading into the upcoming weekend, Gordon ranks second on the team and 10th among UAA players in overall scoring average, tossing in 15.0 points per contest. Gordon is No. 2 on the Emory score sheet in field goals (109) and three pointers (44), and his average of 2.2 treys per game is 9th on the league chart. Gordon has three-point field goals in a team-high tying 19 contests and has drained two or more from distance on 14 occasions. In the free throw shooting department, the Broomall, Pa., native has been successful on 74.0 percent (37 of 50) of his attempts.
In league play, Gordon is tossing in 16.0 points, placing him sixth on the UAA ladder.
CHRISTOPHER AVANT SCORING AND BOARDING – Christopher Avant's emergence in the scoring and rebounding departments has been a big plus for the Eagles this season.
Avant, the owner of four double-doubles this year, notched his 13th double-digit scoring performance of the campaign when finished with 15, second high on the club, in last Sunday's NYU contest.
Heading into this weekend's action, Avant ranks third on the squad and 16th among UAA players with a 12.4 points-per-game overall scoring average. He has connected on 60.0 percent (90 of 150) of his field goal attempts, good for first on the club. He has paced the squad in scoring in four contests. In league outings, he is 17th among UAA players in scoring average (12.1 ppg).
When it comes to his play on the glass, his team-high average of 7.0 boards per game is seventh on the league ladder. He has either led or shared for team rebounding honors in nine games this year, and his 61 offensive boards tops the club while his average of 3.1 per game at the end of the floor is No. 5 in the conference. He has eight performances of four or more offensive caroms this year.
NOTES – Emory finished the NYU game with 11 steals, its fifth game of double figures this season in that category … The Eagles saw their reserves put up 25 points in the NYU contest, the high-water mark during the UAA portion of the schedule … Emory attempted eight free throws in the NYU contest – the last time an Eagle team shot that number or fewer in a conference game came against Chicago Jan. 31, 2014, when it attempted eight ... In last weekend's road endeavors, Emory attempted a total of 18 free throws vs. 50 for the opposition … Sophomore Gebereal Baitey tied his career high when he totaled 11 points, going five-of-10 from the floor, in the NYU game … Senior Austin DaGue came off the bench and grabbed six rebounds in 13 minutes of action in the Brandeis game, his fifth outing this year of six or more caroms … Emory's rally from a 17-point deficit with 10:41 left in the Brandeis game (Jan. 27) and eventual win in overtime marked the Eagles' biggest second-half comeback during Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach – back on Nov. 17, 2010, Emory faced a pair of 15-point obstacles in the second half in an eventual 92-84 overtime decision over Oglethorpe … Emory ranks second in the UAA in free throw percentage in both overall (.714, 292 of 409) and conference (.746, 138 of 185) play … The Eagles are 7-3 this season when shooting 70 percent or better from the charity stripe … Whit Rapp paces the club with 39 steals and his per-game average of 2.0 thefts is third among UAA players … Rapp owns steals in 11 of his last 13 contests and has registered multiple thefts on 12 occasions this season … Emory has outrebounded 11 foes this year and posts a 10-1 record in those affairs … In games where they have been outboarded, the Eagles stand 3-4 … The Eagles have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in four games (4-0) …. Emory has hit 10 or more three pointers in 11 games this year and stand 9-2 in those contests, 29-6 since the 2014-15 campaign … Emory is second in the UAA and 36nd nationally in three pointers per game (9.6 tpg) … In its 14 victories, Emory is averaging 84.7 points and shooting 45.6 percent from the floor compared to 68.2 points and 37.4 percent field goal shooting its six losses … Emory is No. 4 in the UAA in overall (79.8 ppg) and conference (77.4 ppg) scoring offense … Defensively, the Eagles have held seven foes to less than 40 percent from the floor and reside in the No. 2 spot in the conference and 58th nationally in field goal percentage defense (41.0%) … Since the 2012-13 season, the Eagles are 78-5 when outshooting the opposition from the floor (12-1 in '16-17, 12-3 in '15-16, 18-0 in '14-15) … During Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach, Emory stands 134-18 when leading at halftime (10-0 in '16-17; 18-3 in 2015-16) … Emory is 77-10 (.885) over its last 87 home contests … The Eagles have recorded 100 or more points 46 times in program history and own a 41-5 won-lost record in those affairs … During Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach, Emory has 15 contests of 100 or more points and stands 14-1 in such games … Emory has averaged 35.9 points in the first half and 42.3 over the final 20 minutes of action … The opposition is averaging 34.6 points during the opening 20 minutes of action and 38.6 in the second half.