Eastern Michigan (6-3) has won four of its last five games, including an 86-58 victory over Rochester College on Dec. 8. In that game, the the Eagles collected 15 steals and shot 53.2 percent from the field. EMU is third in the nation in steals (11.4) and 17th in field goal percentage defense (.366)
All five starters for the Eagles are averaging at least eight points a game, led by 6-1 junior guard Willie Mangum (16.1 ppg) and 6-10 freshman forward James Thompson (15.0 ppg, 11.7 rpg).
The Eagles posted a 21-14 record a year ago -- its second straight season with 20 or more victories -- and participated in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) postseason tournament.
Notable
--Eastern Michigan is one of five opponents that Louisville will play for the first time this season.
--Eastern Michigan will be the 311th different opponent that Louisville basketball has faced. The Cards are 44-2 under Rick Pitino when facing a team for the first time in program history, and have won 15 in a row in said situations.
--UofL leads in the nation in rebounding margin (+18.9) and scoring margin (+30.3), is second in scoring defense (55.7) and is fourth in field goal percentage defense (.342).
--Louisville is 21-3 in the month of December over the last four years.
--Eastern Michigan has not defeated a team from the ACC since beating Duke in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
--Damion Lee currently ranks among the ACC leaders in steals (1.7, 3rd), scoring (19.1, 4th) and field goal percentage (.553, 9th).
--Louisville has opened with an 11-1 record in each of the last three seasons.
--Cardinal sophomore Jaylen Johnson is from Ypsilanti, Mich., the home of Eastern Michigan University.
--Louisville's 129 victories over the last five years are the second-most wins in the nation in that stretch. Louisville and Wichita State are the only schools in the nation to win 30 games in three of the last four seasons, including a school-record 35 victories amassed by Louisville's 2012-13 NCAA Championship team.
Ken Pomeroy Prediction: Louisville 79, Eastern Michigan 62
