Eastern Washington University "Eagles" Men's Basketball (13-7/12-3 Big Sky/t-2nd) Thursday, March 11 – #7 Portland State or #10 Northern Arizona – 4:05 p.m. Friday, March 12 – Semifinals – 7:05 p.m. Saturday, March 13 – Championship – 5:05 p.m. all times Pacific
Radio:	EWU games are on 700-AM ESPN & 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area with Larry Weir calling the play-by-play. Broadcasts begin a half-hour prior to tipoff. The championship game will also be aired on Westwood One Radio.
Internet Radio:	https://tunein.com/radio/Eastern-Washington-Basketball-s308823/?_branch_match_id=723936718277085088
Radio  Mobile Phone App:	Via tunein radio
TV:	The championship game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
­­­Webcast:	Fans can watch all tournament games (except for the championship) via Pluto TV channel 1050 or via https://bigskyconf.com/watchbigsky
Live Stats:	All Tournament Games: http://bigskyconf.com/stats

The seed is slightly different, but the task is the same almost exactly to the day one year later.
 
For the second-straight season, the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team has a legitimate chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament when the second-seeded Eagles travel to Boise, Idaho, to play in the Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Championship. The Eagles will play either No. 7 Portland State or No. 10 Northern Arizona in their opener in the quarterfinals at the Idaho Central Arena.
 
Eastern finished as the Big Sky runner-up after leading the league from Feb. 6 to March 3, and won 10 of its last 11 games to finish 12-3 and tied with Weber State. But Southern Utah finished perfect at home and won their last nine games to snag the league title away, while the Wildcats won their last seven.
 
Eastern won its 12 league games by an average winning margin of 14.2 points per game, and its lone league losses were by a total of 12 points (5 twice, 2). Overall, Eastern lost to Oregon by 17, but the Eagles lost their other six other games by a margin of just 3.8 points (5 three times, 3 twice, 2).
 
A year ago, Eastern won the league title with a 16-4 mark and were the favorites win the league tourney title. But the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic ceased the season just a few hours prior to EWU taking the court for its Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal opener on March 12, 2020.
 
"It's exciting for us," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans, who has directed EWU to 53 Big Sky wins in four seasons – a school-record four-year stretch. "Our team has played through ups and downs – and lefts and rights – but we have to be proud of these young men. They've maintained good grades and have taken the physical toll of playing basketball."
 
After the Big Sky Conference regular season concluded on March 6, Eastern finished as the No. 2 seed into the tournament. They will play at 4 p.m. Pacific time on Thursday, March 11 versus the winner of the opening-round game between the Vikings and Lumberjacks on Wednesday, March 10 at 11 a.m. Pacific time. Eastern didn't play PSU this season and the Eagles won their only game versus NAU (80-64 on Dec. 19).
 
All preliminary games in the tournament will be on PlutoTV channel 1050, as well as via https://bigskyconf.com/watchbigsky. The championship game will be aired on ESPNU. Eastern games are also aired live on radio on 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM, via the web at tunein.com and via mobile phone app, with pre-game coverage starting a half-hour prior to tipoff. Larry Weir serves as the play-by-play broadcaster.
 
 "It's exciting for our players to be able to go out there and compete and represent their university," said Legans. "I hope we get to the Dance because of these seniors and all the players who have put so much work in. I'm excited about their opportunity – we have to win three more games to achieve that."
 
Eastern will make its 18th Big Sky Conference Tournament appearance in 33 years as a member of the league, and has a record of 17-15 in its 32 games. The Eagles are 6-5 all-time in the quarterfinals, and went on to win tourney titles in 2004 and 2015 to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Eastern heads to Boise with a late-season starting lineup that consisted of two juniors and three sophomores. The team's lone seniors -- Jacob Davison and Jack Perry – started Eastern's final regular season game on March 5 in a 75-62 home win over Idaho State, and had 18 and 11 points, respectively. In all, 10 different Eagles have combined for 75 double-figure scoring performances, and three players have combined for 11 double-doubles.
 
 "It's going to be fun going to Boise with our heads up high and going in on a win," said Legans.  "But we have to play great and play our best basketball. We've been revving up for that all year long. We are going to have a great week of practice and then head on out."
 
The top five seeds receive a bye to the quarterfinal round. Three games take place on Wednesday, March 10 – No. 8 Northern Colorado versus No. 9 Sacramento State, No. 7 PSU versus No. 10 NAU and No. 6 Montana versus No. 11 Idaho. The other quarterfinal games on Thursday are No. 1 Southern Utah versus the winner of the #8/#9 game at 10 a.m., followed by No. 4 Idaho State versus No. 5 Montana State at 1 p.m. Weber State, the No. 3 seed, closes the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Pacific time against the #6/#11 winner. Eastern would play in the 7 p.m. Pacific time semifinal on Friday, March 12, and the other semifinal is at 4 p.m. The championship game on Saturday, March 13 is at 5 p.m. on ESPNU.
 
Eastern finished 12-3 in the league and 13-7 overall, and had won nine-straight games before falling to Idaho State 68-63 on March 3. Until that loss, EWU controlled its own destiny toward sole possession of a second-straight regular season title. After beating ISU in the rematch 75-62 on March 5, the Eagles still needed Weber State and Southern Utah to lose to win the championship.
 
However, Weber State and Northern Colorado did not play their finale because of Covid-19 concerns, thus leaving EWU and WSU with identical 12-3 league records. Eastern won the tiebreaker by virtue of a season sweep over Montana while the Wildcats split with the Grizzlies.
 
Southern Utah finished 12-2 and wrapped up the league title with a 73-54 win at Portland State. Had the Vikings won, Eastern would have successfully won its second-straight Big Sky regular season championship.
 
In the final standings based on winning percentage, Southern Utah was first (12-2, .857), followed by EWU and Weber State (12-3 .800). They were followed by Idaho State and Montana State (both 8-6 .571), Montana (7-9 .438), Portland State and Northern Colorado (both 6-8 .429), Sacramento State (5-9 .357), Northern Arizona (4-10 .286), and Idaho (1-17 .056).
 
 
 

Game Notes

 
 
Tanner Groves is Big Sky MVP to Continue Trend
 
He learned his trade under last year's MVP, and now he's taken over as the top big man in the Big Sky Conference. And he's now the MVP too. Junior Tanner Groves has had a stellar 2020-21 men's basketball season, and was rewarded as the Big Sky Conference MVP Monday (March 8) after watching teammate and fellow post player Mason Peatling earn the honor a year ago.
 
Groves was a first team All-Big Sky selection, joining junior Kim Aiken Jr. on that squad as EWU was the lone league school to have two players on the first team. Aiken was also selected as the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and sophomore Tyler Robertson was picked as the Top Reserve.
 
Big Sky Conference coaches selected the honors, and continued a recent trend within the Eagle Basketball program. Groves becomes the fourth MVP in the last five years, joining Peatling, Bogdan Bliznyuk (2018) and Jacob Wiley (2017) in earning the honor, and EWU now has a total of six in school history.
 
Aiken is just the second Eagle to earn the Big Sky's top honor on defense, joining Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame member Alvin Snow who was honored in 2004. Robertson's accolade is the first time an Eagle has earned the top reserve honor.
 
 
 
Eagles are Winners of 10 of Their Last 11
 
Until falling to Idaho State on March 3, Eastern had won nine-straight games and hadn't tasted defeat since losing at Northern Colorado on Jan. 21. The nine-game winning streak is now in sole possession of second-best in Eastern's NCAA Division I history, and is one of 12 the Eagles have had of six-straight or more since moving to D-I in the 1983-84 season. The record is 11 set by the 2003-04 Eastern team which advanced to the NCAA Tournament that season.
 
The Eagles, 13-7 overall and winners of 10 of their last 11 games, are on the roll they had a year ago en route to the regular season league title. Last year after five games of the league season, the Eagles were 3-2 (like this year's team), and had won the first game of what would become a six-game winning streak. Eastern ended the regular season with a streak of seven-straight victories to win the league title with a 16-4 mark. This season, EWU was 2-2 after back-to-back losses to Northern Colorado and Sacramento State, but won 10 of the next 11 heading into the league tournament.
 
In EWU's 12 conference wins this season, Eastern out-scored opponents 84.3 to 70.1 (+14.2), out-shot them 49.8 percent to 40.5 percent, out-rebounded them 35.9 to 31.8 (+5.1) and had 22 more 3-pointers (+1.8 per game, 40.5 percent to 32.2 percent). The Eagles also made 82.6 percent of their free throws compared to 73.5 percent for opponents, leading to an advantage of 34 makes (+2.8 per game).
 
In those 12 victories, Tanner Groves sank 58.6 percent of his shots from the field, 39.1 percent from the 3-point stripe and 84.5 from the charity line to average 17.4 points and 7.5 rebounds. Kim Aiken Jr. averaged 12.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.9 steals while sinking 49.5 percent from the field, 37.8 from the arc and 84.1 percent from the line. Michael Meadows (14.0) and Tyler Robertson (11.2) also averaged in double figures in those 12 games, and Robertson averaged 3.0 assists.
 
 
Eagles Record Best-Ever Sweep of Montana Schools
 
In what was the biggest sweep of the Montana schools in EWU's 34-year history in the Big Sky Conference, Eastern enjoyed a 15.0 margin of victory in a four-game sweep of Montana State and Montana from Feb. 11-20. The Eagles won those four games by margins of 16, 16, 14, 14, including a pair of twin 90-76 victories over UM for Eastern's first season sweep of the Grizzlies in 18 years (since 2003)
 
Eastern also previously had season sweeps over the two Montana schools in 2003 and 1990, but won by an average of 10.8 in '03 (10, 15 vs. UM; 14, 4 vs MSU) and 9.4 in '90 (1, 17 vs. UM; 6, 14 vs. MSU).
 
In the four games combined, Eastern led 83 percent of the time -- 133:06 out of 160 total minutes (opponents led for 19:09 and the game was tied the other 7:45). Montana never led versus EWU in those two meetings (EWU led for 77:49 and there was no score for 2:11). The Eagles had their largest leads of 17 and 24 versus the Bobcats and 27 and 29 against the Griz.
 
Kim Aiken Jr., was a main contributor to the quartet of victories, earning Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors after each of the sweeps. In those four games, Aiken had a trio of 20+ scoring performances and came a single rebound away from averaging a double-double. He had 81 points (20.3 average), 39 rebounds (9.8), nine assists (2.3) and eight steals (2.0) in those four Eagle victories, including a trio of road wins.
 
Eastern beat Montana State 93-77 on Feb. 11 and 85-69 on Feb. 13, then won at home against Montana 90-76 on Feb. 18. Two days later in Missoula, Eastern won by the same 90-76 score.
 
 
More About the Eagles
 
Thanks to winning 10 of its last 11 Big Sky games, in league games only Eastern led in five major categories – scoring offense (82.9), free throw percentage (.819), 3-pointers made per game (8.9), assists (16.1) and assist/turnover ratio (+1.43). Eastern was second in scoring margin (+10.5), field goal percentage (.488), 3-point field goal percentage (.388), rebounding margin (+3.0) and rebounds (35.7). Overall, Eastern is leading the league in assist/turnover ratio (+1.36 to rank 22nd in NCAA Division I), and is No. 2 in free throw percentage (.791 to rank ninth in NCAA Division I) and assists (15.3) and as well as No. 3 in scoring margin (+7.7), scoring offense (79.3 to rank 35th in NCAA Division I), 3-pointers made per game (8.8), field goal percentage offense (.467), field goal percentage defense (.419), and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.325).
 
Junior forward Tanner Groves, who was named the league MVP and first team All-Big Sky honors, is currently second in the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (7.9 per game, just behind teammate Kim Aiken Jr. at 8.4) and field goal percentage (.570 to rank 27th in NCAA Division I). He is also fifth in scoring (16.5), eighth in blocked shots (1.0) and eighth in free throw percentage (.798). In Big Sky games only, he finished first in field goal percentage (.586), fourth in scoring (17.9), fifth in rebounding (7.4), eighth in free throw percentage (.843) and 11th in blocked shots (0.7).
 
Pre-season All-Big Sky Conference selection Kim Aiken Jr. was a first team All-Big Sky choice and the league's Defensive Player of the Year, and earned two-straight Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors from the league office in February. He has averaged 12.0 points (20th in the Big Sky) and 8.4 rebounds (first) thus far in his junior season. He's made 50-of-62 free throws (.806 to rank sixth in the league) and has 25 steals (1.3 per game to rank 12th), 21 blocked shots (1.1 to rank fourth) and 42 assists. In Big Sky Conference games only, Aiken led the league in rebounding (8.9) and was 18th in scoring (13.1), 10th in free throw percentage (.804), 13th in 3-pointers per game (1.53), 10th in steals (1.2) and fourth in blocked shots (1.2).
 
Sophomore Tyler Robertson, named the league's Top Reserve, is also averaging in double figures for EWU at 11.5 points per game to rank just out of the top 20 in the league overall, and is 11th in assists (3.0) and 11th in 3-pointers per game (1.63). In league games only, he was tops in the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.94 with 47 assists and 16 turnovers) and seventh in assists (3.1). He averaged 10.9 points per game during Big Sky play, with sophomore Michael Meadows averaging 12.9 points (19th in the Big Sky) in the 12 league games he played with a string of nine-straight games in double figures. He finished second in league games only in free throw percentage at .909 (30-of-33).
 
Preseason All-Big Sky MVP Jacob Davison scored 18 points in EWU's regular season finale versus Idaho State, and is ninth in the Big Sky in 3-pointers made per game (1.67) overall and seventh in league games only (1.85). He scored 31 versus Southern Utah on Jan. 16 when he hit nine 3-pointers to come one from the school record of 10.
 
Prior to league play starting on Dec. 19 with an 80-64 win at Northern Arizona, on the same trip Eastern fell 80-75 at Saint Mary's in a game in which the Eagles led for 28 1/2 minutes. The first victory for the Eagles came on Dec. 11 when they took a 17-4 lead over The College of Idaho and cruised to an 80-56 win. Previously, Eastern fell to Oregon 69-52 on Dec. 7, just two days after a heart-breaking 70-67 loss at Arizona. Eastern opened the season with a 71-68 loss at Washington State on Nov. 28.
 
Eastern has had a trio of losses to top-notch NCAA Division I competition by a total of just 11 points after leading at halftime and with 10 minutes left in each.  One of those was an 80-75 loss on Dec. 15 at Saint Mary's, which had entered the game ranked fourth in the CollegeInsider.com top 25 poll of mid-major teams. Two of those losses were versus Pac-12 Conference foes Washington State and Arizona.
 
In each of EWU's first two games, Eastern led at halftime, led with 10 minutes left and led with five minutes remaining. Eastern led for 33:09 versus WSU, but a late 13-5 run by the Cougars was the difference; a 14-4 run by Arizona cost the Eagles that win after they led for 13:49 in the game. Eastern also led by as many as six in the first half against Oregon and trailed by just four at halftime. Against Saint Mary's on Dec. 15, the Eagles led for 28:30 and had the lead at halftime and with 10 minutes to play.
 
A year ago, Eastern was 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the Big Sky Conference to win the outright regular season title. The Covid-19 Pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the season, including the conclusion of the Big Sky Conference Tournament and the entire NCAA Tournament. Eastern was on site for their league tournament opener on March 12, 2020, when the news hit. The Eagles entered the 2020-21 season with four starters back from last year's squad.
 
Eastern's school-record 16 Big Sky wins a year ago included sweeps over seven of the league's 10 other teams, and a split versus Idaho State and Idaho. Eastern was swept by Montana, which had won the two previous regular season and tournament titles. The Eagles had just two seniors – Mason Peatling and Tyler Kidd – so EWU has high aspirations for 2020 and beyond.
 
Eastern won its fourth Big Sky regular season title in school history (2000, 2004, 2015, 2020), but joined the 2004 team with the only outright titles. Eastern has gone on to win two Big Sky Tournament titles (2004 and 2015) to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles also have national postseason appearances in the NIT (2003) and the College Basketball Invitational (2016, 2017, 2018).
 
 
Eagles Had +14.3 Winning Margin During Nine-Game Winning Streak
 
Eastern averaged 86.8 points per game during its recently-ended nine-game winning streak, while allowing 72.4 for an average winning margin of 14.3 points per game. During the streak, EWU out-shot opponents 50.7 percent to 42.5 percent overall, and 42.0 percent to 35.1 percent from the 3-point stripe, and made 83.8 percent from the free throw line. Eastern also had a plus 5.8 rebounding margin in those games, averaging 36.4 per game. The Eagles are 8-0 this season when they out-rebound their opponent, and 7-1 when they have at least 36 boards.
 
 
Eagles Showing Big-Half Dominance in League Play
 
The Eagles won 10 league games by at least 12 points (26 once, 16 three times, 15 twice, 14 twice, 13, 12), plus victories by six and eight points. Their three losses came by a combined 12 points (5 twice, 2). Their biggest margin of the season came in a 90-64 win over Idaho on Feb. 6, plus wins by 16 over Northern Arizona on Dec. 19 (80-64) as well as both games at Montana State (93-77 and 85-69) on Feb. 11 and 13, respectively. Eastern defeated Montana by twin 90-76 scores.
 
Eastern took a 32-28 lead at halftime at NAU, then used a 48-point second half to pull away. Eastern led 34-28 against the Vandals before having its best half of the season with 56 points to surge ahead. Eastern had second-half performances of 44 and 49 at MSU and first half performances of 51 and 49 against Montana. The Eagles closed the regular season with 47 points in the first half versus Idaho State, giving them a total of 16 halves this season with at least 43 points (eight in the first half, eight in the second).
 
The Eagles had entered the NAU game averaging just 29.0 points in the second half through its first five games (145 total), but in the 15 games since have averaged 42.8 with eight performances of at least 43 points and four with at least 51. In the first half, Eastern has averaged 40.0 points per game, with eight performances of at least 43 and one with at least 51. The Eagles closed the regular season with 47 points in the first half against Idaho State on March 5 en route to a 13-point victory to avenge a five-point loss two days earlier.
 
 
Legans Currently Ranked No. 4 in Winning Percentage in Big Sky History
 
Shantay Legans, the 2019-20 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, is No. 4 in winning percentage in the 58-year history of the Big Sky Conference – second among those who coached at least four seasons. After the ISU games, he's 53-20 in four seasons for a percentage of .726. He only ranks behind Phil Johnson (Weber State 1968-71, .886, 39-5), Kermit Davis (Idaho 1989-90, .813, 26-6) and Dick Motta (Weber State, 1963-68, .727, 40-15), and is ahead of Travis DeCuire (Montana 2014-present, .719, 92-36) and Ron Abegglen (Weber State, 1991-99, .717, 86-34).
 
Overall, Legans is now 72-48 overall (.600) in four seasons. In school history, Ray Giacoletti (four seasons, 2000-04) currently ranks behind Legans in winning percentage overall (.580, 69-50) and is No. 2 in league games only (.707, 41-17).
 
In league games in his four years at the helm, Legans has directed EWU to 13, 12, 16 and 12 victories, His 41 league wins in his first three seasons at the helm is the best three-year stretch in school history. His four-year total of 53 is also the best all-time at EWU in 34 seasons in the league, as Eastern has won at least 10 league games for the eighth-straight season. That only happened six times before in EWU's first 26 seasons as a member of NCAA Division I.
 
Legans led EWU to a final record of 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the league in the 2019-20 season. Legans entered the 2020-21 season 59-41 in his three years as head coach for a .590 winning percentage. In the spring of 2020, Legans was selected to ESPN's "40 Under 40" list of the top NCAA Division I basketball coaches under the age of 40. He was selected No. 11 -- eighth among head coaches -- in the list of coaches ranked by achievement and potential.
 
 
Eastern Has Eighth-Toughest Strength of Schedule in Initial NCAA NET Rankings
 
While ranking 110th in the nation overall and tops in the Big Sky Conference, the ranking that popped out most in the initial NCAA NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings released on Jan. 4 was No. 8. That was the team's national ranking in strength of schedule, which was aided by pre-conference games versus three Pacific-12 Conference foes (Arizona, Oregon, Washington State) and another powerhouse from the West Coast Conference (Saint Mary's).
 
The second-highest Big Sky Conference school in the initial rankings was Southern Utah at 135, followed by Weber State (162), Sacramento State (188) and Montana (190) in the top 200. The remainder of the league ranked from No. 224 (Montana State) to No. 333 (Idaho) among the 340 NCAA Division I programs who had played at that point of the season. Among EWU's non-conference foes, Oregon (19), Arizona (21), Saint Mary's (53) and Washington State (101) were all in the top 101.
 
The NET rankings serves as the primary sorting tool for the selection and seeding process for the NCAA tournament. The NET is in its third season for men's basketball and was modified in the offseason when it was simplified to a two-component system. The two components are the Team Value Index, which rewards teams for beating quality opponents, especially away from home, and a team's efficiency rating, which is adjusted for the strength of an opponent and the location of a game.
 
Through games of March 7, Eastern is third among Big Sky schools with a ranking of 124th, and is 192nd in strength of schedule (third in the league). Weber State is No. 1 in the league at 102nd, followed by Southern Utah (120), EWU (124), Montana (210), Montana State (236), Sacramento State (251), Portland State (253), Northern Colorado (266), Idaho State (269), Northern Arizona (331) and Idaho (344) among the 347 schools who have now played.
 
 
Free Throw Record Falls at Montana State
 
En route to a 93-77 victory at Montana State on Feb. 11, Eastern made its first 25 free throws and finished 27-of-28 from the free throw line for a school-record .964 percentage. The previous school record (minimum of 20 attempts) was .952 set twice previously with 20-of-21 performances. The last time it occurred was on Jan. 8, 2009 versus Idaho State and the first time came against Portland on Dec. 10, 1994. Five Eagles were perfect from the line against the Bobcats – Tanner Groves (9-of-9), Kim Aiken Jr. (8-of-8), Michael Meadows (5-of-5) and Tyler Robertson (2-of-2). The only player to miss was Jacob Groves, who was 3-of-4 after a miss late in the second half.
 
 
Eagles Nearly Set 3-Point Records Versus SUU
 
With 10 3-pointers in the first half and nine in the second, the Eagles as a team and Jacob Davison as an individual flirted with school records for 3-point shooting in EWU's 99-94 loss to Southern Utah on Jan. 16. Eastern came one make from the team record of 20 set against Portland State on Jan. 28, 2016. Eastern finished the SUU game with 43 3-point attempts, and the school record of 45 came against Oregon on Nov. 9, 2018. Eastern's high through the first seven games of the season was 10 3-pointers made on two occasions, and 35 attempts versus The College of Idaho on Dec. 11.
 
Davison sank nine of 18 3-point attempts, and his previous high for 3-pointers made was seven. The school record is 10 set previously by Tyler Harvey (2/1/14 vs. Northern Colorado) and Kevin Winford (12/4/10 vs. New Hope). The record for 3-pointers attempted is 23 (Winford versus New Hope).
Hectic Early Season of Changes
 
From Nov. 23rd to the start of February, the season featured a hectic and steady stream of schedule changes for Eastern because of the Covid-19 pandemic and related testing protocols.
 
The season opener for EWU versus Oregon scheduled for Nov. 25 was postponed because of Covid-19 precautions and concerns. Later in the week, the opponent for Eastern's home game on Nov. 30 changed from Northwest University to Montana Tech, but the game was eventually canceled on Nov. 28 – the day Eastern actually opened its season at Washington State with just eight available players. The Eagles searched for a replacement home game, but eventually was scheduled by Arizona for Dec. 5 because of Northern Colorado being unavailable to play the Wildcats on that date.
 
Also on Nov. 28, Eastern announced the move of the opening weekend of conference play versus Northern Arizona from Dec. 3 and 5 to Dec. 18 and 19. Both of those games are scheduled to be played in Flagstaff, Ariz., at 11:05 a.m. Pacific time.
 
On Dec. 6 – the day after Eastern fell at Arizona by just three points – Eastern announced that the Oregon game would be made up on Monday (Dec. 7). On Dec. 8, while EWU was still in Eugene awaiting a flight to Las Vegas, the UNLV game was cancelled because of a positive case within the Runnin' Rebels program. One day later, on Dec. 9, Eastern added a home game versus The College of Idaho for Friday, Dec. 11.
 
Eastern's played its game at Saint Mary's on Dec. 15 without issues, but then a positive antigen test prior to playing Northern Arizona resulted in further adjustments. While EWU awaited a PCR test that could allow the Eagles to play if it came back negative, game times were adjusted and then the first game subsequently canceled. After the test result was finally received, the Eagles were able to play the Lumberjacks on the afternoon of Dec. 19, and the Eagles triumphed 80-64.
 
Then, Eastern's next four games were canceled because of a positive Covid-19 case within the Eastern program and subsequent protocols and procedures. Thus, EWU went a full 25 days without a game, wiping out anticipated doubleheaders versus both Portland State and Weber State.
 
Eastern finally played again on Jan. 14, splitting with Southern Utah and Northern Colorado in back-to-back weekends. The last disruption came at the end of the month when EWU was supposed to play Sacramento State on Thursday, Jan. 28. After a three-day delay because of a positive Covid-19 case within its program, the games were moved to back-to-back days on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
 
Games went on without a hitch after that.
 
 
On the Horizon
 
The NCAA announced in early January the entire 2021 men's basketball championship will be played in Indiana, with the majority of the tournament's 67 games taking place in Indianapolis. Selection Sunday is scheduled for Sunday, March 14 at 3 p.m. Pacific time on CBS. The Final Four is scheduled for Saturday, April 3 and Monday, April 5, with the championship game at 6 p.m. on CBS.
 
The NCAA also announced exact preliminary-round dates in January. The "First Four" will take place on Thursday, March 18 and the first round games will take place on Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20.
 
Games will be played on two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena in West Lafayette and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Only one game at a time will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium. Teams will practice at the Indiana Convention Center with multiple courts set up inside the venue. All teams will be housed on dedicated hotel floors, with physically-distanced meeting and dining rooms, as well as secure transportation to and from competition venues.
 
 
 
 

Player Notes

 
The Elder of the "Groves Bros" Tandem, Tanner Groves is Big Sky MVP
 
He learned his trade under last year's MVP, and now he's taken over as the top big man in the Big Sky Conference. And he's now the MVP too. Junior Tanner Groves has had a stellar 2020-21 men's basketball season, and was rewarded as the Big Sky Conference MVP after watching teammate and fellow post player Mason Peatling earn the honor a year ago.
 
Groves previously was honored on several other occasions during this season. On Jan. 26, he was selected on the mid-season watch list for the 2020-21 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award. He is one of 40 players listed as a candidate for the award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in NCAA Division I college basketball. This year's recipient will be announced in April, and the award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.
 
Groves was rewarded Dec. 31 by being selected to the HoopsHD.com mid-season All-Big Sky Conference team. Twice he earned Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors – the first honor coming on Dec. 21 and the second on Feb. 1 after registering a double-double with 23 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in a win over Sacramento State one day earlier.
 
He received the same honor the same weeks from College Sports Madness, and was also honored by CSM on Feb. 15 after averaging 21.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in a road sweep over Montana State. Included was his sixth double-double of the season and eighth of his career in the first meeting when he equaled his career high with 26 points and also had 12 rebounds. He sank 68.2 percent of his field goal attempts and 3-of-5 3-point shots (37.5 percent), and all nine of his free throws. He had 15 rebounds for the weekend.
 
Groves is currently second in the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (7.9 per game, just behind teammate Kim Aiken Jr. at 8.4) and field goal percentage (.570). He is also fifth in scoring (16.5), eighth in blocked shots (1.0) and eighth in free throw percentage (.798). In Big Sky games only, he finished first in field goal percentage (.586), fourth in scoring (17.9), fifth in rebounding (7.4), eighth in free throw percentage (.843) and 11th in blocked shots (0.7).
 
Groves registered a pair of double-doubles in EWU's split against Northern Colorado, with the Eagles falling 78-76 in the first game on Jan. 21 and winning the second 82-76 two days later. In the second meeting with UNC, he missed his first free throw of the game, snapping his streak of 27 made free throws in a row dating back to making his last seven at Northern Arizona on Dec. 19. He made 8-of-14 to start the year, but went on a 33-of-36 tear (91.7 percent).
 
In December, Groves sank 82 percent of the shots he took in a pair of games for the Eagles, and for his efforts he was selected Dec. 21 as the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. He earned the same honor from College Sports Madness. Groves averaged a double-double as he equaled, then broke, his career-high in scoring in two games – a narrow 80-75 loss at Saint Mary's on Dec. 15 and then an 80-64 win at Northern Arizona on Dec. 19 to open the league season. In the two games combined, Groves averaged 21.5 points and 10.0 rebounds, while also contributing four assists and two blocked shots. He sank 16-of-23 field goals for 69.6 percent and 11-of-13 free throws for 85 percent – a combined 27-of-33 for 81.8 percent. Groves hit 7-of-10 shots and 3-of-4 free throws at Saint Mary's to finish with 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. The 6-foot-9 junior had the fourth double-double of his career, hitting 9-of-13 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws to finish with 26 points and 13 rebounds at NAU. That eclipsed his previous high of 17 on three occasions, including twice this season. His 13 boards equaled the 13 he had earlier this season at Oregon, and he also had three assists.
 
 "Tanner is a stud and our players did a great job looking for him," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans after the NAU game. "He scored 26 but didn't shoot any threes, and he loves to shoot threes. He did a great job of getting the ball and making himself available. He's got a lot more games like that in him. I saw him go against (2019-20 Big Sky MVP) Mason Peatling in practices and we saw the flashes of what he is capable of. He's playing really, really good basketball and is very confident. You love to see that, especially out of a player with so much character, how hard he plays, how much he loves his teammates and how much he gives his team every game."
 
The aptly named "Groves Bros" – including sophomore Jacob Groves – have given Eastern a boost this season. Jacob has averaged 8.1 points and 4.1 boards as a sophomore and has made 50.0 percent of his shots. Jacob added seven points and seven rebounds in the road victory at Northern Arizona, and had 10 points in a loss at Northern Colorado on Jan. 21. He started every game for EWU from Jan. 23 to March 3, and had 11 points and a career-high three assists versus Sacramento State on Feb. 1. He scored 12 versus Idaho on Feb. 4, then had a career-high 17 points and seven boards two days later versus the Vandals.
 
Tanner scored 13 at Arizona on Dec. 5, a week after equaling what was then his career high of 17 versus Washington State. He also had nine rebounds and three assists versus the Cougars as he equaled the career high for scoring he had as a sophomore with 17 points. Jacob chipped in 10 points – all in the first half at Arizona after having a career high with 16 points at WSU. He sank 6-of-16 shots in the first start of his career, and had eight rebounds, as he eclipsed his previous high of eight points as a freshman, and his eight rebounds was also a career high as well. Versus Oregon on Dec. 7, Tanner pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds, eclipsing his previous high of 11 as a freshman.
 
Tanner came off the bench to average 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in his sophomore season, and this year helps fill the role left by 2019-20 Big Sky Conference MVP Mason Peatling. Tanner scored a career-high 17 points versus Multnomah on Dec. 13, 2019, including a rebound dunk that was the No. 1 play by ESPN's Sportscenter that night and had 2 1/2 million views. Groves also came off the bench to score 16 versus Montana State on Feb. 8, 2020, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers.
 
Thus far in his 79-game career (23 as a starter) he's averaged 7.3 points, 3.9 boards and has 55 blocked shots to rank 13th in EWU history, while sinking 55.0 percent from the field.
 
Jacob averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in the 24 games he played as a freshman in the 2019-20 season. His first two appearances came in victories against High Point and Belmont, and he had his high game with eight points versus Multnomah. In his 44-game career (11 as a starter), he's averaging 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds, and has 16 steals and 26 assists.
 
Both Groves brothers are graduates of Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash. Tanner stands 6-foot-9 and graduated in 2017, and Jacob is 6-7 and graduated two years later. Their parents are Randy and Tara Groves. Randy played basketball at Shadle Park HS and Community Colleges of Spokane, and Tara (formerly Tara Flugel) still owns the Whitworth scoring record of 2,040 points and is in the school's Hall of Fame. She's formerly from Colville, Wash.
 
 
Aiken a First Team All-Big Sky Pick and the League's Defensive Player of the Year
 
Kim Aiken Jr. has been a beast in recent weeks, and concluded the league season by earning first team All-Big Sky Conference honors and being named the league's defensive MVP.
 
A pre-season All-Big Sky Conference selection, Aiken earned two-straight Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors from the league office in February. He has averaged 12.0 points (20th in the Big Sky) and 8.4 rebounds (first) thus far in his junior season. He's made 50-of-62 free throws (.806 to rank sixth in the league) and has 25 steals (1.3 per game to rank 12th), 21 blocked shots (1.1 to rank fourth) and 42 assists. In Big Sky Conference games only, Aiken led the league in rebounding (8.9) and was 18th in scoring (13.1), 10th in free throw percentage (.804), 13th in 3-pointers per game (1.53), 10th in steals (1.2) and fourth in blocked shots (1.2).
 
Aiken has three double-doubles this season and 19 in his career. He has six double-figure rebounding performances this season and 24 in his career, including a season-high 14 to end the regular season versus Idaho State on March 5. He has 11 performances with at least 20 points (four this season) and 43 with at least 10 (11 this season).
 
Thus far in his 81-game career (62 as a starter), he is averaging 10.4 points and 7.6 rebounds with 19 career double-doubles (14-5 record). He has 96 career steals, 72 blocked shots and 98 assists. His 615 rebounds currently rank ninth in school history, his 7.6 average is 10th and his 72 blocks are ninth. He also ranks ninth in 3-point field goal attempts with 410 and is nearing the all-time list in makes with 134.
 
Continuing his recent hot streak in conjunction with a sizzling stretch for his team, the pre-season All-Big Sky Conference selection honored two-straight weeks as Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for helping Eastern to back-to-back season sweeps over the Montana schools. The league made the announcement on Feb. 15 and 22, and he was also honored with the same honor by College Sports Madness the second week.
 
The 6-foot-7 junior from Redlands, Calif., has averaged 24.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in twin 90-76 victories over Montana for EWU's first season sweep of the Grizzlies in 18 years (since 2003). Coupled with a pair of victories over Montana State the week prior when Aiken was also honored by the league, Eastern enjoyed a 15.0 margin of victory in the four games (16, 16, 14, 14). In the two games combined versus the Grizzlies, Aiken made 65.4 percent of his shots overall, including 7-of-11 from the 3-point stripe for 63.6 percent. He also made 8-of-10 free throws and had six steals, three assists and a pair of blocked shots. Eastern led by as many as 27 in the first half in the Jan. 18 gave versus UM, and 22 at halftime in the rematch, with its largest lead in that game at 29. The wins helped extend EWU's winning streak to nine – just two from the school record -- and keep the Eagles in sole possession of first place in the Big Sky Conference standings.
 
In four games combined against MSU and UM, Aiken had a trio of 20+ scoring performances and was a single rebound away from averaging a double-double. He had 81 points (20.3 average), 39 rebounds (9.8), nine assists (2.3) and eight steals (2.0) in those four Eagle victories (average winning margin of 15.0 per game).
 
 "We kept throwing (Tanner Groves) the ball, and Kim and Mike (Meadows) stepped up to have terrific games," said Legans of the Feb. 20 win at Montana to wrap up the team's fourth-straight Big Sky season sweep. "When you have players who can do things like that and change the game, it really helps. You can take away our 3-point shot, but we can throw the ball inside to Tanner and he's efficient. Kim was driving the ball to the hole and Mike can get to the rim -- Jacob Groves too. We have multiple players than can go make plays at the basket and lead this team."
 
In the first game against the Grizzlies, Aiken hit all six of his 2-point shots and 3-of-6 3-pointers to finish with 21 points, eight rebounds and four steals. In the next game, he finished with a career-high 28 points, 10 rebounds, two blocked shots, two steals and two assists. He sank 8-of-14 shots overall, 4-of-5 from the 3-point arc and 8-of-9 free throws. His previous career high was 26 versus Washington on Dec. 4, 2019.
 
In the sweep at Montana State on Feb. 11 and 13, Aiken averaged a double-double in the 93-77 and 85-69 victories. In the two games combined, Aiken averaged 16.0 points and 10.5 rebounds, and also had six assists and a pair of steals. The 6-foot-7 junior guard/forward from Redlands, Calif., was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line while making 47.4 percent overall (9-of-19) and 4-of-12 3-point attempts.
 
In the first win on Feb. 11, he scored 20 points and made all eight of his free throws to help EWU break a school record with a .964 team percentage (27-of-28). He also had eight rebounds and three assists for EWU. In the next game, in which EWU had a key 37-35 rebounding advantage, Aiken had his second double-double of the season and 18th of his career by finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He also had a trio of assists and a steal as EWU held MSU to just seven offensive rebounds after having 17 in the first meeting.
 
"Kim is amazing on the boards," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans after the MSU sweep. "That's the Kim Aiken we have come to know and we've seen in the past. When he plays like that he's one of the top three players in the league. He goes to the boards, defends, rebounds, blocks shots, he's hitting threes and he's leading our team. He's really hard to guard and hard to play against."
 
Prior to the start of the season, Aiken joined teammate Jacob Davison on the 2020-21 Big Sky Conference Preseason All-Conference Team announced by the league office on Nov. 10.  He scored 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the 3-point stripe in EWU's 80-64 win at Northern Arizona, and also had nine boards. He had his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds versus Southern Utah on Jan. 16. He had 11 rebounds versus Idaho on Feb. 6.
 
Aiken nearly averaged a double-double in the 2019-20 season, finishing fourth in NCAA Division I in defensive rebounds per game (8.2) and 36th in rebounding overall (9.7). He led the Big Sky in both categories, and was also 38th in the nation with 12 double-doubles and averaged 13.3 points per outing. Aiken's overall rebound average was Eastern's best since Ron Cox averaged 12.3 in the 1976-77 season when the school was affiliated with the NAIA. Aiken's average broke the school's previous DI record of 9.1 in the 2016-17 campaign, and his single-game high of 22 is the second-most in school history and EWU's DI record.
 
The 6-foot-7 Aiken also finished his sophomore season third in the league and 85th in the nation in steals (1.74). In league games only, Aiken finished second in rebounding (9.0), first in defensive rebounds (7.5), third in 3-pointers made per game (2.3), fifth in steals (1.7), 12th in blocked shots (1.1) and 21st in scoring (12.1). At times his shooting was inconsistent, but he still managed to sink a team-leading 76 3-pointers on 229 attempts for 33.2 percent. Overall, he shot at a 39.8 percent clip from the field and 78.7 percent from the free throw line (59-of-75).
 
He had what was then a career-best 26-point effort at Washington on Dec. 4, 2019, and had five total performances of 20+ points (11 in his career). Against Belmont that season in a huge 87-82 victory, he scored eight of EWU's last 12 points and had four defensive boards in the final 44 seconds on his way to final tallies of 11 points and 11 boards.
 
 
Sophomore Meadows Catches Fire as Starter in Last Nine Games
 
Recently, sophomore Michael Meadows has provided a boost as a starter, and has started each game since Jan. 23rd During Eastern's recently-ended nine-game winning streak, he averaged 14.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists, and those totals of 129 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists during the winning streak compare to the 10/3/5 he had in the first four games he played leading up to that winning streak.
 
He's scored in double figures in EWU's last nine games, including a career-high 20 in a 90-76 Eagle win at Montana on Feb. 20. Meadows scored 17 of his career-high 21 points in the first half to ignite EWU to a 93-77 win at Montana State on Feb. 11. He finished the game 7-of-13 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers, and also made all five of his free throws. In a 90-64 Eastern victory over Idaho one game earlier, Meadows had 16 points as EWU finished with a total of 11 players scoring and seven with at least one 3-pointer made. He made 5-of-11 shots from the field and all five of his free throws, and also had a career-high five assists with a pair of steals. His previous high for dimes was three. Two days earlier when Eastern won at Idaho 89-75 on Feb. 4, Meadows hit 7-of-10 shots to finish with 17 points, eclipsing his previous career high of 11. He also had three rebounds and a pair of assists, and 10 Eagles scored and eight players hit 3-pointers.
 
On Feb. 1 in a 94-79 romp over Sacramento State, Meadows equaled what was then his career high with 11 points, and also had three assists. He started for the third-straight game as he equaled the 11 points he had as a freshman versus Portland Bible. Prior to the Sac State game, Meadows had played in six of EWU's 11 games and was averaging 4.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and shooting just 6-of-25 from the field (24 percent) and 1-of-7 from the 3-point stripe (14.3 percent).
 
Meadows has played in 15 of EWU's 20 games this season (11 starts) and is averaging 12.9 points (19th in the Big Sky) in the 12 league games he played with a string of nine-straight games in double figures. He finished second in league games only in free throw percentage at .909 (30-of-33).
 
 In his 34-game career (11 as a starter), Meadows is averaging 5.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and is shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from the 3-point stripe and 89.2 percent from the line.
 
 
BSC Top Reserve Robertson Continues Solid Contribution as Another of EWU's Talented Sophomores
 
Sophomore Tyler Robertson was selected as the Big Sky Conference Top Reserve after providing a huge boost this season for the Eagles, registering 12 double-figure scoring performances, including eight in EWU's last 13 games. Included was his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in an 85-69 win over Montana State on Feb. 13.
 
He had a career-high 21 points with five assists in a 90-76 home win over Montana on Feb. 18, and earlier that month on Feb. 1 against Sacramento State he had 20 points to go along with team highs of six rebounds and six assists. He hit his first seven shots in the game, including four 3-pointers, and finished 7-of-8 overall for the day.
 
 "He's a swiss army knife – he can do anything on the court, play point guard or play center," said Legans. "It's a lot like how Kim plays on defense where he guard anybody, one through five. Tyler can play any offensive position one through five. When you have players like that who can do different things, it puts you in a great position. You want to play everybody, but some games some players do better than others and you have to give them those opportunities. Tonight we saw that outcome with Tyler Robertson."
 
Robertson's had 17 points with five 3-pointers in seven attempts at Saint Mary's on Dec. 15 in the second start of his career. In his first start against The College of Idaho on Dec. 11, he assisted on four of Eastern's first five baskets en route to a 17-4 lead. He finished the game with 12 points, a career-high six rebounds and five assists.
 
Robertson made 5-of-7 shots from the floor to finish with a career-high 15 points in his first game of the season versus Arizona, eclipsing his previous high of nine set as a freshman. He also had five rebounds, and drew the foul that disqualified Arizona 6-11 forward Jordan Brown from the game.
 
Robertson is averaging in double figures for EWU at 11.5 points per game to rank just out of the top 20 in the league overall, and is 11th in assists (3.0) and 11th in 3-pointers per game (1.63). In league games only, he was tops in the Big Sky in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.94 with 47 assists and 16 turnovers) and seventh in assists (3.1). He averaged 10.9 points per game during Big Sky play.
 
Robertson played in 26 Eastern games a true freshman in 2019-20, averaging 8.1 minutes, 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high eight points at Boston College and one game later had his high for rebounds with three at High Point. In a 68-64 victory at Northern Colorado in a battle for first place in the league standings, Robertson came off the bench to provide some of the defense on UNC's Jonah Radebaugh, who needed 24 shots to score 21 points. In his career thus far, Robertson has played 45 games (six as a starter) and has averaged 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists while sinking 42-of-113 3-pointers for 37.2 percent.
 
Fellow sophomore Casson Rouse joined Robertson in making his season debut against Arizona on Dec. 5, and that duo combined for 28 points in the narrow three-point loss. They followed that with a combined 21 points at Oregon on Dec. 7. Rouse is averaging 3.1 points and 1.1 assists in the 17 games he's played this season, and has made nine 3-pointers (in 38 attempts for 23.7 percent, 28.8 percent overall).
 
Rouse, who also didn't play in EWU's opener at Washington State, had 13 in his first game of the season against Arizona. He sank a trio of 3-pointers and had four assists to share team-high honors. Robertson and Rouse both hit 3-pointers in a 9-1 run as the Eagles took their biggest lead of the half at 56-48 with 8:42 remaining. In the next game, Robertson scored 11 points and Rouse had 10.
 
 A year ago as a redshirt freshman, Rouse started seven games and chipped in 6.5 points and 1.7 assists while making 37-of-96 3-pointers (38.5 percent). He exceeded his previous career best by seven points when he scored 21 points in a 100-75 victory over Idaho State on March 5 to help EWU wrap-up at least a share of the Big Sky title. So far in his career, he's played in 48 games (12 as a starter) and is averaging 5.3 points, 1.5 assists and 1.7 rebounds while sinking 46-of-134 3-point attempts (34.3 percent).
 
"Casson and Tyler are really good, and they are two reasons why I'm so high on this team," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans after the Arizona game. "We have a lot of depth on this team and we can call on a lot of players when we need to."
 
 
Davison is MVP on Preseason All-Big Sky Team
 
Senior Jacob Davison was selected as the MVP as he joined teammate Kim Aiken Jr. on the 2020-21 Big Sky Conference Preseason All-Conference Team announced by the league office on Nov. 10. He was unanimous selection on the preseason squad. Davison earned second team honors in the 2019-20 season and Aiken was on the third team as they led Eastern to the regular season Big Sky Conference title.
 
"I love seeing our players receive accolades because I see all the hard work they put in behind the scenes to get there," said Eastern head coach Shantay Legans. "Both on and off the court, our guys work harder than any group I've ever been around, and I am so proud of all they have achieved, and eager for all that is to come."
 
The Eastern duo was joined on the all-conference team by Bodie Hume of Northern Colorado, Jubrile Belo of Montana State, Cameron Shelton from Northern Arizona and Michael Steadman of Montana. Steadman is a 6-foot-10 transfer from San Jose State.
 
In the 2019-20 season, Davison was 70th nationally and fourth in the Big Sky in scoring (18.4), to go along with averages of 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  In league-only statistics, Davison was fourth in the league in scoring (n18.7), as well as ranking 11th in field goal percentage (.439), 10th in free throw percentage (.752), 12th in steals (1.2) and 14th in assists (2.7).
 
"A lot of times teams have to pick their poison with us," said Legans. "Jacob is such a talented scorer and does so many things on offense which makes him hard to guard. He can drive, he can hit the mid-range jump shot and he shoots the three well. We watch the way teams defend him in games and then we adjust."
 
Davison is Eastern's newest member of the 1,000-point club, going over that mark with a 21-point effort versus Idaho on Feb. 13, 2020. He now has 1,348 career points to rank 10th on EWU's all-time list of 1,000-point scorers, joining 2019-20 Big Sky MVP Mason Peatling as one of 23 in the club. After playing in his 100th Eastern game on Feb. 4, two days later Davison moved past Marc Axton into 11th on EWU's all-time scoring list. Axton, who was the analyst for the television broadcast on SWX that day, had 1,319 points from 2002-05.
 
In his now 105-game career (66 as a starter), Davison has averaged 12.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals while sinking 44.8 percent of his shots from the field, 35.3 percent from the 3-point stripe (136-of-385) and 77.8 percent of his free throws. In his career, Davison now has 24 performances with at least 20 points (14 in the 2019-20 season and one in 2020-21) and five with at least 30 (three in the 2019-20 season and one in 2020-21).
 
So far this season, Davison is averaging 11.0 points, 1.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds, making 39.9 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from the 3-point stripe (30-of-79). He's also made 34-of-40 free throws (85.0 percent) and has 13 steals and eight blocked shots.
 
He scored 18 points in EWU's regular season finale versus Idaho State, and is ninth in the Big Sky in 3-pointers made per game (1.67) overall and seventh in league games only (1.85). He more than doubled his season-high of 15 points when he had 31 points in loss to Southern Utah on Jan. 16. He hit nine 3-pointers in that game, coming one from the school record.
 
 
Senior Jack Perry Continues Marksmanship from 3-Point Line
 
With more than 100 games of experience as an Eagle, so far this season senior Jack Perry has averaged 4.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while sinking 20-of-36 3-point shots (.556). He missed four games from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, but has played in 16 games thus far (four as a starter).
 
He ended the regular season on March 5 on "Senior Day" with 11 points, scoring in double figures for the first time this season. It was the first time he's been in double figures in 25 games and the most since he scored 13 versus Northern Arizona on Feb. 22, 2020. He sank 3-of-4 3-pointers (4-of-6 overall) and equaled his career high with three steals, and matched his season-high of nine points in the first half alone.
 
In an 82-76 win at Northern Colorado on Jan. 23, he helped spark the Eagles in the second half with eight points as he sank both of the 3-pointers he attempted and had a team-high three steals in the game. He hit a key 3-pointer in the second half in a 93-77 win at Montana State on Feb. 11 to give EWU its largest lead of the night at 73-63.
 
He adds senior leadership in the back court after averaging 6.2 points and 2.5 assists during a junior campaign that was limited to 26 games because of a high ankle sprain. In league-only statistics in the 2019-20 season, Perry was 14th in assists (2.7) and 11th in 3-pointers made per game (1.7). He has also provided some clutch moments through the years for EWU, including the 100th 3-pointer of his career to give EWU the lead for good in a 78-75 victory at Idaho on Jan. 16, 2020.
 
Perry has played in 109 games (65 as a starter) to become just the 24th player in school history to hit the century mark (he now ranks 18th). He is currently 10th on EWU's all-time career 3-point percentage list at 41.7 percent (148-of-355), and has averaged 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game (total of 229) with 57 total steals.
 
 
Ellis Magnuson, a 31-Game Starter from a Year Ago, Makes Debut Versus Oregon
 
Ellis Magnuson started all 31 Eagle games as a true freshman in the 2019-20 season, but missed the first two games of his sophomore season because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He made his season debut versus Oregon on Dec. 7 and finished with two assists and no points in eight minutes of action. In 18 games thus far, he's averaged 21.9 minutes, 3.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He had his first back-to-back double figure scoring games of the season with 15 at Idaho on Feb. 4 and 10 at home versus the Vandals two days later, then had his third in four games with 11 at Montana State on Feb. 13. His father, Josh, lettered as a linebacker at Idaho from 1991-93.
 
A year ago, Magnuson finished 118th in the nation in assists (4.2 to rank fifth in the Big Sky) and was 112th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.84 per game to rank fifth in the league). In Big Sky-only statistics, he was eighth in assists (3.4), and was the only freshman ranked in that category in the top 15. He was also the only freshman in the top 11 in assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking seventh (+1.5).
 
In his 49-game career (44 as a starter), Magnuson is averaging 3.4 assists, 5.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. He's made 36.4 percent of his field goal attempts, including 27-of-90 (30.0 percent) from the 3-point arc. He's also made 47-of-57 career free throws for 82.5 percent.
 
 
 

Eastern in the Big Sky Tournament

 
• In 2020-21, Eastern will make its 18th Big Sky Conference Tournament appearance in 33 years as a member of the league, and has a record of 17-15 in its 32 games. The Eagles are 1-0 in the first round, 6-5 in the quarterfinals, 8-4 in the semifinals and 2-6 in the championship. Before winning the 2015 title, Eastern hadn't appeared since the 2011-12 and 2010-11 seasons, which were EWU's first since 2006. The Eagles qualified for each tournament from 1998-2006.

• Eastern won Big Sky Conference Tournament championships and appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2015 & 2004. The Eagles have also advanced to the National Invitation Tournament in 2003 and the College Basketball Invitational in 2016 and 2017. Eastern registered the school's first NCAA Division I postseason win with a 79-72 victory over Pepperdine in the first round of the CBI in 2016.

• Eastern's 2014-15 squad won the title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a trio of victories in Missoula, Montana. Included was a come-from-behind 69-65 over the host Grizzlies in the championship game.

 • Before beating Montana for the 2015 title, Eastern had ended its season with losses to the Grizzlies in appearances in 2012, 2006 and 2005. But the year before, in 2004, EWU won the title with a 71-59 championship game victory over Northern Arizona to advance to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament (EWU made its first-ever NIT appearance in 2003).

• Although its streak of Big Sky tournament berths came to an end in the 2006-07 season, at the time Eastern was just the fifth school in league history to make nine-straight appearances in the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Eastern started the streak back in 1998 after making just one trip to the tourney in their first 10 seasons as a member of the conference. Interestingly, Montana's 77-69 victory over the Lumberjacks on Feb. 28, 2005, extended Eastern's streak and ended NAU's eight-season streak. Eastern's streak started in 1998 with an end-of-year victory at Montana. That "winner advance, loser eliminated" game ended Montana's 21-year streak.

• In 2011, Eastern's season came to an end with a 79-70 loss at Weber State in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. That came just three days after the Eagles stunned WSU on their home court 75-59 to end the regular season. Because of the upset, the Wildcats lost their chance at a first-round bye and had to face the Eagles again. In the rematch, WSU out-scored EWU 46-25 in the second half as the Wildcats overcame a 12-point EWU halftime lead and a 15-point deficit early in the second half.

• In 2013-14, the Eagles were 15-16 overall and missed the Big Sky Conference Tournament with a 10-10 league mark. Interestingly, Sacramento State was also 10-10, but secured the final bid because of a tiebreaker advantage over EWU, which dropped its final game of the season to Weber State 82-78.
 
Here is a list of Eastern's all-time games in the Big Sky Tournament . . .
2019 -- Championship (Boise, Idaho) #3 seed vs. #1 Montana - L, 62-68
2019 -- Semifinal (Boise, Idaho) #3 seed vs. #7 Southern Utah - W, 77-61
2019 -- Quarterfinal (Boise, Idaho) #3 seed vs. #6 Montana State - W, 90-84
2018 -- Championship (Reno, Nevada) #3 seed vs. #1 Montana - L, 65-82
2018 -- Semifinal (Reno, Nevada) #3 seed vs. #10 Southern Utah - W, 82-70
2018 -- Quarterfinal (Reno, Nevada) #3 seed vs. #6 Portland State - W, 78-72
2017 -- Semifinal (Reno, Nevada) #2 seed vs. #3 Weber State - L, 72-80
2017 -- Quarterfinal (Reno, Nevada) #2 seed vs. #7 Sacramento State - W, 89-70
2016 -- Quarterfinal (Reno, Nevada) #6 seed vs. #3 Idaho - L, 73-77
2016 -- First Round (Reno, Nevada) #6 seed vs. #11 Northern Arizona - W, 74-52
2015 – Championship (Missoula, Mont.) #2 seed vs. #1 Montana - W, 69-65
2015 – Semifinal (Missoula, Mont.) #2 seed vs. #3 Sacramento State - W, 91-83
2015 – Quarterfinal (Missoula, Mont.) #2 seed vs. #7 Idaho - W, 91-83
2012 – Semifinal (Missoula, Mont.) #4 seed vs. #1 Montana  – L, 66-74
2012 – Quarterfinal (Cheney, Wash.) #4 seed vs. #5 Idaho State – W, 81-75
2011 - Quarterfinal (Ogden, Utah) - #6 seed vs. #3 Weber State - L, 70-79
2006 - Semifinal (Flagstaff, Ariz.) - #3 seed vs. #2 Montana - L, 71-73 (ot)
2006 - Quarterfinal (Cheney, Wash.) - #3 seed vs. #6 Portland State - W, 81-75
2005 - Quarterfinal (Missoula, Mont.) - #6 seed vs. #3 Montana - L, 48-58
2004 - Championship (Cheney, Wash.) - #1 seed vs. #2 Northern Ariz. - W, 71-59
2004 - Semifinals (Cheney, Wash.) - #1 seed vs. #5 Weber State - W, 72-53
2003 - Championship (Ogden, Utah) - #2 seed vs. #1 Weber State - L, 57-60
2003 - Semifinals (Ogden, Utah) - #2 seed vs. #4 Idaho State - W, 76-67
2002 - Championship (Bozeman, Mont.) - #2 seed vs. #5 Montana - L, 66-70
2002 - Semifinals (Bozeman, Mont.) - #2 seed vs. #3 Weber State - W, 62-57
2001 - Championship (Northridge, Calif.) - #2 seed vs. #1 CS Northridge - L, 58-73
2001 - Semifinals (Northridge, Calif.) - #2 seed vs. #5 Northern Arizona - W, 58-53
2000 - Semifinals (Missoula, Mont.) - #2 seed vs. #3 Northern Arizona - L, 65-82
1999 - Quarterfinals (Ogden, Utah) - #6 seed vs. #3 Portland State - L, 74-80
1998 - Quarterfinals (Flagstaff, Ariz.) - #3 seed vs. #6 CS Northridge - L, 98-104 (ot)
1990 - Championship (Boise, Idaho) - #2 seed vs. #1 Idaho - L, 62-65
1990 - Semifinals (Boise, Idaho) - #2 seed vs. #5 Weber State - W, 83-67
 
 

Series Notes

 
* Since Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season, the Eagles are now 26-24 versus Portland State. All of the meetings have come since the 1996-97 school year when PSU joined the Big Sky Conference, and Eastern is 17-8 in Cheney and 8-15 against PSU in Portland (1-1 on neutral courts) since then. The overall series is now knotted at 27 apiece. Eastern is 2-1 against PSU in the Big Sky Tournament, winning 78-72 in the quarterfinals in 2018 in Reno, 81-75 in the 2006 quarterfinals in Cheney and losing 80-74 in the 1999 quarterfinals in Ogden, Utah.
 
* Eastern has now won 16 of the last 19 versus Northern Arizona and has a seven-game winning streak, moving ahead in the all-time series versus NAU 38-37 (13-24 in Flagstaff, 23-12 in Cheney, 2-1 neutral). Eastern has won the last nine meetings in Cheney dating back to a 73-69 loss on Jan. 15, 2010. The Eagles have won four of the last five in Flagstaff, and haven't lost there since March 4, 2017, in a 76-61 loss. The only meeting before Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I was an 84-80 NAU victory on Dec. 20, 1969, in Fresno, Calif. Eastern is 3-1 in the Big Sky Conference Tournament versus NAU, winning 74-52 in the 2016 first round; 71-59 in the 2004 championship game in Cheney; and 58-53 in the 2001 semifinals. Eastern also fell 82-65 in the 2000 semifinals in Missoula.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recaps

 
Seniors Guide Eastern Past Bengals 75-62 in Finale
 
Behind the early work of seniors Jacob Davison and Jack Perry, the Eagles scored like gangbusters once again. Eastern more than doubled its second-half output from two days earlier, and the Eagles used a fast start to beat Idaho State 75-62 on March 5 in the Big Sky Conference regular season finale for both teams at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Eastern's two seniors earned starts in the regular season finale for EWU at Reese Court, and they responded with 21 of EWU's 47 first-half points. Davison, the preseason MVP in the Big Sky, finished with 18 and Perry had 11 plus three steals as Eastern led by as many as 21 in the first half, and by as many as 23 in the second half to avenge a 68-63 loss two days earlier to the Bengals in which EWU scored just 26 after intermission. Sophomore Tyler Robertson scored 13 points and sophomore Michael Meadows had 11 in the rematch for EWU, which out-shot ISU 44 percent to 33 percent in the game. Eventual Big Sky MVP Tanner Groves was the fifth Eagle in double figures with 10, but fouled out with 4:34 to play after playing just 18 minutes. Junior Kim Aiken Jr. finished with 14 rebounds, four points, three assists and three blocked shots. Eastern's two seniors ignited an early 11-0 run, as the Eagles took an 11-2 lead thanks to six points by Davison and a 3-pointer by Perry. Eastern continued to pour it on, taking leads of 16-3, 21-8 and 23-13. An 8-0 run – fueled by 3-pointers by Perry and Robertson – led to a 19-point EWU lead at 31-12 with 8:45 left. Eastern held ISU to 2:40 without scoring after the earlier 3:32 scoreless stretch early in the contest. The Bengals cut the lead to 13, but ISU went without a field goal for two minutes and EWU went on a 9-2 run to go back up by 21. Perry and Davison both hit 3-pointers in the run and EWU led at halftime 47-32. In the second half, Eastern took its biggest lead of the night at 55-32 with 17:18 on a basket by Davison. The Eagles led by 18 with 7:03 left before ISU scored eight unanswered points to cut the lead to 10. But Eastern used a 5-0 run in the last 3:05 to put the game away.
 
 
Idaho State Goes on Late Run to Beat Eagles
 
Idaho State used a late run and four free throws in the final 21 seconds to upset Eastern 68-63 in a Big Sky Conference game at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. The Eagles had entered the game controlling its own destiny to a second-straight league title. Eastern held a seven-point lead with 3:29 to play, but back-to-back 3-pointers by the Bengals helped them score the final 12 points of the game. After making 50 percent of its shots for most of the game, EWU missed its last five field goal attempts and didn't score after taking 63-56 advantage. Junior Tanner Groves led a trio of Eagles in double figures with 19 points, but EWU was held to 26 points in the second half and was rebounded 21-9 after intermission. The 26 points in the second half were a low for Eastern in any half versus a Big Sky opponent this season, and the third-lowest overall. A close game was something the Eagles hadn't had much of lately, having won their previous nine games by an average of 14.3 per game. Eastern lost for the first time since falling 78-76 at Northern Colorado on Jan. 21. In the nine games since, Eastern's closest win was six points and only two came by less than 10. Besides the 19 points of Groves on 7-of-14 shooting with six rebounds, sophomore Michael Meadows poured in 14 points and had four assists, and junior Kim Aiken Jr., had 13 points, five boards and four steals. The Bengals took an early 19-14 lead, but the Eagles reversed that with a 9-0 run to take a 23-19 lead at the 10:04 mark. Later, with the game tied at 27, the Eagles went on a 10-0 run as Tanner Groves scored four of EWU's points. That gave the Eagles a 37-27 advantage with 1:08 left, and EWU led 37-31 at halftime. The Bengals hung tough in the second half, and used an early 9-0 run to go up 40-39. They led by three twice before the Eagles scored seven unanswered points, and finally were able to go up by seven at 59-52 on a 3-pointer by Perry with 8:50 left. Eastern had a seven-point lead with 3:29 left on a basket by Meadows to make it 63-56, but ISU scored eight-straight points to take a 64-63 advantage with 1:49 remaining. Included were a pair of 3-pointers as Eastern missed four-straight shots in that stretch, and ISU opened a 3-point lead with :21 to play on a pair of free throws. Eastern missed again with six seconds left, then ISU iced it with two free throws with three ticks remaining.
 
 
 
 

2019-20 Highlights

 
* The Eagles had their-second highest win total in 37 years as a NCAA Division I member with 23 victories.
* Their 16 league triumphs were the most in their 33 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
* The Eagles finished sixth in the nation in scoring offense (80.9 per game) and were fourth in assists (17.5).
* Eastern was able to celebrate heartily on March 7, 2020, after the Eagles beat Weber State 78-69 to wrap-up the outright Big Sky Conference title.
* The Coronavirus pandemic resulted in cancellation of the Big Sky and NCAA Tournaments, and ended a historic run by EWU and senior Mason Peatling, who won the league's MVP award after averaging a double-double in 20 league outings.
Mason Peatling also was a first team Academic All-America selection, and finished his career with 118 games played, 1,250 points, 725 rebounds, 112 blocked shots and a .555 field goal shooting percentage – all marks which rank in the top 12 in EWU history.
* Mason Peatling and Jacob Davison were rewarded for the historic season by receiving All-District 6 honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
* Peatling was a first team All-Big Sky selection, while junior Jacob Davison was picked for the second team and sophomore Kim Aiken Jr. was on the third squad.
* Head Coach Shantay Legans himself was the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year after leading EWU to a final record of 23-8 overall and 16-4 in the league.
* Mason Peatling was on fire during the league season, closing with averages of 18.5 points on 56 percent shooting from the field, 10.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 blocked shots and 0.8 steals. He had 11 double-doubles in his last 15 games.
* Mason Peatling was honored three times during the year as Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, and Jacob Davison earned the honor twice.
* Eastern's school-record 16 Big Sky wins included sweeps over seven of the league's 10 other teams, and a split versus Idaho State and Idaho. Eastern was swept by Montana, which had won the two previous regular season and tournament titles.
* The Eagles had just two seniors – Mason Peatling and Tyler Kidd – so EWU has high aspirations for 2020 and beyond.
Eastern won its fourth Big Sky regular season title in school history (2000, 2004, 2015, 2020), but now joins the 2004 team with the only outright titles. Eastern has gone on to win two Big Sky Tournament titles (2004 and 2015) to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles also have national postseason appearances in the NIT (2003) and the College Basketball Invitational (2016, 2017, 2018).
* A Big Sky Conference-best eight players were named to the league's All-Academic squad, including four-time recipient Mason Peatling. The others were Kim Aiken Jr., Jacob Groves, Tanner Groves, Ellis Magnuson, Michael Meadows, Jack Perry and Tyler Robertson.
* A trio of Eagles – Kim Aiken Jr., Jacob Davison and Mason Peatling – were honored during the year as the EWU Scholar-Athletes of the Month.
* Six different players earned team awards at the conclusion of the season. Mason Peatling was chosen as the MVP after earning the same honor from the league. Sophomore Kim Aiken Jr., received the team's Best Defender award, and Peatling, Aiken and junior Jacob Davison were recognized as EWU's co-captains for the 2019-20 season. In addition, junior Jack Perry received the team's Most Improved award, true freshman Ellis Magnuson was the Top Newcomer and sophomore Tanner Groves out of Spokane's Shadle Park High School was Most Inspirational.
 
 
 

 
More Comments from Head Coach Shantay Legans . . .

 
On Seniors in Regular Season Finale: "They had those kind of games in them. They earned that right and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do down the road. Now teams have to worry about Jacob Davison again. He came in and played the right way and did the right things – he defended and played well. We get excited when we see people play that way, and we get excited when they play tough like that. We all know how good Jacob can be. We want consistency from him on the defensive end, and he gave that to us today. He did a very good job, was battling and he was keeping guys in front of him. He's another good defender we can put out there. There's a reason why our defense was good, and he had a lot to do with it."
 
On Win at Montana for Sweep: "We did everything we possibly could in the first half to make sure we weren't forcing shots and weren't taking bad shots. We took the right shot and everybody was there for one another. It was a fun game to coach and be a part of, and it's always great to beat Montana."
 
On First Sweep over UM Since 2003:  "I didn't hear that, but that is a long time I guess. There are a lot of things we are hearing lately, but we're just happy our players go out there and handle their business. We just have to play our game and our team is doing that. The guys are excited and it's a self-motivating game. They pretty much did the scout for this game and were ready to go."
 
On Beating Montana in Cheney: "We came out hot and made some shots early. Their pressure really bothered us and we turned the ball over at a pretty high rate. But coming out and hitting those shots early really put us in a good spot for the rest of the game. They kicked our butts last year – twice, and even the last four times. Our team was excited to play this game, had intensity and were ready to go."
 
On Inside/Outside Attack: "We have the best player in the league in Tanner Groves and nobody can slow him down or stop him. (In the second game against Montana) we kept throwing him the ball, and Kim and Mike stepped up to have terrific games. When you have players who can do things like that and change the game, it really helps. You can take away our 3-point shot, but we can throw the ball inside to Tanner and he's efficient. Kim was driving the ball to the hole and Mike can get to the rim -- Jacob Groves too. We have multiple players than can go make plays at the basket and lead this team."
 
On Second MSU Victory: "Defense was what won us this game. Rebounding was the key – I thought we could stop them in certain ways, but they are a very good offensive rebounding team. Our goal was to hold them to eight offensive rebounds or under, and we did that. That was a key part to me. Getting out to that lead in the second half made me feel good. We hit some shots and spread them out, so we really used their pressure against them in the second half."
 
On Record Free Throw Performance & First Win Over MSU: "We were struggling from the free throw line early this season, but we've seemed to hit a groove. Offensively our team did a very good job of moving the ball around. We had 15 assists but I thought we could have had 10 more because we missed some chippies. It was great having Mike (Meadows) coming out and playing the way he did, and we ended with three players with 20 points. We got to the free throw line and knocked them down. We knew what we needed to do offensively."
 
On Having 11 Players Score in Feb. 6 Win Over Idaho: "We have multiple players getting a lot of baskets and shooting a lot of shots. The ball is getting moved around well -- we had 19 assists which is huge. That means we are playing well and everybody is touching the ball. When you touch that basketball it makes you feel like you are really involved. We had players that didn't have big scoring games against Idaho, but they contributed in other ways. When you get contributions like that from your team – especially from your leaders – it's really good."
 
On First Idaho Win: "We can play multiple styles of basketball, and that's the best part about our team. We have players who can step up and we have players who can defend – they do a lot of different things to help us win games. Everybody wants to do great for themselves, but everybody wants to come together and win. That is something our leaders on our team really push. As we keep moving forward these guys keep understanding what we need to do to win."
 
On Win Over Sac State on Feb. 1: "Our offense in the second half was amazing. We took it strong to the hole, and we had 46 points in the paint. We kept going after them and kept going after them. They had to pick one or the other in terms of defending us inside or outside – we ended up making some shots from everywhere. We had 47 bench points and that's hard to guard when you have players coming off the bench doing that. That really helped us out and got us in the flow."
 
On Scoring Inside the Paint: "That's a huge key for us. We have some players who can really get into the paint and make some plays, and we're finally doing that. When we are able to do that and get downhill, it makes the game that much easier. Tanner can score in any way, and Jacob Davison is hitting his threes and can drive it to the basket. Mike Meadows is driving it now, and Kim Aiken can too. We have a lot of threats out there and it puts us in a good position. When we can score that way it really helps us become an efficient team."
 
On Rebounding: "Teams are going to try to out-physical us and try to pressure us. We have to be tougher and be able to drive the ball to the basket and make plays. We just have to be smart, because in certain situations we can make teams pay. We have some size, but if teams play us on the outside we'll have inside position for rebounds. You have to really fight for them all the time because that is going to help us down the stretch. We have some size and quickness and we have to use that to our advantage."
 
On Target on Their Backs as Preseason Picks: "We need to understand we are the guys being hunted now, and we have to have a different mentality for every game. We'll get there because we have guys stepping up all over the place and they are giving us great contributions and great toughness. That's what's going to win games. We'll always recruit players who can score, but we need to play tough, defend and rebound the ball well. When you do that and not give up easy baskets, you put yourself in a great position to win games."
 
On Rebounding: "Rebounding is toughness. We have talent, but if you have toughness to go along with that talent you will win a lot of games. That's what we did last year and that's what we'll do this year."
 
On League-Opening NAU Win: "Sitting in the hotel and not doing anything for 50 hours and then coming out and playing that way was amazing. For this group of players it shows mental toughness. They were really excited to play this game. I couldn't be happier to watch them get out and play. Everybody on the roster played and they deserved it. I was proud of their effort for what they had to go through. We tried to make it as normal as possible, but it's not normal. We got punched in the mouth early because they were playing really good basketball. But our team battled through it and made all the right plays and took the easy baskets. When you shoot that well on the road, you have to be proud. Our players defended well and held them to 37 percent."
 
On Depth: "We have a lot of depth, and we like to give players opportunities to see what they can do and see if they run with it. We have a lot of players, and we have to figure out who can get in there and do certain things and play roles. That's the fun of coaching to figure that part out."
More Team Notes