Eastern University Men's Basketball will open the 2019 MAC Freedom Men's Basketball Tournament at Wilkes University on Thursday night. The two squads finished with identical 9-5 marks in league play and split the season series. The Colonels secured the second seed an a home game with a 1-1 mark against fourth-seeded Delaware Valley.

The game is slated for a 7:00 pm start, and admission will be charged. Those unable to travel to Wilkes-Barre will be able to watch a livestream or follow on live stats. The winner of Thursday's game will play the winner of the other semifinal, an 8:00 pm game at DeSales between the host and top-seeded Bulldogs and the Del Val Aggies.

The Series:
This year, the two teams split, with each team claiming a win on its own floor.

Wilkes caught fire in the second half in the first meeting between the two teams. Marcus Robinson dropped in 26 points as Wilkes pulled away to a 94-74 win. The game was tied at 33 at halftime.

Eastern earned a 79-69 win in the return game. Robinson again torched the nets with a big game, but the rest of the Colonel line-up went 2-for-16 from behind the arc. The Eagles got 22 points off the bench and finished with 22 assists on 30 baskets. Austin Duncan scored 16 points.

In the longer view, Eastern has a 13-10 edge dating back to December of 2008.  Eastern swept the season series in 2016-'17 and 2017-'18, and the two teams split in the 2015-'16 season.


The Line-ups.
Wilkes relies on five starters for a huge percentage of points and minutes. Robinson, Mark Mullins and Rob Pecorelli all average over 15.5 points and 32 minutes a game. Tommy Bowen is not far behind with 13.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and just under 30 minutes a game. In league play, the Colonel first five averages 69.6 points an outing. Robinson, Evans and Bowen are seniors. Mullins and Pecorelli are juniors.

Bowen is the primary post threat for the Colonels. He shoots 53.9 percent from the floor. Pecorelli leads Wilkes with 16.6 points per game and Mark Mullins scores 16 an outing. Robinson is at 15.6 points and 3.8 assists. He has 70 3-pointers on the year. Connor Evans averages 7.6 points as the facilitator for the Wilkes offense.

Jack Bova leads the Colonel bench. He averages 3.8 points a game, but he is hitting 48 percent from three point range.

If it comes down to the end and the Eagles need to foul, it could be a problem. The first free throw Wilkes misses on Thursday will be the first the Colonels have missed against Eastern all year. They went 33-for-33 in the first game and 7-for-7 in St. Davids. While that number is a bit of an anomaly, free throw shooting is something the Colonels have done all year. Bowen, at 76.3 percent, is the worst foul shooter in the Colonel first six. Bova, Mullins, and Pecorelli are all over 82 percent, and Robinson and Evans are over 77 percent.

Eastern also relies on a tight rotation. Head Coach Eric McNelley has two starters in the top three in the league in minutes played. Darius Washington leads the league in minutes and Austin Duncan is right behind him at 33.9 minutes a game.

Those two seniors have started most games alongside Michael Bowlers and first year guard Draig Ruff. William Blet and Marquise Peel have both started several games as the other post player. With Clifton Adams and Brennan Kastens coming off the bench, the Eagles have some versatilely that could prove to be important.

Washington leads the Eagles with 15.8 points an outing. The Wilkes-Barre native played his high school basketball a few blocks away from the Marts Center at Holy Redeemer High School. Washington is fifth on Eastern's career 3-pointers made list with 152.

Bowlers has been the primary inside threat for the Eagles. The 6'8 junior averages 14 points a game and has grown increasingly comfortable passing out of double teams. Seven of his 11 double-doubles have come in league games.

Duncan and Ruff will play critical roles in handling pressure and slowing the Colonel scorers. Duncan averages a little over 12 points a game and is an 85 percent free throw shooter. Ruff, also from Wilkes-Barre, has been most impressive on the boards. He averages over four defensive caroms a game. He scored a career-high 22 points in the first game at Wilkes.

Peel, Blet, and Kastens could prove to be the X-factor in the game. If the Eastern size can put the hosts in some foul trouble early, then Eastern's advantage on the bench will come into play. Let averages 8.9 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. The 6'8 sophomore has blocked at least one shot in 14 of his last 16 games.

The Post-Season History:
This is the second time the two programs have met in post-season play. In the first meeting in 2012, also at Wilkes, Eastern fell 103-98 in overtime. Eastern had the ball with the shot clock turned off and the score tied at 75 at the end of regulation. Martin Soaries had a jumper to win roll off the rim as time expired.

Wilkes jumped to an early lead and made 17-of-22 foul shots as the teams combined for 51 points in the overtime. Alex Nelson had 14 of his game-high 31 points in the overtime. Collin Whipple finished with 28 points.

This is the sixth MAC Freedom Tournament game for Eastern since the University moved to the MAC in 2008-'09. Eastern has yet to advance to a Championship game. The Eagles fell as the second seed in each of the last two seasons.

This is the fifth time Wilkes has made the tournament in that span, the Colonels advanced tot he Championship game in 2012 and 2016 and lost in the Semifinals in 2009, and 2018.

In the last three MAC Freedom Men's Basketball Tournaments, both road teams have won in the Semifinals.

The Final:
The winners of Thursday's Semifinal games will meet on Saturday. If DeSales wins, the Bulldogs will host. If Del Val wins, then the winner of the game between Eastern and Wilkes will host the Championship. Game time will be announced when the participants are known.