NCAA basketball line odds on Eastern Michigan could be lower this season as the Eagles return 11 lettermen from last year’s team that recorded a 13-19 overall record and a 6-10 MAC mark.
NCAA basketball lines experts see that the Eagles return six players that started 18 or more games last year. The Eagles also return 75 percent of the offensive output and 79 percent of the rebounding totals from 2006-07 according to basketball lines stats. The top three scorers from last year return according to NCAA basketball lines experts. Guard Carlos Medlock, wing Jesse Bunkley and forward Brandon Bowdry but Bowdry may miss the entire 2007-08 season after undergoing surgery to repair a broken foot. Medlock inherited the starting point guard role in his freshman season and has now started in 45 of 46 games played over the past two seasons according to NCAA basketball lines stats. He led the team in scoring average last year at 13.2 points per game according to NCAA basketball lines stats. Bunkley finished second on the team in scoring average at 11 points per game according to NCAA basketball lines stats.
Bowdry earned MAC All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 8.3 points and 5.4 rebounds according to basketball lines stats. Joining those three players as returning starters are center Justin Dobbins and guard Travis Lewis according to NCAA basketball line experts. Dobbins averaged 5.8 points and shot 49.6 percent (57-of-115) from the field according to NCAA basketball lines stats. Lewis started 20 times last year, averaging 2.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game according to basketball lines stats. Other returnees include guards Jarred Axon and Zane Gay and big men James Matthews, Nenad Banjanin, Kyle Dodd and Will Cooper according to NCAA basketball lines experts. Axon averaged 6.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game according to NCAA basketball lines stats. Matthews gave the Eagles a strong inside presence last year and averaged 4.6 points and 3 rebounds per game according to basketball lines stats.
Junior-college player Wendale Farrow leads the newcomers according to NCAA basketball lines experts. The incoming freshmen according to NCAA basketball lines experts are Solomon Farris, L.J. Frazier and Marvin Skipper.
The Eagles have a non-conference slate that should toughen them up for the MAC regular season. They have home dates against Brown, Radford, Detroit, Illinois State, Chicago State and road games at Oakland, Manhattan, St. Bonaventure, Notre Dame, and Temple.