Game #146 of 364 40% complete

When a single athlete from a modest university ascends to NBA greatness, the school’s arena transforms into a monument to that one extraordinary legacy. At Eastern Michigan, the “Iceman” is cast in bronze outside the arena, forever enshrined as the defining figure of Eagles basketball.

I was lucky enough to snag a courtside seat—something that would never happen at a Power Five school, where high-dollar donors lock down every spot within arm’s reach of the floor. But at a smaller school like Eastern Michigan, courtside seats occasionally make their way to the general public. For just $53, it was incredible to sit that close to the action.

My only complaint? The referee kept planting himself right in front of me—exactly where he’s supposed to be, of course—but still frustrating. You can’t exactly yell “Down in front!” at an official, so it got a little annoying at times.

The band wasn’t connected to either school, but they definitely knew how to make an entrance. They sounded good, but with that many horns, they were loud. Every time they kicked off a song, I swear I nearly fell out of my chair.

Here are the students pretending to read newspapers while the other team is introduced, acting as if they’re completely uninterested. When the intros are over, the papers get crumpled and tossed like nothing happened.

Eastern Michigan made headlines this year when three former players — Jalin Billingsley, Da’Sean Nelson, and Jalen Terry — refused to cooperate in an NCAA probe into potential sports-betting violations. Integrity monitoring services flagged suspicious first-half betting on three of their games last season. The NCAA even had their phones imaged, but the players declined interviews and reportedly ordered the data destroyed. While they have no college eligibility left — so they can’t lose games in the NCAA — their lack of cooperation is a Level I violation, the most serious kind. This kind of situation seems almost inevitable: as sports betting grows, the risk to the integrity of games only increases.

Eastern Michigan’s Addison Peterson carried the scoring load, but the offense around him faded late. The Eagles hit just one field goal in the last 6:39, and IU Indy stormed ahead by pouring in 16 of the final 25 points.

U Indy’s freshman standout, Maquire Mitchell, impressed me the most. He led the Jaguars with 19 points and played with confidence in every area of the game. As his coach said afterward, “He didn’t look like a freshman out there.”

Carlos Hart’s basketball journey is anything but ordinary. His path to Eastern Michigan included stops at Miami (Fla.), North Miami, Benedict College, South Georgia State, New Orleans, and Valdosta State. He’s not alone, either—ten players on the Eastern roster came from other programs before landing in Ypsilanti.

Here’s Coach Ben Howlett, fresh off the win, speaking with the local news station

After the game, I stopped by Ford’s Garage, a restaurant that’s basically a time machine to the 1920s. Old cars hang from the ceiling, the door handles are vintage-inspired, and classic cars in front of the building complete the old-school garage feel. It’s the perfect spot for car lovers and foodies alike.

On to Toledo tommorrow!