# 1997–98 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team

The 1997–98 Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team represented Eastern Michigan University during the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by head coach Milton Barnes, played their home games at Bowen Field House and were members of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 20–10, 13–5 in MAC play. They finished third in the MAC West regular season standings and won the MAC tournament to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 13 seed in the East region. The Eagles were beaten by No. 4 seed Michigan State in the opening round in what was Tom Izzo's first NCAA Tournament win.

## Roster

Source:

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 15, 1997* | | Drake | W 86–58 | 1–0 | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Nov 17, 1997* | | at UNLV Preseason NIT | L 66–84 | 1–1 | Thomas & Mack Center (4,692) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Nov 30, 1997* | | Ashland | W 81–70 | 2–1 | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Dec 3, 1997* | | at Minnesota | L 58–65 | 2–2 | Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Dec 6, 1997* | | at Dayton | L 76–81 | 2–3 | UD Arena Dayton, Ohio |
| Dec 17, 1997* | | at Michigan | W 89–83 $^{OT}$ | 3–3 | Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Dec 20, 1997 | | at Toledo | W 57–56 | 4–3 (1–0) | Savage Arena Toledo, Ohio |
| Dec 27, 1997* | | vs. Boston University Arizona State Tribune Classic | W 72–69 | 5–3 | Desert Financial Arena Tempe, Arizona |
| Dec 28, 1997* | | at Arizona State Arizona State Tribune Classic | L 90–102 | 5–4 | Desert Financial Arena Tempe, Arizona |
| Jan 3, 1998 | | Ohio | W 85–64 | 6–4 (2–0) | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Jan 5, 1998 | | Marshall | W 99–82 | 7–4 (3–0) | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Jan 8, 1998 | | at Miami (OH) | L 64–72 | 7–5 (3–1) | Millett Hall Oxford, Ohio |
| Jan 10, 1998 | | at Bowling Green | L 75–78 | 7–6 (3–2) | Anderson Arena Bowling Green, Ohio |
| Jan 14, 1998 | | Ball State | W 73–63 | 8–6 (4–2) | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Jan 17, 1998 | | at Northern Illinois | W 75–72 | 9–6 (5–2) | Chick Evans Field House DeKalb, Illinois |
| Jan 21, 1998 7:00 p.m. | | at Western Michigan | L 85–98 | 9–7 (5–3) | University Arena Kalamazoo, Michigan |
| Jan 24, 1998 | | Central Michigan | W 85–53 | 10–7 (6–3) | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Jan 29, 1998 | | Bowling Green | W 86–67 | 11–7 (7–3) | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Jan 31, 1998 | | Miami (OH) | W 71–67 | 12–7 (8–3) | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Feb 5, 1998 | | at Akron | L 67–69 | 12–8 (8–4) | Rhodes Arena Akron, Ohio |
| Feb 7, 1998 | | at Kent State | W 79–74 | 13–8 (9–4) | Memorial Gym Kent, Ohio |
| Feb 11, 1998 | | at Ball State | W 89–77 | 14–8 (10–4) | University Arena Muncie, Indiana |
| Feb 14, 1998 | | Northern Illinois | W 66–61 | 15–8 (11–4) | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Feb 18, 1998 | | at Central Michigan | W 97–82 | 16–8 (12–4) | Rose Arena Mount Pleasant, Michigan |
| Feb 21, 1998 7:00 p.m. | | Western Michigan | L 82–102 | 16–9 (12–5) | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Feb 25, 1998 | | Toledo | W 87–86 | 17–9 (13–5) | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| MAC tournament ||||||
| Feb 28, 1998* | (4) | (5) Toledo Quarterfinals | W 98–79 | 18–9 | Bowen Field House Ypsilanti, Michigan |
| Mar 3, 1998* | (4) | vs. (1) Ball State Semifinals | W 93–92 $^{OT}$ | 19–9 | SeaGate Convention Center Toledo, Ohio |
| Mar 4, 1998* | (4) | vs. (7) Miami (OH) Championship game | W 92–77 | 20–9 | SeaGate Convention Center Toledo, Ohio |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 12, 1998* CBS | (13 E) | vs. (4 E) No. 16 Michigan State First Round | L 71–83 | 20–10 | Hartford Civic Center Hartford, Connecticut |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||

## NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2 | 52 | Derrick Dial | San Antonio Spurs |