Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball
The Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team represents Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The team currently competes in the West division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). They have appeared in four NCAA Division I tournaments and have a 3–4 record, tied for third best among Michigan colleges. They reached the Sweet Sixteen in the 1991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and defeated the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the 1996 tournament. EMU has competed in the MAC since joining in 1972, and previously competed in the  Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1920–1926). The team last played in the NCAA tournament in 1998. History. Ben Braun era. Ben Braun served as head coach of the EMU men's basketball team from 1985 to 1996, before leaving to take over the head coaching duties at the University of California-Berkeley. In his 10 ½ seasons as EMU head coach, he led Eastern to its most successful decade as an NCAA Division I school, finishing as the winningest head coach in EMU history with a 185–132 record. During his tenure he was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year  three times (1987–88, 1990–91, 1995–96). Those three seasons saw the Eagles win Mid-American Conference and MAC Tournament Championships and NCAA post-season tournament appearances, including a "Sweet 16" appearance in 1990–91. He also coached the 1994–95 team to EMU's first-ever National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Milton Barnes era. Following the departure of Ben Braun to California, Eastern Michigan hired Milton Barnes, he would spend four season as a head coach, earning 63 victories in those years. Jim Boone era. In 2001, EMU hired Jim Boone to lead its basketball program. Boone compiled a 48–96 record in 5 seasons  at the helm. Charles Ramsey era. Ypsilanti native and EMU graduate Charles Ramsey was hired following the 2005 season. In his first game as head coach, Ramsey pulled off an upset over a Ben Braun coached California team, however that would be the highlight of his stint as head coach in Ypsilanti. After a 68–118 record in six years at the helm, EMU would fire Ramsey after the 2010–11 basketball season. Rob Murphy era. Rob Murphy, a Detroit native was hired in the spring of 2011 to take over for Charles Ramsey. Prior to EMU, Murphy spent seven years as  an assistant coach at Syracuse under Jim Boeheim. In his first season, Murphy would lead the Eagles to a 14–18 record. However, with its 9–7 record in conference play, the Eagles took 1st place in the MAC-West. In 2021, he left the team to join the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League as president and general manager. Postseason. NCAA Tournament Division I results. The Eagles have appeared in four NCAA Division I Tournaments. Their combined record is 3–4. Coach Ben Braun led Eastern Michigan to their first three NCAA Division I tournament appearances during his 11-year  tenure. One of the great highlights in team history came after EMU's first round victory over Duke in 1996, when the Blue Devils' Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski stated, "Eastern Michigan is very well coached, much deeper than we are and, today, much quicker than we were." NIT results. The Eagles have appeared in one National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Their record is 0–1. CBI results. The Eagles have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 0–1. CIT results. The Eagles have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) two times. Their combined record is 2–2 . NCAA Division II tournament results. The Eagles have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament one time. Their record is 3–2. EMU reached the Final Four of the 1972 NCAA College Division National Championship, led by All-American George Gervin, an NBA Hall of Famer selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Championships. NCAA Tournament. Appearances (4) Sweet Sixteen (1) NAIA National Division I Tournament. Elite Eight (2) Semifinals (1) Finals (1) NCAA Division II Tournament. Elite Eight (1) Final Four (1) Third Place game (1) Mid-American Conference tournament. Finals (5) Champions (4) All-time  win–loss record. Source: Players. Players Drafted & Undrafted in the NBA and NBA-DL <nowiki>*</nowiki>NBA-DL Current pro players. Da'Shonte Riley – Salt Lake City Stars Karrington Ward – Oklahoma City Blue Raven Lee – Santa Cruz Warriors Awards. National Awards. Co-Coach of the Year in the NCAA District 14 Division I Honorable Mention All-American Cosida Academic All-American Selections 2nd Team Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year Thompson Challenge All Tournament Team Golden Bear Classic Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islander Invitational Hoosier Tipoff Classic All-Tournament Team E-Club Hall of Fame  All-Freshman Team UPI 1st Team NCAA-College Division All-America Coaches 1st Team NCAA-College Division All-America NAIA second-team All-District 23 NAIA honorable mention All-America 1st Team All-Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 2nd Team All-Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference NAIA All-Star State of Michigan Team Michigan Collegiate Conference Honors <nowiki>*</nowiki>As of Jan. 06, 2016