The EMU basketball teams have been playing for about a month, and both teams have a losing record this far into the season. While it is early in the season, a hot start can take a team far, and EMU’s men’s basketball team needs more to compete in the ODAC. As the team in the conference with the least amount of wins, the Royals need to do well in conference play, starting with a trip to #15 Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday in Virginia Beach. The 2-4 Royals have ground to make up, but they have had two straight wins, one of them being against at the time 5-0 Stevenson University. Jazen Walker, a redshirt junior out of Harrisonburg, led the Royals with 14 points. The game was tied at halftime, 25-25, and at the end of regulation, 55-55. The Royals managed to win the game 64-60 in overtime. The Royals’ next home game will be on Saturday at 2 p.m. against #10 Hampden-Sydney College. Hampden-Sydney is 4-1 with their first conference opponent being Randolf-Macon on Wednesday evening. The Royals have the week of exams off, then go to Lancaster Bible College who are 4-1 on Monday, and then play 4-2 William Peace University at home on Wednesday.
The EMU women’s basketball team is 4-5 after its first conference game against Randolph-Macon. The Yellow Jackets won 67-40 Tuesday night and sent EMU back to having a losing record, the Royals, however, do have a shot at 2 p.m. Saturday when they go down to Guilford College. Guilford is 5-0 and at home, so they have the advantage. The only other ODAC women’s basketball teams that are undefeated are the Washington and Lee Generals, who are 7-0 with two conference wins. The Generals have beaten both Lynchburg and Averett over the last two weeks. Much like the men’s team, the women’s basketball team does not play in exam week, but then goes on the road the following Saturday to Lancaster Bible College, who are 2-7.
The women’s team is currently eleventh in the conference while the men’s team is last. There is still hope, even if the start of the season was not as good as it could have been. It is only the start of December, and there is still a long road to the ODAC tournament. The Royals for both the men’s and women’s teams will just need to make the top eight in the conference in order to make the ODAC tournaments in February. And if they make it to the tournament, who knows what will happen?
