Eastern Michigan Eagles

The Eastern Michigan Eagles play MAC basketball out of Ypsilanti, Michigan, calling the George Gervin GameAbove Center home in tribute to the program's most famous alumnus. Eastern Michigan's basketball tradition includes one of the more memorable eras in MAC history, built under coach Ben Braun in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Eagles have combined conference title runs with genuine NCAA Tournament upsets, giving the program a credible national moment or two. Eastern Michigan basketball remains closely tied to the legacy of Hall of Famer George Gervin, who starred there before his NBA career.

Before reaching Division I, Eastern Michigan reached the Final Four of the 1972 NCAA College Division tournament behind future NBA Hall of Famer George Gervin. As a Division I program, the Eagles won MAC Tournament titles in 1988, 1996, and 1998, plus a shared regular-season and tournament title in 1991. That 1990-91 team reached the Sweet Sixteen, and Eastern Michigan later upset Duke in the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Ben Braun's tenure remains the program's most successful stretch, with a 185-132 record and multiple MAC titles.