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 Division I men's 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