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EASTERN ILLINOIS (0-1) vs. Loyola-Chicago (0-2)

Nov. 16, 2011  •  7 p.m. (CST)
Lantz Arena  •  Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM  •  TV: WEIU
Mike Bradd & Jack Ashmore

GAME 2
Eastern Illinois will host Loyola-Chicago in its home opener on Wednesday night as the Panthers are looking for their first win of the season.  EIU had a close contest at Indiana State in the opener losing 79-72 on the road.  Loyola-Chicago is also looking for its first win of the season after dropping road contests at Illinois and Kansas State.  EIU is 3-3 in home openers under head coach Mike Miller.

EIU-LOYOLA-CHICAGO SERIES
This will be the 8th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Loyola-Chicago.  The Ramblers lead the all-time series 4-3 after winning 73-62 in Chicago last year.  Loyola has won three straight in the series.  EIU's last win was on Dec. 15, 2001 when the Panthers picked up a 94-78 win in Lantz Arena to extend their win streak in the series to three games.

SCOUTING LOYOLA-CHICAGO
The Ramblers are under the direction of a new head coach as former Illinois State head coach Porter Moser was hired last spring.  Loyola returns two starters from last year's squad in forwards Ben Averkamp and Walt Gibler.  Averkamp reached double figures in the loss at Kansas State while Gibler led the squad with 19 at Illinois.

GRANGER NAMED OVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Jeremy Granger scored 26 points in the season opener at Indiana State and was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday.  Granger was 10-of-16 from the floor including 1-of-3 from 3-point range.  He knocked down all five free throw attempts.   Last season Granger ranked 8th in the NCAA in free throw percentage making 90.4 percent.  He added three rebounds one assist and one steal.  It was Granger's 9th career game with 20 or more points.  His career high is 29 points which came on two occasions last season at home against Tennessee Tech and Southeast Missouri.

EIU FALLS SHORT IN OPENER AT INDIANA STATE
Eastern Illinois led for a short period of time in the first half and was within three points with just under a minute to play before falling 79-72 at Indiana State.  Jeremy Granger led EIU with 26 points while James Hollowell added ten off the bench.  EIU shot 48 percent in the game and was a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line.  Indiana State out shot EIU at the stripe by a 36-12 margin.

PANTHERS SIGN THREE IN EARLY PERIOD
EIU head coach Mike Miller signed three players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.  Joining the Panthers next season will be Cameron Harvey, R.J. McGhee and Alex Phillips.  Harvey is a 6-3, 190 guard that will play his senior season at Wheaton Academy in West Chicago.  McGhee is a 6-6, 190 guard who will be a sophomore at Dodge City Community College in Kansas.  Phillips is a 6-2, 185 guard who will be a sophomore at New Mexico Junior College.

PANTHERS PERFECT FROM THE STRIPE
Eastern Illinois was perfect from the free throw line during the season opener at Indiana State.  EIU finished 12-of-12 from the charity stripe with Jeremy Granger leading the way with a 5-for-5 effort.  The perfect night was the first for EIU as a team with ten or more attempts since a 12-of-12 night back on Jan. 9, 2003 at Morehead State.  Through the opening weekend of the season EIU is the only NCAA team that has not missed a free throw.  The Panthers ranked in the top 100 as a team last year hitting 72.4 percent for the year.

EIU ONE LINERS
• James Hollowell moved up one spot on the EIU career blocks list with one block at Indiana State.  Hollowell is now tied with Jesse Mackinson (2001-04) for 3rd on EIU's career list with 73.  Hollowell has blocked at least one shot in five straight games.

• Junior Austin Akers showed why he was one of the top junior college assist men last season at Olney JC.  Akers finished with a team high 5 assists at Indiana State without a turnover.  Akers was 53rd nationally in the JUCO ranks last year in assists per game at 4.7 per game.

• Senior Nick McFarlin provided solid minutes in the paint for EIU at Indiana State as he finished with two points, two rebounds and a career high two assists.  McFarlin provided a physical presence against the Sycamores as he fouled out for the first time in his Panther career.

• Alfonzo McKinnie missed a large portion of the second half at Indiana State following an early collision.  During 15 minutes of action, McKinnie recorded the most productive night by any Panther with 7 points and 8 rebounds.  The 8 rebounds was the second highest total of McKinnie's career only behind a career high 9 rebounds against UT Martin last season.

• Taylor Jones continued to be a 3-point threat for Eastern Illinois as he knocked down 1-of-2 shots from beyond the arc.  For his career Jones all but one of Jones 14 made shots are from 3-point range connecting at 31.7 percent.

• L.C. Doss showed EIU fans signs of what may be ahead this season now that he is completely healthy.  Doss suffered a broken ankle in the early fall last year which sidelined him until late December.  In 19 games he averaged 4.6 points with two games in double figures.  In the opener with Indiana State, Doss played 27 minutes with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.

• EIU received some small contributions from its two freshman on the squad as Joey Miller played 22 minutes and Josh Piper played 14 with both players coming off the bench.  Miller finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.  Piper had 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist. 

EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH MIKE MILLER
Mike Miller enters his seventh season as the head coach of the Eastern Illinois with what may be his most athletic team in his tenure at EIU.  Last year EIU battled through several injuries as EIU played 12 different starting line-up combinations, a figure ranking among the top ten in the nation.  The previous season Miller led the Panthers to their first winning season in 10-years as they finished 19-12 with an 11-7 mark in the OVC.  EIU advanced to the OVC Tournament semifinals after winning a school Division I record eight straight games in February.  The 19 wins were the third highest win total for EIU as a NCAA Division I member as Miller has posted a 63-114 record at EIU.  The seven game OVC win streak was the best in school history as Miller has a 39-73 OVC mark.  A 1987 graduate of East Texas State, Miller was hired with a history of helping to build programs after success as a head coach at Texas State and associate head coach at Kansas State.  While at Texas State, Miller coached the team to two Southland Conference championships and a 1997 NCAA Tournament appearance.  He owns a 150-193 career record. 

PANTHERS PICKED 9TH IN OVC RACE
Eastern Illinois was picked to finish ninth the preseason Ohio Valley Conference preseason predictions.  The Panthers finished in ninth place last year ending a two-year run of making the OVC post-season tournament.  The Panthers were picked ahead of Jacksonville State and SIU Edwardsville in the 11 team race.  Austin Peay was the preseason favorite just ahead of Tennessee Tech and Murray State.  The top eight teams will advance to this year's tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville on Feb. 29 - March 3.  SIU Edwardsville will play a league schedule and games will be counted in the standings but the Cougars are not eligible for the conference tournament.

GRANGER A PRESEASON ALL-OVC SELECTION
Senior Jeremy Granger was named to the preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference team after earning second team NABC All-Region honors last year.  Granger led EIU in scoring at 14.5 points per game while passing out a team high 98 assists.  The senior was 8th in the NCAA in free throw shooting connecting on 90.4 percent from the stripe.  He enters the 2012 season as the Panthers career leader in free throw percentage at 87.4 percent.  Granger is on pace to finish the season over the 1,000 point mark for his career and in the top ten for career assists. 

OVC EXPANDING TO 12 TEAMS IN 2012
Much like many of the larger conferences, the Ohio Valley Conference will also be undergoing expansion next year as Belmont University (Nashville, Tenn.) will become the OVC's 12 member institution.  Belmont currently plays as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.  EIU is 1-1 against Belmont splitting a home-and-home series in 2010.

OVC GOES TO NEW SCHEDULE FORMAT
The Ohio Valley Conference will have a new format this season as all league schools will play a 16-game schedule.  Conference schools will play a home-and-home series against six opponents while playing the remaining four schools on their schedule only one time.  This season EIU will travel to Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech without a return visit from those two schools.  The Panthers will play host to Austin Peay and Tennessee State without having to pay a return visit to Clarksville or Nashville.  The OVC season will also start later than in year's past with the conference opener for EIU on Dec. 30 against Murray State.