EIU Game Notes  |  TSU Game Notes  |  Listen Live  |  Live Stats  |  Watch Live  |

EASTERN ILLINOIS (9-7, 2-2) vs. Tennessee State (10-10, 3-4)

Jan. 19, 2012  •  7 p.m. (CST)
Lantz Arena  •  Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM  •  TV: WEIU
Mike Bradd & Jack Ashmore

GAME 17
Eastern Illinois returns home to Lantz Arena to host Tennessee State on Thursday night.  The Panthers had their three game win streak snapped at Southeast Missouri on Saturday, falling 80-73.  The Panthers are 6-1 at home this year and currently sit in a four-way tie for fifth place in the OVC standings at 2-2.  This will be the only meeting between EIU and TSU in the new OVC schedule format.  The Panthers will host Austin Peay on Saturday in their only meeting with the Governors.  TSU and APSU played on Monday night with APSU winning 69-63.  TSU is now 10-10 on the year, 3-4 in the OVC.  The Tigers are 0-4 on the road in conference games.

EIU-TENNESSEE STATE SERIES
This will be 45th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State in a series that dates back to the 1950's when the two schools met as NAIA members.  TSU leads the all-time series 24-20 as both schools won on their home court last year to split the season series.  Since joining the OVC, EIU is 17-14 against TSU including winning four of the last six games.

SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE
A pair of Illinois natives lead Tennessee State in junior forward Robert Covington and sophomore guard Patrick Miller.  Covington is averaging 18.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game with a team best 42 3-pointers.  He is from Bellwood and played at Proviso West HS.  Miller averages 12 points per game.  He is from Chicago and played at Hales Franciscan.  TSU is shooting 42.6 percent as a team from the field.  The Tigers are 7-1 at home this season and 2-8 on the road with one of their road wins coming over Southeastern Conference member South Carolina.

GRANGER HITS FOR 31
Jeremy Granger scored 25 points in the second half at Southeast Missouri as he finished with a career high 31 points.  He became the first player since Jake Byrne in February 2008 to crack the 30 point mark in a game.  Granger moved up to 31st on EIU's career scoring list with 1,097 points.  Granger's previous career high was 29 on two occasions including last Feb. 5 against Southeast Missouri in Lantz Arena.

OUTSIDE SEMO SHOOTING GIVES REDHAWKS WIN OVER PANTHERS
Southeast Missouri hit ten first half 3-pointers including seven by Marland Smith as the Redhawks built a 15 point halftime lead.  Jeremy Granger scored 25 of his 31 points for EIU in the second half to help the Panthers close to within five points with just over three minutes remaining.  EIU missed on several opportunities to make it a one possession game and SEMO closed out the game at the line winning 80-73.  Granger and Joey Miller (12) were the lone EIU players to score in double figures.

PANTHERS FREE THROW SHOOTING
Eastern Illinois remained in the top ten in the nation in team free throw shooting following a 15-of-17 night at Southeast Missouri.  The 88.2 percent night moved EIU's season free throw percentage up to 76.9 which ranks sixth in the NCAA.  On the season EIU has only shot less than 70 percent from the line in three contests.  EIU has made 237-of-308 this year with four players hitting over 80 percent at the line.  Entering the week only Weber State (80.8) and Davidson (80) were at 80 percent or above as a team.  EIU averages just under 15 points per game from the free throw line with a high output of 26 points in a home win over Maine.

WINNING WITH 3 OR MORE IN DOUBLE DIGITS
Eastern Illinois has been successful this season when three or more players score in double figures in a game.  The Panthers have posted a 7-2 record in those contests.  The two losses with three or more double digit scorers were a double overtime set back at Central Arkansas and a loss at Big Ten member Northwestern. 

EIU ONE LINERS
• EIU turned the ball over only eight times at Southeast Missouri on Saturday.  For the season EIU is second in the OVC in fewest turnovers per game at 13.4.  It marked the second time this year EIU had finished a game with less than 10 turnovers, the other game was at Northern Illinois when EIU had only seven turnovers.

• Freshman Joey Miller scored in double figures for the fourth straight game with 12 points on Saturday at Southeast Missouri.  It was Miller's eighth double figure game of the season.  He is averaging 14.7 points per game over the last four games.

• Jeremy Granger passed out six assists at Southeast Missouri as he moved into sixth place on the Panthers career assists list with 293.  Granger is currently third on the OVC active players list in assists.  He is second in the OVC in assists per game.

• Freshman Josh Piper has averaged 7.3 points per game off the bench over the last three games shooting 58.3 percent from the floor in those games.  Piper is hitting 89.5 percent from the free throw line and has made eight straight free throws.

• Zavier Sanders was limited to just one rebound on Saturday at Southeast Missouri.  That game ended a string of four games in which Sanders had averaged 9.5 rebounds per game including three straight games with nine or more rebounds.  He is currently second on the team at 5 rebounds per game.

• After scoring only four points in a ten game stretch between Nov. 26 and Dec. 7, junior Austin Akers has now scored four points in each of the Panthers last two games.  Akers played 18 and 17 minutes in each of the last two games adding three assists.

• Alfonzo McKinnie has been plagued by foul trouble in the last four EIU games with four fouls in three of those games.  He fouled out for only the second time this year against UT Martin.  For the season McKinnie is averaging 13.1 points per game when he has 3 or less fouls.  He is averaging 9 points per game when he has four or more fouls.

• Following three straight games in which Eastern Illinois had dominated play on the glass the Panthers were out rebounded by 15 in Saturday's loss at Southeast Missouri.  In the previous three games EIU had posted a double digit rebound margin over SIU Edwardsville, Houston Baptist and UT Martin.  On the season EIU is second in the OVC at 34.4 rebounds per game.

• Jeremy Granger had one of the best streaks of shooting by an EIU player in recent years as he made seven straight shots to open the second half as he scored 25 of his 31 points in the final 20 minutes.  Granger finished the night 10-of-16 from the floor.

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 72-120 record at EIU.  The seven game OVC win streak was the best in school history as Miller has a 41-75 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 159-199 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. 

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 playing his senior season at Wheaton Academy in West Chicago.  McGhee is a 6-6, 190 guard who is currently a sophomore at Dodge City CC in Kansas.  Phillips is a 6-2, 185 guard who is currently a sophomore at New Mexico JC.

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.

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.