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EASTERN ILLINOIS (9-11, 2-6) vs. Southeast Missouri (11-9, 6-2)

Jan. 30, 2012  •  7 p.m. (CST)
Lantz Arena  •  Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Internet Only  •  TV: WEIU
Mike Bradd and Jack Ashmore

GAME 21
Eastern Illinois lost its fifth straight game as the Panthers dropped a 73-58 decision at No. 9 Murray State.  EIU is now 2-6 in the OVC with a 1-3 record at home and 1-3 record on the road.  The Panthers open a three-game home stand on Monday night against Southeast Missouri, a team that beat EIU in Cape Girardeau in middle January.  Five of EIU's final nine OVC contests are at home in Lantz Arena.  Southeast Missouri is 11-9 on the year, 6-2 in the OVC.  The Redhawks are currently second in the OVC standings following a home win over Austin Peay on Thursday night.  SEMO is 2-7 on the road this year.

EIU-SOUTHEAST MISSOURI SERIES
This will be 45th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri with the Panthers holding a 23-21 all-time series lead.  SEMO swept the season series last year winning by three in Cape Girardeau and by six in Charleston.  The Redhawks were red hot in the first meeting earlier this season as they hit ten first half 3-pointers including seven by Marland Smith.  SEMO won that game 80-73.  The Redhawks have only played two games since that match-up, EIU has played four games.

SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
Southeast Missouri has moved into second place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings based on the strong inside play of Tyler Stone and Leon Powell.  Stone is averaging 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.  Powell is among the nation's leaders in field goal percentage at 66.2 percent per game.  Powell averages 11.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.  Guard Marland Smith has come on of late and is scoring 12.1 points per game.

PANTHERS IN MIDDLE OF SCHEDULE SPRINT
Eastern Illinois is hosting Southeast Missouri as the middle game of the Panthers current five game conference sprint.  EIU has already played on the road at Jacksonville State and Murray State.  Monday night's game will be the third game in five days.  The Panthers will host Eastern Kentucky on Thursday and Morehead State on Saturday as they play five games in ten days. 

No. 9 RACERS TOO MUCH FOR EIU
Joey Miller and Alfonzo McKinnie both scored in double figures on Saturday night but the No. 9 Murray State Racers were too much for the Panthers to overcome in a 73-58 loss.  Miller had 17 points while McKinnie had 13.  EIU closed to within three points midway through the first half but some timely 3-pointers by Murray State gave the Racers a 36-25 halftime lead.  MSU finished the game hitting 7-of-16 from beyond the arc.  EIU was 4-of-13 from 3-point range but a 40-24 rebound deficit led to a 30-18 points in the paint margin for MSU. 

WOODS PROVIDES NICE SPARK OFF THE BENCH
Sophomore Morris Woods came off the bench at No. 9 Murray State on Saturday night and scored a season high nine points.  Woods had nine of the Panthers 14 bench points in the contest going 4-of-8 from the floor.  Woods previous career high was five points at Maine.  Earlier this season against Murray State, Woods picked up his first start of his career scoring four early points in the loss to the Racers.  Woods is shooting 59.1 percent from the floor but has struggled at the free throw line going 1-of-10.

GRANGER QUICKLY CLIMBING SCORING LIST
Senior Jeremy Granger has scored in double figures 16 times this season as he continues to climb on the EIU career scoring list.  Granger picked up his 100th career steal on Thursday night at Jacksonville State.  He needs one assist to reach 300 for his career.  When he gets that one assist he will be only one of two EIU players to have reached the 1,100 points, 300 assist, 100 steal club joining Kyle Hill.  Granger has 1,136 career points to rank 24th on EIU's career scoring list.  He picked up his 300th career rebound against Tennessee State.

EIU ONE LINERS
• Joey Miller scored 17 points on Saturday at Murray State with most of the damage coming in the second half (13 points, 9 in the final 4:10).  When Miller scores in double figures EIU is 6-4 on the year.  He was 4-of-5 from the free throw line as he is second on the team at 82.7 percent from the stripe. 

• Senior Jeremy Granger has averaged 17 points per game in his career against Southeast Missouri including a 31-point night on January 14.  Granger has 119 career points against the Redhawks accounting for 10.4 percent of his career scoring total.

• EIU was out rebounded by double digits for the second game in a row on Saturday at Murray State.  MSU held a 40-24 rebound margin.  It was the third time this season that EIU has been out rebounded by double digits.  On the season EIU is now at a negative 0.7 rebound margin pulling down 33.6 rebounds per game.

• Alfonzo McKinnie was unable to get a third straight double-double at Murray State but the sophomore did finish with 13 points.  It was McKinnie's 10th double figure game of the season.  His season high was 24 points in a home win over Maine. 

• Zavier Sanders has 13 assists over the Panthers last eight games and 24 assists for the season.  The senior post player had 20 career assists entering the season.  Sanders has passed out at least one assist in four straight games.

• EIU shot a season low 57 percent from the free throw line on Saturday at Murray State as the Panthers entered the game ranked 8th in the NCAA in free throw percentage.  It was the first time this year EIU has shot below 60 percent as they now sit at 75.8 percent as a team for the season. 

• EIU's offensive production has dropped off as the Panthers have entered conference play.  EIU averaged 73.4 points per game in the non-conference schedule shooting 45 percent from the field.  During the Panthers conference games this year that scoring average has dipped to 58.4 point per game (a 15 point differential) while the Panthers are shooting 41 percent from the floor.

STRICTLY STREAKS
• Alfonzo McKinnie needs six rebounds to reach 250 for his career.
• EIU allowed an opponent to shot over 50 percent for the 5th time this year on Sat.
• Jeremy Granger has one assist over the Panthers last two games
• Nick McFarlin had his four game scoring streak snapped at Murray State
• Josh Piper is shooting 75 percent from the floor in the last six games.

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 72-124 record at EIU.  The seven game OVC win streak was the best in school history as Miller has a 41-79 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 159-203 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.