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EASTERN ILLINOIS (4-8, 1-0) vs Eastern Kentucky (9-4, 0-0)

Jan. 2, 2014 • 7 p.m. 
Lantz Arena (5,300) • Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM
(Mike Bradd & Jack Ashmore)

THE OPENING TIP
The Panther men's basketball team continues its Ohio Valley Conference homestand on Thursday, Jan. 2 as they play host to Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m. The Colonels enter the contest with a 9-4 (0-0 OVC) record while the Panthers are 4-8 (1-0 OVC).
 
Thursday's contest features the top two scoring defenses in the conference as EKU ranks first and EIU ranks second, respectively. The Panthers rank first in the conference in blocks while the Colonels rank first in steals.
 
The Panthers are led by second-year head coach Jay Spoonhour. He has posted a 121-61 record in seven seasons as a head coach and a 15-29 record at EIU.
 
Jeff Neubauer is in his ninth season as the Colonels head coach, posting a 152-116 overall record. EKU had a 25-10 record last year and was tabbed to win the conference's east division in the 2013-14 OVC Preseason Poll.
 
OLIVIER NAMED OVC NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Chris Olivier was named the Ohio Valley Conference's Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 30 for his on-court performance against Tennessee State last weekend. The junior forward shared the weekly award with Southeast Missouri's Jarekious Bradley.
 
In just his third game with EIU after transferring from Northern Iowa and becoming eligible at the semester break, Olivier tipped-in the game-winning basket with 1.8 seconds remaining as the Panthers opened conference play with a 70-69 come-from-behind victory over Tennessee State on Dec. 28.
 
Olivier scored 14 points on 7-of-15 field goal attempts, pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked three shots in 25 minutes of play off the bench. After EIU trailed by 10 points (63-53) with 3:59 to play, he scored six points and had three rebounds down the stretch to help his team snap a six-game losing streak.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH EASTERN KENTUCKY
EIU trails the all-time series with EKU, 21-13. The Panthers have lost five consecutive games in the series and are looking for their first win over the Colonels since Feb. 13, 2010. EIU defeated EKU, 77-54, inside Lantz Arena.
 
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
The Colonels are 3-3 in road contests this season, most recently picking up a 90-68 win at IPFW on Dec. 29. EKU has four players who average 10 or more points per game led by Glenn Cosey who has scored 18.7 points per game. Eric Stutz has a team-high 4.6 rebounds per game to go along with 7.2 points per game this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
EIU defeated Tennessee State, 70-69, in the OVC opener for both teams on Saturday, Dec. 28. Four Panthers scored in double figures in the win, led by Sherman Blanford's team-high 15 points.  
 
UP NEXT
EIU concludes its three-game OVC homestand on Saturday, Jan. 4 against Morehead State. The Panthers then travel to Tennessee Tech (Jan. 9) and Jacksonville State (Jan. 11).
 
IN THE PAINT
• Chris Olivier posted his first career double-double against Tennessee State, scoring 14 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. The junior forward has averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season since joining the Panthers on Dec. 19. He has added four blocks and two steals while posting a .484 field-goal percentage.
 
• Alex Austin went 7-for-7 from the foul line in the win over Tennessee State. The sophomore guard ranks sixth in the OVC in free throw percentage, hitting 81.3 percent of his free throws. He has made 13 consecutive free throws dating back to the Indiana State game on Dec. 7.
 
• Alex Austin scored 10 points against Tennessee State, his sixth game this season in double figures. The Chicago native is averaging 9.6 points per game this season and has made a team-high 19 three pointers.
 
• Reggie Smith dished out seven assists against Tennessee State, the second time he has had seven assists in a game this year. He also scored in double figures for the seventh time this season with 10 points against the Tigers. The junior guard leads the team Panthers in scoring (11.7 ppg), assists (29) and steals (14).
 
• In the team's last four games, Sherman Blanford has averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He has gone 22-for-45 from the floor and 16-for-22 from the free throw line during that span.
 
• The Panthers are 3-2 at home this season, averaging 67.8 points per game. Alex Austin has led the team in scoring inside Lantz Arena with 13 points per game while hitting 44.8 percent of his three pointers (13-for-29) and 94.7 percent (18-for-19) of his free throws.
 
• EIU out rebounded Tennessee State on Dec. 28, only the third time the Panthers have grabbed more rebounds than their opponents this season. The Panthers grabbed a season-high 40 rebounds in the victory. Sherman Blanford leads EIU on the glass as the junior forward is pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game to rank 10^th in the OVC.
 
• EIU leads the conference in blocks, averaging 5.8 blocks per game – ranking 33rd in nation in the category. Mat Piotrowski and Keenen Anderson lead the team with 15 and 12 blocks, respectively. Luke Piotrowki, Josh Piper and Sherman Blanford have all added 10 blocks each.
 
• The Panthers currently rank second in the conference in scoring defense (69.8 ppg). EIU led the OVC in scoring defense last season (64.2 ppg).
 
EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH JAY SPOONHOUR
Jay Spoonhour enters his second season as the Panthers head coach having been hired on April 9, 2012.  Spoonhour was previously the head coach at Moberly Area Community College where he coached for three seasons.  He is a long time assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level and served as the interim head coach at UNLV to complete the 2004 season posting a 6-4 record and taking the team to the finals of the Mountain West Conference along with an NIT appearance.  In 2001 Spoonhour was named the National Junior College Coach of the Year leading Wabash Valley College to the NJCAA National Championship with a 36-1 record.  He is the son of the late legendary coach Charlie Spoonhour.  Spoonhour played basketball at Pittsburg State earning his degree in 1994. He was an honorable mention All-Conference selection.  He has assistant coaching stops at Central Missouri, Saint Louis, UNLV, Missouri and Texas San Antonio. Spoohour's career mark is 121-61, 21-33 at NCAA Division I.
 
FATHER, SON COMBINATIONS
Jay Spoonhour and his late father, Charlie Spoonhour, are one of several father/son combinations that have coached in collegiate basketball.  Entering the season the two have combined to win 389 NCAA basketball games, all coming at the Division I level.  Only 17 father/son combinations have ever won 600 or more games with Eddie, Scott and Sean Sutton topping the list with 1,116 wins between the three. Scott is currently the head coach at Oral Roberts. Only three father/son combinations have ever won more than 1,000 games at the NCAA level. (through games on Dec. 17, 2013)