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EASTERN ILLINOIS (9-15, 6-6) at Austin Peay (10-14, 4-6)

Feb. 13, 2014 • 7 p.m. 
Dunn Center (7,875) • Clarksville, Tenn.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM  
(Mike Bradd & Jack Ashmore)

THE OPENING TIP
The Panther men's basketball team travels to Austin Peay on Thursday, Feb. 13 for a 7 p.m. contest. EIU is 9-15 (6-6 OVC) and APSU is 10-14 (4-6 OVC).
 
EIU currently ranks third in the OVC West Division standings while Austin Peay ranks fourth. The Panthers are looking to defeat the Governors twice in the same season since the 2000-01 campaign (split regular-season series, EIU beat APSU in the OVC Tournament for the second win).
 
The Panthers are led by second-year head coach Jay Spoonhour. He has posted a 126-68 record in seven seasons as a head coach and a 20-34 record at EIU.
 
Dave Loos has a 463-399 overall record in 28 years as a head coach with a 381-346 record in 24 seasons with the Governors. Loos is also the conference's all-time wins leader.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH AUSTIN PEAY
EIU trails the all-time series with Austin Peay, 24-15. The Panthers are 2-1 in their last three meetings with the Governors and won their last meeting in Clarksville, Tenn., by a score of 77-67 on Jan. 19, 2013.
 
EIU won the first meeting this season, 67-64, inside Lantz Arena on Jan. 18. Three Panthers scored in double figures and EIU shot 60.9 percent from the floor in the second half.
 
Leading 65-64 with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, Sherman Blanford tipped in a missed shot by Luke Piotrowski to give EIU a three-point advantage. On the ensuing possession, Austin Peay's Damarius Smith missed a three pointer as time expired from the left baseline.
 
SCOUTING THE GOVERNORS
Austin Peay is 4-6 at home this season with a 3-2 mark in home OVC games. The Governors are coming off a 93-68 loss at Belmont on Feb. 8. Austin Peay is 2-2 in its last four outings.
 
Chris Horton leads the team in scoring (14 ppg), rebounding (9.8 rpg) and blocks (3.2 bpg). He leads the conference in blocks and ranks third in rebounds.
 
Two other players average 10 or more points per game in Travis Betran (13.6 ppg) and Will Triggs (12.5 ppg). Damarius Smith adds 8.9 points per game and a conference-best 5.9 assists per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
SEMO snapped the Panthers three-game OVC win streak on Saturday, Feb. 8 with a 74-68 loss. EIU struggled from the floor in the second half as they connected on 37 percent (10-for-27) of its shot attempts.
 
UP NEXT
After Thursday's contest in Clarksville, Tenn., the Panthers travel to OVC West Division leader Murray State. EIU then plays at OVC East Division leader Belmont on Thursday, Feb. 20.
 
IN THE PAINT
• Sherman Blanford averaged 25 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last week with a .613 field-goal percentage. He also added three steals and one block. He has scored 20 or more points in each of the Panthers last three outings.
 
• After missing the UT Martin game due to illness, Reggie Smith bounced back to score 13 points with a career-high six rebounds and five assists against Southeast Missouri. He has had five or more assists in seven contests this season.
 
• Dylan Chatman averaged 12.5 points and five rebounds per game last week with six assists and four steals. The junior guard leads the team in three-pointers made (31) and ranks second on the squad in steals (28).
 
• Alex Austin averaged 11.5 points per game last week as the sophomore guard went 7-for-11 form the floor and 6-for-10 from behind the arc. He also went 3-for-3 from the foul line, extending his consecutive free throws made streak to 11.
 
• The Panthers rank fourth in the conference in free-throw percentage (.713). Alex Austin leads the team as he has drained 83.7 percent of his free throw attempts (41-for-49).
 
• EIU has averaged 78.3 points per game in its last three OVC outings. The Panthers averaged 65 points per game on the year through its first 21 games.
 
• Sherman Blanford has averaged 24.7 points and 10 rebounds per game in the team's last three contests. He has posted a .622 field-goal percentage in those games while going 18-for-25 from the charity stripe.
 
• Sherman Blanford has averaged 11.7 points and eight rebounds per game in three career games against Austin Peay. Josh Piper has added 9.5 points per game in four career meetings with the Governors.
 
• EIU ranks second in the conference in blocks, averaging 4.7 blocks per game. Sherman Blanford leads the team with 19 blocks while Chris Olivier and Luke Piotrowski have added 18 blocks each.
 
• The Panthers are 3-8 in road games this year and 2-2 in road OVC contests. EIU has averaged 60.7 points per game on the road this season.
 
• In four OVC road games this year, the Panthers have averaged 69.8 points per game with a .510 field-goal percentage. Chris Olivier has averaged 13 points per game in those outings while Reggie Smith and Sherman Blanford have combined to average 21.8 points per game.
 
• EIU has already won six conference games this season, tying last year's win total in OVC action. A win on Thursday would give the Panthers their most conference wins since posting an 11-7 record during the 2009-10 season.
 
• Reggie Smith leads the Panthers in scoring (13.3 ppg) and assists (3.2 apg). The junior guard has led the team in scoring eight times this season.
 
• The Panthers rank 11^th in the conference in scoring offense (66.7 ppg) and 10th in scoring margin (- 6.2).
 
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. Spoonhour's career mark is 126-68, 26-40 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 as they have combined to win 395 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 1,123 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 Feb. 10, 2014)