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EASTERN ILLINOIS at No. 25 Illinois 
Monday, Nov. 6  •  7 pm 
Champaign, Ill.  •  State Farm Center

RADIO: Hit Mix 88.9 WEIU
TV: Big Ten Plus
LIVE STATS: www.eiupanthers.com
SERIES RECORD: Illinois leads 7-0
LAST MEETING: @Illinois 87, EIU 57 on Nov. 7, 2022
NOTES: EIU Complete Game Notes

GAME 1
Eastern Illinois men's basketball opens the regular season just up the road in Champaign facing nationally ranked Illinois for the second consecutive season.  EIU finished 9-22 last season in head coach Marty Simmons second season leading the Panthers.   The nine wins included an upset victory at Big Ten member Iowa just before Christmas break.  EIU was 5-13 in the Ohio Valley Conference.  Illinois finished last season 20-13 losing in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.  

MALONE LEADS OVC IN STEALS 
Sincere Malone led the Ohio Valley Conference in steals last season as a freshman with 62 which ranked 22nd in the NCAA in steals per game for the regular season.  Malone's total was the third best single season total in school history.  He had four or more steals in four games with a high of five against St. Mary of the Woods.  He would wrap up the regular season posting a double-double against Tennessee Tech with 12 points and ten rebounds.   Malone led EIU in rebounding at 4.9 per game while averaging 6.7 points per game.  

OPENING AGAINST THE TOP 25 
Eastern Illinois will open the regular season against nationally ranked Illinois for the second consecutive year.   It also marks the fourth time in the last five years that has EIU faced a nationally ranked opponent opening at No. 12 Texas Tech in 2019-20 and No. 7 Wisconsin in 2020-21.   EIU has also opened a regular season at No. 15 Indiana and No. 22 Iowa during the Panthers program history.   EIU is 0-22 all-time against nationally ranked teams at the NCAA Division I level. The closest upset for EIU was in December 1987 with an overtime loss at No. 20 Iowa State.  The Panthers do have four program wins over Power Five opponents with the most recent last year's road win at Iowa.  EIU has also knocked off Missouri (Dec. 2017), Wisconsin (Dec. 1987) and Ole Miss (Dec. 1974).

UP NEXT
Wednesday, Nov. 8 vs. Monmouth (Ill.) - 7 pm  (ESPN+)