EASTERN ILLINOIS (10-13, 4-6 OVC) at Southern Indiana (6-17, 3-7 OVC)
Thursday, Feb. 8 • 7:30 pm
Evansville, Ind. • Screaming Eagle Arena
GAME INFO
RADIO: Hit Mix 88.9 WEIU
TV: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: www.eiupanthers.com
SERIES RECORD: USI leads 3-2
LAST MEETING: @USI 78, EIU 74 on Jan. 26, 2023
NOTES: EIU Complete Game Notes
GAME 24
Eastern Illinois hits the final four weeks of the regular season this week opening with a road trip to play Southern Indiana on Thursday and Morehead State on Saturday. EIU enters the week in seventh place in the conference race as the top eight teams make the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in Evansville. EIU is 10-13 overall, 4-6 in the OVC. The Panthers sit just one game ahead of Southern Indiana which is currently alone in eighth place in the league standings at 6-17 overall, 3-7 in the OVC. This is the only meeting between the two schools this season so the winner would own the tie-break between the two schools if needed.
LINE-UP SHUFFLE CONTINUES
Eastern Illinois head coach
Marty Simmons used his 12th different starting line-up this season in Saturday's game against Little Rock as the injury bug once again bit the Panthers. The 12 different starting combinations ranks tied for seventh most in the NCAA this season alongside Long Beach State, Siena, Stonehill and Vanderbilt. Eastern Michigan has played with the highest number of combinations this season with 16. Three years ago the Panthers ranked in the top three in the nation in different line-ups used with 19. In Simmons first season at the helm, EIU trimmed that number down to 15 different line-ups which was sixth in the NCAA. Last year EIU had 14 different combinations which was 11th most in the NCAA.
PANTHERS SOLID AT THE STRIPE
Eastern Illinois continues to be solid at the free throw line as the Panthers are shooting 72.8 percent for the season which ranks fifth in the OVC. EIU has had solid individual free throw shooting this season with Tiger Booker the team leader at 86.0 percent which ranks third in the OVC. The Panthers next two players with the most trips to the stripe this season -
Nakyel Shelton and
Corey Sawyer Jr - have also been solid this season with both players shooting over 74 percent this season.
Dan Luers has the best overall percentage at 1.000 having gone 8-of-8 this season.
Sincere Malone (84 percent) and
Jaylin Gibson (81.8 percent) have also been solid with fewer attempts. The 72.8 percent is a huge improvement for the Panthers over recent years where EIU has not been above the 70 percent mark for the season since the 2016-17 season finishing at 73.2 percent. Last year EIU shot 63.7 percent from the foul line. The single season school record for team free throw percentage is 77.5 percent during the 2000-01 season.
UP NEXT
Saturday, February 10 at Morehead State - 2:30 pm (ESPN+)
