EIU Game Notes  |  MORE Game Notes  |  Live Stats  |  Listen Live  |  Watch Live  |

EASTERN ILLINOIS (9-13, 2-8) vs. Morehead State (12-12, 5-5)

Feb. 4, 2012  •  6 p.m. (CST)
Lantz Arena  •  Charleston, Ill.
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM  •  TV: WEIU
Mike Bradd and Jack Ashmore

GAME 23
Eastern Illinois lost a balanced game to Eastern Kentucky on Thursday night as they fell to 9-13, 2-8 in the OVC with a 47-43 set back.  It was the seventh straight loss for EIU and fourth straight loss at home in Lantz Arena.  Morehead State had its three game win streak snapped at SIU Edwardsville on Thursday night falling to .500 on the season 12-12 overall, 5-5 in the OVC.

EIU-MOREHEAD STATE SERIES
This will be 32nd meeting between Eastern Illinois and Morehead State.  The Panthers hold a 22-9 all-time series lead.  The two schools split last year's season series with EIU setting a defensive record in Lantz Arena with a 47-40 win over the Eagles.  The game was the lowest point total by an opponent in Lantz Arena and the lowest combined total between two teams in Lantz.  Since the 2007 season, the two schools have split the season series every year.  EIU is 14-2 against MSU in Lantz.

SCOUTING MOREHEAD STATE
Morehead State had its three game win streak snapped on Thursday night at SIU Edwardsville.  The Eagles are 12-12 overall, 5-5 in the OVC.  MSU has a different look this year after the departure of NBA first round draft pick Kenneth Faried.  This season MSU is a guard oriented team with Ty Proffitt and Drew Kelly leading the charge.  Guard Terrance Hill, who was the team's top scorer at 13.3 points per game, has been lost for the season due to injury.  Proffitt averages 10 points per game while Kelly scores 9.8.  MSU has made 167-of-462 3-pointers this year (36.1 percent).

EIU DRAWS ILLINOIS-CHICAGO FOR BRACKETBUSTER
Eastern Illinois will renew an old Mid-Continent Conference rivalry when the Panthers host Illinois-Chicago in this year's Sears Bracketbuster.  UIC is 6-15, 2-9 in the Horizon League with an 0-11 record on the road this season.  The Flames hold a slim 16-15 series advantage with the last meeting taking place Dec. 2, 2003, a 77-60 UIC win.  EIU's last win in the series was Jan. 15, 1994, a 91-89 win in Chicago.  EIU is 3-3 in previous bracketbuster games including three straight wins over Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Toledo. 

TURNOVERS COSTLY FOR PANTHERS IN LOSS TO COLONELS
Eastern Illinois had 17 turnovers leading to a 18-12 points off turnovers advantage for Eastern Kentucky as the Colonels pulled out a 47-43 win.  EIU led 18-16 in the first half as both teams were cold from the floor.  Taylor Jones provided a spark off the bench with eight points while Jeremy Granger scored 12.  EIU led by as many as eight points in the second half before falling behind late in the game.  EIU has now lost seven straight games including four straight losses at home.

JONES PROVIDES THE SPARK OFF THE BENCH
Taylor Jones had not scored for Eastern Illinois since hitting a 3-pointer off the bench against Tennessee State back on Jan. 19.  Before that Jones had missed two straight games due to an injury suffered in practice.  That injury was on the heels of a seven point night at Houston Baptist in early January that helped EIU pick up a road win.  On Thursday against Eastern Kentucky, Jones again provided that spark with eight points.  He knocked down two 3-pointers and one jumper in the lane.  Jones has become a 3-point specialist for the Panthers with 26 of his 33 career field goals coming from beyond the arc.  Jones is a career 32.5 3-point shooter.

GRANGER QUICKLY CLIMBING SCORING LIST
Senior Jeremy Granger has scored in double figures 18 times this season as he continues to climb on the EIU career scoring list.  Granger picked up his 100th career steal at Jacksonville State.  He picked up his 300th career assist on Thursday vs. Eastern Kentucky moving up to fifth on the EIU career assists list.  He now joins Kyle Hill as the only two EIU players to have reached the 1,100 points, 300 assist, 100 steal club..  Granger has 1,160 career points to rank 19th on EIU's career scoring list.  He picked up his 300th career rebound against Tennessee State.

EIU ONE LINERS
• Morris Woods continues to pick up minutes off the bench and provide point production.  Over the last three games Woods has played 53 minutes (17.6 per game).  He has scored 19 points over those games for a 6.3 points per game average with a high of nine points at Murray State.  Prior to these three games Woods had averaged 5.5 minutes per game with 1.4 points per game.

•  Joey Miller has been the Panthers top assist man over the past seven games with 24 assists compared to only 14 turnovers.  In the past four games Miller has increased those numbers with 16 assists (4.0 apg).  Miller ranks in the top ten in the OVC for assists and is first among league freshman with 67 total assists.  He leads the EIU team in steals with 21.

• EIU is shooting 39.8 percent from the field, 27.2 percent from 3-point range, 73.5 percent from the free throw line and being out rebounded by 7.6 rebounds per game during the Panthers recent seven game losing streak.  Compare that with numbers of 45.7 percent from the field, 47.1 percent from 3-point range, 78.5 percent from the free throw line and a plus 13.3 rebound margin in the Panthers three game win streak to start the month of January.  In the losing streak only Jeremy Granger (13.4 ppg) is averaging double figures.  In the three game win streak four players averaging in double figures.

• Sophomore Alfonzo McKinnie continues to make a living on the offensive glass.  McKinnie pulled down seven rebounds on Thursday against Eastern Kentucky giving him 14 games with seven or more rebounds this season.  Of those seven rebounds, five of them were on the offensive glass.  McKinnie has 70 of his 164 rebounds this year on the offensive end of the floor.  In six of his games McKinnie has pulled down more offensive rebounds than defensive.  His highest total was nine during a 14 rebound night versus Austin Peay.  McKinnie went over the 250 rebound mark for his career on Thursday.

• James Hollowell had his second multi-block game of the season with two swats against Eastern Kentucky.  His other multi-block game this year was two against Maine.  For his career Hollowell ranks third on the EIU list with 80 blocks.  He set the single game record with six blocks against Jacksonville State as a redshirt freshman.  He has 20 multi-block games for his career.

• Eastern Illinois has had some success against Morehead State in recent years.  In addition to team success several players on this year's team have had good careers against the Eagles.  Jeremy Granger has averaged 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in six previous meetings.  James Hollowell has 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in four match-ups.

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 72-126 record at EIU.  The seven game OVC win streak was the best in school history as Miller has a 41-81 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 159-205 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.