By Derek Cuculich

Staff Writer

If you did not travel to Nashville this weekend to see the men’s basketball team play in the semi-finals and finals of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, your backside must be sore from kicking yourself all weekend. The whole weekend was amazing and I have come to share three thoughts about the tournament’s happenings that might have been over shadowed by the Panther’s win.

Kyle Hill can play.

So I might be understating it a little, but when I look back on this weekend I will always remember Kyle dropping bombs from NBA range, driving to the basket with ease and flat out not letting his team lose. It seems like the nation has begaun to notice too. On ESPN.com, Hill was named Dick Vitale’s player of the week. Dickie V wrote, “The 6-foot-2 Hill has been one of the nation’s top 10 scorers all season. He started the OVC tournament with 40 big ones against Morehead State. He had 28 in a win over Murray State, followed by 31 in the title game against Austin Peay.

“Kyle Hill of Eastern Illinois was super, scintillating and sensational in averaging 33 points per game to lead the Panthers to the Big Dance.”

Well Dickie, thanks for acknowledging something Panther fans have known all year.

Eastern’s big men are fearless.

I need to start off giving credit to Todd Bergman, Jan Thompson, Ryan Kelly and Jesse Mackinson. Any time throughout the year these four could have grown frustrated with constant criticism from fans and media alike who only look at the numbers at the end of the game to tell the story. The Panthers got killed on the boards when they played at Murray on Feb. 10 and could have easily been nervous about seeing Racer Isaac Spencer again in Nashville. But instead of folding under the pressure, all four stepped up and completely dominated the glass against Murray.

If their performance during the semi-final game was not enough, the big men were again able to rise to the occasion against Austin Peay in the finals. For most of the game, the Governors big men were the one’s in control. But the Panthers big men hung in the game mentally. Go back and watch the tape and if you do not have a tape, you should get one. When Hill’s shot goes up, Austin Peay’s big men watch the ball in flight forgetting their box out assignments. The Governor’s figured that the game was going to end on that shot. That’s kind of funny, they also thought the game was over with 10 minutes left in the game. Anyway, Thompson very wisely did not quit on the play and was able to sneak to the front of the rim, grab the rebound and create the game winning score for Eastern.

Eastern’s fans are the real deal

Out of the four men’s teams that made the journey to Nashville; Murray State, Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay and Eastern, the Panthers definitely had the longest trip.

They also had the smallest fan base by far. The funny thing is, it just did not seem to matter. In Friday nights game against Murray, the Racer fans filled both sides of the arena decked out in navy and gold just waiting for their team to come back from their 12 point deficit early in the game.

But the Panthers, both players and fans were relentless and drowned any hopes of a Murray comeback. It was funny to see such a small portion of the crowd (band and cheerleaders included) control the atmosphere of the whole building.

And a quick side note, it didn’t matter what color most of the fans were wearing one thing was agreed on throughout the crowd: OVC fans like the Pink Panthers.

Many of the quotes I heard can’t be printed in the DEN, but lets just say the Pink Panthers will definitely be welcomed back to Nashville next year.