An Ohio Valley Conference first-round tournament game is what all OVC teams strive for when their seasons start in November. Each year only one team from the OVC makes it to the NCAA tournament, making the extra home game that much more important.

At the beginning of the season, Eastern looked like it would be no where near the fourth and final spot to host a first round game. Seven wins in the team’s last nine games, with two being against conference leaders Morehead State and Austin Peay, has changed that prospect a bit for the Panthers.

Eastern (8-6, 13-13) controls its path to the tournament as it holds a slight lead over Murray State (8-7, 15-11) for the final home court spot. Two more Panther wins or a Murray State loss Saturday at Tennessee-Martin will assure Eastern one more game at Lantz Arena.

“The fact that we can control our own destiny at this point of the season is good,” Eastern head coach Rick Samuels said. “Going on the road is going to be difficult, but our kids have shown some toughness.”

The Panthers take to the road for their two remaining games. Games away from Lantz have not been kind to the men as they have dropped 10 of their 13 road contests.

The first stop is at last-place Tennessee State, which has won only two games all season. The Panthers beat the Tigers 96-67 Feb. 1 at Lantz and they have been hot ever since.

Samuels said a quick start and penetration to the basket would be the keys to knocking off the Tigers.

“A good start is important and to not give them a run in the game to give them confidence that they could win one,” Samuels said. “Because of the way I think the game will go, we will have the ability to beat people on the dribble.”

If Eastern’s men can beat Tennessee State Thursday, will they be watching the Murray State game even closer Saturday?

“I hope that we are focusing on the task at hand,” Samuels said. “We want to focus on what we can accomplish.”

Murray State is going to have to earn another shot to play at home. The Panthers defeated Martin at home earlier in the month, but this time they will have to travel for a win.

None of this will matter if Eastern can beat Tennessee Tech Saturday. The Panthers struggled on the offensive side by making just 1-of-22 from behind the three-point arc.

Samuels said the game was not lopsided and would have been turned around if they could have made a few more shots.

Samuels knows with two wins this week, his team could be the Murray State of this year as the Racers fueled up late last season to take the 2002 OVC tournament title.

“Them getting hot led them to the NCAA Tournament,” he said.