Two teams off to opposite starts collide at 8:35 p.m. Saturday when the Panther men’s basketball team and Indiana State tip off at Lantz Arena in Eastern’s home opener.

The Panthers (0-3) are still searching for the first win under head coach Mike Miller, after losing 76-68 at Western Illinois on Tuesday.

While the Panthers are searching for their first win, the Sycamores (2-0) are hoping to avoid their first loss.

Sophomore guard Bill Duany said it’s important for the Panthers to keep improving on the way to their first win.

“Some teams start slow, but you just keep grinding away at it,” he said. “As a team, we’re working really hard, and we want to win.

“Getting a win under our belt will help confidence out a lot.”

Confidence is something the Panthers might be in need of. They have shot just 32.5 percent from the field. Eastern will look to improve on those numbers against a team that has been playing solid basketball.

Indiana State is coming off an 85-79 overtime win over Middle Tennessee State last Saturday. The Sycamores are led by senior guard David Moss, the team’s leading scorer at 24 points per game.

At 6 feet 5 inches, Moss could give the Panthers trouble.

“Sometimes, there’s a good player on the other team, but you have a good matchup,” Miller said. “We don’t really have a good matchup for him.”

Moss can find ways to score inside and outside and is a threat from multiple places on the court, Miller said.

“The way Indiana State plays, they move him all over the floor,” he said. “Sometimes they use him as a screener. It’s kind of a misdirection thing.”

Moss also averages 4.5 rebounds and five assists a game.

The Panthers will try and give Moss and the Sycamores different looks on defense in an effort to disrupt Indiana State’s offensive flow.

On offense, Eastern will look to build off their best performance of the season at Western Illinois.

Sophomore center George Tandy had his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds against the Leathernecks.

Miller said Tandy had shown signs of breaking out leading into the game at Western, and he expects Tandy’s improvement to continue.

“He’s got to keep going,” Miller said. “He’s not where he needs to be -he’s got more.”

Tandy said his mentality has changed since the Panthers began their season.

“The first couple games, I played lackadaisical,” he said. “I need to keep playing more offensive-minded and more assertive.”

As a team, the Panthers are hoping to turn things around on their home floor.

“It’s nice to finally get off the road and get a home game,” Tandy said. “You get your fans there, and they get loud for you. The intensity level is higher.”

And Duany said playing on familiar turf may not help the Panthers right all their wrongs, but playing at Lantz will help the Panthers be more comfortable.

“You hope it will. But, a lot of that it’s in your head,” he said. “It’s all the same game; it’s all about being confidant and knowing what you’re doing.”

And Tandy said time is running out for the Panthers, with Ohio Valley Conference play beginning Thursday against Tennessee Tech.

“I think we’re slowly progressing,” Tandy said. “I think we need to pick it up a little faster.

“But we’re getting better.”