EIU’s men’s basketball team is officially the number seven seed in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament with an 8-10 conference record.
This is the first time the men’s team has earned a spot in the tournament since 2019.
Eastern will play in the first round against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Evansville, Indiana, at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
The NCAA tournament, or March Madness, is the one tournament that every college basketball team wants to make at the start of the season. However, it is a difficult challenge for a team to make the tournament that is not from one of the more well-known conferences, such as the Southeastern Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big Ten Conference.
The OVC is not a well-known conference, and every team’s overall record isn’t incredibly high. Most likely, only one team from the conference can go to the tournament.
Eastern would need to win the OVC tournament and get an automatic bid to get to March Madness.
Because Eastern is playing in the first round, you can debate that it will be more difficult for the Panthers to get all the way to the championship.
Here’s a roadmap on Eastern’s opponents in the OVC men’s basketball tournament bracket:
SIUE:
The Panthers will have to face the number six seeded Cougars for a third time this season.
The first time both teams faced each other was Dec. 29, 2023, and SIUE secured a 67-58 win over Eastern in Edwardsville.
The most recent time the two teams faced off was Feb. 27, and Eastern won the game 84-79 in Groniger Arena.
This game will be the second of two games in the first round of the OVC tournament. The winner of this game will advance on to the quarterfinals to play against the number three seed, the Morehead State University Eagles, on Thursday at 9 p.m.
Morehead State:
Number three seeded Morehead State is one of only two schools the Panthers have not beaten this season.
The first time Eastern played Morehead State was on Jan. 11, and Morehead State won the 78-52 game in Groniger Arena.
The most recent time the Panthers played the Eagles was Feb. 10, and the Eagles secured the 69-57 win over the Panthers in Morehead, Kentucky.
If Eastern advances over Morehead State to the semifinals, the Panthers would face the number two seed, the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks on Friday at 9:30 p.m.
UT Martin:
Number two seeded UT Martin is the highest seed on the lower half of the bracket.
The first time the Panthers competed against the Skyhawks was Jan. 4, and the Panthers secured the 79-72 win in Martin, Tennessee.
The last time the Panthers competed against the Skyhawks was Feb. 1, and the Skyhawks won 76-59 at Groniger Arena.
If Eastern beats UT Martin in the semifinals, the Panthers would move on to the final game to compete for the OVC championship and an automatic ticket to March Madness.
Eastern’s opponent in the championship game can be number eight seeded Southern Indiana, number five seeded Tennessee State, number four seeded Western Illinois or number one seeded Little Rock.
The championship game will be on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Zaria Flippin can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].
