Three OVC teams have two games left to decide the final two spots in the men’s basketball Ohio Valley Conference Championship. 

Eastern (11-18, 7-11) currently sits at the bottom of the three-headed race for those spots. 

The Panthers will need one of the two teams sitting ahead of them, Tennessee Tech (8-10) or Little Rock (8-10), to lose at least one game to have a chance at qualifying for the tournament. 

If Little Rock is the only one to lose a game and only loses one, EIU will need help from Tennessee State (13-5) which currently sits at the top of the conference standings. This is because the Panthers and the Trojans are 1-1 against each other this season, which keeps them still tied after the first tiebreaker.  

Then the Tigers come into play because the second tiebreaker is the best head-to-head record against the highest seeded opponent. Eastern won a game against the Tigers while Little Rock didn’t.  

However, the Trojans have a better head-to-head record against the other teams that are still in contention for the 1-seed. 

The other teams in contention of the top seed are Southeast Missouri (13-5) and Morehead State (13-5). 

Here are the five scenarios on how Eastern can make it to the tournament. 

Scenario 1: 

The Panthers beat their final two regular season opponents, Lindenwood (10-8) and SIUE (10-8), and either Tennessee Tech or Little Rock lose both of their games. 

Eastern lost to Lindenwood 82-74 on Dec. 6 and beat SIUE 76-72 in overtime on Dec. 18. 

Tennessee Tech is playing UT Martin and SEMO. This season, the Golden Eagles lost to UT Martin and beat SEMO in their first matchups. 

Little Rock is playing Morehead State and Southern Indiana. This season, the Trojans lost to the Eagles and beat USI. 

Scenario 2: 

Eastern wins its last two games, and Tennessee Tech loses once, since the Panthers have a better head-to-head record. 

Scenario 3: 

EIU wins its two games, Little Rock loses one of its two and Tennessee State finishes as the 1-seed. 

The scenarios for the Tigers to finish first are winning their last two games or losing their game to UT Martin and beating SEMO plus Morehead State loses once. 

Scenario 4: 

The Panthers win one game, and Tennessee Tech loses both games. 

Scenario 5: 

Eastern loses one game, Little Rock loses out and Tennessee State finishes as the 1-seed. 

Bryce Parker can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].