Two of the three remaining unbeaten teams in the Ohio Valley Conference face off tonight when the Colonels tangle with Eastern Illinois at 7:30 p.m. in McBrayer Arena.
EKU (10-5, 2-0) and EIU (10-6, 4-0) are both undefeated in conference heading into the important showdown.
The Colonels sit atop the OVC East Division after road wins last week over UT-Martin and Southeast Missouri State in their first two OVC games of the year.
The Panthers lead the OVC West division by a half game over Murray State and are 4-0 in conference play for the first time ever after defeating Belmont by 11 points on Saturday, their seventh win in a row.
EIU needed second-half comebacks to win their first three OVC contests ? Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville State and Tennessee State.
The game features the leagues top two scoring defenses.
Eastern Illinois is No. 1, holding opponents to an average of 60.2 points per game. The Colonels are a close second, limiting opponents to 60.9 points per game. EKU has held its last eight opponents to fewer than 70 points and only three opponents have reached 70 points.
EKU is second in the nation in turnover margin at +9.6, while Eastern Illinois averages only 12.4 turnovers per game.
The Panthers are lead by 6-foot-8 junior forward Chris Olivier, who averages 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Junior Trae Anderson is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points. He also averages 4.4 rebounds per game.
The game will be a battle between EKU?s outside shooting and the Panthers defense. In their win over Belmont, they held the Bruins to 38 percent shooting and only 16 percent from behind the three-point line.
Senior Corey Walden is shooting 56.2 percent from the field for the Colonels this season. He has made 59.5 percent of his shots over the last eight games.
Timmy Knipp shot 90 percent (9-for-10) at the free throw line and averaged 10.5 points, four rebounds, three assists and 1.5 blocks in EKU?s first two OVC games.
The Colonels lead the all-time series, 22-13. EKU has won six straight against EIU and 16 of the last 19. The Colonels are 14-3 in games played in Richmond, and have won 11-straight on their home court.
EKU (10-5, 2-0) and EIU (10-6, 4-0) are both undefeated in conference heading into the important showdown.
The Colonels sit atop the OVC East Division after road wins last week over UT-Martin and Southeast Missouri State in their first two OVC games of the year.
The Panthers lead the OVC West division by a half game over Murray State and are 4-0 in conference play for the first time ever after defeating Belmont by 11 points on Saturday, their seventh win in a row.
EIU needed second-half comebacks to win their first three OVC contests ? Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville State and Tennessee State.
The game features the leagues top two scoring defenses.
Eastern Illinois is No. 1, holding opponents to an average of 60.2 points per game. The Colonels are a close second, limiting opponents to 60.9 points per game. EKU has held its last eight opponents to fewer than 70 points and only three opponents have reached 70 points.
EKU is second in the nation in turnover margin at +9.6, while Eastern Illinois averages only 12.4 turnovers per game.
The Panthers are lead by 6-foot-8 junior forward Chris Olivier, who averages 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Junior Trae Anderson is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points. He also averages 4.4 rebounds per game.
The game will be a battle between EKU?s outside shooting and the Panthers defense. In their win over Belmont, they held the Bruins to 38 percent shooting and only 16 percent from behind the three-point line.
Senior Corey Walden is shooting 56.2 percent from the field for the Colonels this season. He has made 59.5 percent of his shots over the last eight games.
Timmy Knipp shot 90 percent (9-for-10) at the free throw line and averaged 10.5 points, four rebounds, three assists and 1.5 blocks in EKU?s first two OVC games.
The Colonels lead the all-time series, 22-13. EKU has won six straight against EIU and 16 of the last 19. The Colonels are 14-3 in games played in Richmond, and have won 11-straight on their home court.
