Eastern men’s basketball team might trail Division III Monmouth College at some point tonight.

The Panthers might struggle to rebound or get in an offensive flow.

Or they may have difficulty in stopping the Fighting Scots (an amazing nickname, by the way) at Lantz Arena.

Breathe easy.

It’s just an exhibition game.

Granted, this is the year to see whether Mike Miller can turn the men’s basketball program around.

By ending the program’s string of five straight losing seasons.

By actually qualifying the team for postseason play for the first time since 2004.

It’s his third year running this program. He has the players he needs to excel in his triangle offense and his solid man-to-man defense.

Fans should not expect, nor tolerate, another long winter watching the Panthers lose one game after another.

But don’t go calling for Miller’s firing, or for Eastern to drop to Division II basketball, if the Panthers lose their two exhibition games.

Exhibition games are nothing more than glorified scrimmages against an opponent. The teams go through preparing like it is a regular-season game. They wear their uniforms, go through pre-game warm-ups and even have officials referee these games.

But losses in these exhibition games don’t end the season.

The apocalypse isn’t upon Charleston if Monmouth and next Monday’s opponent, Illinois College, come into Lantz Arena and win.

While it would be shocking if that scenario did play out, there’s no reason for panic. A quick 5-0 regular season start, which is possible with this year’s team – which returns all five starters and every key contributor from last season – would put these “losses” out of people’s minds.

Look for the chance of Panthers making quality shots early in the shot clock tonight. Watch for other players, besides sophomore guard Romain Martin, to see if they can take over a game offensively.

Check and see how the Panthers rebound, defend and hustle after loose balls.

Count how many charges Eastern takes and how willing it is to make the extra pass for an open shot.

There were grumblings in the stands after Eastern trailed 33-32 at halftime last year in the Panthers exhibition opener against D-III Eureka College. Eastern would eventually go on to win the game 71-56.

It was the first time many of Eastern’s players last year had played with each other in a game setting.

In that game, it was evident many of the first-year players were nervous. Missed layups and unforced turnovers were the theme of the first half.

The second half was the opposite, with players like junior guard Mike Robinson asserting themselves and leading Eastern to a win. The Panthers ran their offense as smoothly as a team can after barely three weeks of practice together.

Eastern won its second exhibition game last year with a 74-49 win against Missouri Valley College. The Panthers played much better defensively, shutting down Missouri Valley’s offense midway through the first half.

But Eastern got off to a slow start in that game also, trailing 9-4 five minutes into the game.

Last year’s team didn’t play well until mid-January. This year’s team is expected to play better right from its first game Nov. 10 against NAIA opponent Harris Stowe.

Only in that game – and the remaining games on the Panthers schedule – should Eastern fans worry if the Panthers are losing.

-For Eastern’s 2007-08 schedule click here.