Eastern’s non-conference schedule was tough during the 2007 season.

The Panthers played top teams like Illinois, Illinois State and Missouri.

The Panthers’ 2008 non-conference schedule is even more difficult. Eastern plays the winner of Conference-USA tournament (Southern Methodist), the winner of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament (Illinois State) and a team that played in the Big Ten title game (Illinois).

But it all starts at 7 tonight at Lantz Arena when Eastern plays host to Miami (Ohio) – the team that won last year’s Mid-American Conference Tournament.

“Every day it gets closer, the more nervous I get,” Eastern head coach Brady Sallee said. “When we put (the schedule) together, we were excited clearly to see some of those teams on it. Now as we’re getting close to (Friday), it is daunting.”

The Panthers finished their 2007 non-conference schedule with two wins in nine games.

But Eastern used the challenge of a tough non-conference schedule to finish 15-5 in Ohio Valley Conference play and a runner-up finish in the league tournament.

“I thought it made us a tough basketball team,” Sallee said about last season’s non-conference schedule. “This year I expect us to compete with that type of schedule. Whether or not compete means wins or losses that remains to be seen. The thing we need to get out of it is the level we compete at.”

Senior forward Lindsey Kluempers said last year the Panthers didn’t have everything quite figured out when they played their non-conference games. She said Sallee scheduled the tough schedule for a reason – he wanted his team to be challenged.

“Having the year we had last year, we at least know how to win some of those close games or to finish on top,” Kluempers said. “I feel really good with what we can do. It’s just a matter of going out on the court and being ready that day.”

Sallee said his team is excited to play a difficult non-conference schedule again and some of the teams the Panthers will face were not a surprise because they play those teams every year.

“I think by now, they don’t really get wide-eyed over how tough it is because they’ve figured me out,” Sallee said. “That’s just what we do here.”

Senior guard Ellen Canale said the experience of playing a tough non-conference schedule last season would help this year with an even more difficult schedule.

“I think knowing what’s ahead of us will help,” Canale said. “This year we’re confident, and we know what’s ahead of us. We’re not planning on going 0-7 this time. We want to go in there and really put to work what we’ve done in practice and get a few wins in this non-conference.”

Senior forward Rachel Galligan said on paper it wouldn’t like the Panthers got much out of last year’s 0-7 start, but she said the tough games challenged Eastern and turned it into a better basketball team.

Two of those tough games will also be played at home. Eastern hosts Southern Methodist in addition to Miami (Ohio).

“It says a lot about where our program is going,” Galligan said. “To have these teams agree to want to come here and play says a lot about us. We’re just not playing teams that nobody’s heard of. These are big-time schools.”

Sallee said his team understands it has to step up to the challenge this season with the non-conference games. He said the Panthers have to make headway against top-level competition and put themselves in a position to win.

“We definitely don’t play the sisters of the poor with this schedule, but at the end of it I think we’ll come out a better basketball team.”

Scott Richey can be reached at 581-7944 or at srrichey@eiu.edu.

Junior guard Ashley Thomas moves to pass the ball during the game against Brescia on Nov. 2 in Lantz Arena. Thomas finished with 10 points and two assists. Eastern will play Miami (Ohio) at 7 tonight at Lantz Arena. (Karla Browning/The Daily Eastern News)

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