Eastern’s men’s basketball team picked the absolute worst time to have a seven-game losing streak this season.

The Panthers have almost completely taken themselves out of contention for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. Before the Panthers played their game against the University of Tennessee at Martin, they had a 4-11 record in the OVC, which placed them ninth in the standings.

The Panthers have not missed the OVC tournament since 2008 and it would be a shame to miss this year with such a talented team. There are some games where the Panthers look like they could win the tournament, but recently they look like a team that doesn’t know how to win.

They beat both Morehead State and Murray State once this season, proving they can play with the best teams in the conference. But something dramatic has changed since those games.

Sure the loss of senior guard Tyler Laser doesn’t help, but he wasn’t there when the Panthers beat Murray and Morehead either. So what has changed? Well, one thing is the Panthers have started 10 different line-ups this year, which is the 12th most in the NCAA.

When a team does not have a consistent rotation it is very difficult to develop a rhythm. This could be why Eastern has lost seven consecutive games at the most important time of the year.

This year’s Panther team just can’t seem to put a full game together. If they play well defensively, the offense doesn’t show up. If they play well on offensive, the defense cannot stop anyone.

Something drastic needs to change if the Panthers are going to make the tournament. It is desperation time, and the players should play every game like it is there last because it very well could be.

I believe that Eastern has a talented team with good guard depth and athleticism and there should be no reason why they can’t compete for an OVC title.

Maybe this year is just not Eastern’s year, or maybe the team is drastically underperforming, but whatever excuse you decide on, the Panthers could have had a much better regular season and should not even be in position to miss the tournament.

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944 or at rdmortell@eiu.edu