Eastern’s men’s basketball team had a disappointing season to say the least. In the preseason, they were picked to finish third, but ended up in ninth, missing the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the fourth time in head coach Mike Miller’s six-year career as Eastern head coach.

The Panthers season was plagued by inconsistent play and injuries. The offense was one of the worst in the OVC, as most of the players just watched junior guard Jeremy Granger run the show.

Eastern’s defense was not horrible, but that being said, the defense definitely needs improvement. The Panthers struggled to get hands up on shooters, which led to many three-point shots.

The Panther defense showed a glimpse of stellar play against Morehead State at Lantz Arena on Jan. 15. They held the eventual conference champions to 40 points. They would win 47-40, while holding NBA prospect Kenneth Faried to five points.

That brings me to my next point; I don’t think Morehead State will be able to pull of the same magic as Murray State did last season in the NCAA tournament.

Last year No. 13 Murray State beat No. 4 Vanderbilt and lost to the national championship runner-up, Butler, in the next round.

That Murray team was extremely balanced and defense could not key in on one player. This is why they were able to have so much success. They had tons of talent for an OVC team, but their strength was in their team.

It did not shock me at all that Murray was able to beat Vanderbilt. When a team performs as a unit like the Racers did, good things happen.

On the other hand, I think opposing defenses will have a much easier time guarding this year’s Morehead State team. If you take away Kenneth Faried and Demonte Harper, this team is mediocre at best.

With a record of 24-9, I don’t see Morehead getting a better seed than 14 or 15, which mean it would play the No. 2 or No. 3 seed, and I just don’t see Morehead pulling off that big of an upset.

Faried is a great player and will make it to the NBA. He can take a game over defensively and on the glass, but if a team gets physical with him, his offense disappears.

If the Panthers were able to contain Faried and Harper in one game, I think a big name school will have no problem.

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944

or at rdmortell@eiu.edu