Last season was my first covering the women’s basketball team, and I had the pleasure of covering them into mid-March thanks to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).

The Panthers made it to the WNIT last season because they won the regular season Ohio Valley Conference title, but lost in the OVC tournament.

This year, the Panthers didn’t win either the regular season crown or the tournament title.

The team’s postseason fate is not set in stone like it was last year.

However, the Panthers have a couple opportunities to make different postseason tournament, like the WNIT and the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI).

They will find out Sunday if they have made it to either of these two tournaments, but I think they have a good chance of making it to the WBI.

The WNIT is a bit of a long shot at this point.

It would have helped them if they had made it further in the OVC tournament instead of bowing out in their first game.

But the WBI selection committee must consider the way the Panthers played in February. They have an impressive resume.

The Panthers won their final nine regular season games, earned a first round bye in the OVC tournament, and beat many top OVC teams during its nine-game streak.

After losing to Austin Peay in the tournament, Eastern head coach Brady Sallee said he hopes to make it to a postseason tournament.

Sallee said the Panthers’ women’s basketball program, during his time as head coach, should be impressive enough to make the selection committee keep Eastern in mind when making its selections.

The Panthers have won a lot of games in the past years that Sallee has been head coach, and they finished this season especially well until the loss in the tournament.

I know all of the players are hoping to get the call Sunday night saying they will be playing in a tournament.

The team doesn’t want to be done, and it shouldn’t be done this season.

I was spoiled last season by being able to cover them deep into March, and I want to again.

Tennessee-Martin might be the team representing the OVC in the NCAA tournament, but Eastern wants to be a team to represent the OVC somewhere else.

However, Eastern was only the fourth seed in the OVC tournament, meaning there were teams in front of them.

We know Tennessee Tech is going to be in the WNIT, being in the same situation as Eastern was last season – having won the regular season title but not the conference tournament.

So Eastern will have to impress the selection committee enough to beat out Morehead State for the selection.

Then again, who says both teams can’t play in the WBI? It could happen.

The Panthers aren’t ready to stop playing this season. I’m not ready to stop covering the team this season. So let’s hope Eastern makes it to the WBI.

If I had to make a prediction, I’d say Sallee will be getting a happy phone call from Eastern’s athletic department Sunday night.

I think the Panthers will play on.

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7944 or admcnamee@eiu.edu