Eastern’s men’s basketball team will do whatever it takes to end its six-game losing streak against Eastern Kentucky.

The Panthers are currently on a six-game losing streak that started on Jan. 14 against Southeast Missouri State.

Head coach Mike Miller said this is a tough stretch of games for the Panthers.

Senior forward Zavier Sanders agreed.

“It definitely is difficult losing,” Sanders said. “All we can do is try to keep working harder and get through this. All we can do is work our best, but it is tough having a stretch like this. Just gotta keep our head up and keep fighting.”

Beating Eastern Kentucky has been a tall order over the last few years. The Colonels are 12-3 over the teams last 15 meetings, including a sweep in last seasons series. Before this recent stretch, Eastern held a 10-6 advantage in the series that now stands at 18-13 in favor of Eastern Kentucky.

Eastern Kentucky heads into the game with a 12-11 overall record and a 5-5 record in the Ohio Valley Conference, while Eastern enters the game with a 9-12 overall record and a 2-7 record in the OVC.

The Colonels are led by senior guard Jaron Jones. The 6-foot-6-inch guard is one of the biggest surprises in the OVC this season. Jones is averaging a team-high 17.0 points per game on 57 percent shooting from the field. He also averages 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

Senior guard Joshua Jones provides Eastern Kentucky with a deep threat from beyond the three-point line. Joshua Jones is scoring 9.4 points per game, while making 1.4 shots from behind the arc and shooting 35 percent in the process.

One key to the Colonels success this season is their discipline.

They turn the ball over the least in the entire OVC, which makes it hard for teams to get easy baskets off turnovers. They are also second in the league in turnover margin at +2.2, showing that they are capable of forcing turnovers on defense.

On paper, this appears to be a pretty even match-up. Eastern Kentucky and Eastern are ranked six and seventh respectively in scoring offense in the conference, and fourth and seventh in terms of scoring defense.

The Panthers are led by senior guard Jeremy Granger. The pre-season all-OVC performer is averaging a career-high 15.4 points per game. Granger also leads the team in assists (3.5) and steals (1).

Tip-off for this conference rivalry game is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Lantz Arena, where the Panthers have posted a 6-4 record this season.

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