Aside from 258 miles between the two teams, not much separates the Eastern men’s basketball team and Tennessee-Martin.

Both teams share the last place in the west division of the Ohio Valley Conference.

“Both teams are just going to play as well as they can,” head coach Jay Spoonhour said. 

“For us, we have been doing the right stuff lately. 

“If we keep the possessions low, like we did at Austin Peay, we will be fine.”

Tennessee-Martin has the slight edge having played one less game than Eastern; otherwise, the records are the same.

Eastern is 4-16 overall and 1-6 in the OVC. Tennessee-Martin is 4-15 overall, but also 1-6 in the OVC.

That is not the only similarity between the two.

The Eastern offense is the only offense that scores fewer points than Tennessee-Martin in the OVC-only games this season.

The Panthers average 59.6 points per game, while the Skyhawks average 61 points per game in conference contests.

Despite the low-scoring offense the Skyhawks have, Spoonhour is not overlooking it.

“We have to guard them inside  but can’t sag off the perimeter players,” Spoonhour said. “We have to guard tight and not allow them to get easy baskets.”

While the two teams are very similar, there is a difference between the two: Defenses.

The Panthers’ defense is fourth-best in the OVC this season, averaging 64.3 points per game, but the Skyhawks’ defense is second-worst at 75.6 points per game.

The Skyhawks have allowed an opponent to score 80 points or more nine times this season. 

They are 0-9 in those games. Eastern has not allowed an opponent to score 80 points once this season.

But, Tennessee-Martin has found some salvation this season in Myles Taylor. 

The 6-foot, 7-inch 250-pound forward is averaging 17 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in OVC-play, respectively. 

That ranks Taylor seventh and fifth in the OVC, respectively.

Spoonhour said Taylor is under the basket every time a shot is up.

“We have to block him out as best as we can,” he said. 

“He is always around the basket, but he is so big he might not even feel you. 

If we stick to our assignments, it will be much easier to keep him from those rebounds.”

Yet Taylor, who is shooting 46 percent for the season, cannot cover up the offensive woes for the Skyhawks.

Aside from them scoring 60 or less points seven times this season, the Skyhawks are shooting an OVC-worst 35.7 percent from the field in conference games. 

They also rank last in 3-point shooting with 29.4 percent in OVC games.

The Panthers, meanwhile, shoot 45.1 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from 3-point range when facing OVC teams. 

They rank sixth and fifth in the OVC in those statistics, respectively.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. Thursday in Lantz Arena.

Anthony Catezone can be reached at 581-2812 or ajcatezone@eiu.edu.