The Eastern men’s basketball team starts the first of its final four Ohio Valley Conference games Thursday.

Eastern, 6-6 in the OVC, begins with Austin Peay, 4-6 in the OVC, before visiting both Murray State and Belmont, which have a combined 19-4 conference record.

“We don’t look at it as a group of games, even though it’s pretty obvious that’s what it is,” said Eastern coach Jay Spoonhour. “If you look at it as a group, then you forget about just the one game.”

Coaches are allowed to look at a group of games. But as for his players, Spoonhour said he wants to simplify it even more than one game at a time.

“It’s too hard to even think about one game,” Spoonhour said. “They need to break it down to two or three possessions a game and try to string a run together.”

Spoonhour said he doesn’t hold Thursday’s game at Austin Peay of any more importance because it is against an easier opponent.

“Every game is worth the same amount of wins,” he said.

Just like the Panthers’ recorded one win against Austin Peay six games ago, 67-64, on Jan. 18 at Lantz Arena, where Spoonhour learned firsthand the troubles the Governors can cause in the paint.

“They did the best job of anyone against us just ripping us inside at the basket,” Spoonhour said.

The Governors pummeled the Panthers for 36 points in the paint — more than half of Aunstin Peay’s points and the second most Eastern has surrendered all season.

Forwards Chris Horton and Will Triggs combined for 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting with 15 rebounds for Austin Peay.

Horton and Triggs are two of three Governors who average double-digit points this season with 13.8 and 12.5 points per game, respectively. Horton also averages 10 rebounds per game while Triggs is averaging 5.4.

The third Governor to average in double figures is guard Travis Betran, who scores 13.4 points per game.

Betran shot 3-of-9 from 3-point range in an 11-point scoring effort earlier this season against the Panthers. Two of Betran’s 3-pointers came late in the second half to tie the game for the Governors.

“He’s a good outside shooter who is able to weaken the defense at the basket because he requires more attention on the perimeter,” Spoonhour said.

The double threat of Horton and Triggs inside and Betran from the perimeter allowed the Governors to run their offense “too well” the first time the two teams played this season.

The Governors will host the Panthers at 7 p.m. Thursday in Clarksville, Tenn.

Anthony Catezone can be reached at581-2812 or ajcatezone@eiu.edu.