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Eastern Illinois
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
The Panthers invitation to the dance was filled with controversy. But whether or not the goaltending call in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game was correct or not, Eastern Illinois put itself in a position to win by overcoming a 21-point deficit in the final 8½ minutesf. And that is why they're back in the dance for the first time since 1991. Sure, Jan Thompson's putback with six-tenths of a seconds to play in the OVC title game was knocked away by Austin Peay's Theanthony Haymon. But when the whistle blew for goaltending, the Panthers had completed an improbable 84-83 victory. The 21st victory was also the most since Eastern Illinois moved to Division I. Eastern Illinois finished second in the OVC behind two the nation's leading scorers. Sophomore forward Henry Domercant averaged 23.2 ppg during the regular season, while senior guard Kyle Hill poured in 22.4 ppg. Both these guys can shoot the 3 and the Panthers led the OVC is scoring as a result (82.9 ppg). While the panthers protected the home floor, all nine losses came away from home -- including a 10-point setback at Miami -- and losses in Nebraska to the Cornhuskers and Blue Jays. Player to Watch Take your pick between Kyle Hill or Henry Domercant. It's not often a team has two of the nation's leading scorers, let alone at a small school like Eastern Illinois. But Hill (22.4 ppg) and Domercant (23.2 ppg) each rank in the top five nationally. If you like guard play, the 6-foot-2 Hill is your guy. Domercant, a 6-4 swingman, can score from anywhere. With the Ball The Panthers took 560 three-pointers this season. Hill, Domercant and fellow guard Matt Britton (13.3 ppg) took 516 of those bombs. Get the picture? The guards make the Panthers' go.Defending the Ball Who needs defense when a team scores like the Panthers? Teams shot 45 percent against Eastern Illinois, which allowed over 77 points a contest. Missed 3-pointers lead to long rebounds, which means the Panthers give up their share of transition points. Not a good trend as a high seed. But it should be fun to watch the scoreboard change early and often.Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed None. Playing to Expectations Falling Short None. BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.0 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report 1985-2000: The Panthers are dancing for only the second time in school history. Eastern Illinois was also a No. 15 in 1992, losing a West Region first-round game to Indiana. The Ohio Valley Conference has not won an NCAA game since 1989, when No. 13 Middle Tennessee State upset No. 4 Florida State. OVC teams also won in 1988 (Murray State over North Carolina State) and 1987 (Austin Peay over Illinois). Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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