Tuesday, March 3rd, 8:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Dave Aaron Arena (7,275) -- Clarksville, Tennessee. Television: Local. Home Record: EIU 9-5, Austin Peay 8-5. Away Record: EIU 3-12, Austin Peay 9-6. Neutral Record: EIU 0-0, Austin Peay 0-1. Conference Record: EIU 8-10, Austin Peay 13-5. Series Record: Austin Peay leads, 18-12.

GAME NOTES: The Ohio Valley Conference defending champion Austin Peay Governors will take to the court this evening when they host the seventh- seeded Eastern Illinois Panthers in the first round of the league's tournament. The Panthers, who finished just 8-10 in league action, will have a dubious task ahead of them, facing the defending league champs. Eastern Illinois heads into the postseason floundering, having lost six of its last seven games, including two in a row. As for the Govs, they might be only the second seed this season, but they are still the returning title holders and the team to beat. APSU heads into the postseason with five wins in its last seven contests, and that includes a season-finale victory over Southeast Missouri State, 88-78. The win over the Redhawks gave the Govs a respectable 13-5 mark in OVC action. Austin Peay currently holds an 18-12 edge over EIU in the all-time series, and that includes the team's eight-game winning streak over the Panthers.

The Panthers' struggles stem from their inability to produce points, as the team finished last in the OVC with 659 ppg. Romain Martin has been the only true bright spot for the Panthers, netting 15.2 ppg, but for EIU to grab a victory in this contest, the guard is going to have to have the game of his life and get plenty of help. Tyler Laser is contributing 11.6 ppg on the season, while T.J. Marion has run the show on the floor, posting 9.2 ppg, to go along with a team-high 103 assists. Fortunately the team has been able to perform at a high level defensively, holding opponents to just 66.4 ppg.

Austin Peay closed out its regular season with three wins in its last four games, and is led by the tandem of Drake Reed and Wes Channels. Reed has been a strong presence in the paint, netting 22.2 4ppg, while also grabbing 7.7 rpg. As for Channels, he has been a solid floor general, posting 16.8 ppg, to go along with a team-best 93 assists. Overall the Govs head into this game averaging 76.6 ppg, which is good enough for second in the Ohio Valley. The one glaring problem with this year's squad has been the play defensively, as the Govs are surrendering 75.8 ppg, while allowing opponents to shoot 46.1 percent from the floor.

The Govs will rely heavily on Reed and Channels as the team's sensational tandem should lead Austin Peay into the next round of action.

Predicted Outcome

Austin Peay 78, Eastern Illinois 65