GAME NOTES: The 2014-15 season is set tip off for the Eastern Illinois Panthers and the Missouri State Bears as the two meet at JQH Arena on Friday night.

Eastern Illinois finished in the middle of the pack last season in the Ohio Valley Conference, and must now move forward without Second-Team All-OVC forward Sherman Blanford, the team's top scorer. The Panthers prefer to play at a slower tempo to allow their front-line weapons to impact the game.

The arrow is pointing up for a Bears squad that won 20 games last season and brings back four starters, including 2013 MVC Freshman of the Year Marcus Marshall. They went 14-3 at home a year ago, with all three losses coming by margins of three points or less.

MSU owns a 19-8 series lead, although these teams have not played each other since 1990.

Eastern Illinois must find a way to replace Blanford's 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. The good news is that most of the team's other contributors are back, including athletic point guard Reggie Smith (13.1 ppg, 85 assists) and 6-foot-8 forward Chris Olivier (11.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg). Smith earned All-OVC Newcomer honors last season, but he won't be asked to carry all of the scoring load. EIU has a very distinct height advantage over many teams in the OVC, with seven players on the team standing at least 6-foot-6. Junior forward Luke Piotrowski (6-foot-11) and his older brother Mat (7-foot-2) are like twin towers underneath the rim.

For Missouri State, Marshall was on his way to another promising campaign with 14.3 ppg through 12 contests before a knee injury cut his 2013-14 season short. Now a junior and fully rehabbed, Marshall will be counted on for his defensive presence and clutch free-throw shooting. He is one of four starters returning, although top scorer and rebounder Jarmar Gulley (14.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg) is the lone exception. Sharpshooter Austin Ruder is another weapon in the fold, however, as his 72 3-pointers (.400) last season were the third-most by a freshman in league history. Missouri State also welcomes six newcomers to complement a total of seven returnees.

Historically, the Bears have been tough to beat on their home floor. It is tough to imagine them opening their season with a home loss to a team that lost its leading scorer and won only 11 games a year ago.