The 2020–21 Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball team represented

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

in the

2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 25, 2020 and concluded on March 14, 2021. The 2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament culminated the season and began on March 18 and concluded on April 5. Season ...

. The Panthers, led by ninth-year head coach

Jay Spoonhour Jay Thomas Spoonhour (born October 14, 1970) is an American basketball coach. He was the head men's basketball coach at Eastern Illinois University, a position he had held from 2012 until 2021. Previously, Spoonhour served as the head coach at M ...

, played their home games at

Lantz Arena Lantz Arena is a 5,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Charleston, Illinois. It is home to the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Panthers men's and women's basketball teams and to the women's volleyball team. Completed in 1967, the Lantz Arena Complex ...

Charleston, Illinois Charleston is a city in, and the county seat of, Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,286, as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor, Mattoon. Both are p ...

as members of the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Divisi ...

. They finished the season 9–18, 6–14 in OVC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They failed to qualify for the OVC Tournament. On March 4, 2021, the school announced that they would not renew head coach Jay Spoonhour's contract. Nearly a month later, the school named Clemson assistant and former Evansville head coach

Marty Simmons Martin Ray Simmons (born February 21, 1965) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is the head men's basketball coach at Eastern Illinois University, a position he has held since 2021. Simmons served as the head men's basketball co ...

the team's new head coach.

Previous season

The

Panthers Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...

finished the 2019–20 season 17–15, 9–9 in OVC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Jacksonville State in the first round of the OVC tournament, before losing in the quarterfinals to

Austin Peay Austin Peay (June 1, 1876 – October 2, 1927) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Tennessee from 1923 to 1927. He was the state's first governor since the Civil War to win three consecutive terms and the first to die ...

Roster

Schedule and results

, - !colspan=12 style=, Non-conference regular season , - !colspan=9 style=, Ohio Valley regular season , - Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2020-21 Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball team Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball seasons

Eastern Illinois Panthers The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The Panthers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and compet ...

Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball The Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The first basketball team started in 1908–09 season. The school's team currently comp ...