Southeast Missouri (11-9, 6-2 OVC) at Eastern Illinois (9-11, 2-6 OVC)
Game Information
Date: Monday, Jan. 30, 2012
Tip-Off: 7 p.m., CT
Location: Charleston, Ill.
Site: Lantz Arena (5,300)
Series Record: Southeast leads, 21-20
Coaches: Dickey Nutt (217-241 overall, 28-54 at Southeast, 15-29 OVC); Mike Miller (159-202 overall, 72-123 at EIU, 34-69 OVC)
Media Coverage
Redhawks Radio Network: K103 FM (KEZS), flagship; 1440 AM (KSIM); 903 AM (KWOC); 1470 AM (KMAL). Erik Sean, Play-by-Play.
WebCast: OVCSports.tv
Live Stats: EIUPanthers.com
Southeast Missouri Game Notes
Quick Hits
Second-Place Redhawks
Southeast won seven of its last nine games and maintained its claim on second-place in the Ohio Valley Conference when it beat Austin Peay, 65-60, on Jan. 26. The Redhawks are 6-2 midway through their conference season. Southeast is also a perfect 5-0 against OVC foes at home this year. Southeast's only two league losses came at Eastern Kentucky (63-59, Jan. 7) and Tennessee Tech (77-62, Jan. 21).
Redhawk Coaches to Wear Sneakers
Southeast's coaches will wear sneakers with their suits for Monday's game at Eastern Illinois. The annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend, a collaborative initiative of the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), was recently held Jan. 27-29. The Redhawk coaches will wear sneakers instead of dress shoes with their suits to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and its vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Southeast did not play during the official Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers weekend.
Keep it Going
The Redhawks are 6-2 in league play, and as a result, matched their total number of conference victories in 2010-11 (6-12). Southeast is also 5-0 at home against Ohio Valley Conference opponents for the first time since 1999-2000.
Niemczyk Out
Junior guard
Nick Niemczyk missed each of Southeast's last two games due to a concussion he sustained during the team's practice on Jan. 18. Niemczyk is the Redhawks fourth-leading scorer with 9.1 points per game. He will not play at Eastern Illinois Monday, and his status is day-to-day.
Series History
Southeast owns a 21-20 edge in its all-time series against Eastern Illinois. The Redhawks have won three-straight meetings with the Panthers. Southeast used a strong first half and rallied behind a team-high 24 points from
Marland Smith to grind out an 80-73 win over EIU on Jan. 14. Smith scored 21 of his points on seven three-pointers in the first half alone.
Leon Powell added a double-double 15 points and 12 rebounds in the win.Southeast is 3-2 all-time against EIU under head coach
Dickey Nutt. The Redhawks beat the Panthers, 70-64, the last time they played at Lantz Arena on Feb. 5, 2011.
Closing In
Junior
Marland Smith needs 50 more points to reach 1,000 in his Southeast career. Smith, who ranks as the Redhawks second-leading scorer with 12.1 points per game this season, has a total of 950 since joining the program in 2009-10. Derek Winans was the last Redhawk to score over 1,000 points in a career when he had 1,505 from 2001-05.
Nice Work
The Redhawks are among the top-10 national leaders in field goal percentage for the third-straight week. Southeast ranks 10th in the nation with a 49.3 percent (532-of-1079) clip. The Redhawks have three of the league's top-five shooters.
Leon Powell (.662) leads the OVC, while
Marcus Brister (.589) and
Tyler Stone (.536) are second and fifth, respectively.
Up Next
Southeast heads to #9/11 Murray State for a nationally-televised matchup on Feb. 2. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., CT, at the CFSB Center, and the game will air live on ESPNU. The Racers are the only remaining unbeaten team in NCAA Division I basketball this season, standing at 21-0 overall and 9-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southeast was the last to beat Murray State in an OVC regular-season game when it handed the Racers a 64-57 loss in Cape Girardeau on Feb. 16, 2011. Murray State has won 11-straight regular-season conference games since then.
