Southeast Missouri (8-6, 0-0 OVC) vs. UT Martin (3-9, 0-0 OVC)

Dates: Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012
Tip-Off: Noon, CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Site: Show Me Center (7,000)
Series: Southeast leads, 42-26
Coaches: Dickey Nutt (229-254 overall, 40-67 at Southeast, 18-34 OVC). Jason James (20-73 overall, 20-73 at UT Martin, 7-45 OVC).

Southeast Missouri Game Notes


Media Coverage
Redhawks Radio Network: K103 FM (KEZS), flagship; 1440 AM (KSIM); 903 AM (KWOC); 1470 AM (KMAL). Erik Sean, Play-by-Play; Todd Bonacki, Color Analyst.
Video: GoSoutheast.com                                        
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com
Facebook: GoSoutheast
Twitter: @GoSoutheast

Quick Tips

Redhawks Open OVC Play
Southeast Missouri (8-6) opens Ohio Valley Conference play when it hosts UT Martin (3-9) Saturday. Tip-off is set for Noon, CT, at the Show Me Center.

Home Sweet Home
Southeast begins its 16-game Ohio Valley Conference slate with a three-game homestand. UT Martin (Dec. 29), Austin Peay (Jan. 3) and preseason West Division favorite Murray State (Jan. 5) will come to Cape Girardeau during that stretch.

Strong Non-Conference
The Redhawks improved to 8-6 with their 66-65 win at Kansas City (Dec. 22). Southeast's eight wins in non-conference play are the most since 2000-01. That year, the Redhawks went 10-4 outside of league play. Additionally, Southeast secured its first non-conference winning record under head coach Dickey Nutt.

Conference Openers
Southeast is 8-13 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference-openers. The Redhawks look to open league play with a win for the second year in a row. Southeast beat Morehead State, 67-51, to begin its OVC season a year ago.

Winning Months
A win against UT Martin Saturday would give Southeast a 4-2 record in December. If that happens, the Redhawks will post winning records in their first two months of a season for the first time under head coach Dickey Nutt. Southeast went 5-4 in November of this year.

Series History
The Redhawks are 42-26 all-time against UT Martin. Southeast is 23-18 versus the Skyhawks since moving to the NCAA Division I level. The Redhawks won four of the last six meetings between these teams, and own a three-game winning streak against UT Martin at the Show Me Center.

Skidding Skyhawks
UT Martin comes to Cape Girardeau on a 17-game Ohio Valley Conference losing streak. The Skyhawks went winless at 0-16 in OVC play last season. UT Martin's last win over a league opponent was on Feb. 24, 2011 (78-70, vs. Eastern Kentucky).
 
Johnson Cracks Single-Season Blocks Leaders
Nino Johnson cracked Southeast's top-10 single-season blocks leaders when he finished with a game-high three swats at Kansas City (Dec. 22). Johnson, who leads the team and the Ohio Valley Conference with 39 blocks, is tied for ninth with Calvin Williams (2008-09). William “Bud” Eley is the all-time single-season blocks leader with 75 in 1998-99.

Stone Steps Up
Tyler Stone scored a game-high 28 points, went perfect at the free throw line and made the game-winning free throws with 28 seconds left to send Southeast to a 66-65 win at Kansas City (Dec. 22). It marked the second time in three starts where Stone dropped in 28 or more points. He averaged 24 points per game in that span. In addition, Stone's 8-of-8 free throws against the Kangaroos were a career-high.

Nutt and Smith Reach Assist Marks
Guards Lucas Nutt and Marland Smith surpassed 300 and 200 career assists, respectively, at Kansas City (Dec. 22). Nutt (304) had five assists, while Smith (201) added two against the Kangaroos. Nutt leads the team and ranks fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference with 63 assists and Smith ranks third on the team with 27 through 14 games this season.

Another Winning Streak
Southeast enters Saturday's game on a two-game winning streak. It is the third winning streak the Redhawks have strung together this season. Southeast has won no more than three-straight games in 2012-13. This year marks the first where the Redhawks head into conference play on a winning streak under head coach Dickey Nutt.
     
Cutting Down the Turnovers
The Redhawks turned the ball over just seven times in each of their last two games. Southeast has had fewer than 10 turnovers in three of its last four contests. The seven miscues are a season-low. As a team, the Redhawks are turning the ball over 12.8 times per game, second-fewest in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Major Improvement
Tyler Stone, who shot just 62 percent at the free throw line in 2011-12, is shooting 86.7 percent this season. Stone has missed only six free throws in 14 games. He is 39-of-45 and has gone perfect at the line in five games this year.