Southeast Missouri (14-14) vs. Ball State (10-14)

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Date: Saturday, February 23, 2013
Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Site: Show Me Center (7,000)
Series: First Meeting
Coaches: Dickey Nutt (235-262 overall, 46-75 at Southeast, 24-42 OVC). Billy Taylor (79-98 overall, 79-98 at Ball State, 40-52 MAC).

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.
Webcast: OVC Digital Network                                   
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com
Facebook: GoSoutheast
Twitter: @GoSoutheast

Quick Tips

Redhawks Host Ball State in BracketBuster Saturday
Southeast Missouri (14-14) steps out of Ohio Valley Conference play to host Ball State (10-14) in the ESPN Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters Saturday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m., CT, at the Show Me Center.

Good Luck Seniors
Southeast will honor senior guards Corey Wilford, Nick Niemczyk and Marland Smith prior to tip-off Saturday. The three have combined for a total of 2,373 points, 423 three-point field goals made, 689 rebounds, 406 assists and 170 steals during their time in a Redhawk uniform. Smith, who played four years at Southeast, accumulated 1,356 points and broke the school's all-time career records in three-point field goals made (238) and three-point field goals attempted (670).   

Series History
This year marks the first meeting between Southeast and Ball State. The Redhawks go after their second-straight win against a Mid-American Conference opponent after beating Miami (Ohio), 64-57, on Nov. 26, 2011.

Against the MAC
Southeast is 3-6 all-time against Mid-American Conference schools. The Redhawks are 1-1 vs. Miami (Ohio), 1-0 vs. Central Michigan, 0-2 vs. Eastern Michigan, 0-1 vs. Toledo, 1-1 vs. Northern Illinois and 0-1 vs. Western Michigan. Southeast is 2-2 against MAC opponents under head coach Dickey Nutt.

Southeast's BracketBuster History
The Redhawks are 1-6 all-time in ESPN BracketBuster games, with their lone win coming vs. Sacramento State on Dec. 19, 2011 in Cape Girardeau. Southeast tangles with a Mid-American Conference opponent for the fourth time in its last six BracketBuster appearances. The Redhawks are 0-4 against the MAC in such games. Here is a list of the Redhawks BracketBuster matchups:
2/18/06    at UC Riverside    L, 61-69
2/17/07    vs. Louisiana Tech    L, 56-72
2/23/08    vs. Eastern Michigan    L, 82-86
2/21/09    vs. Northern Illinois    L, 73-97
2/20/10    at Miami (Ohio)    L, 53-69
2/19/11    vs. Sacramento State    W, 67-52
2/18/12    at McNeese State    L, 66-75

All In
All 12 Ohio Valley Conference teams will be involved in the ESPN Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters Saturday. The OVC owns an all-time record of 32-45 in the ESPN BracketBusters. That mark includes a 21-16 record in home games and an 11-29 record in away contests. ESPN announced in December that this will be the final year of the BracketBusters event. The league's other BracketBuster games include Longwood at UT Martin; Eastern Kentucky at Valparaiso (ESPNU); Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois; Jacksonville State at UNC Asheville; Morehead State at Oakland; SIU Edwardsville at Central Arkansas; Austin Peay at Liberty; UMKC at Tennessee Tech; Loyola (Md.) at Tennessee State; South Dakota State at Murray State (ESPN2); and Ohio at Belmont (ESPN2).

OVC Tournament Picture
The top four seeds (but not in order) for the Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament have been determined; in alphabetical order: Belmont, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State and Tennessee State. Murray State has clinched the West Division and is guaranteed to be either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed and get a double bye to the semifinals (the first-place team in the East will also receive a double bye). One more win by Belmont and the Racers are locked into the No. 2 slot. Morehead State is the only other team that has secured a spot in the field at this point. The final three spots are up for grabs.    

Three More
Nino Johnson is three blocks away from breaking Southeast's all-time single-season record. Johnson leads the Redhawks, ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference and 19th in the nation with 73 blocked shots this season. He is averaging 2.6 per game and gathered 16 swats -- including a career-high seven vs. SIUE -- over his last four contests. Johnson is chasing Bud Eley's current record of 75 blocks in 1998-99. Additionally, Johnson ranks fifth all-time with 81 career blocks at Southeast.   

Smith Heats Up
Marland Smith has been on fire from three-point range as of late. Smith, who has scored double figures in four-straight starts, knocked down 21 threes in that span. He also scored 20+ points in back-to-back games with a season-high 29 vs. Eastern Illinois (Feb. 9). Smith has shot 65.6 percent (21-of-32) from three-point range and led the Redhawks to a 3-1 record in that four-game stretch where he has scored double-digits.

Let's Get Another
Southeast, which is 14-14 overall, needs one more win to tie its most  victories in a season under head coach Dickey Nutt. The Redhawks won 15 games in 2011-12. Southeast last had 15 or more wins in back-to-back seasons during the 1999-2000 (24-7) and 2000-01 (18-12) campaigns.

Hitting the Three is Key
The Redhawks have buried 10 or more threes in three-straight games. Southeast has also shot over 53 percent from three-point range in the first half during each of those contests. The hot shooting from long range has resulted in the Redhawks leading at halftime on all of those occasions. Southeast has boosted its three-point field goal percentage by 22 points (from .360 to .382) in its last three games alone. The Redhawks, who have buried
37 treys (most in a three-game stretch this season) now rank third in the Ohio Valley Conference in three-point field goal percentage.