#6 Southeast Missouri (16-15) vs. #7 Eastern Illinois (11-20)

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OVC Tournament First Round
Date: Wednesday, Mar. 6, 2013
Tip-Off: 8 p.m., CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Site: Municipal Auditorium (9,654)
Series: Eastern Illinois leads, 23-21
Coaches: Dickey Nutt (237-263 overall, 48-76 at Southeast, 26-42 OVC). Jay Spoonhour (118-53 overall, 11-20 at Eastern Illinois, 6-10 OVC).

Tournament Information
OVC Tournament Guide | OVC Tournament Bracket | Tournament Central | Pre-Tournament Teleconference Audio from Coach Nutt and Coach Spoonhour

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: OVCSports.com
Facebook: GoSoutheast
Twitter: @GoSoutheast

Quick Tips

Southeast Opens Postseason Play
No. 6 Southeast Missouri (16-15) faces No. 7 Eastern Illinois (11-20) in the first round of the 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Championship Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m., CT, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

OVC Tournament Appearances
Southeast makes its 12th Ohio Valley Conference Tournament appearance this year. The Redhawks have made the league's postseason fling in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Southeast makes its third-straight trip to Music City Madness under head coach Dickey Nutt. It is currently the program's second-longest streak of consecutive OVC Tournament appearances.

Full Steam Ahead
Southeast storms into the postseason after winning five of seven games. The Redhawks posted a 3-1 record in their final four away matchups, sweeping the Austin Peay/Murray State road swing for the first time in school history. Southeast beat both the Governors (108-81) and Racers (84-68) by double figures. The Redhawks enter this year's tournament with the league's second-best scoring offense, averaging 74.2 points per game. Southeast has put up 70 or more points in 10 of its last 11 contests.

Redhawks Tie for Fifth in OVC
The Redhawks finished the 2012-13 regular-season at 16-15 overall and 8-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southeast was second in the league's West Division behind Murray State and tied for fifth with Morehead State overall. It marked the second-straight year where the Redhawks took fifth in the conference. Southeast also went .500 or better against OVC foes in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1999-2000 (14-4) and 2000-01 (8-8).    

Southeast at the OVC Tournament
Southeast is 8-10 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference Tournament play. The Redhawks advanced to the quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons. Southeast beat Eastern Kentucky in the first round, winning, 65-49, on Mar. 2, 2011 and, 75-65, on Feb. 29, 2012. The Redhawks are 2-2 in postseason play under head coach Dickey Nutt.

Keep it Going
The Redhawks look to get a win at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the third-straight year in 2012-13. Southeast has never gone three-consecutive seasons with at least one win at the OVC Tournament.

Redhawks Grab No. 6 Seed
A day after Southeast locked up a spot in this year's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, the Redhawks secured the No. 6 seed after beating Austin Peay (Feb. 28). Southeast is a No. 6 seed for the fourth time in its OVC Tournament history. The Redhawks also went to the 1997, 2005 and 2007 tourneys as the six-seed. Southeast is 1-3 all-time as a No. 6 seed, with its one win coming over Murray State (61-58) in 2005.

It's Been Awhile
Southeast and Eastern Illinois meet for just the second time at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Redhawks only game against a No. 7 seed was vs. the Panthers in 1999. Southeast won, 78-57, and later advanced to the championship game, where it lost to Murray State, 62-61. The 1999 OVC Tournament was played at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

Southeast's OVC Tournament Records vs.
Austin Peay (last played in 2011)    0-3
Eastern Illinois (last played in 1999)    1-0
Eastern Kentucky (last played in 2012)    2-1
Middle Tennessee (last played in 2000)    2-1
Morehead State (last played in 2003)    0-1
Murray State (last played in 2005)      2-1
Tennessee Tech (last played in 2012)    0-3
UT Martin (last played in 2000)    1-0

One OVC Tournament Title
Southeast won its only Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship in 2000. Southeast, which was a No. 2 seed, defeated No. 7 UT Martin, No. 6 Middle Tennessee and No. 1 Murray State that year. It later fell to LSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Salt Lake City, Utah. The 1999-2000 team, which was     coached by Gary Garner, went 24-7 and 14-4 in OVC play during Southeast's ninth season at the NCAA Division I level. The 24 wins are still the most in a season during Southeast's Division I era. That team was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.

Eight-Team Field
The 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament field consists of No. 1 Belmont (24-6), No. 2 Murray State (20-9), No. 3 Eastern Kentucky (23-8), No. 4 Tennessee State (17-13), No. 5 Morehead State (14-17), No. 6 Southeast Missouri (16-15), No. 7 Eastern Illinois (11-20) and No. 8 UT Martin (9-20). The Redhawks went 4-6 against this year's field during the regular-season. Here is a breakdown of those records:
Belmont    0-1
Murray State    1-1
Eastern Kentucky    0-1
Tennessee State    0-1
Morehead State    0-1
Eastern Illinois    1-1
UT Martin    2-0

Music City Madness
For the third year in a row all eight men's and women's teams will play every game of the Championship at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. The merit-based system gives the No. 1 and 2 seeds a double bye to the semifinals while the No. 3 and 4 seeds get a single bye to the quarterfinals. The first round will match up the No. 5/8 and No. 6/7 seeds.This year marks the 19th time in the past 20 years that the tournament has been held in Nashville. This year is the eighth time the combined men's and women's championship has been held at Municipal Auditorium; the men also held tournaments at Municipal in 1967 and 1989. This year marks the 50th time the OVC Men's Basketball Championship has been held; the event is the fourth oldest Division I basketball championship tournament.

Television/Live Stats Information
This year's first round and quarterfinals can be seen for free exclusively on the OVC Digital Network (OVCDigitalNetwork.com), the league's web streaming platform. The games are available on any computer,    tablet or smart phone without needing any special downloads, apps or registration. The first semifinal will air live on ESPNU while the second semifinal will air live on ESPN3 and will be delayed on ESPNU at 12:30 a.m. CT. The championship game will air live on ESPN2. Live stats and other information throughout the tournament can be accessed online at the league's tournament central page on OVCSports.com.

Series History
Southeast trails its all-time series against Eastern Illinois by a count of 23-21. The Redhawks and Panthers split their season series with EIU winning, 78-72 OT, in Charleston on Jan. 26 and Southeast winning, 77-64, in Cape Girardeau on Feb. 9. Marland Smith dropped in 29 points and tied a Southeast single-game record nine three-pointers the last time these teams met. The Redhawks finished with 15 three-pointers in that Feb. 9 matchup. EIU makes the OVC Tournament for the first time since 2010.

OVC Tournament Experience
Five players, including Marland Smith, Lucas Nutt, Tyler Stone, Corey Wilford and Nick Niemczyk have played in at least two Ohio Valley Conference Tournament games over the last two seasons. Smith and Nutt have the most experience with four postseason starts apiece. Meanwhile, Stone (21.0 ppg) has the top OVC Tournament scoring average of any Redhawk returning to the eight-team event. Nino Johnson was at last year's OVC Tournament, but did not play.

Three-Point Frenzy
Southeast is currently the hottest three-point shooting team in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks have made 10 or more three-pointers in six-straight games. It is the longest streak of consecutive games with double-digit threes in the league this season, surpassing Murray State's previous span of five games (Nov. 15-26).   

Southeast Fifth in the Nation in Three-Point Field Goal Percentage
The Redhawks lead the Ohio Valley Conference and rank fifth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.407, 245-of-602). Southeast also ranks among the top-50 teams in the nation in points scored (14th, 2,299), scoring offense (37th, 74.2 ppg), field goal percentage (30th, .470), three-point field goals per game (34th, 7.9), assists per game (23rd, 15.5), assist/turnover ratio (45th, 1.2) and blocked shots (35th, 4.9 bpg). Individually, Corey Wilford is 13th in the country in three-point field goal percentage (.444) and Nino Johnson is 20th in blocks (2.6 avg.) as of Mar. 3.

Watch Out...Three-Point Records are Falling
Southeast broke a team single-season record in three-point field goals made and three-point field goals attempted in 2012-13. The Redhawks 245 threes surpassed the previous mark of 215 done by the 1988-89 team. Southeast's 602 three-point field goal attempts moved past the previous record of 575 done in 1997-98. The Redhawks also broke a single-game school record and Ohio Valley Conference single-game record with 20 three-pointers at Austin Peay (Feb. 28). The 20 threes were the most any team made against an NCAA Division I opponent in league history. Jacksonville State held the record with 19 three-pointers vs. Tennessee Temple during the 2007-08 season prior to this year.

As if that isn't Enough...
The Redhawks also tied the 2012-13 NCAA Division I single-game record with their 20 three-pointers at Austin Peay (Feb. 28). UNC Greensboro was the other to make 20 threes (vs. Chattanooga on Feb. 21) in a game this year.

Torching the Nets
Southeast shot over 53 percent from three-point range in the first half en route to building halftime leads in each of its last six contests where it had 10 or more threes. As a result, the Redhawks boosted their three-point field goal percentage by 47 points (.360 to .407) during that stretch. The Redhawks shot a combined 82-of-149 for a blazing 55 percent from downtown in their last six games alone. In addition, Southeast shot 75 percent or better from behind the arc in the first half of its last two road games. The Redhawks were 13-of-17 for 76.5 percent at Austin Peay (Feb. 28) and 9-of-12 for 75 percent at Murray State (Mar. 2).

Mr. Perfect
A.J. Jones scored 20 points in both of his games against Murray State this season. Most recently, Jones did not miss a shot in Southeast's 84-68 victory over the Racers on Mar. 2. He made 6-of-6 field goals, 4-of-4 three-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws. Jones also scored 11 of Southeast's first 13 points of the game and scored 15 in only eight first-half minutes. Jones had gone a flawless 9-of-9 from the field in his last two games combined. In fact, he hasn't missed a field goal since the 5:23 mark of the Ball State game on Feb. 23. Jones will make his Ohio Valley Conference Tournament debut Wednesday. He earned OVC Newcomer of the Week honors on Mar. 4.

Wilford Goes Off
Corey Wilford made his first six three-pointers and scored 26 points to lead a season-high six Redhawks with double figures in the scoring column at Austin Peay (Feb. 28). Wilford shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the      field and made a career-high 8-of-12 threes. He scored 20 points in the first 11 minutes of the game. It marked the sixth time Wilford scored 20+ points in a game this season. Two days later, he turned around to score 16 points and knock down five more threes at Murray State (Mar. 2). He leads Southeast and ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference in three-point field goals made (80, 2.8 per game) this season. Wilford is also fourth among league leaders in three-point field goal percentage (.444, 80-of-180). He has come on strong to hit four or more threes in five of his last six starts. Wilford was named OVC Player of the Week on Mar. 4.

Redhawks Reach Season-High at the Free Throw Line
The Redhawks shot a season-best 95.2 percent (20-of-21) at the free throw line at Murray State (Mar. 2). Southeast made a perfect 14-of-14 free throws in the second half, including 10-straight in the final 1:45 of the game. The Redhawks last shot over 90 percent with a minimum of 19 makes at the free throw line at Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 9, 2008. Southeast made 19-of-20 free throws in that game.

Southeast Gets 16th Win
Southeast currently has 16 wins, its most in a season since 2000-01. That year, the Redhawks went 18-12 overall. The 16 wins are the most in a season under head coach Dickey Nutt. Southeast won 15 or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1999-2000 (24-7) and 2000-01.

Happy 500th!
Dickey Nutt coached his 500th career game when Southeast beat Murray State, 84-68, on Mar. 2. Nutt is 237-263 in 17 years as an NCAA Division I head coach. He has coached a total of 124 games (48-76) at Southeast. The Redhawks defeated Murray State on its homecourt for the first time since 2006-07.

Johnson Sets to Crack OVC Single-Season Blocks List
Nino Johnson, who ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference and 19th in the nation with 81 blocks this season, is four away from placing himself among the league's all-time single-season shot-blockers. Johnson broke Southeast's all-time single-season record this year. He has gathered at least two blocks in 22 games.