Southeast Missouri (10-12, 4-5 OVC) at Murray State (19-4, 9-0 OVC)

Date: Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015
Tip-Off: 7 p.m., CT
Location: Murray, Ky.
Arena: CFSB Center (8,600)
Series History: Murray State leads, 48-20
Coaches: Dickey Nutt (Southeast Missouri), Steve Prohm (Murray State)

Media Coverage
Radio: ESPN 92.9 FM and Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Video: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter Updates: @SEMOmbb
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri

On the Road Again
Southeast Missouri (10-12, 4-5) heads to Ohio Valley Conference leader and rival Murray State (19-4, 9-0) Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., CT, at the CFSB Center.

Follow the Redhawks
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on the radio at ESPN 92.9 FM and Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean will provide play-by-play. Live stats can be accessed online at GoRacers.com. Free video is available online at the OVC Digital Network.

February Begins
Southeast starts the month of February against the Ohio Valley Conference's hottest team in Murray State. The Redhawks closed out January with a 4-5 record, and as a result, earned their most wins in a month this season.

Seven to Go
The Redhawks have seven games left in the regular-season and things don't get any easier down the stretch. After Thursday's contest, Southeast returns home to host Eastern Illinois (Feb. 7), UT Martin (Feb. 12) and Murray State (Feb. 14). Those three teams have combined for a 46-21 (.686) overall record and a 21-6 (.778) mark in Ohiio Valley Conference play.

Series History
Rivals Southeast and Murray State hook up for the 69th time on the hardwood this week. The Racers hold a 48-20 lead in the all-time series. Southeast won two of the last three matchups between these teams. The Redhawks beat the Racers, 84-68, in Murray during the 2012-13 campaign and, 118-115, in double overtime a year ago at the Show Me Center. Southeast is 8-39 against the Racers since it joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 1991-92.

Chasing 1,000
Jarekious Bradley and Nino Johnson are both chasing 1,000 career points. Bradley (894) needs 116 more to hit that mark, while Johnson (899) is 101 points away. So far, Dickey Nutt has had two 1,000-point scorers as Southeast's head coach. Tyler Stone (2011-14) ranks fifth all-time in school history with 1,546 points and Marland Smith (2009-13) ranks seventh with 1,423.

Redhawks Get Road Win at Austin Peay
Southeast ended a two-game losing streak with a 70-64 road win at Austin Peay (Jan. 31). Four of the eight players that played scored double figures for the Redhawks. Nino Johnson and Jarekious Bradley paved the way with 15 points apiece, while Jamaal Calvin and J.J. Thompson followed with 11. Southeast has ended each of its first three months of the season with a win.

Calvin Earns First Start
After coming off the bench in his first 18 games, Jamaal Calvin earned his first start of the season at Austin Peay (Jan. 31). Calvin scored 11 points in 30 minutes during just his third career start. He shot 4-of-7 from the fied and 3-of-6 from three-point range en route to his second-straight double-digit scoring effort. Calvin heated up to shoot 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from beyond the arc in his last two games combined.

Team Effort
Southeast won both halves in its latest victory at Austin Peay (Jan. 31). Prior to that game, the Redhawks had lost four-straight halves of basketball. Southeast's first-half lead against the Governors marked the first time the Redhawks led a half since their final 20 minutes against Tennessee Tech (33-31) on Jan. 17.

Nifty Fifty
The Redhawks shot 56.5 percent (26-of-46) from the field against Austin Peay (Jan. 31). It marked Southeast's second-best field goal percentage of the season. The Redhawks shot over 50 percent in a game for the fourth time this year.

Double-Double for Johnson
Nino Johnson registered his second double-double and 14th of his career when he had 15 points and 10 rebounds at Austin Peay (Jan. 31). Johnson hit 4-of-7 field goals and 7-of-12 free throws in 36 minutes. It was his first double-double since Dec. 20.

Board Certified
The Redhawks outrebounded their opponent in four of their last eight contests. Southeast  is 8-1 in games when it outrebounds its opponent this season.

Johnson Among Block Leaders
Nino Johnson recorded three blocks at Austin Peay (Jan. 31), and as a result, ran his team-high total to 49 this season. Johnson, who ranks behind Austin Peay's Chris Horton (51), stands 33rd in the nation in total blocks. He has led Southeast in blocks 13 times this season and finished with three or more on 12 of those occasions.

Bradley Second in the Nation in Free Throw Percentage
Jarekious Bradley leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks second in  the nation in free throw percentage. Bradley is a near-perfect 26-of-27 at the charity strip in conference play. Overall, he has missed only four free throws this season, knocking down 54-of-58 attempts for 93.1 percent.

NCAA Division I Free Throw Percentage Leaders
(Through Games of Jan. 21, 2015)
Riley Grabau, Wyoming                                    .941
Jarekious Bradley, Southeast Missouri             .931
Four McGlynn, Towson                                     .931
Joseph Young, Oregon                                     .931
Johnny Dee, San Diego                                   .922

Road Update
Southeast saw a two-game road winning streak end in a 70-53 loss at UT Martin (Jan. 24). The Redhawks posted their largest victories in Ohio Valley Conference play prior to that loss. Southeast won at Tennessee State, 77-62, on Jan. 3 and, 69-52, at Jacksonville State on Jan. 14. Southeast won five of its last six OVC road games.

About Murray State
Murray State enters Thursday's matchup at 19-4 overall and  perfect 9-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Racers own a 17-game winning streak as the league's top scoring team (78.9 ppg). MSU is outscoring its opponents by a OVC-best +11.6 margin. The Racers also top the conference with a .491 field goal percentage, .400 clip from three-point range and 16.1 assists per game. Cameron Payne is the OVC's leading scorer with a 19.2 points per game average. Payne, Jarvis Williams, Jeffery Moss, T.J. Sapp and Jonathan Fairell have started all 23 games for the Racers this year. Williams (15.8 ppg), Moss (11.2 ppg) and Sapp (10.8 ppg) are also averaging double figures in the scoring column.