CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri will play a 31-game schedule with 14 matchups at the Show Me Center this upcoming 2017-18 season.
 
SEMO opens the year at home against Missouri Baptist on Friday, Nov. 10.
 
After that, the Redhawks compete in the Cancun Challenge prior to Thanksgiving. SEMO travels to Louisiana Tech (Nov. 13) and Evansville (Nov. 16) stateside before facing Cal State Northridge (Nov. 21) and either Binghamton or Montana State (Nov. 22) at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. Louisiana Tech finished with a 23-10 record last season.
 
This year marks the second time the Redhawks play in a tournament in Mexico. SEMO became the first Missouri school to win the Cure UCD Classic in Puerto Vallarta during the 2013-14 campaign.
 
"Our non-conference schedule will be a very challenging journey for our inexperienced team," said SEMO head coach Rick Ray. "They will have to grow up fast! Our tournament in Cancun will afford our players a once in a lifetime experience they will always remember."
 
The rest of SEMO's non-conference schedule includes a home-and-home series with North Carolina Central (Nov. 26 in Cape Girardeau, Dec. 2 in Durham, N.C.), home matchups against Hannibal-LaGrange (Nov. 28), UMKC (Dec. 6) and Bradley (Dec. 20), and road tilts at regional-rival Southern Illinois (Dec. 9), Big 12 Conference member Kansas State (Dec. 16) and Saint Louis (Dec. 22).
 
Longtime rivals SEMO and SIU renew a home-and-home series after a year absence. The Redhawks meet Kansas State for the second time in 2017-18. The Wildcats went 21-14 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Meanwhile, UMKC participated in the College Basketball Invitational.
 
"Kansas State made the NCAA Tournament, Louisiana Tech won 23 games and UMKC competed in the CBI. I am glad that we are renewing our rivalry with SIU. That game as well as the matchup at Saint Louis provides the opportunity for our alums in the area to come and support us," commented Ray.
 
The Ohio Valley Conference, which is no longer separated into divisions, moved to an 18-game schedule this season.
 
SEMO opens league play at home against defending OVC Champion Belmont (Dec. 28) and Tennessee State (Dec. 31). The Redhawks eliminated the Tigers from the OVC Tournament last season.
 
Morehead State (Jan. 11), Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 13), Murray State (Feb. 1), Austin Peay (Feb. 3), Eastern Illinois (Feb. 15), SIU Edwardsville (Feb. 17) and UT Martin (Feb. 24) round out the Redhawks home OVC slate.
 
SEMO heads to Murray State (Jan. 4), Austin Peay (Jan. 6), SIUE (Jan. 18), EIU (Jan. 20), Tennessee Tech (Jan. 25), Jacksonville State (Jan. 27), Morehead State (Feb. 8), UTM (Feb. 10) and Eastern Kentucky (Feb. 22) during its conference road schedule. JSU represented the OVC in the NCAA Tournament last season.
 
The Redhawks enter their third season under head coach Rick Ray. Ray led SEMO to an overall record of 15-18 and 9-7 OVC mark a year ago. The Redhawks, who had a +10 increase in the win column, were the 22^nd most improved team in the nation during the 2016-17 campaign.
 
Denzel Mahoney is SEMO's only returning starter. Mahoney was named OVC Freshman of the Year, Second-Team All-OVC, All-Newcomer and landed a spot on the league's All-Tournament Team last season. He finished second on the team with 14.9 points per game and was the Redhawks top scorer in conference play with 16.6 points per contest.