#7 Southeast Missouri (11-15) vs. #2 Morehead State (20-7)

Game Information
Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Tip-Off: 9:30 p.m., CT
Location: Evansville, Ind.
Arena: Ford Center (11,000)
Series: MSU leads, 32-20
Last Meeting: MSU 76, SEMO 65 (Jan. 21, 2021 | Morehead, Ky.)
Head Coaches: Brad Korn (11-15 overall, 11-15 at SEMO; 9-11 OVC). Preston Spradlin (66-76 overall; 66-76 at MSU).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: OVCSports.com
Twitter: @SEMOMBB
OVC Tournament Homepage
Southeast Missouri Game Notes

Evansville Bound 
#7 Southeast Missouri (11-15) begins postseason play when it faces #2 Morehead State (20-7) in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Wednesday. Tip is set for 9:30 p.m., CT at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

Follow the Redhawks
Listen live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM with Erik Sean handling the play-by-play. Watch on ESPN+. Live stats are available at OVCSports.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOMBB.

Eight-Team Field
The 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament field consists of #1 Belmont, #2 Morehead State, #Eastern Kentucky, #4 Jacksonville State, #5 Murray State, #6 Austin Peay, #7 Southeast Missouri and #8 SIU Edwardsville. SEMO makes its first appearance in the OVC Tournament since it has been held in Evansville.

Back in the Postseason
In Brad Korn's first year as a head coach, Southeast Missouri is back in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. SEMO makes its 16th OVC Tournament appearance in program history and first since 2017. The Redhawks officially punched their ticket to Evansville with a 94-88 road win over Eastern Illinois (Feb. 25). 

OVC Tournament Talk
The Redhawks have made the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020. Southeast Missouri is 11-14 all-time at the league's postseason fling. SEMO won its only OVC Tournament title and made its lone NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. The Redhawks advanced to the championship game twice (1999, 2000).

2017 OVC Tournament Flashback
Southeast Missouri, then a five-seed, posted a thrilling 78-75 overtime victory over Tennessee State in the first round of the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. SEMO's season then ended with a 74-51 loss to #4 Jacksonville State in the quarterfinals. Denzel Mahoney scored 34 points and Tahj Eaddy made a 3-pointer with two seconds left to lead the Redhawks to their come-from-behind win. Mahoney is now Creighton University's second-leading scorer (13.9 ppg) and Eaddy ranks second in scoring with 13.8 points a game at USC.

First-Timers
All 13 players on Southeast Missouri's roster will experience the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the first time in their careers. The Redhawks will play at the Ford Center for the second time this season. SEMO faced Evansville there on Dec. 15. The Redhawks fell to the Purple Aces, 66-63, in overtime. 

Seven Seed
The Redhawks staked claim to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament's seventh seed when they beat SIU Edwardsville, 69-63, in their final game of the regular season on Feb. 27. Southeast Missouri is 1-2 in two previous tournaments as a seven seed. The Redhawks were in that spot for the 2003 and 2011 tournaments. SEMO defeated Eastern Kentucky, 65-49, for their one win as a seven seed in 2011.

Against the No. 2
Southeast MIssouri is 0-2 in its Ohio Valley Conference Tournament history against the No. 2 seed. The Redhawks lost to #2 Morehead State, 91-84, in 2003 and fell to #2 Eastern Kentucky, 69-52, in the semifinal of the 2005 OVC Tournament.

Series History
Wednesday marks the 53rd meeting between Southeast Missouri and Morehead State. MSU has gone 18-3 in the last 20 matchups in the series. The Eagles hold a 33-19 advantage against SEMO. The Redhawks dropped both meetings against MSU this season and are 0-2 against the Eagles at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. These teams last faced each other at the OVC Tournament in the first round in 2018. The Eagles won by a score of 79-74.

About Morehead State
Morehead State is one of two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference with 20 or more wins in 2020-21. The Eagles enter the postseason at 20-7 overall and finished with a 17-3 mark in OVC play. MSU carries a four-game winning streak into this week's tournament and is coming off an 89-82 win over regular-season champion and this week's No. 1 seed Belmont. The Eagles have won 16 of their last 17 contests. MSU Head Coach Preston Spradlin was voted OVC Coach of the Year, while forward Johni Broom claimed First-Team All-OVC honors. Guard Devon Cooper garnered Second-Team accolades and both Broom and guard Skyelar Potter landed on the league's All-Newcomer Team.

Nine OVC Wins
Southeast Missouri, which was picked to finish last in the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll, took seventh with a 9-11 record in league games under first-year Head Coach Brad Korn. The Redhawks improved by a +6 margin in the win column during OVC play this year. SEMO matched its most conference victories in 20 years. Also, it marked the 10th time the Redhawks won nine or more OVC games in program history.

Heating Up at the Right Time
Southeast Missouri won four of its last five games and carries a lot of momentum into this week's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Redhawks beat Austin Peay, 86-81, in overtime on Feb. 16, cruised to a 94-72 win over Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 20, downed Eastern Illinois, 94-88, on the road on Feb. 25 and defeated SIU Edwardsville, 69-63, on Feb. 27. SEMO averaged 85.8 points per game in those victories. 

Reed, Jr. Paves the Way
Eric Reed, Jr., named Ohio Valley Conference Co-Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 22, scored a career-high 27 points and buried seven 3-pointers to lead Southeast Missouri in its 94-88 road victory over Eastern Illinois (Feb. 25). SEMO swept the Panthers in two games for the third time in four years. Reed, Jr. shot 10-of-16 from the field and 7-of-9 from 3-point range. It was the third time in six games where he scored over 20 points.

Seven Threes
Eric Reed, Jr. became the first Redhawk to make seven 3-pointers in a game since the 2016-17 season. Reed, Jr. reached that mark at Eastern Illinois (Feb. 25). Prior to this year, Ledarrius Brewer was the last to  make seven threes in a game, also vs. Eastern Illinois on Feb. 15, 2017.

Akenten Double-Double
Nana Akenten scored 11 points and had 10 rebounds in 35 minutes during Southeast Missouri's victory over SIU Edwardsville (Feb. 27). Akenten picked up the second double-double of his career. He has both of SEMO's double-doubles this season.

High Score
The Redhawks clinched their spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament by scoring 94 points in their win over Eastern Illinois (Feb. 25). Southeast Missouri last scored 94 or more points in an OVC road game twice during the 2012-13 campaign. SEMO put up 108 points in a victory at Austin Peay (Feb. 28) and 96 in a win at UT Martin (Feb. 16) that year.

Reed, Jr. Tabbed OVC Co-Newcomer of the Week
Junior guard Eric Reed, Jr. picked up Southeast Missouri's first Ohio Valley Conference honor in 2020-21 when he was named the league's Co-Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 22. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Reed, Jr. had another big week for SEMO, this time leading the Redhawks to a pair of key home victories. He averaged 19 points, five rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in two starts. Reed, Jr. dropped in a season-high 22 points and drained five 3-pointers, while shooting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the field in SEMO's 86-81 overtime victory over Austin Peay (Feb. 16). Four days later, he finished with 16 points and a season-best six assists in the Redhawks 94-72 rout of Eastern Kentucky. For the week, Reed, Jr. shot 56 percent (14-of-25) from the field and 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from 3-point range. Additionally, he scored double figures in three-straight games and five of his last seven starts. Reed, Jr. won SEMO's first OVC Newcomer of the Week accolade in over two years. Skyler Hogan was the last to win the honor on Dec. 10, 2018. Tennessee State's Mark Freeman (Player), Jacksonville State's Darian Adams (Co-Newcomer), Morehead State's Johni Broome (Co-Freshman) and Eastern Kentucky's Curt Lewis (Co-Freshman) rounded out the week's honorees.

Three Season Sweeps
The Redhawks completed their third season sweep of an Ohio Valley Conference opponent when it beat SIU Edwardsville, 69-63, on Feb. 27. Southeast Missouri beat SIUE, Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State twice this season. It was the first time since 2017-18 where SEMO swept three OVC opponents. That year, the Redhawks beat Morehead State, EIU and SIUE two times.

Reed, Jr. Among Single-Season Leaders in 3-Point Percentage
Eric Reed, Jr., who leads Southeast Missouri and ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference in 3-point field goal percentage, currently ranks sixth among the school's all-time single-season leaders. Reed, Jr. has made 56-of-124 threes for a 45.2 percent clip through 26 games this year. 

Strong Down the Stretch
The Redhawks snapped a three-game losing streak with their win over Austin Peay (Feb. 16) and have since won four of five. Southeast Missouri is at 11 victories in 2020-21, a +4 improvement in the win column from 2019-20 (7-23). The Redhawks also upped their number of Ohio Valley Conference wins to nine after winning only three conference games in 2019-20.

Love and Taylor Update
Jordan Love (Achilles) missed Southeast Missouri's last six games and Nolan Taylor (knee) did not play at Eastern Illinois (Feb. 25). Love and Taylor's status for Wednesday's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament matchup is undetermined at this time.

Largest Victory
The Redhawks put together a complete game 75-44 victory over Eastern Illinois (Jan. 30). Southeast Missouri won a game by double figures for the first time this season. The 31-point victory marked the first time SEMO won an Ohio Valley Conference home game by more than 30 points since 2016-17. SEMO beat Eastern Kentucky, 81-48, on Dec. 31 that year.

Eleven NCAA Division I Wins 
Southeast Missouri picked up its 11th NCAA Division I win this season with its 69-63 victory over SIU Edwardsville (Feb. 27). SEMO surpassed its number of wins (5) over NCAA Division I teams a year ago by a +6 margin. The 11 Division I wins are SEMO's most in a season since it had 12 in 2017-18.

Leading at Halftime
The Redhawks have either led or been tied at halftime in 14 of their 26 games this season. Southeast Missouri held a 35-33 edge at the intermission at Ohio Valley Conference leader Belmont (Jan. 7). It was the first time SEMO led at the half in 10 meetings with the Bruins. Seven of the the Redhawks 11 wins have come when they led at the half this year.

Close Games
Southeast Missouri, which has been outscored by a tight 3.2 margin, dropped three contests in overtime and one on a last second shot since its 2020-21 campaign began on Nov. 28. SEMO has lost seven times by double figures (77-66, at Belmont, Jan. 7; 64-50, vs. Morehead State, Jan. 16; 76-65 at Morehead State, Jan. 21; 77-60 vs. Murray State, Feb. 1; 66-54 vs. Jacksonville State; 80-60 at Murray State, Feb. 12; 78-63 at Austin Peay, Feb. 13) and won six games by no more than five points. SEMO also dropped three games by three points or less. Additionally, the Redhawks been involved in nine games decided by no more than five points.

Multiple Threes
Eric Reed, Jr. has gone 15 of his last 22 games with at least two made threes. Reed, Jr. has made multiple 3-pointers in 17 of his 26 contests this year. He buried a season-high seven 3-pointers at Eastern Illinois (Feb. 25). Reed, Jr. ranks first on the team with 56 three-pointers and ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.452) this year. 

Top Scorer
Chris Harris scored double figures for the 18th time in 25 starts this season when he finished with 16 points at SIU Edwardsville (Feb. 27). Harris, who leads Southeast Missouri and ranks 16th in the Ohio Valley Conference with 12.5 points a game, has scored over 20 points twice this year. He also ranks third on the team with 37 three-pointers made. Harris finished as SEMO's leading scorer nine times this year.