Southeast Missouri (5-8, 0-0 OVC) at Southern Indiana (7-6, 0-0 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Thursday, December 29, 2022
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m., CT
Location: Evansville, Ind.
Facility: Screaming Eagles Arena (4,800)
Series: SEMO leads, 3-2
Head Coaches: Brad Korn (30-42 overall; 30-42 at SEMO; 17-20 OVC). Stan Gouard (265-136 overall; 37-19 at USI; 0-0 OVC).

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

Redhawks Head to Southern Indiana 
Southeast Missouri (5-8) opens its 18-game Ohio Valley Conference slate at first-year OVC member Southern Indiana (7-6) Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., CT at Screaming Eagles Arena.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean will be on the call. Video can be accessed at ESPN+. Live stats are available at USIScreamingEagle.com and Twitter updates will be provided @SEMOMBB.

Series History
Southeast Missouri holds a 3-2 edge in its all-time series against Southern Indiana. Thursday's matchup marks the first meeting between the teams in 32 years. SEMO and USI last played each other in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional in Cape Girardeau during the 1989-90 campaign. SEMO won that game, 91-73.

OVC Openers
The Redhawks are 10-21 in Ohio Valley Conference openers. Southeast Missouri is in its 32nd seasons as a member of the OVC. SEMO has dropped five-straight OVC openers with its last league opening win coming vs. Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 31, 2016. The Redhawks are 0-2 in OVC openers under Head Coach Brad Korn.

New to the League
Southern Indiana accepted an invitation to join the Ohio Valley Conference on Feb. 9, 2022. USI, which sponsors 16 of the OVC's 19 championship sports, officially became a member on July 1, 2022. The Screaming Eagles are the 23rd full-time member in the 74-year history of the conference. USI previously competed at the NCAA Division II level and is in its reclassification process during the 2022-23 academic year. It will be included in OVC regular season schedules and be eligible to compete in OVC Championships. USI will be eligible to earn automatic bids to NCAA Championships beginning in 2026-27, its first season of full Division I membership.

Last Time Out
Southeast Missouri dropped a heartbreaking 70-68 decision to longtime rival Southern Illinois prior to the Christmas holiday on Dec. 21. SEMO finished non- conference play at 5-8. Chris Harris scored 19 points and Phillip Russell added 17 in the loss. The 120th meeting between the teams came down to the wire as Harris' 3-pointer came off the rim at the buzzer.

Battling Through It
Southeast Missouri has not played with a full roster all season. The short-handed Redhawks have battled various injuries and illnesses, at times playing games with three or more inactive players. Most recently, SEMO was without its second-leading scorer Israel Barnes (illness) at Arkansas State (Dec. 14), at Iowa (Dec. 17) and vs. Southern Illinois (Dec. 21). The Redhawks used seven different starting lineup combinations through their first 13 games.

Seven-Game Skid
After starting the 2022-23 season at 5-1, the Redhawks dropped each of their last seven contests. Southeast Missouri's last win was a 63-52 victory over Boston University at the Milwaukee Cream City Classic on Nov. 26. The seven-game losing streak is SEMO's longest with Brad Korn as its head coach. SEMO is 0-5 in December.

Tough at Home
Southern Indiana is one of four Ohio Valley Conference teams left that are undefeated at home this season. The Screaming Eagles are 5-0 on their home court. UT Martin (7-0), Lindenwood (4-0) and Little Rock (4-0) are the others.

Harris Nets Season-High
Chris Harris scored a season-high 19 points in each of his last two outings at Iowa (Dec. 17) and vs. Southern Illinois (Dec. 21). Harris came off the bench to shoot 8-of-13 from the field and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers against the Hawkeyes. Four days later, he made five 3-pointers against the Salukis.

Free Throw Disparity
In its last two games, Southeast Missouri was outscored at the free throw line by a score of 46-18. SEMO made 7-of-8 free throws at Iowa (Dec. 17) and 11-of-18 vs. Southern Illinois (Dec. 21). Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes finished with 22-of-33 free throws and the Salukis made 24-of-31.

Rebounding Machine
Kobe Clark collected double-digit rebounds for the fifth time when he matched a season-high 16 at Arkansas State (Dec. 14). Clark had 14 defensive rebounds in that game alone. He ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 9.2 boards per game. Clark also ranks 24th in the nation in total rebounds (120).

120 or More Rebounds
Kobe Clark is one of 25 players in the nation with 120 or more rebounds at this point in the season. Clark was the first Ohio Valley Conference player to reach the century mark in rebounds this year. St. John's' Joel Soriano leads the nation with 164 boards.

Christmas Break
Southeast Missouri faces Southern Indiana after an eight-day break for Christmas. Following Thursday's game, the Redhawks return home to host SIU Edwardsville in a New Year's Eve afternoon matchup Saturday.

Starting Streak
Second-year point guard Phillip Russell has started 24 consecutive games. Russell missed only two starts since joining the Redhawks due to COVID protocols during the 2021-22 campaign. He has 43 career starts and is one of two Redhawks that started all 13 games this year.

Make that 14 in a Row
Chris Harris has made a 3-pointer in each of the last 14 games he played dating back to last season. Harris and Phillip Russell made a 3-pointer in every game they played this year. Russell (30) and Harris (22) have combined for 52 of Southeast Missouri's 109 three-pointers made (47.7 percent).

OVC Top Two
The Redhawks are second in the Ohio Valley Conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.297) and defensive rebound percentage (.743). Individually, Phillip Russell is second in the OVC in assists (4.5 apg) and free throw percentage (.868), and Kobe Clark ranks first in blocks (1.3 bpg), second in defensive rebounds (6.6 rpg) and second in minutes played (32.4 mpg).