#4 Southeast Missouri (14-17) vs. #1 Murray State (28-2)

OVC Tournament Semifinals
Date: Friday, March 4, 2022
Tip-Off: 7 p.m., CT
Location: Evansville, Ind.
Facility: Ford Center (11,000)
Series: MSU leads, 64-21
Last Meeting: MSU 70, SEMO 68 (Feb. 26, 2022 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Head Coaches: Brad Korn (25-32 overall, 25-32 at SEMO; 17-19 OVC). Matt McMahon (151-66 overall, 151-66 at MSU). 

Follow the Redhawks
TV: ESPNU (Robert Ford, Richie Schueler)
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: OVCSports.com
Twitter: @SEMOMBB
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
2022 OVC Tournament Bracket
2022 OVC Tournament Central

Redhawks Get Another Shot at Murray State
#4 Southeast Missouri (14-17) gets another crack at top-seeded and #22 Murray State (28-2) in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Semifinals Friday. The nationally-televised ESPNU matchup will tip at 7 p.m., CT at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

Follow the Redhawks
Friday's game will be televised live on ESPNU with Robert Ford and Richie Schueler on the call. Listen live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM with Erik Sean handling the play-by-play duties. Video can be accessed at ESPN+. Live stats are available at OVCSports.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOMBB.

Redhawks on ESPNU
Southeast Missouri plays on ESPNU for the sixth time since the 2012-13 season. The Redhawks last played a game televised on ESPNU vs. Morehead State on Jan. 27, 2022.SEMO's last ESPNU game outside of Cape Girardeau was at Morehead State on Jan. 21, 2021. The Redhawks last won a game on ESPNU when they beat Austin Peay in a 121-116 triple overtime thriller on Jan. 29, 2008. That game was played in Cape Girardeau and the combined 237 points are a Show Me Center record.

Series History
Southeast Missouri and Murray State meet for the 86th time Friday. MSU leads the all-time series by a count of 64-21. The Racers have won 10-straight against the Redhawks. SEMO last beat MSU on Feb. 23, 2017 by a score of 82-69. That game was at the Show Me Center. The Racers have won 18 in a row and ran the table in Ohio Valley Conference play this year.

Back in the Semis
The Redhawks make their first Ohio Valley Conference semifinal appearance in 17 years. Southeast Missouri last advanced that far in the conference tournament in 2005 when the event was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Then-seeded #6 SEMO lost to #2 Eastern Kentucky, 69-52, in that semifinal matchup. SEMO's other OVC Tournament semifinal appearances were in 1999 and 2000.

March Madness
Southeast Missouri has won three of its last four games with its only loss in that stretch coming in a two-point home defeat (70-68) to Murray State on the final day of the regular-season (Feb. 26). The Redhawks opened postseason play with an impressive 79-55 win over #5 Tennessee State Thursday. It was SEMO's largest win in the program's 17 trips to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

Third Time's a Charm
Friday will mark the third meeting between Southeast Missouri and Murray State this season. MSU and SEMO started and ended their Ohio Valley Conference schedules against each other. The Racers beat the Redhawks, 106-80, on Dec. 30 in Murray and, 70-68, on Feb. 26 in Cape Girardeau.

First Postseason Win as Head Coach
Brad Korn picked up his first career postseason win as a head coach when his Southeast Missouri club eliminated #5 Tennessee State, 79-55, in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Mar. 3. Korn has led the Redhawks to the OVC Tournament in each of his first two years as the Redhawks head coach. The win was SEMO's first OVC Tournament victory since 2017. Ironically, the Redhawks also beat TSU, 78-75, in overtime during a first round matchup. The tournament was played at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium that season. Korn is now 1-1 all-time at the OVC Tournament.

Redhawks vs. Ranked Teams
Southeast Missouri is 0-16 all-time against ranked teams in its NCAA Division I history. This year was the third where the Redhawks faced a ranked Murray State team. SEMO fell to MSU when it was ranked #9 (81-73, Feb. 2, in Murray, Kentucky) and #14 (75-66, Feb. 15, in Cape Girardeau) during the 2011-12 season. Here is a list of SEMO's results against ranked teams.
at #21 Cincinnati (12/11/92).........................L, 58-83
at #6 Missouri (2/23/94)...............................L, 61-83
at #21 Illinois (12/8/95)..................................L, 70-89
vs. #6 Cincinnati (1/7/97).............................L, 57-80
vs. #10 LSU* (3/16/00).................................. L, 61-64
at #20 Creighton (12/29/02)......................L, 70-93
at #6 Illinois (12/28/05).................................L, 64-89
at #25 Missouri (11/11/11)..............................L, 68-83
at #9 Murray State (2/2/12).........................L, 73-81
vs. #14 Murray State (2/15/12).................. L, 66-75
at #7 Kansas (11/9/12).....................................L, 55-74
at #11 Missouri (12/4/12)................................L, 65-81
at #10 Indiana (12/4/16)................................L, 55-83
at #10 Florida State (12/17/18)...................L, 68-85
at #5 Ohio State (12/17/19)......................... L, 48-80
vs. #19 Murray State (2/26/22)    L, 68-70
* - NCAA Tournament

Postseason vs. the Racers
Southeast Missouri squares off against Murray State in Ohio Valley Conference Tournament play for the fourth time. SEMO is 2-1 all-time against the Racers in such games. Here are the results of those contests. Two of those matchups were for the OVC Tournament title.
1999 OVC Tournament
MSU 62, SEMO 61 (Championship)
2000 OVC Tournament
SEMO 67, MSU 56 (Championship)
2005 OVC Tournament
SEMO 61, MSU 58 (First Round) 

Low Scoring Affairs
Neither team scored more than 67 points in all three of the previous Ohio Valley Conference Tournament games between Southeast Missouri and Murray State. The most points MSU scored against SEMO in the OVC Tournament was 62 points in 1999 and the most points the Redhawks scored against the Racers in a postseason game was 67 in 2000. SEMO held MSU under 60 points in both the 2000 and 2005 meetings.

Against the #1 Seed
Southeast Missouri is 1-2 all-time versus the top seed in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. SEMO faced #1 Murray State in both 1999 and 2000, and #1 Tennessee Tech in 2002. The Redhawks won their only OVC Tournament title with a 67-56 win over the Racers in 2000.

Let's End It
The Redhawks are looking to spoil Murray State's 18-game winning streak. In 2000, the year Southeast Missouri won its only Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and made its lone NCAA Tournament appearance, the Redhawks ended the Racers 47-game homecourt winning streak with an 84-78 victory on Jan. 15.

OVC Tournament Field
The 2022 eight-team Ohio Valley Conference Tournament includes #1 Murray State, #2 Belmont, #3 Morehead State, #4 Southeast Missouri, #5 Tennessee State, #6 Austin Peay, #7 Tennessee Tech and #8 SIU Edwardsville. SEMO is in the OVC Tournament for the second-straight year under Head Coach Brad Korn. Korn led the Redhawks to their first OVC Tournament in five years during the 2020-21 campaigh, his first season as a head coach.

Back-to-Back OVC Tournament Appearances
Southeast Missouri was one of seven teams that had their Ohio Valley Conference Tournament tickets punched prior to the final day of the regular-season (Feb. 26). SEMO makes back-to-back OVC Tournament appearances for the first time since 2013-14 and 2014-15. 

17th OVC Tournament Berth
This year marks Southeast Missouri's 17th trip to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in program history. The Redhawks made the OVC Tournament in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2022. SEMO is 12-15 all-time at the league's postseason fling. The Redhawks won their only OVC Tournament title and made their only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. SEMO has been in the championship game twice (1999, 2000).

#4 Seed
Southeast Missouri claimed the No. 4 seed in this year's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. It is the first time SEMO is a four-seed in its OVC Tournament history. Additionally, it is the Redhawks highest OVC Tournament seed in 22 years. The highest seed SEMO achieved was No. 2 in both 1999 and 2000. The Redhawks won the OVC Tournament and made their only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000.

OVC Tournament Experience
Nine players on Southeast Missouri's roster experience the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the second year in a row. Eric Reed, Jr., Chris Harris, Nana Akenten, Manny Patterson, Nygal Russell, Dylan Branson, Parker Long, DQ Nicholas and Nate Johnson all played in the 2021 OVC Tournament. Freshmen Phillip Russell, Chase Thompson, Sam Thompson and Adam Larson are in the postseason for the first time in their careers. 

Against the Field
Southeast Missouri entered the tournament with a combined 3-10 record against this year's participating teams in postseason play. SEMO is 2-1 vs. Murray State, 0-4 vs. Morehead State, 0-3 vs. Austin Peay, 0-3 vs. Tennessee Tech and 1-0 vs. Tennessee State. The Redhawks have never faced Belmont and SIU Edwardsville in the OVC Tournament.

Records vs. Seeds
Here are Southeast Missouri's records against all eight seeds in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
vs. #1 Seed    1-2
vs. #2 Seed    0-4
vs. #3 Seed    2-4
vs. #4 Seed    0-4
vs. #5 Seed    1-1
vs. #6 Seed    2-0
vs. #7 Seed    4-0
vs. #8 Seed    2-0

Two-Headed Monster
Eric Reed, Jr. and Manny Patterson have carried Southeast Missouri as of late. Reed, Jr. scored over 20 points in four of his last five starts and notched a career-high 35 points at Tennessee Tech (Feb. 17). Meanwhile, Patterson has been a force underneath the basket scoring double figures in five of his last six contests. He also recorded a double-double three times and scored 20 points twice in that span. Reed, Jr. opened the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament with 22 points against #5 Tennessee State and Patterson turned in a double-double 19 points and 10 boards in that game. 

Defense Turns it On
Southeast Missouri's defense has forced 54 turnovers in its last four games for an average of 13.5 per contest in that span. SEMO recently turned over Tennessee State 19 times in its Ohio Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal win on Mar. 3. The Redhawks also collected 29 steals and matched a season-high with 11 against the Tigers. Additionally, SEMO limited TSU to only 20 points in the first half, the fewest scored by any opponent against the Redhawks during a first half of basketball this year.

Reed, Jr. and Russell Collect All-OVC Honors
Southeast Missouri guards Eric Reed, Jr. and Phillip Russell were named to the 2021-22 All-Ohio Valley Conference basketball teams ahead of the league's postseason tournament on Mar. 1. Reed, Jr. earned First-Team accolades, while Russell claimed Second-Team and All-Newcomer accolades. SEMO put a player on both the OVC first and second teams in a season for the first time since 2016-17 (Antonius Cleveland, First-Team; Denzel Mahoney, Second-Team). A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Reed, Jr. is SEMO's top scorer with 16 points per game. He is also the Redhawks top 3-point and free throw shooter with 64 made threes and a 81.7 percent clip (94-of-115) at the charity stripe. Reed, Jr. dished out 50 assists and ranks second on the team with 28 steals. Reed, Jr. enters the postseason ranked sixth in the OVC in scoring, third in free throw percentage, 12th in 3-point field goal percentage (.358), third in 3-point field goals made and third in minutes played (32.2 mpg). He has scored double figures a total of 21 times with 10 of those performances eclipsing 20 or points and two surpassing 30. Reed, Jr. makes his second-straight trip to Evansville, Indiana for the OVC Tournament this week. Right behind Reed, Jr. is St. Louis native Russell with 14.1 points per contest. A redshirt-freshman, Russell started 28 games and leads SEMO with 88 assists and 35 steals, while ranking second with 47 three-pointers made. He reached double-digits in the scoring column in 21 games and put up a season-best 35 points, 10 rebounds and five steals at SIU Edwardsville (Feb. 7), a game the Redhawks won with only seven players (due to COVID protocols). Russell became only the second Division I freshman in the last 25 years to get 35+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ steals in a game. Russell ranks eighth in the OVC in scoring, 10th in assists, 12th in free throw percentage (.742), 11th in steals, 13th in 3-point field goals made, 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.4) and ninth in minutes played (31.1 mpg). In addition, he won a league-high five OVC Freshman of the Week awards during his first year as a Redhawk. Murray State's KJ Williams was OVC Player of the Year, Morehead State's Johni Broome was selected Defensive Player of the Year and Austin Peay's Elijah Hutchins-Everett was voted Freshman of the Year. Matt McMahon is the OVC Coach of the Year after leading nationally-ranked MSU to the league's regular-season title, the OVC Tournament's top seed and a perfect 18-0 record in conference play.

Senior Duo
Guard Nygal Russell and forward Manny Patterson are the seniors on Southeast Missouri's roster. Russell has played in 116 games in his four-year SEMO career and Patterson has played in 52 games during his two seasons as a Redhawk.

Thrilling Regular-Season Finale
Southeast Missouri gave then-#19 Murray State all it could handle in a heartbreaking 70-68 loss in front of a wild crowd of 2,934 at the Show Me Center on Feb. 26. SEMO led for over 30 minutes in the contest that was decided in the final 2:33 of play. The Redhawks led, 62-50, with 6:38 to go when MSU mounted its comeback with a 15-2 run – that included a six-point swing -- as SEMO went over three minutes without a field goal. Justice Hill buried a second-chance 3-pointer to get the Racers within one before scoring the go-ahead basket on a fastbreak layup off a Redhawk turnover. Down, 65-64, SEMO tied the game on a Nygal Russell free throw with just under two minutes remaining, but Hill came up big again, this time knocking down his second 3-pointer to put MSU ahead, 68-65, with 39 seconds on the clock. On SEMO's next possession, the Redhawks turned the ball over and Hill was fouled. He went to the free throw line and split two shots as the Racers increased their lead to 69-65. MSU later led 70-65 when Trae Hannibal made a free throw and Eric Reed, Jr. quickly answered with a 3-pointer to make it a two-point contest with seven seconds.  After Hill was fouled, he missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and SEMO got the ball back for one final chance. Chris Harris' desperation 3-pointer went high off the backboard off the halfcourt inbounds pass.

14th Win
Southeast Missouri picked up its 14th win of the season when it beat Tennessee State, 79-55, on Mar. 3. The Redhawks surpassed their win total by a +3 margin from 2020-21 (11-16). 

Reed, Jr. Cracks SEMO's Top-10 Career and Single-Season Leaders in 3-Pointers Made
Eric Reed, Jr. moved to 10th among Southeast Missouri's all-time career leaders in 3-pointers made following his 28-point effort at Morehead State (Feb. 19). Reed, Jr. now has 130 three-pointers as a Redhawk and surpassed Denzel Mahoney (121, 2016-18) for the 10th-place spot. With 69 threes this season, He recently surpassed Cory Johnson (67, 1998-99) for 10th on the school's all-time single-season list.

What a Show!
Redshirt-freshman point guard Phillip Russell broke a single-game record by freshman during Southeast Missouri's NCAA Division I era when he scored 35 points at SIU Edwardsville (Feb. 7). Russell, who hails from St. Louis, also grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out four assists and had five steals. He is only the second Division I freshman in the last 25 years to get 35+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ steals in a game. The other was Ben Simmons (LSU, Dec. 2, 2015).

Redhawks for Three!
Southeast Missouri averaged a league-best 9.6 three-pointers made in Ohio Valley Conference games. SEMO buried 164 three-pointers in 17 conference matchups. The Redhawks made a season-high 17 three-pointers vs. Austin Peay (Jan. 1) and drained 12 or more in six of their OVC contests. SEMO rated first in 3-point shooting during OVC play with a 36.4 percent (164-of-451) clip.

Redhawks Second in the OVC in Free Throw Percentage
Southeast Missouri ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference in free throw percentage. SEMO is shooting 73.4 percent (481-of-655) at the line through 31 games. Nationally, SEMO is ranked 11th in free throws made and 12th in free throws attempted. 

Balanced Attack
Three or more players have scored double figures for Southeast Missouri a total of 27 times this season. SEMO is 13-14 when at least three of its players reach double figures in the scoring column.

Season 115
The Redhawks are in their 115th season of basketball. This year is Southeast Missouri's 31st as an NCAA Division I program. The Redhawks are 368-538 since joining the Division I ranks in 1991-92. SEMO has a total of eight winning seasons as an NCAA Division I program with its last coming in 2013-14 (18-14).