Henderson State vs. Southeast Missouri

Exhibition
Date: Monday, October 23, 2023
Tip-Off: 6:30 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Show Me Center (7,000)
Series: SEMO leads, 4-2
Head Coaches: Brad Korn (44-51 overall; 44-51 at SEMO; 27-28 OVC). Jimmy Elgas (124-101 overall; 124-101 at HSU; 88-83 GAC).

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

SEMO Probable Starters
Aquan Smart, G
Adam Larson, G
Evan Eursher, G
Josh Earley, F
Dylan Branson, F

Exhibition Action
Southeast Missouri hosts NCAA Division II member Henderson State in its only exhibition matchup prior to the 2023-24 campaign Monday. Tip-off is set for
6:30 p.m., CT at the Show Me Center.

FREE Admission Monday
Admission for Monday's exhibition matchup is FREE. There will also be a postgame meet-and-greet and autographs with the Redhawks players and staff.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean and Jess Bolen will be on the call. Live stats are available at SEMORedhawks.com. Updates will be provided on X (formerly Twitter) @SEMOMBB.

Series History
Southeast Missouri is 4-2 all-time against Henderson State which is out of Arkadelphia, Arkansas. SEMO last played HSU on Dec. 29, 2016 winning that contest by a score of 89-75 in Cape Girardeau.

Countdown to Tip-Off
Monday's exhibition game is exactly two weeks away from the start of the 2023-24 season. Southeast Missouri opens its 31-game slate at Grand Canyon (Nov. 6). GCU is the reigning Western Athletic Conference Tournament Champion and is the only NCAA Tournament participant on the Redhawks schedule.

Redhawks Tabbed Fifth in OVC Preseason Poll
Southeast Missouri was picked fifth in the 2023-24 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll, the league announced during its annual Media Day on Oct. 17. SEMO tallied 124 points in the overall voting by OVC Head Coaches and Communication Directors. Morehead State is this year's favorite receiving 20 of the possible 22 first- place votes for a total of 200 points. SIU Edwardsville (162 pts.), Tennessee State (153 pts., 2 first-place votes) and UT Martin (149 pts.) were picked ahead of the Redhawks, as well. Tennessee Tech (120 pts.), Little Rock (85 pts.), first-year OVC member Western Illinois (80 pts.), Southern Indiana (63 pts.), Lindenwood (40 pts.) and Eastern Illinois (34 pts.) complete the 11- team predicted order of finish.

Season 117
The 2023-24 campaign marks the 117th in program history for Southeast Missouri Basketball. This year is the 33rd for SEMO as an NCAA Division I program. SEMO is 387-556 since joining the Division I ranks in 1991-92. The Redhawks have a total of nine winning seasons as an NCAA Division I program. SEMO has also won one Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title (1999-2000), two OVC Tournament crowns (1999-2000, 2022-23) and advanced to two NCAA Tournaments (1999-2000, 2022-23) during its program history.

Year Four for Korn
Brad Korn begins his fourth year as Southeast Missouri's head coach. Korn led SEMO to its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in over two decades during the 2022-23 season. SEMO became the first #5 seed to ever win the OVC Tournament winning four games in four days along the way. Korn is 44-51 overall and 27-28 in the OVC as the Redhawks head coach.

Returning Starters
Guards Dylan Branson and Aquan Smart are the only starters returning from a year ago. Branson is the most experienced on Southeast Missouri's roster. A two-year starter who is in his fourth year with the program, Branson played in a total of 91 games and made 54 starts in his career. In 2022-23, he averaged 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Branson ranked fifth on the team with 26 three-pointers made, dished out 60 assists and added 30 steals. Smart started 25 of 32 games averaging 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds. He ranked second on the team in both assists (70) and steals (48).

First Look
Eight players will make their debuts for Southeast Missouri this upcoming 2023-24 season. Returnees Gavyn Elkamil and David Idada will see their first action in the red and black. Elkamil was out the 2022-23 season with a shoulder injury and Idada was sidelined due to NCAA Division I regulations. Six newcomers, including TJ Beel, Rob Martin, BJ Ward, Asa Barnes, Marqueas Bell and Braxton Stacker are first-year Redhawks.

Statistically Speaking
In league play alone, Southeast Missouri was the top Ohio Valley Conference scoring team with an average of 81.4 points per game. The Redhawks put up 80 or more points in 11 of their 18 OVC contests. Overall, SEMO was first in the league in turnover margin (+1.56) forcing an average of 14.6 per game. The Redhawks assisted on 497 of their 958 made field goals at a rate of 51.8 percent during the 2022-23 campaign. The 497 assists were fifth-most in program history. SEMO also established top-five single-season marks during their program's tenure in OVC wins (t4th, 10), points (3rd, 2,798), field goals attempted (2nd, 2,191), 3-pointers made (2nd, 286), 3-pointers attempted (1st, 875), free throws made (3rd, 587), free throws attempted (4th, 828) and steals (2nd, 251).

Experienced Veteran
Dylan Branson is the most experienced on Southeast Missouri's 15-man roster this season. Branson has played in 91 games and made 54 starts in his career. A two-year starter, Branson is in his fourth year with the program. He enters the 2023-24 season with a streak of 22 consecutive starts.

2023-24 Schedule
Reigning Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Champion Southeast Missouri has 31 games with 15 at the Show Me Center on its upcoming 2023-24 schedule. SEMO tips off 2023-24 at Grand Canyon (Nov. 6), the only NCAA Tournament participant on this year's schedule from last season. The Lopes won the Western Athletic Conference Tournament and finished the 2022-23 campaign with an overall record of 24-12. This year marks the first meeting between the schools. The Redhawks head to Butler University (Nov. 10) four days later. SEMO faces the Bulldogs, members of the BIG EAST, for the first time. SEMO plays host to Missouri Valley Conference foe Evansville (Nov. 15) in its home-opener and welcomes Central Arkansas (Nov. 20) five days after that. The Redhawks will see Evansville (Nov. 25) again at the Chattanooga Coke Zero Sugar Classic, where they also play Chattanooga (Nov. 26) during the Thanksgiving weekend event. After a visit to Kansas City (Nov. 30), SEMO plays four of its final six non- conference games at home. The Redhawks host Missouri Baptist (Dec. 3), Harris-Stowe (Dec. 6), Lindsey Wilson College (Dec. 17) and Bethel (Jan. 6) in those contests. Trips to Purdue Fort Wayne (Dec. 9) and Illinois State (Dec. 21) complete SEMO's 13-game non-league action. SEMO begins its 18-game OVC slate at home when it hosts Southern Indiana (Dec. 29) and Morehead State (Dec. 31). Lindenwood (Jan. 11), SIU Edwardsville (Jan. 20), first-year OVC member Western Illinois (Feb. 3), Tennessee Tech (Feb. 8), Tennessee State (Feb. 8), Little Rock (Feb. 22) and UT Martin (Feb. 24) are the rest of the Redhawks home OVC matchups. The road portion of league play consists of games at Western Illinois (Jan. 4), Tennessee Tech (Jan. 13), UT Martin (Jan. 25), Little Rock (Jan. 27), Lindenwood (Jan. 30), Eastern Illinois (Feb. 15), SIU Edwardsville (Feb. 17), Morehead State (Feb. 29) and Southern Indiana (Mar. 2). This year's OVC Tournament will again be contested at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The eight-team tournament is scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, Mar. 6-9. It is the seventh-straight year the event will be held at the venue. The Ford Center, which opened in November 2011, is an 11,000-seat arena located in the core of Evansville's downtown district. The 290,000-square foot facility serves as home of the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League and the University of Evansville men's basketball team. The Ford Center also serves as host to numerous sporting events and concerts on an annual basis.

Korn Contract Extension
Southeast Missouri Head Coach Brad Korn agreed to a four-year contract extension through the 2026-27 season, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Brady Barke announced on July 26, 2023. Korn's new contract will run through April 30, 2027.

Newest Redhawks
The Redhawks welcome six new players, including three transfers and three freshmen. Guard Rob Martin spent the 2022-23 season at Missouri Valley Conference member Indiana State. Martin played in 12 games as a reserve finishing with 11 points, nine assists and four rebounds. TJ Biel, another guard, started four of nine games while averaging 9.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in one seasoncat Triton College. Before that, Biel was an All-Region 24 honoree at Vincennes University in 2021-22. Guard Braxton Stacker comes to SEMO from former Ohio Valley Conference member Murray State, where he grabbed four rebounds in 12 games off the bench last season. Guards Marques Bell, BJ Ward and Asa Barnes are the freshemen. A Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 6 All-State selection, Bell scored 20.7 points and averaged 5.1 rebounds as a senior at Park Hill High School. He is the younger brother of former Michigan and current San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ronnie Bell. Ward was a three-year starting point guard at Chaminade College Preparatory School. He averaged 14.8 points and led the team with 195 assists and 33 steals his senior year. A walk-on, Barnes joins the Redhawks from Wichita Southeast High School. He is the younger brother of Israel Barnes, who played one season at SEMO in 2022-23.

Back-to-Back Road Games
Southeast Missouri will be on the road for its first two games of the 2023-24 season. SEMO faces Grand Canyon (Nov. 6) and heads to Butler (Nov. 10) during its opening week.