Southeast Missouri (5-6) at Tennessee Tech (5-6)

Game Information
Date: Thursday, December 18, 2025
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m., CT
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Facility: Eblen Center (9,280)
Series: TTU leads, 39-24
Last Meeting: SEMO 83, TTU 69 | 2/15/25 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Last Meeting in Cookeville: SEMO 77, TTU 70 | 1/16/25

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Southeast Missouri Notes | 2025-26 SEMO Basketball Media Guide

Coaches
Southeast Missouri: Brad Korn (79-91 overall; 79-91 at SEMO; 46-47 OVC)
Tennessee Tech: John Pelphrey (220-251 overall; 71-125 at TTU; 44-67 OVC)

OVC Play Begins
•    Southeast Missouri (5-6) opens its 20-game Ohio Valley Conference schedule at Tennessee Tech (5-6) Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., CT at the Eblen Center.
•    SEMO starts league play on the road for the fourth time in six years with Brad Korn as its head coach.
•    The Redhawks face TTU in their conference-opener for the first time under Korn.
•    SEMO was picked second in this year's OVC Preseason Poll behind Little Rock.
•    Tennessee Tech was picked seventh in the 11-team predicted order of finish.

Series Notes
•    Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech meet for the 64th time on the front end of this year's home-and-home series.
•    TTU holds a 39-24 lead in the all-time series that started in 1991-92.
•    SEMO won three-straight games against the Golden Eagles and swept the two-game set a year ago.
•    The Redhawks are 6-26 at the Eblen Center.
•    SEMO last won there on Jan. 16, 2025 (77-70).
•    Thursday will be SEMO's final game at the Eblen Center since TTU is leaving the Ohio Valley Conference at the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign.

OVC Openers
•    The Redhawks are 12-22 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference openers.
•    Southeast Missouri started OVC play with a win in each of the last two seasons.
•    The Redhawks are 2-3 in such games under Head Coach Brad Korn.
•    This year marks only the second time SEMO and Tennessee Tech meet to start OVC action.
•    The teams also began OVC play on Dec. 9, 2000. TTU won that game, 70-68, in Cape Girardeau.

Defending OVC Regular-Season Champions
•    Southeast Missouri won 10 of its previous 11 league games dating back to last season.
•    SEMO was on a 10-game winning streak in league play before Eastern Illinois ended that stretch in the final Ohio Valley Conference game of the 2024-25 campaign.
•    The Redhawks went 15-5 against OVC foes and tied a program record in conference victories en route to their first outright regular-season title.

Two More
•    Brad Korn is two wins away from moving to second all-time among head coaches in victories during Southeast Missouri's NCAA Division I era.
•    Korn has won 79 games and currently ranks third on that list behind Gary Garner (126, 1997-2006) and Dickey Nutt (80, 2009-15).
•    Korn led SEMO to 21 wins in 2024-25, its second-most in a season since the Redhawks moved to the Division I level.

Korn vs. Tennessee Tech
•    Brad Korn is 6-4 against Tennessee Tech as Southeast Missouri's head coach.
•    The Redhawks beat the Golden Eagles in each of the last three meetings between the teams.
•    Of the six wins, four were in Cape Girardeau.
•    SEMO won at the Eblen Center for the first time with Korn at the helm a year ago.

Non-Conference Ends with a Dub
•    Southeast Missouri wrapped up its 11-game non-conference schedule with an 88-65 win over Saint Xavier (Dec. 14).
•    SEMO closed out non-league play on a three-game winning streak.
•    The Redhawks five non-conference wins this season came against Webster (Nov. 12), Cal Poly (Nov. 25), St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 2), Chattanooga (Dec. 6) and Saint Xavier (Dec. 14). Two of those victories were outside of Cape Girardeau (Nov. 25, Dec. 6).

Winning Streak
•    The Redhawks are on a three-game winning streak after beating St. Mary of the Woods, 88-57, on Dec. 2, Chattanooga, 74-70, on Dec. 6 and Saint Xavier, 88-65, on Dec. 14.
•    Southeast Missouri has won four of its last six contests and is one of two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference entering the week on a winning streak of three or more games.
•    Lindenwood currently has the longest winning streak in the OVC at four games.

Stacker Among National Leaders in Free Throw Percentage
•    Braxton Stacker leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks 12th in the nation in free throw percentage.
•    Stacker has missed only two free throws through 11 starts.
•    He is 33-of-35 for 94.3 percent.
•    Stacker did not miss a free throw with a minimum of four attempts in four games this year.

Winning Streak
•    The Redhawks are on a three-game winning streak after beating St. Mary of the Woods, 88-57, on Dec. 2, Chattanooga, 74-70, on Dec. 6 and Saint Xavier, 88-65, on Dec. 14.
•    Southeast Missouri has won four of its last six contests and is one of two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference entering the week on a winning streak of three or more games.
•    Lindenwood currently has the longest winning streak in the OVC at four games.

Non-Conference Games
•    Following this year's 5-6 non-conference record, Brad Korn is now 33-44 all-time in non-league action.
•    Korn's best non-conference record as Southeast Missouri's head coach stands at 9-9 in 2022-23, the season SEMO won its first OVC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 23 years.
•    His other non-conference records include 2-5 in 2020-21, 6-9 in 2021-22, 5-8 in 2023-24 and 6-7 in 2024-25.

Unbeaten in December
•    The Redhawks are undefeated through their first three games in December for the first time with Brad Korn as their head coach.
•    Southeast Missouri beat St. Mary of the Woods, 88-57, on Dec. 2, Chattanooga, 74-70, on Dec. 6 and Saint Xavier, 88-65, on Dec. 14 for those victories.
•    SEMO travels to Tennessee Tech (Dec. 18) and Tennessee State (Dec. 20) for its final December games.
•    The Redhawks are averaging 83.3 points per game this month alone.

Bell Springs for Career-High
•    Marqueas Bell pitched in a career-high 19 points to lead Southeast Missouri to its win over Saint Xavier (Dec. 14).
•    Bell made a perfect 6-of-6 field goals and added 6-of-7 free throws against the Cougars.
•    He also led the Redhawks with six rebounds and dished out three assists in 20 minutes.
•    It was Bell's fifth double-digit scoring game this season.

Over 80
•    The Redhawks scored over 80 points for the fifth time this season in their 88-65 rout of Saint Xavier (Dec. 14).
•    Southeast Missouri's 88 points matched a season-high.
•    SEMO is 4-1 in games where it scores over 80 points.

Idada and Bell in Starting Lineup
•    Since David Idada and Marqueas Bell joined the starting lineup, Southeast Missouri has gone 3-0.
•    Idada and Bell made their first starts of the season vs. St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 2).
•    It was the first time both were in the starting lineup since Mar. 2, 2024 (at Southern Indiana).

Winning the Second Half
•    Southeast Missouri won the second half in four of its last six games. 
•    SEMO recently outscored Chattanooga, 30-24, in the game's final 20 minutes to get a 74-70 win on Dec. 6.
•    The Redhawks are outscoring opponents, 449-522 (+27) in the second half this year.

Battle Tested
•    At one time this season, Southeast Missouri had the 10th toughest schedule in the nation.
•    Now, SEMO is 39th among NCAA Division I teams in that category.
•    The Redhawks non-conference Division I opposition, which included Saint Louis (9-1), Missouri (10-2), Iowa (9-2), St. Thomas (9-4), Cal Poly (5-6), Northern Arizona (4-6), Lipscomb (6-4) and Chattanooga (5-6) is a combined 57-31 (.647).

Call Me for Assistance
•    BJ Ward ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference with 47 assists through 11 starts this season.
•    Ward is averaging 4.3 per game and has dished out five or more assists in four of his starts.
•    He matched his career-high of seven assists three times this year, as well.
•    Ward went over 150 assists at Iowa (Nov. 18) and has 176 in his career.
•    He also ranks second in the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.14).

Away from Home
•    The Redhawks closed out a three-game stretch away from home.
•    Southeast Missouri went 1-2 with losses at Iowa (Nov. 18) and Northern Arizona (Nov. 26) and a win over Cal Poly (Nov. 25) in that span.
•    SEMO played five of its first seven games outside of Cape Girardeau. 
•    The Redhawks are 1-4 in true road games.

Double-Digit Margins
•    Eight of the Redhawks first 11 games this season have been decided by double-digits.
•    Southeast Missouri's double-digit wins thus far include an 87-41 victory vs. Webster (Nov. 12), an 84-68 win over Cal Poly (Nov. 25), an 88-57 win over St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 2) and an 88-65 victory over Saint Xaiver (Dec. 14).
•    SEMO fell to Saint Louis (92-67, Nov. 3) and Iowa (99-70, Nov. 18) on the road, and St. Thomas (84-72, Nov. 15) and Lipscomb (88-77, Nov. 29) at home in the other four matchups.

Stacker is Rolling
•    Braxton Stacker scored double figures in 10 of his first 11 starts of the 2025-26 campaign.
•    Stacker scored 10 or more points in his last seven outings.
•    He opened the year with 12 points at Saint Louis (Nov. 3) and followed that up with a career-high 26 points four days later at Missouri (Nov. 7). He then finished with 10 points vs. Webster (Nov. 12), 11 at Iowa (Nov. 18), 18 vs. Cal Poly (Nov. 25), 15 at Northern Arizona (Nov. 26), 24 vs. Lipscomb (Nov. 29), 10 vs. St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 2), 12 at Chattanooga (Dec. 6) and 12 vs. Saint Xavier (Dec. 14).
•    He has scored double figures a team-high 28 times in his career.
•    Stacker ranks first on the team in scoring (14.1 ppg) and leads the Redhawks in steals (17), free throw percentage (33-of-35, .943) and is second in 3-point field goals made (22).
•    Stacker rates eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring and leads the league in free throw percentage. He is also 10th in steals.
•    He is one of two Redhawks who started every game this year.

About Tennessee Tech
•    Tennessee Tech enters Thursday's game on a two-game winning streak after beating West Georgia (Dec. 6) and Bethel (Dec. 13).
•    TTU won three of its first four games at the Eblen Center this year.
•    The Golden Eagles lead the Ohio Valley Conference in field goal percentage (.476) and rank second in scoring (80.8 ppg).
•    TTU is also third in the league with 84 three-pointers made.
•    Ty Owens is the conference leader in assists (4.4 apg) and Dani Pounds is the Golden Eagles top scoring threat with 12.2 points per contest.