Southeast men's basketball team will play Iowa, Kansas St.

The 2008-09 Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team will certainly not ease into the season.

Southeast's schedule, which was released Tuesday, features three of the first four games on the road against teams from major conferences.

The Redhawks open the season Nov. 14 at New Mexico, followed by contests at Kansas State on Nov. 16 and Iowa on Nov. 25.

Southeast's matchups with Kansas State and Iowa are part of the Las Vegas Invitational, which will also see the Redhawks play two games in Las Vegas on Nov. 28 and 29, against Longwood and an opponent to be determined.

The Redhawks play five of their first six games away from the Show Me Center, the exception being the Nov. 20 home opener with NAIA Culver-Stockton.

Southeast has a 30-game regular-season schedule, including 13 home dates. There will be 18 Ohio Valley Conference contests, nine at home and nine on the road.

The Redhawks also have nonconference road games at Bradley, Arkansas State and Western Illinois.

Southeast's other nonleague home games are against Western Illinois, future OVC member Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and an opponent to be determined as part of the BracketBuster.

"It's a very challenging schedule," Southeast coach Scott Edgar said. "One of my goals to build this program was to play a very competitive nonconference schedule. It gives us that.

"This schedule will force us to come together and grow into being a team. I think it will pay dividends down the road."

OVC play begins Dec. 4 when the Redhawks host two-time defending OVC regular-season champion Austin Peay, followed by Tennessee State on Dec. 6.

Austin Peay beat Tennessee State in last year's OVC tournament finals.

Dec. 5 and 6 will be Hall of Fame weekend at Southeast, with the university's 2008 Hall of Fame class inducted Dec. 5 and introduced at the Dec. 6 game.

Southeast single home games will begin at 7 p.m. Doubleheaders, when the women also play, will start at 7:45 p.m. this season, not 7:30 as in the past. The women's doubleheader games will begin at 5:30 instead of 5.

Southeast has two home exhibition games, Nov. 1 against Missouri Baptist and Nov. 8 against MacMurray College.

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