Bradley guarantee is for cash, not a loss for Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team

~ Redhawks hope to bring home a win along with their $70,000

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team is being paid $70,000 for today's contest at Bradley.

But unlike many "guarantee" games in which the visiting squad is a huge underdog, this meeting doesn't seem to fit that bill.

Southeast appears to have a legitimate chance of knocking off the Braves, who are rebuilding under a new coach. The tipoff in Peoria, Ill., is set for 7 p.m.

"We do think it's a winnable game, but we have to improve on a lot of things," Southeast coach Dickey Nutt said. "I think our guys have the attitude that every game we play we have a chance to win."

Southeast (1-1), which opened its season with an 83-68 loss at 24th-ranked Missouri on Friday, notched its first win with a 95-60 rout of NAIA Harris-Stowe on Monday.

Bradley (1-0) began its campaign Sunday with a 68-58 home victory over a Missouri-Kansas City squad that lost to Division II Northwest Missouri State two days earlier. The Braves closed the UMKC game on an 11-2 run.

"We just got to go in there focused," said Southeast sophomore forward Tyler Stone, who has scored 35 points in his first two games for the Redhawks after sitting out last year following his transfer from Missouri.

The Braves are under the direction of first-year coach Geno Ford, who replaced the fired Jim Les. Ford led Kent State to Mid-American Conference regular-season titles the past two seasons, earning MAC coach of the year each time.

Bradley went 12-20 overall and tied for ninth in the 10-team Missouri Valley Conference last season. The Braves are picked to occupy the MVC cellar this year.

The Braves lost two of their top three scorers from 2010-11 but return 6-foot-6 senior forward Taylor Brown.

Brown was a preseason all-conference pick last year but missed the entire campaign after a cardiac evaluation. He scored 20 points against UMKC in his return.

Bradley's top returning scorer is junior guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards, who averaged 10.5 points as a sophomore. He had 21 points in this year's opener.

The Braves have plenty of size, led by 6-9, 235-pound sophomore center Jordan Prosser. He turned in his second career double-double by posting career highs of 12 points and 17 rebounds against UMKC. Prosser averaged 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds last year.

"Any time you go on somebody's home floor, you need to be ready to play," Nutt said. "I think it's a good opportunity for us."

And one the Redhawks hope to take advantage of.

"It'll be a tough one on the road," senior guard Marcus Brister said. "But we're improving. As long as we go in there with the same type of energy and execution, we should be fine."

Southeast trails the all-time series against the Braves 5-2. The last meeting was a 75-62 loss at Bradley in 2008-09.

The Redhawks' most recent win against Bradley was 65-60 in Southeast's NCAA tournament season of 1999-2000.

Southeast has another road test Sunday at Oregon. That will complete the Redhawks' "guarantee" games to generate revenue for the athletic department.

Oregon is paying Southeast $90,000, the same amount the Redhawks received for their season opener at Missouri.

"We've got a tough early stretch with these road games," Nutt said. "We just want to keep getting better."