Danger lurks at home for Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team will try to resume its winning ways today against the Ohio Valley Conference's top early season surprise squad.

Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville will be riding high when it visits the Show Me Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff to open Southeast's two-game homestand.

The Cougars are a first-year OVC member picked last in the 11-team league's preseason poll.

SIUE has performed like anything but a last-place squad so far. The Cougars are 5-8 overall and 3-1 in OVC play. They are in a three-way tie for third place that also includes Southeast (8-8, 3-1). The clubs trail first-place Murray State by one game.

"You've got to give them credit. They've been building that program, putting the pieces together," Southeast coach Dickey Nutt. "We've got our hands full. We're glad to be at home, but just because we're at home doesn't guarantee anything.

Southeast Missouri State's Marland Smith goes in for a layup against Morehead State's Lamont Austin during their game last month at the Show Me Center. (Kristin Eberts)

"In this league, anybody can beat anybody on a given night. There's not much difference between most of the teams in this league."

Southeast has experienced that during its past two games.

The Redhawks rallied for a 73-71 win at last-place Tennessee-Martin on Thursday to give Southeast its first four-game winning streak since the 2004-05 season.

Southeast then led much of the way Saturday at second-place Eastern Kentucky, but the Colonels scored the final six points over the last 34 seconds to hand the Redhawks their initial OVC loss 63-59.

"It was a very tough, disappointing loss. We feel like we should have won the game," said Nutt, whose squad is off to the program's best OVC start since the 1999-2000 season. "I know our guys were very disappointed and down. We're anxious to get back on the court after that loss."

While Nutt knows the Redhawks very easily could be undefeated in league play, he's pleased that they are toward the top of the standings one-quarter of the way through their conference schedule.

"It is a good start for us. This is where we wanted to be," Nutt said.

SIUE, which went 8-21 last year, including an 83-63 home loss to Southeast, began this season 0-4 and 1-6. The Cougars have responded by winning four of their past six games.

The Cougars opened plenty of eyes around the conference during their first-ever OVC game Dec. 29 when they stunned visiting Tennessee Tech 83-68. It's the only league loss for the Eagles, who were picked No. 2 in the league's preseason poll.

SIUE also beat Jacksonville State at home, lost to Eastern Illinois at home and is coming off a win Saturday at Tennessee-Martin.

"They've had some very good wins," Nutt said. "To handle Tennessee Tech like they did, I think that caught a lot of people's attention. And to win at Tennessee-Martin ... winning on the road is never easy."

The Cougars are averaging just 64.1 points per game while shooting 43.1 percent from the field.

But SIUE is averaging 69.2 points and shooting 48.5 percent in OVC play. The Cougars are the league's second-best 3-point shooting team at 38 percent and they're making a sizzling 48.1 percent in conference contests.

The Cougars have been solid defensively all season, allowing 42.9 percent shooting and 32.2 percent from 3-point range.

SIUE has struggled on the boards, being outrebounded by an average of more than five per contest to rank last in the league.

Mark Yelovich, a 6-foot-6 junior forward, leads SIUE offensively with an average of 13.2 points. He missed all but one game last year with an injury after pacing the Cougars in scoring the previous two seasons.

Jerome Jones, a 6-6 junior forward who played as a freshman at Missouri State two years ago, is averaging 12.6 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds.

Freshman guard Kris Davis contributes 12.1 points and leads the nation in 3-point shooting at 61.4 percent (27 of 44).

"They're a well-balanced team," Nutt said. "They've got Yelovich back from an injury, Jones is an outstanding player and Davis has come in and been a nice player for them."

Southeast finishes its homestand Saturday when Eastern Illinois (8-6, 1-1) visits for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

The Redhawks are 6-2 at the Show Me Center this season, already posting more home wins than during Nutt's first two years.

Southeast won its two OVC home games by an average of 17 points, building a 15-0 lead against Morehead State and a 11-0 lead against Jacksonville State.

"We've gotten off to fast starts and we've played well at home," said Nutt, whose squad leads the OVC and ranks 13th nationally in field-goal shooting at 49.2 percent. "Winning your home games is crucial."