GOV BUSTERS: OVC TOURNEY PROVIDES SE SHOT AT 3-0 SWEEP OF AP

Will the third time be the charm for Austin Peay's Governors?

Will Southeast Missouri State University's Indians be able to continue their impressive late-season run all the way to Nashville?

The answers to those important questions will come tonight when Southeast and Austin Peay square off in an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament first-round game. The tipoff at Dave Aaron Arena in Clarksville, Tenn., is set for 7 p.m.

Tonight's contest pits the squads that finished fourth and fifth in the 10-team OVC during the regular season. The winner moves on to the OVC tourney semifinals Saturday in the Nashville (Tenn.) Arena.

Austin Peay (16-10 overall, 11-7 OVC) just nosed out Southeast (14-12, 10-8) for fourth place and the right to host a first-round tournament contest.

But even though the Governors finished ahead of the Indians in the league standings, Southeast defeated Austin Peay in both regular-season meetings: 73-61 in Cape Girardeau on Dec. 6 and 81-57 in Clarksville on Feb. 2.

So now the question is: will Austin Peay finally be able to beat Southeast -- or will the Indians make it three in a row against the Governors.

Southeast coach Gary Garner said he never has put all that much stock in the conventional wisdom that says it's extremely hard to beat a good team three times in one season.

The way Garner figures it, every game takes on a personality all of its own and what happened in the past isn't all that relevant. If anything, he figures the Indians should have -- based on the prior two meetings -- enough confidence that they can beat the Governors again.

But he also knows that Austin Peay will probably also feel pretty confident playing on its home court, where the Governors have won 19 of their last 21 games. And they'll certainly be chomping at the bit to try and give the Indians some payback.

"There is something to beating a team three times," said Garner. "But at the same time, the team that has lost twice has to be kind of wondering about that.

"There is no question in our players' mind that we're going to go down there and win. You want that kind of confidence. But at the same time, it's going to be a really tough game because Austin Peay is playing very well and they're always so tough at home."

Both teams will enter tonight's contest with plenty of momentum.

Southeast has won six of its last eight games as the Indians are assured of only their second winning record in seven seasons of Division I play.

Austin Peay has won five of its last six games, the only setback being a highly competitive road defeat at the hands of OVC champion Murray State.

"We're playing with a lot of confidence and we're going to take a lot of confidence down to Clarksville," Garner said. "But Austin Peay is also playing with a lot of confidence. They've really picked it up the last few weeks.

"And I guarantee they'll be waiting on us after the way we beat them at their place last time. So we'll have to come out with a lot of intensity and I know we will."

In the most recent meeting with the Governors, the Indians absolutely sizzled in the second half to turn a close game into a total blowout and stun the Austin Peay crowd.

"We really hurt them with our 3-point shooting last time and the second half was probably our best half of basketball all season," said Garner. "I know they'll be more prepared for that (the 3-pointer) this time and we'll be expecting that."

Added Garner, "It should just be a great game. Everybody knows everybody else pretty well and there are no surprises right now. Whoever executes the best will probably win."

The winner of tonight's game will almost certainly face Murray State at 2 p.m. Saturday in the tournament semifinals. The top-seeded Racers begin tourney play tonight by hosting Tennessee Tech, the eighth and final seed.

Other first-round games tonight feature No. 7 Tennessee State at No. 2 Eastern Illinois and No. 6 Eastern Kentucky at No. 3 Middle Tennessee State.

* Garner is joining his colleagues from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for `Giving Kids A Shot' -- a nationwide initiative and Applebee's restaurants and the NABC Coaches vs. Cancer program to raise $500,000 for the American Cancer Society during February and March.

`Giving Kids A Shot' Week gets rolling in the Cape Girardeau area Wednesday as Garner and assistant coach Tom Schuberth appear at May Greene School at 10:30 a.m. They will speak to students about the risk of cancer and what steps to take to lead a healthy lifestyle.

To help meet the goal of $500,000, Applebee's will donate a portion of `Coach's Choice' skillet dinners sold at the Cape Girardeau Applebee's between Feb. 16 and March 22. In addition to the dinner sales, all Applebee's restaurants will sell paper basketballs and $1 and $5 donations.

SEMO at Austin Peay

7 p.m., Clarksville, Tenn.

(OVC Tournament, First Round)

Probable Starters

SEMO (14-12, 10-8 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Calvert White F Sr. 6-4 10.2

Nathan Owen F Fr. 6-2 5.5

David Montgomery C Jr. 6-8 12.0

Cory Johnson G Jr. 6-0 14.8

Kahn Cotton G Jr. 5-10 12.3

AP (16-10, 11-7 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Jerome Jackson F Jr. 6-5 13.2

Jake Powers F Sr. 6-7 5.6

Reggie Crenshaw C Sr. 6-7 10.7

James Stewart G Fr. 6-5 9.5

Joe Sibbitt G Sr. 6-0 10.5

Series: SEMO leads 10-7

Radio: K103-FM

OVC Tournament

Tonight's games

Women

(First Round)

No. 8 Southeast Missouri at No. 1 Eastern Kentucky, 6 p.m.

No. 7 Austin Peay at No. 2 Tennessee Tech, 7 p.m.

No. 6 Tennessee State at No. 3 Tennessee-Martin, 7 p.m.

No. 5 Eastern Illinois at No. 4 Middle Tennessee, 5:30 p.m.

Men

(First round)

No. 8 Tennessee Tech at No. 1 Murray State, 7 p.m.

No. 7 Tennessee State at No. 2 Eastern Illinois, 7 p.m.

No. 6 Eastern Kentucky at No. 3 Middle Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.

No. 5 Southeast Missouri at No. 4 Austin Peay, 7 p.m.