INDIANS BEGIN CRUCIAL HOMESTAND TONIGHT; SEMO TAKES ON EASTERN ILLINOIS IN FIRST-PLACE OVC BATTLE

Southeast Missouri State University will be playing a virtual brand-new opponent tonight, but the stakes will be just as high as if the Indians were facing a longtime rival.

When Eastern Illinois comes to the Show Me Center for a 7:45 Ohio Valley Conference tipoff, it will mark the first time the schools have squared off in basketball since 1976.

EIU's Panthers are first-year members of the OVC and they weren't expected to do much this season, being tabbed for eighth in the league's preseason poll. Yet here the Panthers are, leading the conference with a 5-2 record.

Meanwhile, Southeast was picked to finish sixth in the 10-team OVC. Yet the Indians are 5-3 and in a four-way tie for second place despite losing their last two games.

So when the squads square off tonight in the first of four straight home games for Southeast, first place in the OVC will be at stake.

"We're trying to lick our wounds," said Southeast coach Ron Shumate, whose squad is coming off a 77-75 Thursday night loss at Murray State in which the Racers hit the game-winning shot with six seconds left. "This game will test our grit a lot."

The Panthers, 8-7 overall, certainly figure to test the 8-11 Indians quite a bit.

"They're playing extremely well. They're very confident. They're on top of the league and they deserve to be, no question," said Shumate. "They're playing like champions, well at home and on the road.

"They've had a week to prepare for us and coach (Rick) Samuels does an excellent job for them. He has his team focused every game."

Which, said Shumate, is something he's having a hard time doing with the Indians.

"I have a hard time getting the guys focused," he said. "It's seems like a lot of times our minds are on things other than basketball."

Shumate thought that was extremely evident for the first half of Thursday's game at Murray State, when Southeast played extremely poorly and fell behind 34-25 at halftime.

The Indians trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half before staging a furious comeback -- led by center Bud Eley, who had 28 of his career-high 34 points in the second half -- that saw them tie the contest at 75-75 in the final minute. But the Racers pulled it out at the end.

"We have to try and put that one behind us and try to get better as a team," Shumate said.

Southeast will try to slow down EIU's talented 6-foot-5 junior guard, Rick Kaye, who averages 17.1 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range. Kaye is also second on the team in rebounding (4.5 a game) and assists (3.5 per contest).

No other Panther averages in double figures on the season, but six players are getting at least 6.5 points per contest, making EIU a balanced squad after Kaye.

"Kaye is an excellent athlete who can score from anywhere on the court," said Shumate. "They're a very disciplined team. All their players know their roles. They all understand what they're supposed to do."

Tonight's contest will mark the beginning of a crucial four-game homestand for the Indians, who will face Tennessee State next Saturday, Austin Peay on Feb. 3 and Murray State on Feb. 6.

"This homestand will be critical for us," Shumate said. "We have to win all of these at home. If you can't protect your own turf, you're not worth your salt."

SEMO vs. Eastern Illinois

7:45 p.m., Show Me Center

Probable Starters

SEMO (8-11, 5-3 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

David Montgomery F So. 6-8 8.8

Richard Lyte F Jr. 6-6 6.8

Bud Eley C Jr. 6-10 16.0

Calvert White G Jr. 6-4 14.0

Allen Hatchett G So. 5-10 9.2

EIU (8-7, 5-2 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Idris Osei-Agyeman F So. 6-5 4.9

Conya Robinson F Jr. 6-6 5.7

John Smith C Fr. 6-7 7.3

Rick Kaye G Jr. 6-5 17.1

Chad Peckinpaugh G So. 6-3 9.6

Series: 8-4 EIU

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