Indians' big preseason hopes could end in cellar

Southeast Missouri State University coach Gary Garner wasn't sure if the Indians could contend for the Ohio Valley Conference title this year.

But never did Garner imagine that tonight's final regular-season game at Tennessee-Martin would also be the Indians' last contest period.

"Going into the season, I thought we would definitely compete for one of the top four spots," Garner said. "I really thought we had a legitimate chance to be third or fourth and get a home game for the first round of the conference tournament.

"The last thought on my mind was that we would not make the tournament."

But as the Indians (11-15, 4-11) prepare to play the Skyhawks (9-18, 4-11) at 6 p.m. in a last-place battle, that's where they find themselves -- out of the eight-team OVC tournament for the first time in Garner's seven seasons at Southeast.

"Needless to say it's been a very disappointing year from the won-loss record and where we're going to finish in the conference," Garner said. "It's been very disappointing and very frustrating, and it all goes back to losing all those close games."

After going 6-22 two seasons ago and 11-19 last year -- and finishing toward the bottom of what was then a nine-team conference in both cases -- the Indians upgraded their talent level enough so that the OVC preseason poll predicted them to finish fourth out of 11 squads.

The Indians built an impressive nonconference record, going 7-4 against a solid schedule. It looked then like maybe those prognosticators --the OVC's head coaches and sports information directors -- might be right.

But the Indians lost their first two league contests at home -- by four points to eventual champion Austin Peay and by two points to Tennessee Tech on a shot at the buzzer.

"Had we won one of those or both, who knows what might have happened," Garner said.

The Indians regrouped to romp at Eastern Illinois and beat Tennessee State at home, rekindling their hopes of a high OVC finish.

Then the bottom fell out. Southeast's next road trip featured losses of one point to Tennessee Tech and two points to Austin Peay. Decisive setbacks at Jacksonville State and Samford followed -- two of only three losses of more than six points the Indians have suffered in conference play.

Southeast bounced back to beat Tennessee-Martin at home, followed by four straight losses that could have been wins: by six points at home against Murray State, by four points at home against Eastern Illinois, by four points at Tennessee State and by four points at home against Eastern Kentucky.

That's eight OVC defeats by a total of 27 points, with every one decided in the final minute.

The Indians finally won a down-to-the-wire OVC game, beating visiting Morehead State by three points last Saturday. But the damage had long been done. Thursday's decisive loss at Murray State officially ended their hopes of slipping into the league tournament.

"We were so close this year," Garner said. "All the close losses I think really comes down to a lack of experience. Five of our top seven or eight guys had never played a Division I basketball game."

Despite that lack of experience, Garner said. "I thought we could win anyway, but we just couldn't get it done. But the guys have stuck together, we've practiced hard and we've gotten a very good effort. Considering what's happened this year, I'm really happy with the team from that standpoint."

Garner hopes the Indians will continue to battle hard tonight even though he admits there isn't much tangible to play for, other than avoiding the OVC's basement. Southeast, Tennessee-Martin and Eastern Illinois are all tied for ninth through 11th place, with the Panthers finishing at Austin Peay.

"It just goes down to pride," Garner said. "You play to win the game, but there's nothing really on the line."

Junior forward Reggie Golson, who will be one of several key returning players next year that have Garner optimistic of turning around many of this season's narrow defeats, said the Indians don't plan on giving in tonight.

"We're not playing to go to the tournament, but we're playing for ourselves," said Golson, who has come on strong by scoring 69 points in the last four games. "We're going down there to get a win."

Noteworthy

Junior guard Derek Winans, who has started 83 straight games, enters the finale as the seventh-leading scorer and eighth-leading assist man in Southeast history. He has 1,241 career points and 227 career assists.

Barring injury, Winans is assured of finishing next season as at least the Indians' No. 5 all-time scorer, and he could move up to as high as third or fourth.