IT'S DANCE TIME FOR THE INDIANS; SE WANTS U-P-S-E-T AGAINST LSU

SALT LAKE CITY -- For the Southeast Missouri State Indians, the word "underdog" needs a few more syllables.

Try under-sized-and-less-athletic dog.

At a press conference Tuesday, Southeast coach Gary Garner said, "I don't know of any physical advantage we might have (over Louisiana State). They're bigger, more athletic and shoot the ball pretty well."

No. 13 seed Southeast looks to pull off a huge upset today when it takes on No. 4 Louisiana State (26-4) in the Indians' first game in the NCAA Division I Tournament. The game will be played at about 2:10 today at the Huntsman Center.

The ability to handle Louisiana State's obvious height advantage will likely determine if Southeast (26-4) can compete with the SEC West champions, the 10th ranked team in the nation according to the Associated Press and the ninth-ranked team in the ESPN-USA Today poll.

LSU's starters -- point guard Torris Bright (6-foot-4), guard Lamont Roland (6-4), center Jabari Smith (6-11), forward Stromile Swift (6-9) and forward Brian Beshara (6-8) -- each have at least a two-inch height advantage over their Southeast counterpart.

Given that the Indians don't match up player-for-player, Southeast will have to play smart, disciplined basketball, traits the Indians have displayed virtually all season.

"Basketball is a team game," Garner reminded everyone. "What we have to do is stay close and have a chance to win it late. We'd like to eliminate second shots, but that will be difficult to do. If we can come up with some way to keep them off the boards, we'll have a chance."

Roderick Johnson, Southeast's leading scorer at 13.9 points per game and top rebounder, will likely be guarding Swift, a first-team all-SEC player who is averaging 16.2 points per contest.

"I played against big-name players like this in high school," said Johnson, a graduate of Marshall High School in Milwaukee. "I think he's a great player ... but I have to play my game and I'm not going to back down."

The pace of the game will also likely dictate the possibility of an upset.

Southeast, regular season co-OVC champion, is giving up just 61.6 points per game this season and holds its opponents to an anemic 37 percent shooting from the floor and just 29.5 percent from three. LSU is 20-0 this season when scoring more than 70 points.

So the Indians have to be a bit stubborn -- only take shots that come through the offense and don't give up easy baskets.

LSU coach John Brady expects nothing but.

"They're going to run what they run offensively regardless of their opponent," Brady said, referring to Southeast's triangle offense. "They're base belief is in man-to-man defense. They defend well without fouling. They try to rebound the ball the best they can and they have an offense they're committed to. I think they're a disciplined team that's well coached."

Though much has been made of Southeast's matchups with LSU's front court, a huge matchup will be at point guard where Southeast junior Michael Stokes will take on Bright, a freshman.

"Up until the semifinal game of the SEC tournament against Arkansas, Torris was playing as well as any point guard in the nation, in my opinion," said Brady. "A freshman starting in the Southeastern Conference and you win the Western conference outright, that speaks well of his play. He's another player that is as key to us being successful as anyone on this team."

Stokes can make a case for being a top-notch point guard himself. The junior is averaging 12.8 points and 4.1 assists per game. But it was his defense that was huge in the OVC Tournament championship game, where Southeast earned its bid for the tournament.

Stokes held OVC Player of the Year Aubrey Reese to just 1-of-18 shooting.

Southeast will need near-perfect games from each of its players to pull off the upset. LSU, despite making its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1993, is arguably the best No. 4 seed in the field of 64. The Tigers have defeated six ranked opponents this season, including Arizona, the top seed in the West.

LSU is averaging 77.2 points per game this season and is winning games by a 14.5 average margin of victory.

When national television outlets and newspapers talk about Cinderella teams, Southeast receives nary a word.

But that's okay with Southeast.

"We have nothing to lose," said Southeast forward Mike Branson. "We're going to come out and play hard. I like the underdog role."