Redhawks end layoff at Samford

~ Southeast will try to improve to 3-0 in the OVC against the methodical Bulldogs.

With Samford in its final season in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team will be facing the Bulldogs in Birmingham, Ala., for the last time, at least in the foreseeable future.

The Redhawks would like nothing better than to make their swan song to Birmingham a memorable one, namely by getting a win that keeps them perfect in OVC play.

Southeast (6-4, 2-0), which has won its opening two OVC games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, and Samford (4-4, 1-0) meet tonight in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

"We held serve at home," said Southeast coach Scott Edgar, whose team also plays an OVC road game Thursday night at Jacksonville State. "Now we'll see if we can steal some on the road."

Things could not have gone better for the Redhawks during their first two OVC contests, both played at the Show Me Center.

Southeast ran past Tennessee State 102-95 on Dec. 6, then beat perennial OVC power Tennessee Tech 84-74 on Dec. 8.

"We feel good about it [being 2-0], but we're definitely not satisfied," Southeast senior center Mike Rembert said. "It was nice to win both games at home, but we know it's always real tough on the road."

Edgar, whose squad has been off since Dec. 8, couldn't have put things better.

"It was a great start, obviously," he said. "But the road in college basketball is always very tough. That's why any road wins you get are always so sweet."

Samford, which will join the Southern Conference next school year, always presents a difficult challenge because of its rare playing style.

The Bulldogs run a Princeton-style offense, which usually finds them trying to use almost all of the shot clock and then get either a layup or a 3-pointer.

Samford averages 62.8 points per game (eighth in the 11-team OVC), but the Bulldogs allow the league's fewest points (57.5) as their games are generally close and low-scoring.

More than half of the Bulldogs' field-goal attempts are 3-pointers, although they are not shooting nearly as well from beyond the arc (32.5 percent) as they have in recent seasons.

"They're a very, very hard team to play against," Edgar said. "Half of their shots are 3-point shots. ... I think the key is to make them shoot tough 2s. They either want a layup or a 3.

"They're so hard to guard because it's hard, crisp passes and back cuts. They walk it up the floor, and then they speed up. And then, when you're on offense, you have to go against their matchup zone, which you don't see very often."

Edgar said the type of offense Samford uses places even more of an importance on rebounding.

"If you don't defensive rebound, you might find yourself in a defensive stance for an entire two possessions," Edgar said.

Samford was picked to finish seventh in the OVC while Southeast was tabbed fifth. The Bulldogs are led by two of its three returning starters from last season.

Joe Ross Merritt, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, averages 15.1 points per game. He ranks among the top 10 in the league in scoring, field-goal percentage (54.0) and 3-point percentage (40.4).

Travis Peterson, a versatile 6-10 senior center, averages 13.4 points, while leading Samford in rebounding (5.8) and assists (4.1).

As an example of the contrast in styles between the up-tempo Redhawks and deliberate Bulldogs, look no further than Samford's only conference game to date.

The Bulldogs beat visiting Jacksonville State 41-34 on Dec. 6. Samford led 16-13 at halftime.

"It'll be an interesting game from that standpoint, because of the different styles of the teams," Edgar said.