Redhawks face colossal task at Memphis

~ The Southeast men face the perennial basketball power today

Southeast Missouri State's final men's basketball game before the Redhawks resume Ohio Valley Conference play will present a major challenge.

The Redhawks (4-7) are in Memphis, Tenn., for today's noon contest with perennial national power Memphis (7-2).

"It's going to be an incredible challenge for us against one of the top programs in the country," Southeast coach Dickey Nutt said. "Memphis is the best team we've played all year, a top 25 team. They're not ranked in the top 25, but they're close.

"But we're going to look at this as an opportunity. I told the guys we're going to enjoy the experience. Upsets happen all the time. We want to go in with complete swagger and don't be worried about one thing. If we do that, we'll be OK."

Memphis, which had won six straight since a 57-55 loss to top-ranked Kansas in the season's second game, suffered just its second defeat Saturday as Massachusetts hit a shot just before the buzzer to prevail 73-72.

The Tigers are outscoring the opposition by an average of 77-57 and their seven victories are all by at least 12 points.

Memphis hasn't missed much of a beat after losing four starters -- including NBA lottery pick Tyreke Evans -- and coach John Calipari from last year's team that went 33-4 and ended the regular season ranked third nationally.

The Tigers are thriving under first-year coach Josh Pastner, who at 31 is the third-youngest coach in NCAA Division I. Pastner, a Memphis assistant last year after spending the previous six seasons at Arizona, was promoted when Calipari left for Kentucky.

"New coach, we were kind of hoping they'd hit a speed bump. But that hasn't been the case," Nutt said.

Elliot Williams, a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard who transferred from Duke, leads Memphis with an average of 20.1 points per game.

Will Coleman, a 6-9, 250-pound junior forward, is the Tigers' top rebounder with a 6.8 average.

"They're extremely athletic. They're probably as fast and athletic as we've seen in a long time," Nutt said. "Defensive transition will be important, because they have some guys who can really fly and sky.

"What I want to focus on, don't allow them to take us out of what we want to do [offensively]. That's what has happened against the better teams we've played. Let's do what we want to do, let's zero in on every possession, and hopefully we can be competitive."

While the Redhawks will be huge underdogs today, Nutt said it's a great opportunity for his players to compete against one of the nation's premier programs at one of the country's top venues.

Memphis is averaging 16,564 in six games at the 18,400-seat FedEx Forum, also home to the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.

"It's one of the best places to play basketball in the country," Nutt said.

Money game

In addition to testing themselves against elite competition, the Redhawks will also be helping out Southeast's athletic department with what amounts to a fundraiser.

Memphis is paying Southeast $85,000, which goes to the university's general athletic department revenue. That came after the Redhawks received $75,000 for a game at Saint Louis and $60,000 for playing in the Illinois State tournament.

"We know it's a money game," Nutt said. "We know we have to play money games and I'm fine with that."

Southeast is 2-2 all-time against Memphis, the most recent meeting resulting in a 109-83 Tigers romp during the 1993-94 season.

Following today's contest, the Redhawks will next be in action Jan. 2 when they host OVC rival Tennessee Tech.