Redhawks men to face one of OVC's best posts

~ Kenneth Faried will present a stiff challenge for Southeast tonight

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team is in one of the toughest three-game stretches on its Ohio Valley Conference schedule.

If the Redhawks hope to emerge with anything to show for it, they'll have to play a lot better than they did Saturday.

They also might have to play without one of their key players.

Southeast had what first-year coach Dickey Nutt thought was one of its poorest performances and efforts of the season during an 88-68 loss at Eastern Illinois.

Freshman Marland Smith sinks a 3-pointer against Jacksonville State during their game Jan. 4. (Kit Doyle)

After facing the third-place Panthers, Southeast's three-game road swing continues this week against squads that also rank among the OVC's top three teams.

The Redhawks (5-10, 2-3) face Morehead State (10-6, 5-1) at 6:30 p.m. today and Eastern Kentucky (11-6, 4-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Defending OVC tournament champion Morehead State is in second place in the 10-team conference, while Eastern Kentucky is tied for third with Eastern Illinois.

"We were disappointed with the way we played at Eastern Illinois," said Nutt, whose squad is tied for sixth. "We've got a big challenge coming up against two of the best teams in our league. We've got our hands full."

Compounding matters, junior forward Cameron Butler suffered a foot injury during Sunday's practice. Nutt said X-rays were negative, but Butler is in quite a bit of pain and his status for today likely won't be determined until close to game time.

"It's not broken, which is good, but it's a painful injury, like turf toe," Nutt said. "It's always kind of been bothering him. ... He's a tough guy. It's just going to be some pain tolerance.

"We just don't know if he'll be able to play. It's day to day. We've been holding him out of practice. We'll see how it feels."

Butler is Southeast's No. 2 scorer and rebounder with averages of 9.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He scored 33 points in the last two contests to earn OVC co-newcomer of the week honors.

Morehead State, the OVC preseason co-favorite along with current league leader Murray State, is riding a six-game winning streak.

The Eagles feature the OVC's premier inside player in 6-foot-8 junior Kenneth Faried.

Faried is second nationally in rebounding at 12.8 per game and fourth with 10 double-doubles. He also ranks among the OVC leaders in scoring (third, 15.9), field-goal percentage (seventh, 53.8) and blocked shots (second, 1.9).

Faried is the reigning OVC defensive player of the year and tournament MVP. The OVC preseason player of the year entered the season as the nation's top returning rebounder after averaging 13 per game in 2008-09.

"He's a tremendous player. He's big and strong and can jump out of the gym," Nutt said. "He's a workhorse. He not only has great athleticism, he has a high motor. He never stops."

Faried is not the only Morehead State player Southeast has to worry about.

Brandon Shingles, a 6-3 senior guard, tops the OVC and ranks 22nd nationally with 5.6 assists per game.

Demonte Harper, a 6-4 junior guard, is the OVC's No. 13 scorer (12.8), while 6-4 senior forward Maze Stallworth is 16th (11.3).

"They're an outstanding basketball team, very solid, very well balanced," Nutt said.

After today's game, the Redhawks will remain on the road to face another tough opponent as Eastern Kentucky owns the nation's ninth-longest active home winning streak at 16. The Colonels are 8-0 at home this season.

The Colonels rely heavily on outside shooting as they lead the OVC and rank second nationally in 3-pointers made per game (10.1).

Eastern Kentucky is 18th nationally in 3-point percentage (40.5), led by three players shooting 44 percent or better to rank among the top eight in the conference.

"It's going to be a tremendous challenge, but we look at this as an opportunity," Nutt said of facing Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky. "We want to get where we're improving every day, getting better every possession."