Redhawks replace OVC winning streak with skid

Boy, how times have changed for the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team.

On Jan. 5, after winning at Eastern Illinois, the Redhawks were riding high with just the program's second 6-0 Ohio Valley Conference start, and first since the 1998-99 season.

Saturday's 93-76 setback at Tennessee Tech gives the Redhawks a four-game losing streak as they have dropped into a three-way tie for third place among 11 OVC squads. Three more squads are within a game of that third-place pack in the scrambled league standings.

And not only are the Redhawks reeling with those four straight defeats -- three of them by at least 12 points, and two by at least 17 points -- they will be without their best all-around player for the rest of the year.

Senior forward Brandon Foust suffered a knee injury midway through the second half of an 85-82 loss at OVC leader Austin Peay on Jan. 12.

Without Foust, the Redhawks (11-9, 6-4) have been trounced twice, 87-75 at Tennessee State Thursday night and then Saturday at Tennessee Tech.

Even with Foust, everybody knew the Redhawks were going to face arguably the toughest three-game stretch of their OVC schedule during an eight-day period, with road contests against three of the league's most talented squads.

Southeast would have been hard-pressed to win any of the three with Foust on the court, but playing without him made things much tougher.

With Southeast now three games behind Austin Peay in the loss column, the Redhawks' chances of winning the OVC regular-season title have become slim.

The major goal for the Redhawks now is to finish in the OVC's top four, which means a home game for the first round of the conference tournament.

Even that will be difficult, but it is still realistic as the Redhawks prepare to begin the second half of their 20-game conference schedule.

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I feel bad for Foust, who saw his college career end due to the knee injury.

Foust was not only the Redhawks' No. 2 scorer (11.6 ppg) and tied for the team lead in rebounds (6.4 rpg) at the time, he was playing the best basketball of his two-year Southeast career.

Before the Austin Peay contest, Foust had recorded four double-doubles in five games, and he had grabbed at least 10 rebounds in five consecutive games.

Southeast coach Scott Edgar also lauded Foust for the type of leader he had become and said the Redhawks will miss his intangibles perhaps as much as they will his production.

Although Foust has had some publicized incidents during his college career, I have found him to be nothing but polite, cordial and a nice young man to be around.

Despite what some people might think of Foust -- based on some of the uncomplimentary internet comments I've read in the past -- I think he's a good person.

Here's hoping Foust bounces back after having surgery in a few weeks and is able to play professionally overseas, which he definitely has the talent to do.

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A national television audience will get to see the Redhawks try and avenge their most lopsided home loss in the program's Division I history.

Murray State trounced Southeast 79-51 at the Show Me Center on Jan. 7, which began the current four-game slide.

Saturday, the Redhawks visit Murray State for a 2 p.m. tipoff that will air on ESPN2.

The contest will continue Southeast's rugged stretch that started with the home date against Murray State and followed with three road games.

Southeast will host an improved Morehead State Thursday night and has a Jan. 29 rematch with Austin Peay at the Show Me Center, with that one televised nationally by ESPNU.

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While Southeast's men are reeling, the women are rolling.

Southeast's women posted their third OVC road win during an eight-day period Saturday, 49-39 at Tennessee Tech.

That came on the heels of victories at Tennessee State on Thursday night and at Austin Peay on Jan. 12.

The Redhawks (12-6, 7-2) are 6-0 in OVC road games as they just completed a brutal stretch that had them playing six of seven conference contests away from home.

Now that it's over, second-place Southeast -- which has won eight of its past nine games and is tied with first-place Eastern Illinois in the loss column -- should be set up nicely for a strong run at its third straight OVC regular-season title.

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The OVC took two interesting actions during its recent board of presidents meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

First, the presidents amended an article in the OVC constitution regarding men's sports sponsorship.

Previously, any prospective new conference member would have to field a football team in order to join the league.

That is no longer the case, which would enhance the OVC if it seeks to add new members in the future, which is an often-discussed topic.

Second, the presidents approved what is being termed a Basketball Enhancement Matching Fund, something designed to aid OVC men's and women's basketball programs.

The OVC will give up to $6,500 to both an institution's men's and women's basketball programs as long as that institution matches the money.

The one-time fund request can be made in either the 2008-09 or 2009-10 school year.

So basically, if Southeast wants to pump an additional $6,500 in each of its basketball programs during one of the next two school years, the OVC will give the university the same amount. Not a bad deal.

Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.