Redhawks will play Northern Illinois in BracketBusters

Southeast Missouri State's opponent for its final home men's basketball game of the season has been revealed.

The Redhawks (3-20) will play Northern Illinois (6-13) on Feb. 21 in the annual ESPN BracketBusters series. The tipoff is set for 7:45 p.m. at the Show Me Center.

All 51 BracketBusters games were announced Monday night. Some of the top matchups will be televised on the ESPN family of networks.

All 10 Ohio Valley Conference squads are taking part in the BracketBusters, although the league did not have any games selected for television.

Southeast has lost 12 straight games and is closing in on the school record for losses in a season, 22 during the 2001-02 campaign.

The Redhawks, 0-12 in the OVC, have dropped a school-record 19 consecutive OVC games dating back to last season.

Northern Illinois is 2-5 in the Mid-American Conference. The Huskies have lost three straight and five of their last six. Southeast will play at Northern Illinois next season.

Southeast plays five of its final seven games on the road, beginning Saturday night at Eastern Illinois (10-11, 7-4), the OVC's fourth-place team.

Besides the BracketBusters game, Southeast's only other home contest remaining is Feb. 17 against Murray State.

Sharpe to miss game

Southeast women's basketball coach John Ishee said Monday that sophomore wing Lauren Sharpe will miss Wednesday's 7 p.m. nonconference home game against NAIA Harris-Stowe.

Sharpe, who leads the OVC in steals, suffered a sternum injury during Saturday's win against Tennessee Tech.

Ishee said Sharpe's sternum is either "bruised or cracked." More tests are scheduled to be done over the next few days.

"That's a huge loss. Hopefully we'll have her back Saturday," Ishee said.

Southeast (11-10, 7-4), tied for fifth in the OVC, visits second-place Eastern Illinois (15-7, 9-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The Redhawks handed EIU one of its two OVC losses, 58-51 in Cape Girardeau last month.