Reigning champs to visit Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team begins Ohio Valley Conference play today against the defending OVC tournament champion.

Morehead State might not be nearly the squad it was last season, but Southeast coach Dickey Nutt expects the Eagles to be plenty formidable when they visit the Show Me Center for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

MSU lost dominant forward Kenneth Faried, a first-round NBA draft pick, along with wing Demonte Harper, also among the league's top players.

The Eagles (6-7) got off to a slow start but have won two consecutive, including Friday's impressive victory over Ball State of the Mid-American Conference.

Southeast (5-7) broke a three-game losing streak with Thursday's 77-76 triumph at Sacramento State that marked the Redhawks' first road win of the season.

"They don't have Faried or Harper, but they'll still be a very tough opponent," Nutt said. "They've still got some experienced guys who have played a lot of basketball."

The Eagles were picked one spot ahead of Southeast in the OVC preseason poll despite losing Faried and Harper. MSU was fifth and the Redhawks sixth.

"There's a reason they were picked fifth. They're good," Nutt said.

Senior guard Terrance Hill leads MSU offensively with an average of 13.5 points per game.

MSU is second in the OVC in 3-point shooting at 37.6 percent, while Southeast ranks last in 3-point defense at 42.3 percent.

Senior guard Ty Proffitt is the OVC's No. 5 3-pointmarksman at 43.6 percent (24 of 55), with Hill 11th at 38.6 percent (27 of 70). They both started all 35 games for the Eagles last season.

"Those are two very experienced players for them," Nutt said.

Southeast has a chance to get off to a fast OVC start. The Redhawks play the first two conference games and four of their first six at home.

The Redhawks are 4-2 at the Show Me Center, although they have lost two consecutive there after starting with four consecutive home wins.

"It's just one of 16 conference games, but it would be great to get off to a good start. It's important we protect our home court," Nutt said. "I feel like we're getting better. We're looking forward to starting the conference season. This is what it's all about."

Smith, Stone honored

Southeast junior guard Marland Smith and sophomore forward Tyler Stone earned OVC honors Monday.

Smith is the OVC player of the week, while Stone is the league's co-newcomer of the week, marking Stone's fourth such award.

Smith averaged 21.5 points and five assists in two games last week. He hit 57.9 percent (11 of 19) from 3-point range and 58.3 percent (14 of 24) from the field overall. He made 7 of 10 3-pointers in a win at Sacramento State and has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games. Stone averaged 13.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the two games while shooting 52 percent (13 of 25) from the field. Stone ranks sixth in the OVC in scoring and fourth in rebounding with averages of 14.7 points and 7.5 boards per contest.