SEMO SEEKS FIFTH STRAIGHT OVC WIN

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's basketball Indians have already gone on the road and knocked off the teams picked second and third in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll.

Tonight, the Indians take aim on No. 4 when they face Middle Tennessee State in a 7:45 tipoff at Hale Arena.

The Indians, 7-5 overall, are 4-0 in the OVC and tied for first place with Murray State. That league record for Southeast, tabbed for fifth in the preseason poll, looks even better because of earlier victories at preseason No. 2 Tennessee State and No. 3 Austin Peay.

"They've really got out of the gates fast," said MTSU coach Randy Wiel, whose team was picked fourth in the OVC preseason poll. "They've won at two tough places so they're ahead of the ball."

That fact isn't lost on Southeast coach Gary Garner, who realizes that a victory tonight would really bolster the Indians' hopes of challenging for the OVC title.

"It's a really big game and this whole road trip is huge for us," said Garner, whose squad will face Tennessee Tech in Cookeville Saturday night before returning to Cape Girardeau. "We could win both, we could lose both, we could split.

"If we come out of this 6-0, that means we would have beaten the second, third and fourth teams in the league (in the preseason poll). And they both are winnable games. But, like I said, they are also games we could lose."

Garner does know one thing -- the Indians will have to perform much better tonight than they did Monday night at home against Morehead State. Southeast was outplayed for most of the game before pulling out a 71-69 win.

"If we play like we did against Morehead State, we'll get blown out," he said. "Middle Tennessee will be very difficult to beat on their court. We'll have to play a lot better than we did Monday."

Entering this road trip, Garner does take solace in the fact that the Indians have so far played much better away from home than at the Show Me Center. In addition to the wins over Tennessee State and Austin Peay, they've won at Arkansas State, lost by just two points at Bradley and gave nationally-ranked Oklahoma State a real battle before falling by 11.

"We are playing better on the road, for whatever reason," Garner said. "We have a lot of confidence on the road."

MTSU is just 4-9 overall, but the Raiders are 2-1 in OVC play, which puts them in a third-place tie. They had a strong showing Monday, trailing host Murray State by just four points with about three minutes left before losing 84-74.

"They've played a very difficult schedule and their overall record is not good, but they've played well in the conference," said Garner. "They are a solid team."

Said Wiel, "We struggled in the early part of the season but we've been played a lot better."

The Raiders feature a somewhat unique rotation that allows more than 10 players to see fairly extensive action. Six players are averaging better than seven points per game, led by 6-foot-6 junior forward Cedrick Wallace (11.7 ppg).

Former Sikeston High standout guard Allen Hatchett, who played two seasons at Southeast under former coach Ron Shumate before transferring to MTSU, is averaging 2.6 points per game while playing about 12 minutes a contest off the bench.

"He's splitting time with Richard Duncan (at point guard)," said Wiel of Hatchett. "When he does play, he does an admirable job, but there is still room for improvement."

MTSU has been hurt by some injuries, the most severe being to standout Freddie Martinez, who is out for the season after hurting a knee.

"Martinez was probably their best player, so it has to hurt them," Garner said.

Lee Nosse, a 6-11 center, has also been out recently and his status is uncertain for tonight.

Southeast continues to be led by senior center Bud Eley, who is averaging 15.2 points, 10 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game. He leads the OVC in rebounding and blocks.

Eley had a triple-double against Morehead State with 24 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks. He is fourth on Southeast's all-time scoring list with 1,324 points while ranking seventh in rebounds with 751 and first in blocked shots with 131.

"Bud is just having a great senior year," said Garner.

Eley, like his coach, knows the Indians will need a much better performance tonight if they expect to have a chance at another big road victory.

"It's nice to be 4-0 in the OVC, but we have to play a lot better than we did Monday to win on the road," he said.

SEMO at Middle Tennessee

7:45 p.m., Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Probable Starters

SEMO (7-5, 4-0 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Mike Branson F Jr. 6-6 10.4

Demetrius Watson F Sr. 6-4 5.4

Bud Eley C Sr. 6-10 15.2

Cory Johnson G Sr. 6-0 10.8

Kahn Cotton G Sr. 5-10 6.5

MTSU (4-9, 2-1 OVC)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Cedrick Wallace F Jr. 6-6 11.7

Dale Thomas F So. 6-6 7.5

Ellious Swanigan C Jr. 6-7 3.2

Richard Duncan G Sr. 6-0 7.1

Ali McGhee G Sr. 6-6 7.6

Series: SEMO leads 8-7

Last meeting: SEMO won 85-76 last season

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