SE's GARNER MAY MISS GAME DUE TO NCAA INFRACTIONS MEETING

As Southeast Missouri State University's basketball team prepares for two more key Ohio Valley Conference home games this week, head coach Gary Garner faces the possibility of missing one of them.

Garner, along with several Southeast administrators and officials, has been requested by the NCAA to be in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday. There, the Southeast group will meet in front of the NCAA Infractions Committee to answer any kinds of questions the committee has regarding the ongoing NCAA investigation of the school's men's basketball program.

Garner, who was not even Southeast's coach when the alleged infractions took place, is hoping to be back in Cape Girardeau in time for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game against Eastern Kentucky. But, if the meeting in front of the infractions committee runs too long, he realizes there is a chance he won't be able to attend the game.

Saturday's meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. eastern time, which is an hour later than central time. Garner will have a plane ticket out of Fort Myers at about 2:30 p.m. eastern, which would get him back to St. Louis at around 4:30 p.m. central and allow him to be back in Cape to coach Saturday's game.

"You just don't know how long this thing is going to last," said Garner during his weekly media conference Monday. "The (infractions) committee knows my situation with the game that night and hopefully I can be out of there in time."

Added Garner, "I've never missed a game before in my life. I would hate to miss this one. I don't even know whey they (the NCAA) want me down there, but it's probably a good idea. I'm just hoping I can get back in time."

Making the trip to Florida from Southeast, along with Garner, will be: president Dale Nitzschke; executive vice present Ken Dobbins; NCAA faculty representative Joe Low; interim athletic director Carroll Williams; and assistant athletic director in charge of compliance Alicia Scott.

The NCAA will not issue a ruling at Saturday's meeting. The NCAA is expected to release its findings and a ruling about three weeks from Saturday.

* Southeast, which will play host to Morehead State on Thursday night, is still in the running for a top-four OVC finish, but Saturday's 81-78 overtime loss at home to Eastern Illinois certainly didn't help the Indians' cause.

The Indians, 8-10 overall, are 4-6 in OVC play, which puts them in a three-way tie for sixth place.

Middle Tennessee State (9-1), Murray State (8-2) and Eastern Illinois (7-2) are probably locked in to the top three spots, in no particular order.

But the all-important race for fourth place -- the top four teams in the final league standings host first-round OVC Tournament games -- is still very much up for grabs.

Austin Peay (5-4) is in fourth, with Tennessee-Martin (5-5) right behind. But UTM is not eligible for the OVC Tournament so the Skyhawks don't figure into the race for fourth place.

So the Indians basically have to set their sights on catching Austin Peay. Since they beat the Govs earlier in the season and still have a game against them in Clarksville, Tenn., they will probably be able to pretty much control their own destiny.

But Garner knows beating Morehead State (2-8) and Eastern Kentucky (4-6) at home this week is vital.

"Both are winnable games, as was the Eastern Illinois game," Garner said. "If we can win them both and get back to .500 in the league, then we've still got a chance to get fourth.

"It's going to be more difficult now. Beating Eastern Illinois would have really put us in good shape. We're still alive, but we have to win these next two games, no question."

* With 6-foot-10 center Bud Eley now lost for the rest of the season after suffering a stress fracture in his left foot, the Indians find themselves in the same situation they were in earlier this season when Eley missed seven games because of a broken bone in his right foot.

"We're definitely going to miss Bud, but we won some games before when he was out," said Garner. "I wish we still had Bud, but basketball is still a team game. People have just got to step up, like they did before. It's just a challenge for us."