Southeast fans have chance to make a statement

I know the students are not on campus because it's winter break.

I know solid seasons -- heck, even mediocre ones -- have been few and far between in recent years.

I know tickets aren't cheap.

Those are all legitimate reasons why the Show Me Center was less than half-full Wednesday night when the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team hosted Eastern Kentucky.

But it sure would be a shame if that is the case tonight.

In fact, it would be something just short of a crime if by far the biggest crowd of the season doesn't show up.

Let's face it, if fans can't get excited about the Redhawks right now, when can they ever get excited?

Southeast is leading the Ohio Valley Conference with a 6-0 record as the Redhawks are off to the program's second-best OVC start, trailing only the 1998-99 squad that won its first seven league games.

Add on the fact archrival Murray State -- the OVC's flagship program and the team current Southeast boss Scott Edgar used to coach -- is tonight's opponent, and the Show Me Center should be electric.

The biggest announced crowd to see Southeast play at home this season is 3,905, and the Redhawks are averaging 3,219 fans at the 7,000-seat Show Me Center.

Southeast supporters have been thirsting for another legitimate OVC title contender for some time now.

It appears they finally have one -- and tonight would be a great chance to show their appreciation.

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I recently wrote on my blog about several signs that should have Southeast hoop fans particularly encouraged.

For one, even though the Redhawks like to push the tempo and get the score up, they have demonstrated the ability to win even when a game is not really played at the fast-paced style they prefer.

Also, the Redhawks continue to display impressive depth, not only in the amount of players they use to try and wear down the opposition in the second half, but also in the quality of that depth. It seems like different players are the leading scorers just about every game.

But to me, probably the most encouraging thing is how much Southeast's defensive field-goal percentage has improved over last season, when the Redhawks ranked toward the bottom nationally in that area.

Not so this year, as Southeast is the OVC leader in that department for conference games.

I said before the season that if Southeast could just get its defensive statistics respectable, it could be a very good team (improved rebounding also has been a big boost).

And I said on ESPN-1220's Sports Huddle show Wednesday morning that, if the Redhawks finish the season with at least the defensive field-goal percentage they currently have (it was 41 percent in OVC play when I made the statement, but has gone down to 40 percent since), there's no way they won't win the OVC, given their offensive explosiveness.

I stand by that comment, and we'll see if it holds true.

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I know there is still so much of the season left to be played -- the OVC schedule features 20 games -- but right now Edgar deserves all kinds of props.

Plenty of people doubted him last year, when his initial season didn't go all that hot -- not unusual for a first-year coach implementing a new system -- and teams routinely had offensive field days against the Redhawks.

But Edgar kept telling me that once his players got used to his system, and more talent and depth was brought in, the improvement would be significant.

He's been right on the money. And the thing is, Edgar insists the Redhawks still have room to get much better.

That has to be an exciting thought if you're a Southeast supporter.

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The Drake University men's basketball team is off to quite a start under former Southeast assistant Keno Davis, who is in his first season as the Bulldogs' coach.

Wednesday night, Drake beat visiting Southern Illinois 61-51 for the Bulldogs' first victory over the Salukis since 1999. The triumph snapped a 17-game losing streak to SIU.

Entering Sunday's game at Evansville, Drake was 12-1 to match the best start in school history.

Davis served six years as a Southeast assistant under Gary Garner -- he was part of the NCAA tournament team in 1999-2000 -- before going to Drake as an assistant under his father, Tom Davis, in 2003.

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Speaking of SIU, the Salukis have suddenly fallen on hard times after such a great run of standout teams.

SIU, coached by former Southeast assistant Chris Lowery, fell to 6-8 overall and 1-2 in the MVC with Saturday's 56-47 loss at Illinois State as the Redbirds snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Salukis.

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The Missouri football team was impressive during Tuesday's Cotton Bowl, routing Arkansas 38-7 to finish the program's winningest season with a 12-2 record.

And as strong as the Tigers proved to be this season, they have a chance to be just as good, if not better, next year. They will return many of their key players, including standout quarterback Chase Daniel.

MU could be ranked in the top five in next year's preseason poll, which could set the Tigers up for a strong run at the national title.

By the way, as most of you know, Southeast plays at MU in the second game of 2008. The Redhawks will receive $250,000 for what figures to be a beating along the lines of what they received in their two most recent "guarantee" games.

Southeast lost 59-3 at Cincinnati this year, after falling 63-7 at Arkansas in 2006.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.