Southeast men's basketball opens season tonight against Xavier

The way Scott Edgar figures, Southeast Missouri State might as well test itself against the best right away.

That will be the case as Edgar's second season in charge of the Redhawks begins tonight with a game at hightly touted Xavier.

Southeast and the Musketeers will square off in a 6 p.m. tipoff at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The game is part of the Chicago Invitational Challenge that, for Southeast, will also feature a Wednesday contest at Illinois State and two games in Chicago after Thanksgiving.

"I don't know if we could have a more challenging task than our opener," said Edgar, whose first Southeast squad went 11-20 overall and 9-11 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Xavier is coming off a 25-9 season that saw it win the Atlantic 10 Conference title and lose to eventual national runner-up Ohio State in overtime in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

With 17 NCAA appearances in the past 25 years, the Musketeers are tied for 14th nationally.

Xavier's winning percentage of .708 over the last 25 years is 11th nationally, and the Musketeers' 20 winning seasons during that span rank eighth in the nation.

The Musketeers have won at least 20 games nine of the last 10 years, and they have made seven NCAA appearances in that span.

"They don't have a name like a Kentucky or a North Carolina, but they are one of the finest programs in the country," Edgar said. "They are 90-15 in their new building since it opened in 2000."

Xavier has averaged 10,009 fans per game at the 10,250-seat Cintas Center.

"I told our players, whether you're a freshman or a senior, you'll never play in a better basketball environment."

As good as the Musketeers were last year, they are expected to perform on a similar level this season.

Xavier is the preseason Atlantic 10 favorite and was ranked in the top 25 by at least one national publication. The Musketeers are 31st in The Associated Press preseason poll.

The Musketeers feature one of the nation's better backcourts in 5-foot-7 senior point guard Drew Lavender and 6-foot-3 senior guard Stanley Burrell.

Lavender, a second-team all-Atlantic 10 pick last year, averaged 11.2 points per game while leading the league in assists (164) and ranking third in 3-point shooting (45 percent).

Lavender, who played with Southeast forward Brandon Foust both in high school in Columbus, Ohio, and at the University of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2005, is on the 50-player Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List for national player of the year honors.

Burrell was third-team all-Atlantic 10 last year, when he averaged 12.4 points.

"Their backcourt is receiving votes for the top backcourt in the country," Edgar said. "We won't see a better point guard [than Lavender]. He does a little bit of everything, and he does it very well."

Edgar said Xavier also features plenty of frontcourt talent, including 6-9 senior center Josh Duncan, a returning starter who averaged 9.3 points.

"When I came here I said I wanted to play a challenging schedule," Edgar said. "We've got our hands full, our feet full, everything we have will be challenged."

Especially considering that Xavier has won 17 straight regular-season openers. The Musketeers' last loss in an opener came during the 1989-90 season.

But, no matter how tonight's game goes, Edgar said it will definitely help the Redhawks in the long run.

"Let's see where we're at, what we can bring home good and what we need to work on," he said. "Everything is geared toward being the best we can be for the OVC season."