Southeast Missouri State men's basketball releases 2014-15 schedule

~The men's team will play three SEC teams in the 2014-15 season

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team will face some formidable opponents this season.

The Redhawks' 2014-2015 schedule, which was released Monday, features games against three Southeastern Conference teams.

Southeast's 29-game schedule begins with a pair of exhibition games against Missouri Baptist and Fontbonne at the Show Me Center on Nov. 3 and 8, respectively.

The Redhawks face a trio of SEC teams on the road in December. They play Missouri on Dec. 2, Arkansas on Dec. 20 and Ole Miss on Dec. 22 in Southaven, Mississippi.

"Having three teams from the SEC along with historically great programs such as SIU and Missouri State on our schedule will certainly let us know real quick where we are as a team," Nutt said. "The thing we talk about most within our program is that it's time to take that next step. In order to do this, you have to schedule good teams and you have to be able to beat good teams."

The Redhawks' regular season begins with games in Los Angeles, California. They play Loyola Marymount Nov. 14 and San Diego Nov. 15.

Southeast's home opener will be against Hannibal-LaGrange on Nov. 18.

The Redhawks have nonconference home games against Alabama A&M on Nov. 29, Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 6, SIU-Carbondale on Dec. 10, Missouri State on Dec. 13 and Harris-Stowe on Dec. 28.

Southeast last played the regional-rival Salukis during the 2010-11 season.

Southeast travels to Central Arkansas on Nov. 22 and Bowling Green on Nov. 25.

"Our nonconference schedule may be one of the toughest in school history," Nutt said in a news release. "Our reasons behind such a challenging schedule are simple. We feel like we have developed into one of the better teams in our league and that this non-conference slate will prepare us for the OVC [Ohio Valley Conference]."

Southeast opens its 16-game Ohio Valley Conference season with a couple of games in Nashville. They face two-time defending conference champion Belmont on Jan. 1 and Tennessee State on Jan. 3.

The conference home-opener is Jan. 8 against Morehead State.

***

Southeast picked up a few more players over the summer.

The Redhawks added 6-foot-5, 200 pound freshman guard/forward Ladarius Coleman, a graduate of White Station High School in Memphis, Tennessee, It's the same school Southeast senior forward Nino Johnson attended.

Florida A&M transfer Trey Kellum also joined the team. Kellum a 6-6, 205 pound junior forward and graduate of Peoria Central High School in Peoria, Illinois, started 27 and played in 31 games for the Rattlers last season. He averaged 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

As a freshman he averaged 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 31 games. He made 15 starts.

Gavin Peppers, a 6-1 freshman guard from St. Stephen's & St. Agnes in Washington, D.C., joined the team as a walk-on.