Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team needs to regain form at OVC tourney

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team will enter the Ohio Valley Conference tournament looking to regain the momentum it possessed until just recently.

The Redhawks are in the postseason event for the second consecutive year after not making the field since the 2006-07 campaign, but some Southeast fans probably are bummed over the Redhawks' current season-high four-game losing streak and the fact they didn't earn one of the tournament's first-round byes.

After it looked like the Redhawks (14-15) would post the program's first winning record since 2004-05, that feat now will require the three consecutive wins needed to reach the tournament final.

But a little perspective is in order before people get too down about the Redhawks' late-season struggles that have seen them drop six of their last eight contests.

Southeast's tie for fourth place in the 11-team OVC marks the program's highest OVC finish since the 1999-2000 NCAA tournament squad gained a share of the regular-season title.

The Redhawks also posted their most OVC wins since the 2004-05 team went 9-7, and one more victory will match the 2004-05 club that recorded 15 wins.

That's not too shabby considering how far down Southeast's program was when Dickey Nutt took over three years ago.

And the Redhawks have an opportunity to make their mark this week in Nashville, Tenn., although they face an uphill battle as the No. 5 seed in the tournament.

Southeast opens the eight-team event at 6 p.m. Wednesday against eighth-seeded Eastern Kentucky, which won this year's only meeting 63-59 in Richmond, Ky.

If the Redhawks win, they'll play fourth-seeded Tennessee Tech in Thursday's quarterfinals. The Eagles, who some people regard as the OVC's most talented squad, won this season's lone meeting 77-62 in Cookeville, Tenn.

And if the Redhawks upset Tech, they'll play top-seeded, nationally ranked Murray State in Friday's semifinals. The Racers already have beaten Southeast twice -- 81-73 and 75-66.

It's a daunting road to be sure, but at least the Redhawks have an opportunity.

We'll see what they make of it.

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Former Southeast men's basketball coach Gary Garner, who led the Redhawks to their only NCAA Division I tournament berth in 1999-2000, continues to work wonders at at Dakota State University, a previously struggling program.

Garner, in his third season with the NAIA squad from Madison, S.D., has led the Trojans to their second consecutive winning record after they had not finished above .500 since 1993. The Trojans also have qualified for the NAIA Division II national tournament for the first time since 1992.

Garner's son, Matt, continues to assist his father after serving him as a student assistant at Southeast.

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Former Southeast basketball player Steve Tappmeyer has needed just two years to turn around a struggling Division II program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

UMSL recently clinched the Great Lakes Valley Conference West division title in Tappmeyer's second season.

Tappmeyer previously had an impressive 21-year run at Division II Northwest Missouri State, leading the Bearcats to 10 national tournament appearances.

Tappmeyer played basketball at Southeast for two seasons -- he earned honorable-mention all-MIAA honors in 1977-78 -- and was later a graduate assistant coach at Southeast.

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It's crunch time in the Missouri high school basketball season. The Class 4 and 5 teams wrapped up their district tournaments last week. Class 1, 2 and 3 squads will battle for district championships this week.

Notable accomplishments last week included Central's boys winning their second consecutive Class 5 District 1 championship, Jackson's girls ending Poplar Bluff's four-year run of Class 5 District 1 titles and Sikeston's boys capturing their fourth consecutive Class 4 District 1 crown.

There are several interesting story lines to follow on the local hoops scene:

* Can Sikeston's boys repeat as Class 4 state champions after going undefeated a year ago?

* Can Charleston's boys, the region's top squad all season, finish off a sensational campaign with the Class 3 title?

* Can Meadow Heights' girls finally break through and make the Class 2 final four after falling in the quarterfinals each of the past three years?

* Can the three-time defending Class 1 state champion Scott County Central boys make it four in a row post-Otto Porter?

Stay tuned to find out the answers.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.