Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team to host streaking Austin Peay

The Austin Peay men's basketball team did not look like a typical Governors squad during the first few weeks of the season.

But right now Austin Peay appears to be every bit the club that was picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference in a preseason poll voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.

The Govs carry a five-game winning streak into today's 7 p.m. contest against Southeast Missouri State at the Show Me Center.

"They're a very hot team," Southeast coach Dickey Nutt said. "They're playing very well and they'll come here with a lot of confidence."

Austin Peay, 8-13 overall and 5-3 in OVC play, has rebounded from losing its first nine games of the season. The Govs also dropped their first three conference contests.

Southeast Missouri State coach Dickey Nutt talks to his team during a timeout against SIU Edwardsville earlier this month at the Show Me Center. (Laura Simon)

The Govs, who are tied for third in the 11-team league, are just one-half game behind second-place Southeast (10-9, 5-2).

"It's a big game, a big test for us," said Nutt, whose squad is off to the program's best OVC start in 12 years and already matched last year's overall win total while being just one victory away from equaling last season's league win count. "We need a big crowd to help be our sixth man."

Austin Peay's rough start partially can be attributed to a brutal nonconference schedule, but also a key factor was an injury to senior center John Fraley, who missed nine of the first 10 games.

"They did play a very tough nonconference schedule, but I think the big thing was not having Fraley," Nutt said. "They've been playing well since they got Fraley back."

The Govs feature a balanced offensive attack led by 6-foot-4 senior guard Tyshwan Edmondson with an average of 13 points per game.

Edmondson, who began his college career at St. John's, was the OVC's No. 2 scorer with a 17.1 average last year. He earned first-team all-conference honors.

Josh Terry (12.6 ppg), a 6-5 senior guard, 6-7 senior forward Melvin Baker (11.8 ppg) and the 6-8 Fraley (10.2 ppg) also are averaging double figures.

Fraley, who averages 8.8 rebounds, has 20 blocked shots in just 12 games. Baker has 21 of Austin Peay's league-high 81 blocks.

"They're well balanced with good experience, a lot of seniors," Nutt said. "I feel like they're one of the most talented teams in the conference."

That would be nothing new for the perennial OVC power that virtually has owned the Redhawks over the years.

The Govs have won 23 of the past 25 meetings with Southeast and swept all three matchups by an average of 19 points last year.

Austin Peay, under the direction of the OVC's all-time winningest coach Dave Loos, ended the Redhawks' 2010-11 season with a 76-60 victory in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

"They've got a tremendous program. Any time you play a Dave Loos team, it's a challenge," Nutt said. "We've got to make sure we're playing on all cylinders."

The Redhawks are coming off Saturday's 77-62 loss at Tennessee Tech that marked just their second defeat in the past eight games.

Southeast is 8-2 at the Show Me Center, including 4-0 in OVC play, this season.

"We've played well at home so far and hopefully we can keep that going," Nutt said.

Nutt said junior guard Nick Niemczyk, who missed Saturday's game at Tennessee Tech with a concussion, will not play today.

Special promotions

Several special promotions are scheduled for upcoming Southeast basketball games.

* Fan buses have been set up for two men's games -- Feb. 2 at Murray State and Feb. 11 at SIU Edwardsville. Both contests begin at 7 p.m.

The cost for each trip is $30, which includes a ticket to the game. A minimum of 30 fans are required for each bus. If fewer than 30 fans sign up, the trip will be canceled and payments will be refunded.

Registration deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday for the Murray State game and 5 p.m. Feb. 9 for the SIUE contest. Call 651-2113 to make reservations.

* Southeast will celebrate Rowdy the Redhawk's seventh birthday during the Feb. 4 doubleheader against Tennessee State at the Show Me Center. The women's game begins at 5:30 p.m.

All general admission tickets for that night are $7. Fredbird, the St. Louis Cardinals mascot, will be on hand.

Fans can get autographs from Rowdy and Fredbird between the women's and men's games. There will be a birthday card station on the upper-level concourse where fans can make birthday cards for Rowdy.

* Southeast is offering special "3-Point Packs" for men's home games in February. Fans can get a ticket for three games, three sodas and three hot dogs for $30.

The games are against Tennessee State (Feb. 4), Tennessee-Martin (Feb. 9) and Murray State (Feb. 15).

Call 651-2113 for more information or to purchase tickets.