THE LATEST LINE: BUBBA'S LAST VISIT A CHANCE TO SEE ANOTHER NBA PROSPECT

From a purely basketball standpoint, a lot of people in this area still wish Southeast Missouri State University's Indians had not made the huge jump from Division II to Division I.

On the Division II level, the Indians were consistent winners and one of the premier teams in the nation. Fans attending games at the Show Me Center rarely saw a SEMO loss, because the Indians lost very few games no matter where they played.

On the Division I level, the victories have been much fewer and far between. There have even been quite a few home setbacks, which used to be almost unheard of.

But for the true basketball fans -- the ones that simply appreciate impressive talent even if the Indians aren't beating some second-rate outfit by 30 or 40 points -- the move has probably been greatly appreciated.

By making the jump to Division I, Indian fans have been able to watch in person a fairly steady stream of players who eventually wind up in the NBA.

During the Indians' first few seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference, there was Murray State's Popeye Jones, who has established himself as a solid NBA performer and one of the league's top rebounders.

Then just a couple of years ago, Tennessee State's Carlos Rogers came along and the impressively talented 6-foot-11 player became a first-round NBA draft choice who continues to improve and has turned into a solid player.

Last year we had Murray State's Marcus Brown, a sweet-shooting guard who was drafted in the second round. He made Portland's roster but has been on the injured list for most of the season.

And this season we have Austin Peay's Bubba Wells, who was rated as one of the top small forwards among college seniors but was set back by an injury for the early part of the campaign.

Wells, a 6-5, 225-pounder, may or may not make it in the NBA. But he might be the best college player out of all the aforementioned standouts.

Since returning to action in early January, Wells -- the nation's returning leading scorer from last year -- has averaged over 32 points per game. He lit up SEMO for 39 back on Jan. 4 and Indian fans will get their last look at Bubba when the Govs come to the Show Me Center Monday night.

You won't want to miss it.

* Although it hasn't been the case very often recently, we actually had an extremely competitive Super Bowl this year.

In fact, had Green Bay return whiz Desmond Howard not gone crazy, the game would have probably gone right down to the wire and New England might even have had a chance to pull it out at the end.

* This Wednesday will be the first day that high school seniors can sign letters of intent to play football with a college.

SEMO figures to sign several prep standouts but the Indians' primary recruiting target was the junior-college ranks. They reportedly have already landed an impressive array of juco talent that is enrolled in school for the second semester and will go through spring practice. A complete list of those players should be coming out soon.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian