THE LATEST LINE: INDIANS' 7-3 RECORD SO FAR IS NO SMALL ACCOMPLISHMENT

Sure, there have been two particularly disappointing losses, an upset defeat at Mississippi Valley State and a home setback against Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee Tech.

But all in all, a 7-3 record for Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball team at this point is pretty decent, especially considering two of the wins came over Missouri Valley Conference squads.

When I recently asked SEMO coach Gary Garner to assess the Indians through the first 10 games of the season, he said overall he has been satisfied, pointing out that whenever a team wins 70 percent of the time against a relatively demanding schedule, that's not too shabby.

Garner also said he can see the Indians improving week by week, which is what a coach always strives for. And, perhaps most importantly, he said the Indians still have so much room for improvement, which means he expects them to get a whole lot better before the season ends.

About the only time the Indians really have stubbed their toes so far was against Mississippi Valley State, when a so-so Delta Devils squad took advantage of the lethargic Indians to spring an upset.

The only other losses came against a talented Toledo team in the Missouri-Kansas City Tournament and a solid Tennessee Tech squad that squeezed out a two-point win at the Show Me Center in SEMO's only OVC game to date.

While the Indians probably should have beaten Tech at home, it's not like the Golden Eagles are chopped liver. They figure to make plenty of noise in the OVC and perhaps even challenge for the title.

On the other hand, the Indians own impressive wins over a pair of MVC teams -- Southern Illinois and Southwest Missouri -- that entering the season a lot of people probably thought they would lose to.

The bottom line through 10 games is that the Indians are probably right about where they should be, save for the fact they find themselves at the very bottom of the OVC standings and will stay there for a while longer since they have played the only league contest until early next month.

And the real bottom line through 10 games is that the season is basically just beginning. After this week's Texas-El Paso Tournament, the Indians will join all the other OVC teams in diving into all-important conference play.

That's when things figure to really get interesting.

* It had to be encouraging to Garner and his staff that the Indians' inside play in general -- and their rebounding in particular -- have really picked up in recent games.

Considering how talented SEMO's perimeter players are, if the inside personnel can provide even decent contributions then the Indians should definitely have a decent shot at capturing their second straight OVC title.

* Although things can change in a hurry, through non-conference play so far the OVC definitely appears to feature a top five and a bottom four.

In no particular order, preseason favorite Austin Peay, Murray State, SEMO, Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech have all looked solid and those five should wage quite a battle for the crown.

* SEMO's women, after a lengthy break, will return to action Saturday when Mississippi Valley visits the Show Me Center for a noon tipoff.

* Happy birthday and many more to local baseball legend Doc Yallaly, who will click the turnstiles another year later this week.

I'm not sure how old my good pal Doc is, but I will say this: he looks just about the same as when I first met him about 16 years ago.

* Here's wishing everybody a merry and healthy Christmas.