THE LATEST LINE: INDIANS TO BE TESTED REST OF '98

Regardless of what happens in the next two games, Southeast Missouri State University's basketball team is guaranteed of entering the new year in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.

But that doesn't mean the Indians won't have a couple of interesting tests to close out the 1998 portion of their schedule.

SEMO will hit the road today and won't return to Cape Girardeau until Thursday. During that time, the Indians will be seriously challenged by two opponents.

First up is Monday's game against Southern Illinois at the Trans World Dome. The game features a matchup of regional rivals who both not only have loads of alumni in St. Louis but also recruit20fairly extensively in the area.

The Indians gave up a home game with the Salukis in order to be on display at the magnificent TWA Dome that will feature several NCAA Regionals along with the 2005 Final Four.

SEMO coach Gary Garner, while knowing how nice it would be to try and beat SIU at the Show Me Center, didn't really mind giving up that home-court edge in order to give his players the chance to perform at the Dome.

Despite SIU's 3-5 record, beating the Salukis figures to be a chore. SIU has already defeated Saint Louis by 12 points -- and the Billikens own a win over nationally-ranked Kansas.

The SIU game will also feature an interesting sidelight. First-year Salukis' coach Bruce Weber was, along with Garner, one of four finalists for the SEMO job in 1997.

Garner ended up being hired and SEMO fans should be extremely happy about that, even though the other three finalists were -- like Garner -- extremely impressive candidates.

Then Tuesday, the Indians will fly from St. Louis to Oklahoma, where they will take on nationally-ranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater Wednesday.

While the Indians have already faced some extremely talented teams -- Southwest Missouri State, Louisiana Tech and Arkansas State to name a few -- and they still must take on high-powered OVC foe Murray State twice, there is no question that the Cowboys will be the best squad SEMO will play all year.

Oklahoma State, coached by the legendary Eddie Sutton, is picked by most observers to win the Big 12 Conference title. And the Cowboys have one of the best home-court advantages in the country, losing just once in more than 80 games against visiting non-league foes.

Yes, it's certainly going to be an interesting few days for the Indians, who are 6-3 overall and 3-0 in the OVC.

We'll see where the Indians stand when they return to Cape Girardeau on New Year's Eve.

* SEMO's women's basketball team, which hasn't played since Dec. 12, will return to action Saturday with a big OVC home game against Eastern Kentucky.

The Otahkians are 7-2 overall and tied for first place in the OVC at 2-0.

It would be great if a big crowd showed up to try and help the Otahks nab what would be a huge win over a perennial OVC power.

* I hope everybody had a very merry Christmas and here's best wishes for a happy New Year and a great 1999.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian