TRIBE, OTAHKS TRAVEL SIMILAR ROADS THIS YEAR

Somewhat lost in the shuffle of the first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinal appearances for Southeast Missouri State University's basketball teams is a fact that places them alone among the other 10 league schools.

Southeast is the only school to have both its teams in the semifinals -- and each coach couldn't be happier for the other.

"Our offices are right next to each other and we just really get along well," said men's coach Gary Garner. "Ed is a great guy and I'm really happy for the success his team is having."

Arnzen echoed those sentiments.

"I'm just really happy for Gary and his program," Arnzen said. "He's a super guy. We talk all the time and we share quite a bit about basketball.

"If he's had a tough loss, I know how he's feeling when he comes into the office the next morning. And the same goes if we've had a tough loss."

There are other similarities between the Indians and Otahkians than both of them being in the tourney semifinals.

Both squads have 19-8 overall records. And both teams have been among the major surprises in the OVC this season.

Southeast's men were picked fifth in the preseason poll but the Indians finished a strong second, just one game behind perennial power Murray State.

Southeast's women were picked eighth in the preseason poll but the Otahkians finished a strong fourth, just one game behind tri-champions Tennessee Tech, Middle Tennessee and Tennessee-Martin.

Both Southeast teams can also point to one or two extremely tough defeats that kept them from claiming conference titles.

The men and women both lost to Murray State on last-second shots while the women also let a 10-point lead with three minutes left slip away against Eastern Kentucky.

But those games are in the past. Now the Indians and Otahkians will focus on winning their first OVC Tournament titles. The last school to win both men's and women's tourney championships in the same year was Austin Peay in 1996.

* The Indians and Otahkians will both depart for Nashville, Tenn., early this morning.

All eight semifinalists will have one-hour practice sessions today at the Nashville Arena.

Tonight, the coaches and players of all the squads will attend a `Welcome to Nashville' awards reception during which the OVC will announce its postseason award winners (coach of year, player of year, all-OVC, etc.).

Southeast figures to have a good shot at taking home several of the major awards.

Indians' center Bud Eley is the leading contender for men's player of the year honor while Garner and Arnzen also figure to be frontrunners for coach of the year accolades.

* While Southeast's teams have never made it this far before -- the school only joined the OVC in 1991 and the men were not eligible for the postseason tournament until three years ago -- most of the other semifinalists have all had their share of tourney success.

On the men's side, Murray State has won nine tournament titles, including the last two, three of the past four and seven of the past 10.

Middle Tennessee has four tourney championships, the last coming in 1988-89, while Morehead State has two titles, the last in 1983-84.

On the women's side, Tennessee Tech has the most championships with seven, the last coming in 1992-93. The Golden Eaglettes have advanced to the semifinals a staggering 16 times out of 17 tries since the women's tourney began in 1982.

Tennessee State has two titles, the last in 1994-95.

Tennessee-Martin, like Southeast, has never won the tournament, although the Skyhawks made it to last year's championship game after only joining the league in 1992.

* The public is encouraged to attend the Indians' and Otahkians' send-off this morning. The men will depart the Show Me Center at 8 a.m. and the women will leave at 8:30.

OVC Tournament

At Nashville Arena

MEN

Semifinals

Saturday

Murray St. (25-5) vs. Morehead St. (13-14), 5 p.m.

SE MISSOURI (19-8) vs. Middle Tenn. (12-18), 7 p.m.

Championship

Sunday

1:30 p.m. (ESPN)

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WOMEN

Semifinals

Saturday

SE MISSOURI (19-8) vs. Tenn. Tech (19-8), 11 a.m.

Tenn.-Martin (20-7) vs. Tenn. St. (13-14), 1 p.m.

Championship

Sunday

4:30 p.m. (Fox Sports South)

OVC Tournament Team-by-Team Glance

MEN

MURRAY STATE

Coach: Tevester Anderson, 25-5 at MS (1st season)

1998-99 record: 25-5, 16-2 OVC, 1st place

1998-99 tournament seed: No. 1

Joined the OVC: 1948

OVC regular-season titles: 17 (last in 1998-99)

OVC Tournament titles: 9 (last in 1997-98

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

Coach: Gary Garner, 33-21 at SE (2nd season)

1998-99 record: 19-8, 15-3 OVC, 2nd place

1998-99 tournament seed: No. 2

Joined the OVC: 1991

OVC regular-season titles: none

OVC Tournament titles: none

MIDDLE TENNESSEE

Coach: Randy Wiel, 50-39 at MT (3rd season)

1998-99 record: 12-18, 9-9 OVC, tie 3rd place

1998-99 tournament seed: No. 3

Joined the OVC: 1952

OVC regular-season titles: 4 (last in 1988-89)

OVC Tournament titles: 5 (last in 1988-89)

MOREHEAD STATE

Coach: Kyle Macy, 16-37 at MS, (2nd season)

1998-99 record: 13-14, 9-9 OVC, tie 3rd place

1998-99 tournament seed: No. 5

Joined the OVC: 1948

OVC regular-season titles: 8 (last in 1983-84)

OVC Tournament titles: 2 (last in 1983-84)

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WOMEN

TENNESSEE TECH

Coach: Bill Worrell, 262-121 at TT (13th season)

1998-99 record: 19-8, 14-4 OVC, tie 1st place

1998-99 tournament seed: No. 1

Joined the OVC: 1948

OVC regular-season titles: 11 (last in 1998-99)

OVC Tournament titles: 7 (last in 1992-93

TENNESSEE-MARTIN

Co-Coaches: Gary Van Atta, Kim Van Atta, 46-36 at TM (3rd season)

1998-99 record: 20-7, 14-4 OVC, tie 1st place

1998-99 tournament seed: No. 3

Joined the OVC: 1992

OVC regular-season titles: 1 (last in 1998-99)

OVC Tournament titles: 0

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

Coach: Ed Arnzen, 299-159 at SE (16th season)

1998-99 record: 19-8, 13-5 OVC, 4th place

1998-99 tournament seed: No. 4

Joined the OVC: 1991

OVC regular-season titles: none

OVC Tournament titles: none

TENNESSEE STATE

Coach: Teresa Phillips, 136-136 at TS (10th season)

1998-99 record: 13-14, 7-11 OVC, 7th place

1998-99 tournament seed: No. 7

Joined the OVC: 1987

OVC regular-season titles: 2 (last in 1994-95)

OVC Tournament titles: 2 (last in 1994-95)