WELLS TO DEBUT AGAINST INDIANS

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Will he or won't he?

That's the hot topic of conversation regarding today's Ohio Valley Conference basketball opener for Southeast Missouri State University's Indians.

The question centers around Austin Peay's outstanding senior forward, Bubba Wells, who has missed the Govs' first 12 games of the season with a stress fracture in his foot. Wells, a 6-foot-5 forward who averaged 26.3 points as a junior, underwent surgery Nov. 20 to have a steel rod placed in his left tibia.

Wells has been expected to return to the court for the Govs in early January. He has been practicing for the past couple of weeks, but did not play during Thursday's 85-69 win over Eastern Illinois.

Will he be on the court today when the Indians and Govs square off in a 3:30 p.m. game at the Dunn Center?

Austin Peay coach Dave Loos said Wells will not start against Southeast Missouri, but will see limited playing time.

Without Wells, who entered this season as the nation's top returning scorer, defending OVC tournament champion Austin Peay has struggled, going just 4-8.

But the Govs did even their OVC record at 1-1 with Thursday's win over Eastern Illinois.

"Without Bubba, it's really taken us a while to get that chemistry going," Loos said. "We'd lost eight in a row. We've played a good schedule and most of the games have been very close. But we just couldn't have that big possession to get over the hump.

"Thursday we probably played our best game thus far. We really shot the ball well."

Even without Wells, the Govs returned plenty of talent from last season. Junior guard Joe Sibbitt, a 3-point specialist, leads in scoring at 14 points per game. Center Reggie Crenshaw, a 6-foot-7 junior, averages 13 points a contest.

"Austin Peay is a very talented team. They've played a tough schedule like us," said Southeast coach Ron Shumate, who added that he hopes Wells is in the lineup today. "No. 1, he's a great player. No. 2, we want to play Austin Peay with their best."

Southeast has gone 3-8 so far against a brutal schedule that featured three games this week in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.

The Indians went 0-3 in Puerto Rico, losing to Cincinnati, Old Dominion and Fresno State. But they played Fresno to the wire and were right with Old Dominion midway through the second half.

"It was a very exciting opportunity for our basketball program," said Shumate of the Puerto Rico trip. "We had an opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the country.

"I thought our kids played very intense, very hard. I feel like we stepped up to the level of competition and made great strides. I feel if we can play in the OVC like we did in Puerto Rico, we can do very well and maybe even win it. I'm very confident in our team."

Center Bud Eley, a 6-10 junior, averaged 17 points per game as he was named to the Puerto Rico Classic all-tournament team. Eley is the Indians' leading scorer on the season at 14.6 points a contest.

Calvert White, a 6-4 junior guard, is also in double figures at 13.1 points per game.

"SEMO has really been playing some good teams. I think they've got a good basketball team," said Loos. "I really think they're one of the teams that could really be the sleeper in this league."

Austin Peay beat Southeast twice last season, but the Indians lead the overall series 7-6 and the teams have built up a pretty decent rivalry in a short period of time.

"We've had a good rivalry with them," Loos said. "We've had some very good games against them in the past."

Following today's game, the Indians will move on to Nashville, where they'll face Tennessee State at 7:45 p.m. Monday.

Then the Indians will have three consecutive OVC games at home, against Tennessee-Martin, Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State.

SEMO vs. Austin Peay

3:30 p.m., Clarksville, Tenn.

Probable Starters

SEMO (3-8)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Richard Lyte F Jr. 6-6 5.5

David Montgomery F So. 6-8 8.6

Bud Eley C Jr. 6-10 14.6

Calvert White G Jr. 6-4 13.1

Allen Hatchett G So. 5-10 8.2

Austin Peay (4-8)

Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Avg.

Jake Powers F Jr. 6-7 5.4

Mike Witherspoon F Jr. 6-5 7.7

Reggie Crenshaw C Jr. 6-7 13.0

Colby Pierce G Sr. 6-2 7.8

Joe Sibbitt G Jr. 6-0 14.0

Series: 7-6 SEMO

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