CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri has been a surprise to everyone, except to itself.
The Redhawks, who will play host to Austin Peay, 7 p.m., Thursday, finished strongly the 2010-11 season to earn an OVC tourney berth for the first time since 2007. Entering the season, they returned a quality cast, including 6-7 senior Leon Powell plus guards Marcus Brister and three-point specialist Marland Smith.
Then throw in newcomer Tyler Stone, the 6-8 Missouri transfer, and the 6-6 Marcus Porter, the Missouri State transfer along with the return of the junior redshirt sharp-shooting guard Nick Niemczyk, who missed much of last season with a knee injury, and the Redhawks' talent level dramatically has improved from Dickey Nutt's first season in 2009-10.
Stone is averaging 15.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg to lead the Redhawks. Smith is shooting 42.2 percent from three-point range while averaging 12.1 ppg. Powell is at 11.5 ppg, shooting a sterling 66 percent from the floor, while Niemczyk is averaging 9.1 ppg, including a 36.4 percent three-point field-goal shooting percentage.
As a result, SEMO sits in second place in the OVC race with a 5-2 mark.
Closely on their heels are the Governors, who are now 5-3 in the OVC race after a five-game winning streak that included a sweep of SIUE (80-67) and Eastern Illinois (76-64) last weekend. APSU is seeking its third straight road win.
In the weekend sweep, the Govs made it five straight games holding the opposition to less than 70 points, In addition, at Eastern Illinois senior guard TyShwan Edmondson snapped a six-game scoring slump as he scored 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including four three pointers.
That was important as both inside people, John Fraley and Melvin Baker, experienced foul troubles and were held in check. In fact, fellow guard Jerome Clyburn scored a career-best 18 points, including 12 of 14 at the free-throw line,
Governors Pardon
- This is Austin Peay's 80th season of basketball.
- Dave Loos, APSU's all-time winningest basketball coach, also is the OVC's all-time wins leader with 358 victories. He also has 440 career coaching wins. The Dave Aaron Arena playing floor was named Dave Loos Court, Summer 2007. Loos is believed to be one of only three current Division I men's coaches who are coaching on courts that bear their respective names-Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim-are the other two. Valparaiso's Homer Drew, who retired after the 2010-11 season, had the floor named after him last season.
- Since 1993-94, Austin Peay has finished no worse than fifth in the OVC standings.
- Austin Peay has reached at least the OVC tournament semifinals in 13 of the last 17 years.
- Austin Peay has made 27 straight appearances in the OVC tournament.
