CLARKSVILLE— After hosting Southeast Missouri to open Ohio Valley Conference play scarcely two weeks ago, Austin Peay State University men's basketball team will visit the Redhawks at the Show Me Center for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff, Thursday–the third game of a four-game road trip.

The Govs are one of two unbeaten teams remaining in the OVC, and it's bad luck for SEMO that they'll face both this weekend—Murray State visits the Redhawks on Saturday.

Scouting the Redhawks

The Redhawks have scuffled in a variety of ways in 2019-20, but their most consistent struggles have centered around ball control. An assist-to-turnover ratio of basically zero (plus-0.7, to be technical) is mitigated by the fact that it's mostly not because of turnovers–the Redhawks are simply predictable with the ball, as one of just 11 squads in Division I averaging less than 10 assists per night as a team.

Defensively, Southeast Missouri's 36.5 three-point field goal defense is inflated somewhat by facing five of the NCAA's top-100 three-point shooting teams; however, that doesn't account for a 47.3 percent mark overall that ranks 333rd in Division I, nor the 47.8 percent mark from deep the Govs, who are hitting one-third of their threes overall in 2019-20, put up in the first contest in Clarksville.

Sage Tolbert and Alex Caldwell both popped from deep in the first meeting with the Govs–Austin Peay can't afford to let either get hot from beyond the arc in front of the home fans on Thursday.

Last Time Out Against Southeast Missouri

The Govs got the Ohio Valley Conference slate off to a solid start with a comfortable 78-63 win against Southeast Missouri, Jan. 2. Jordyn Adams did the first-half damage with 17 points in the opening frame and Austin Peay closed the half on a 14-2 run with 10 points coming from the talented freshman from Silsbee, Texas. The Govs simply didn't allow SEMO any room to work on the glass, outrebounding the Redhawks by 20 and putting up 18 second-chance points.

Keep An Eye On…

• A win would be Austin Peay's seventh straight against Southeast Missouri—equaling a seven-game streak from 2008-11.
• With a total of seven honors between them, Adams and Carlos Paez are the first OVC freshman teammates to each win three or more Freshman of the Week honors in the same season since UT Martin's Troy King and Mike Liabo during the 2010-11 season.
• If the Govs are going to win, they'll do so by winning the second-chance points battle. Austin Peay is 10-3 when outscoring their opponent in second-chance attempts.
• Paez has a 3.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio since joining the starting lineup, Dec. 21 (seven games). Butler has a 3.0-to-1 ratio since league play began.
• Austin Peay has a plus-4.8 turnover margin over the last five games.
• The Govs would secure their fifth straight win at the Show Me Center for the first time in series history.
• In the last meeting against Southeast Missouri, the Govs hit a season-high 11 three-pointers and equaled their season-low with 13 fouls committed.
• In their 10 wins, the Govs are now hitting 50.8 percent (305-for-600) from the floor.
• At a combined 38.9 points per game, Adams and Terry Taylor are the second-highest scoring duo in Division I.
• Since league play began, Taylor is posting 23.8 points on 54.5 percent (36-for-66) from the floor and 78.3 percent (18-for-23) at the free-throw line, with 11.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals.
• A win would extend Austin Peay's winning streak to a season-best five games.
• Milestone Watch: Taylor needs 27 points to pass Trenton Hassell and take sole possession of 10^th-place in career scoring at Austin Peay. If Taylor pulls down five rebounds, he'll pass Josh Lewis for ninth and would pass Ralph Garner for eighth with a 14-board effort.

They Said It

Must-watch mid-major players for the second half of the year:

- @KevinMarfo // (9-5) @QU_MBB
- @TylerJHagedorn // (11-7) @SDCoyotesMBB
- @TerryTaylor21 // (10-7) @AustinPeayMBB
- Obi & Malachi & Nathan Knight

— Ellie Lieberman (@ellieliebs) January 15, 2020

Tickets, please

Governors Courtside Seating returns for the 2019-20 season. Fans can contact the APSU Athletics Ticket Office for courtside seating availability and pricing. The VIPeay Hoops Experience, available to Black Tie Monocle Society members and above, also returns for 2019-20 after a successful debut last season. For more information on joining the Governors in the Dunn Center this winter, to secure season tickets or to become involved with the Monocle Society, call 931-221-PEAY. You can also purchase tickets online at www.LetsGoPeay.com/buytickets; be sure to access the new 360-degree view of the Dunn Center when purchasing tickets.

Govs Online

Check back at LetsGoPeay.com and on Austin Peay's Official Athletics Facebook page often for up-to-date news about all Governor athletics, as well as the Governor men's basketball Twitter page (@AustinPeayMBB). Live stats will be available during the game at PeayStats.com, and all home games and Ohio Valley Conference games can be viewed on the ESPN+ app. ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM/540 AM) will carry the radio broadcast locally and online.