Redhawks Travel to Tennessee State for First OVC Road Game Thursday – Southeast Missouri State University Athletics

Southeast Missouri (7-6, 2-0 OVC) at Tennessee State (4-9, 0-2 OVC)

Date: Thursday, January 2, 2025
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m., CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Facility: Gentry Center (9,100)
Series: TSU leads, 31-29
Last Meeting: TSU 77, SEMO 74 | 2/10/24 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Last Meeting in Nashville: TSU 85, SEMO 65 | 2/9/23

Head Coaches

Tennessee State: Brian “Penny” Collins (85-111 overall; 85-111 at TSU; 46-66 OVC)

Southeast Missouri: Brad Korn (60-79 overall; 60-79 at SEMO; 33-42 OVC)    

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Live Stats: TSUTigers.com

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X: @SEMOMBB

Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF) 

Redhawks Ring in New Year at Tennessee State

•    Southeast Missouri will ring in the New Year when it travels to Tennessee State Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., CT at the Gentry Center.

•    Thursday’s matchup marks SEMO’s first Ohio Valley Conference road game of the season.

•    The Redhawks will remain in Tennessee to face UT Martin two days after they play the Tigers.

•    SEMO is 1-5 outside of Cape Girardeau this year, including a 1-4 record in true road games.

•    The Redhawks only road win came at Central Arkansas (77-73, OT) on Nov. 21, 2024.

Series Notes

•    Thursday marks the 61st meeting between Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State.

•    TSU holds a 31-29 lead in the all-time series.

•    SEMO is 8-19 against the Tigers in Nashville.

•    The Redhawks and Tigers split their home-and-home series each of the last three years.

•    SEMO last beat TSU at the Gentry Center on Jan. 19, 2021 (63-59).

•    The Redhawks won six of their last nine matchups with the Tigers.

Redhawk Start OVC Play at 2-0

•    The Redhawks began Ohio Valley Conference play with back-to-back home victories.

•    Southeast Missouri beat Eastern Illinois, 79-72, on Dec. 19 and SIU Edwardsville, 80-64, on Dec. 21.

•    SEMO is 2-0 to start a conference season for the first time under Head Coach Brad Korn.

•    This year also marks the first time in 12 years where the Redhawks opened league play with a 2-0 record.

•    SEMO started its 2012-13 OVC schedule with home wins over UT Martin (65-60) and Austin Peay (86-84).

•    A win at Tennessee State (Jan. 2) would give the Redhawks their first 3-0 start in conference play since 2011-12.

Heating Up

•    Southeast Missouri won five of its last seven games and brings a four-game winning streak to Nashville Thursday.

•    Each of SEMO’s last four wins came at the Show Me Center.

•    SEMO is currently tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with Morehead State.

•    Both SEMO and MSU are 7-6 overall, 2-0 in league play and on a four-game winning streak.

•    SEMO, MSU and Little Rock (1-0) are the only three unbeaten teams left in OVC action.

Korn Gets 60th Win

•    Brad Korn picked up his 60th career win as head coach when Southeast Missouri beat Westminster, 88-39, on Dec. 29.

•    Korn, who is in his fifth year at SEMO, has an overall record of 60-79 and 33-42 in Ohio Valley Conference games.

•    Korn’s 60 wins are fourth-most among SEMO’s head coaches during the NCAA Division I era behind Gary Garner (126), Dickey Nutt (80) and Ron Shumate (71).

About Tennessee State

•    Tennessee State is currently last in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with an overall record of 4-9 and 0-2 in OVC play.

•    TSU leads the OVC in scoring with 80.3 points per game. The Tigers also top the league in rebounding margin with a +8.3 advantage.

•    Brandon Weston is the OVC’s leading scorer with 18.3 points a game.

December is Over

•    The Redhawks went 4-2 in December after sweeping their season-long four-game home stand.

•    Southeast Missouri finished with a winning record in December for the second-straight season.

•    SEMO’s recent 88-39 win over Westminster (Dec. 29) gave the Redhawks their first winning record of the season at 7-6.

Expect Lots of Points Thursday

•    Tennessee State leads the Ohio Valley  Conference in scoring with 80.3 points per game. 

•    Meanwhile, Southeast Missouri is the league’s top scoring team with 79.5 points per contest in OVC play.

•    TSU and SEMO have combined to score 80 or more points a total of 12 times this season.

Pulling Rank

•    In Ohio Valley Conference games, Southeast Missouri leads the league in scoring offense (79.5 ppg), free throw percentage (.800), field goal percentage (.518), assists (16 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.6).

•    Overall, SEMO tops the OVC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.270), is third in free throw percentage (.696) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.2). 

Washington, Jr. Misses First Game

•    Teddy Washington, Jr. missed his first game of the 2024-25 season against Westminster College (Dec. 29).

•    Washington, Jr. did not play due to illness.He missed practice for that reason the day before that contest.

•    He will return for Southeast Missouri’s game at Tennessee State.

Stacker Steps In

•    Braxton Stacker made his first start of the season in place of Teddy Washington, Jr. against Westminster (Dec. 29).

•    Stacker scored a career-high 16 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists in 18 minutes.

•    He shot 7-of-11 from the field and knocked down one 3-pointer, as well.

•    Stacker’s last start was during Southeast Missouri’s 2023-24 season finale at Southern Indiana (Mar. 2).

Redhawks Bash Westminster College

•    Southeast Missouri picked up its fourth win in a row with an 88-39 thrashing of NCAA Division III member Westminster College (Dec. 29).

•    With the victory, SEMO finished non-conference action with a 5-6 record.

•    Every Redhawk that played scored in the game. Rob Martin led five players in double figures with 17 points. Braxton Stacker followed with a career-high 16 points, Damarion Walkup added 14 and Brendan Terry pitched in 10.

•    The Redhawks never trailed in the game and held the Blue Jays to just 16 points in the first half.

Holding the Lead

•    The Redhawks did have not trailed in four-straight games.

•    Southeast Missouri last trailed in its road loss to Murray State on Dec. 8.

•    SEMO won three of those contests by double figures, including two by 37 or more points.

SEMO Coasts to Second OVC Win

•    Southeast Missouri scored 80 points in a commanding 16-point victory (80-64) over SIU Edwardsville (Dec. 21).

•    SEMO had three players scored double figures against the Cougars, who lead the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring defense (67.1 ppg allowed).

•    BJ Ward paved the way with 18 points, while Teddy Washington, Jr. and Brendan Terry followed close behind with 17 apiece.

•    The Redhawks never trailed in the game and outrebounded SIUE, 37-22. 

•    The Cougars did not have an offensive rebound in the contest.

•    It was the first time in SEMO’s NCAA Division I era where an opponent did not have an offensive rebound against the Redhawks.

Washington, Jr. Recognized by HoopsHD.com

•     Southeast Missouri guard Teddy Washington, Jr. was recognized among the best players in college basketball during the 2024 calendar year.

•    HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel ranked the top five players from each conference based on their all-around statistics.

•    SIUE’s Ray’Sean Taylor, Tennessee State’s Brandon Weston, Eastern Illinois’ Kooper Jacobi and Southern Indiana’s Stephen Olowoniyi joined Washington, Jr. on the list out of the Ohio Valley Conference.

Korn in the OVC

•     Brad Korn has an all-time record of 33-42 in Ohio Valley Conference games.

•    Korn guided Southeast Missouri to its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in over two decades during the 2022-23 campaign.

•    It was SEMO’s second OVC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth in program history.

•    In 2022-23, the Redhawks finished fifth in the OVC with a 10-8 record and became the first #5 seed to win an OVC Tournament.

•    SEMO’s other conference records under Korn include 9-11 (2020-21), 8-9 (2021-22) and 4-14 (2023-24).

•    This year’s 2-0 record is the best start in OVC play under Korn.

Terry Rises

•     Brendan Terry, who has started all 13 games this season, scored double figures in six of his last seven outings.

•    Terry reached double-digit points in each of his last five starts.

•    Most recently, Terry scored 10 points vs. Westminster College (Dec. 29).

•    Before that, he matched his career-high of 17 points against SIU Edwardsville (Dec. 21).

•    Terry also finished with 13 points vs. Eastern Illinois (Dec. 19), 17 against St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15), 12 points at Murray State (Dec. 8) and 14 vs. Kansas City (Nov. 30).

•    Terry is SEMO’s fourth-leading scorer (9.2 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (3.8 rpg). He leads the Redhawks with 21 steals, as well.

3-Pointer Streak

•    The Redhawks have made at least one 3-pointer in 502 consecutive games.

•    The last time Southeast Missouri did not make a 3-pointer was vs. Western Illinois (0-of-6) on Dec. 10, 2008.

•    SEMO has made 98-of-316 threes at a 31.3 percent rate this season.

•    The Redhawks drained 10 or more threes in a game four times this year.

Redhawks Now Third in the Nation Defending the Three

•    After holding Westminster College to just two 3-pointers made and 11.1 percent (2-of-18) beyond the arc, Southeast Missouri moved to third in the nation in 3-point percentage defense.

•    Opponents are shooting just 26 percent from downtown against Southeast Missouri this season.

•    SEMO has held its opponent to five or less 3-pointers made in eight of its 13 games in 2024-25.

•    The Redhawks are third out of 355 NCAA Division I basketball teams.

80 or More

•    Southeast Missouri has scored 80 or more points a total of six times this season.

•    SEMO scored a season-high 93 points in wins over NAIA opponents Crowley’s Ridge College (Nov. 13) and St. Mary of the Woods (Dec. 15).

•    The Redhawks finished with 82 points vs. Chattanooga (Nov. 17), 80 against Kansas City (Nov. 30), 80 vs. SIU Edwardsville (Dec. 21) and 88 vs. Westminster (Dec. 29), also home games.

•    SEMO is 5-1 in games where it scores 80 or more points.

Happy New Year!

•    The Redhawks look to start the New Year with a win for the third time under Head Coach Brad Korn.

•    Southeast Missouri is 2-2 in its first game of the New Year with Korn at the helm.

•    SEMO beat Tennessee State (83-79) on Jan. 2, 2021 and Austin Peay (98-79) on Jan. 1, 2022 for its victories. Both of those games were in Cape Girardeau.