Redhawks Set to Make Waves in Tennessee State for OVC Road Showdown

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.
Venue: Gentry Center (9,100)
Series: TSU leads, 31-29
Previous Encounter: TSU 77, SEMO 74 | 2/10/24 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Last Encounter 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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Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF) 

Redhawks Celebrate New Year at Tennessee State

•    Southeast Missouri will celebrate the New Year as it makes its way to Tennessee State on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., CT at the Gentry Center.

•    Thursday’s game represents SEMO’s initial Ohio Valley Conference road game of the season.

•    The Redhawks will stay in Tennessee to take on UT Martin two days following their encounter with the Tigers.

•    SEMO is 1-5 away from Cape Girardeau this season, including a 1-4 mark in true away games.

•    The Redhawks’ only away victory happened at Central Arkansas (77-73, OT) on Nov. 21, 2024.

Series Notes

•    Thursday will be the 61st clash between Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State.

•    TSU has a 31-29 advantage in the overall series.

•    SEMO holds an 8-19 record against the Tigers in Nashville.

•    The Redhawks and Tigers have exchanged victories in their home-and-home series for the past three seasons.

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

•    The Redhawks have secured victories in six of their last nine contests against the Tigers.

Redhawks Commence OVC Action at 2-0

•    The Redhawks initiated Ohio Valley Conference action with consecutive home triumphs.

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

•    SEMO stands at 2-0 in starting a conference season for the first occasion under Head Coach Brad Korn.

•    This year also signifies a 12-year first for the Redhawks, opening league play with a 2-0 record.

•    SEMO commenced its 2012-13 OVC schedule with home victories against UT Martin (65-60) and Austin Peay (86-84).

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

Heating Up

•    Southeast Missouri has claimed five of its last seven games and arrives in Nashville with a four-game winning streak on Thursday.

•    Each of SEMO’s last four victories occurred at the Show Me Center.

•    Currently, SEMO is tied for the lead in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with Morehead State.

•    Both SEMO and MSU have an overall record of 7-6, are 2-0 in league play and have each won four consecutive games.

•    SEMO, MSU, and Little Rock (1-0) are the sole unbeaten teams remaining in OVC play.

Korn Reaches 60th Win

•    Brad Korn achieved his 60th career victory as head coach when Southeast Missouri defeated Westminster, 88-39, on Dec. 29.

•    Korn, in his fifth season at SEMO, owns an overall record of 60-79 and 33-42 in Ohio Valley Conference contests.

•    Korn’s 60 wins rank fourth 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 presently positioned at the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference standings with an overall record of 4-9 and 0-2 in OVC contests.

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

•    Brandon Weston stands as the OVC’s leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points per game.

December is Behind Us

•    The Redhawks posted a 4-2 record in December after achieving a clean sweep during their season-long four-game home stand.

•    Southeast Missouri concluded December with a winning record for the second consecutive season.

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

Expect High Scores Thursday

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

•    Meanwhile, Southeast Missouri is the conference’s top scoring squad, averaging 79.5 points per contest in OVC play.

•    TSU and SEMO have collectively scored 80 or more points on 12 occasions this season.

Ranking High

•    In Ohio Valley Conference games, Southeast Missouri leads 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 is at the forefront of the OVC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.270), stands third in free throw percentage (.696), and ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (1.2). 

Washington, Jr. Misses First Game

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

•    Washington, Jr. was unable to play due to illness, having missed practice the day prior to that fixture.

•    He is expected to return for Southeast Missouri’s game against Tennessee State.

Stacker Takes Over

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

•    Stacker recorded a career-high of 16 points, collected five rebounds, and provided three assists in 18 minutes.

•    He successfully shot 7-of-11 from the field and also connected on a single 3-pointer.

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

Redhawks Dominate Westminster College
Southeast Missouri secured its fourth consecutive victory with an 88-39 demolition of NCAA Division III institution Westminster College (Dec. 29).

• With this triumph, SEMO completed its non-conference schedule with a 5-6 standing.

• Every Redhawk that participated scored in the match. Rob Martin topped five teammates in double digits with 17 points. Braxton Stacker followed with a personal-best 16 points, Damarion Walkup contributed 14, and Brendan Terry added 10.

• The Redhawks led throughout the contest and confined the Blue Jays to only 16 points in the first half.

Maintaining the Advantage

• The Redhawks have not fallen behind in four consecutive games.

• Southeast Missouri last trailed during its road defeat to Murray State on Dec. 8.

• SEMO won three of these games by double digits, including two by 37 or more points.

SEMO Glides to Second OVC Victory

• Southeast Missouri recorded 80 points in a decisive 16-point victory (80-64) against SIU Edwardsville (Dec. 21).

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

• BJ Ward led the way with 18 points, while Teddy Washington, Jr. and Brendan Terry followed closely with 17 each.

• The Redhawks maintained the lead throughout the game and out-rebounded SIUE, 37-22.

• The Cougars did not secure any offensive rebounds during the game.

• This marked the first instance in SEMO’s NCAA Division I history where an opponent did not achieve an offensive rebound against the Redhawks.

Washington, Jr. Honored by HoopsHD.com

• Southeast Missouri guard Teddy Washington, Jr. was acknowledged as one of the top players in college basketball for the 2024 calendar year.

• HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel assessed the best five players from each conference based on their overall statistics.

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

Korn in the OVC

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

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

• This marked SEMO’s second OVC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament entry in the history of the program.

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

• 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 standing marks the best start in OVC competition under Korn.

Terry Ascends

• Brendan Terry, who has been a starter in all 13 games this season, scored double digits in six of his past seven games.

• Terry achieved double-digit scoring in his last five starts.

• Most recently, Terry netted 10 points against Westminster College (Dec. 29).

• Prior to that, he matched his career-best of 17 points against SIU Edwardsville (Dec. 21).

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

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

3-Pointer Streak

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

• The last occurrence that Southeast Missouri did not convert a 3-pointer was against Western Illinois (0-of-6) on Dec. 10, 2008.

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

• The Redhawks have successfully made 10 or more threes in a game four times this season.

Redhawks Now Rank Third Nationally in Three-Point Defense

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

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

• SEMO has restricted its opponents to five or fewer made 3-pointers in eight of its 13 games in 2024-25.

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

80 or More Points

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

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

• The Redhawks completed games with 82 points against Chattanooga (Nov. 17), 80 against Kansas City (Nov. 30), 80 versus SIU Edwardsville (Dec. 21), and 88 against Westminster (Dec. 29), all of which were home contests.

• SEMO holds a 5-1 record in matches where it scores 80 or more points.

Wishing a Happy New Year!

• The Redhawks aim to commence the New Year with a victory for the third time under Head Coach Brad Korn.

• Southeast Missouri stands at 2-2 in its inaugural game of the New Year with Korn in charge.

• SEMO triumphed over Tennessee State (83-79) on Jan. 2, 2021, and Austin Peay (98-79) on Jan. 1, 2022, for its victories. Both contests were held in Cape Girardeau.