Redhawks Soar South: A Showdown in Tennessee Tech This Thursday!

Southeast Missouri (9-9, 4-3 OVC) at Tennessee Tech (9-8, 4-2 OVC)

Game Information

Date: Thursday, January 16, 2025
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m., CT
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Facility: Eblen Center (9,280)
Series: TTU leads, 39-22
Last Meeting: SEMO 88, TTU 69 | 1/13/24 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Last Meeting in Cookeville: TTU 70, SEMO 59 | 1/13/24

Head Coaches

Tennessee Tech: John Pelphrey (209-237 overall; 60-111 at TTU; 38-59 OVC)

Southeast Missouri: Brad Korn (62-82 overall; 62-82 at SEMO; 35-45 OVC)    

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Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)

Redhawks Journey to Tennessee Tech

• Southeast Missouri travels to Tennessee Tech on Thursday. The opening tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., CT at the Eblen Center.

• SEMO is on the road in Ohio Valley Conference action for the third time only.

• The first two road OVC games of the Redhawks were determined by just five points combined.

• SEMO narrowly defeated Tennessee State, 67-65, on Jan. 2 and suffered a tight 63-66 loss at UT Martin on Jan. 4.

• Thursday signifies the start of a three-game away stretch for the Redhawks. SEMO has a 2-5 record in true away games this season.

Series Details

• Southeast Missouri will face Tennessee Tech for the 62nd occasion on Thursday.

• TTU has a 39-22 advantage in the historic series between both teams.

• SEMO has a 5-26 record at the Eblen Center and is seeking to end a seven-game losing run against the Golden Eagles in Cookeville.

• The last time the Redhawks triumphed over TTU at the Eblen Center was on January 18, 2014 (83-74).

• SEMO and TTU split their home-and-home series in each of the last three years, with the home team winning every matchup.

• Brad Korn stands at 4-4 against TTU as head coach.

• Korn’s 2022-23 squad defeated the Golden Eagles, 89-82, in overtime, securing the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title.

OVC Update

• The Redhawks aim to recover from two consecutive Ohio Valley Conference defeats.

• Southeast Missouri was bested by Morehead State, 67-56, on Jan. 11, and by Little Rock, 73-71, on Jan. 14. Both contests occurred in Cape Girardeau.

• Morehead State (5-1) sits atop the league standings, while SIU Edwardsville (4-2), Little Rock (4-2), and Tennessee Tech (4-2) are all tied for second place.

• SEMO follows in the rankings with a 4-3 record.

• The Redhawks began the 2024-25 season with a perfect 3-0 mark in OVC play, marking their first three-game win streak to commence a conference season since 2011-12.

• SEMO recorded victories at home against Eastern Illinois (79-72, Dec. 19) and SIU Edwardsville (80-64, Dec. 21), as well as away against Tennessee State (67-65, Jan. 2) and Southern Indiana (77-66, Jan. 9) for their OVC triumphs this year.

• The Redhawks won five of their last eight OVC matches, dating back to last year’s season-concluding 70-66 win at Southern Indiana.

Six of Nine

• Southeast Missouri has claimed victory in six of its past nine games, with five of those wins achieved in Cape Girardeau.

• SEMO experienced the end of a season-long five-game win streak with a narrow three-point (66-63) defeat at UT Martin (Jan. 4).

• The Redhawks had a six-game home win streak until their 67-56 setback against Morehead State (Jan. 11).

• SEMO holds a 3-2 record at the Show Me Center during conference play.

Solid Defense

• Southeast Missouri has managed to keep its opponents under 70 points in six of its last seven contests.

• SEMO (67.8 ppg allowed) ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference for scoring defense, trailing SIU Edwardsville (64.7 ppg allowed).

• SIUE’s 64 points represent the lowest total scored by a Division I opponent against SEMO this season.

200 Assists Ahead

• Point guard Rob Martin is just 21 assists shy of reaching 200 in his career.

• Martin leads Southeast Missouri and stands fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference with 73 assists across 18 games this season.

• He averages four assists per game and has recorded five or more assists on five occasions.

• Martin achieved a personal best of nine assists in SEMO’s OVC opener against Eastern Illinois (Dec. 19).

• Jonathan Dalton was the last Redhawk to accumulate 200 or more assists in a career (315, 2016-19).

Martin Takes the Lead

• Rob Martin has been the leading scorer for Southeast Missouri in each of the last three games.

• Martin tallied 15 points against Southern Indiana (Jan. 9), then scored 21 against Morehead State (Jan. 11) and 19 against Little Rock (Jan. 14).

• He is SEMO’s second-highest scorer, averaging 11.5 points per game through 18 starts this season.

• Martin has finished as the top scorer for the Redhawks in a total of five occasions in 2024-25.

• Thursday will mark Martin’s 50th career game as a Redhawk.

About Tennessee Tech

• Tennessee Tech is among two teams in the Ohio Valley Conference with an unblemished home record this season.

• The Golden Eagles are undefeated at 6-0 at the Eblen Center.

• TTU leads the OVC in assists with 15.8 per game, also topping the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3).

• Rodney Johnson, Jr. leads TTU in scoring with 14.5 points per game, ranking 11th among individual scorers in the OVC.

• Jaylon Johnson stands as the OVC leader with 83 assists.

Redhawks Defeated in Final Moments by Little Rock

• Johnathan Lawson hit a game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining, allowing Little Rock to secure a 73-71 victory against Southeast Missouri on Tuesday.

• SEMO was down, 63-53, when they executed a 13-6 run to close the game.

• Rob Martin made two free throws before seizing the opportunity for a steal.

the sphere and tallying on a jump shot in the key to narrow LR’s advantage to 69-66 with 57 seconds remaining.

• SEMO trailed by three again after a pair of free throws from Braxton Stacker.

• Tuongthach Gatkek subsequently missed two free throws, and BJ Ward drained a three-pointer from the corner to equalize the contest at 71-71 with 11 seconds remaining.

• Following Lawson’s successful shot, SEMO had one final opportunity, but Martin’s halfcourt attempt bounced off the rear of the rim.

Narrow Contests

• Southeast Missouri has participated in four matches determined by four points or fewer in 2024-25.

• Three of those encounters occurred in Ohio Valley Conference competition — victorious, 67-65, at Tennessee State (Jan. 2); defeated, 66-63, at UT Martin (Jan. 4); defeated, 73-71, against Little Rock (Jan. 14).

• SEMO has a record of 2-2 in contests decided by four points or fewer.

OVC Leader in Turnover Differential

• The Redhawks are at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference with a +3.17 turnover differential.

• Southeast Missouri is committing a league-low 10.7 turnovers per match while forcing 13.9.

• SEMO has recorded fewer than 10 turnovers in a total of seven games this season.

Ranking High

• In Ohio Valley Conference games, Southeast Missouri is leading the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.23).

• Overall, SEMO is ranked first in the OVC for 3-point field goal percentage defense (.274).

• The Redhawks are among the top three teams in the conference regarding scoring defense (2nd, 67.8 ppg allowed), scoring margin (3rd, +5.44), free throw percentage (3rd, .699), 3-point field goal percentage defense (1st, .274), turnover margin (1st, +3.17), assist/turnover ratio (2nd, 1.26) and rebounding defense (3rd, 35.5 rpg).

Redhawks Fourth in the Nation in Three-Point Defense

• Southeast Missouri stands fourth in the nation in 3-point percentage defense, trailing Tennessee (.248), Rhode Island (.270), and Cincinnati (.271).

• Opponents are shooting only 27.4 percent from beyond the arc against Southeast Missouri this season.

• SEMO has restricted its adversaries to five or fewer 3-pointers made in 11 out of its 17 games during 2024-25.

• There are currently 355 NCAA Division I basketball teams.