Redhawks MBB look to continue momentum in final homestand

Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball is entering its final five regular-season games, and having recently clinched an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament berth, the time has come that the Redhawks set their sights on things even greater.

Leading the OVC going into Saturday, the Redhawks’ dreams of a bye to the conference tourney semifinals are more than alive, and there’s a chance they could even clinch a conference regular season championship.

With this weekend’s game with Tennessee Tech, beginning a three-game homestand to conclude this year’s slate of Show Me Center games, it’s a better opportunity than ever to extend their lead at the top.

Southeast entering at 16-10 overall with an 11-4 Ohio Valley Conference record, it hosts a tough Tech team that’s been competitive at 8-7 in the OVC, 13-13 overall with a standing of sixth in the league so far.

The last time they matched up, the Redhawks knocked off the Golden Eagles with a 77-70 victory in Cookeville, Tennessee. Since then, the Redhawks have won 7 of their past 8 games heading into Saturday.

With a six-game win streak entering the homestand, Southeast ranks as the top team in the league and, if executed right, could make good on a strong start with another all-important win on Saturday afternoon.

Jaylon Johnson led all scorers in the prior matchup with 21 points in the loss, with Southeast’s Teddy Washington Jr.’s 17 leading the way for the victorious Redhawks on the road.

Rodney Johnson Jr.’s got a slight lead on Johnson for the season lead in scoring average, with Johnson Jr.’s 13.2 edging out a 13-flat nightly score for the latter.

Jaylon Johnson’s nearly 5 assists per game leads Tech, however, with one of the greater assist rates in the nation while having put up 147 triples this season.

Matthew Sells, a senior 6-foot-3 point guard, should probably shoot more. With only 74 triples attempted this season – no small body, but not even close to the team lead – he’s hitting a ridiculous 48.6 percent of his 3-point shots this season, and he leads the Golden Eagles in field goal percentage.

The 6-foot-7 junior Daniel Egbuniwe averages 10.6 points per game for them, best described as a stretch four who can make an impact in the post while also having put up over 90 3-pointers on the season.

Though ranked sixth in the OVC, Tennessee Tech will be far from an easy task for the Redhawks. Sitting at .500 overall in a wildly competitive league, TTU’s got a lot up its sleeve coming into the weekend matinee.

On the heels of a historic winning streak, up to six which ranks as its longest in over 20 years, SEMO’s catching fire at the right time.

The Redhawks are eyeing just their second conference regular-season title since moving to the OVC, last having won the league in the 1999-2000 season that saw them venture into the NCAA Tournament before losing in the first round against No. 4 Louisiana State.