GAME NOTES: Ohio Valley Conference action is on tap tonight, as the Morehead State Eagles put their perfect home record on the line against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. SEMO's season has taken a downward turn over the past month, as the Redhawks have dropped decisions in seven of their last eight games, including a 90-71 final against UT-Martin last Saturday. The loss evened SEMO's 2007-08 record at 12-12, and brought the team to a 7-7 mark in league play. As for Morehead State, the Eagles have tasted victory in four of their last five outings, including two straight. The club's most recent success, an 88-66 thrashing of Kentucky Christian, gave the Eagles a 9-0 mark on their home floor while improving their overall season ledger to 11-10 and their OVC mark to 8-5. SEMO and MSU find themselves locked in a 16-16 tie in the all-time series between the two.

The Redhawks are shooting a respectable 46.1 percent as a team this season, and averaging a solid 77.5 ppg. SEMO boasts three players with double-digit scoring averages, starting with Jaycen Herring and his 13.6 ppg. Brandon Foust contributes 11.6 ppg, and his 6.4 rpg has him atop the squad, while Roderick Pearson has been good for 10.1 ppg. The Redhawks shot just 38.7 percent from the floor during last Saturday's 19-point loss to UT-Martin, including a miserable 3-of-18 performance from beyond the arc. The Redhawks were dominated on the glass to the tune of 54-39 rebounding disadvantage, and struggled from the charity stripe (10-of-20). Will Bogan scored 18 points and collected seven rebounds off the bench to pace the Redhawks in the losing effort, while Herring added 12 points to go with five boards. Pearson added 10 points for SEMO.

MSU's 9-0 home start is the best since the Eagles moved into Johnson Arena for the 1981-82 season. Overall, it matches the 9-0 start by the 1972-73 Eagles and sits just four shy of the 1956-57 squad which won 13 consecutive home games. The Eagles shot a solid 53.2 percent from the floor in last Saturday's victory over Kentucky Christian, and held the Knights to a meager 39.3 shooting clip. MSU outrebounded KCU by a dominating 54-20 margin, helping overcome 19 giveaways. Les Simmons scored 19 points off the bench to lead MSU, while Kenneth Faried tallied 12 points to go with 12 rebounds in the win. Maze Stallworth and John Lamb also achieved double figures, netting 11 points apiece for the Eagles. Leon Buchanan has paced MSU this season, netting 13.4 points and collecting 5.6 rebounds per game. He is joined in double digits by Stallworth and Jamyron Steward, who average 12.3 and 11.6 ppg, respectively. Faried is also worthy of mention, as his 8.0 rpg leads the team, and he has contributed a solid 9.6 ppg as well.

The Redhawks are in something of a nose dive at the moment, while the Eagles have been flying high, especially at home. Give the advantage to Morehead State.