Most fans over the age of 40 probably remember Southeast Missouri State as the Indians, not the Redhawks. Alongside Illinois, Florida State, University of North Dakota, and Arkansas State, SEMO was faced with a decision in 2004: keep the "Indians" name that our fans have associated with the university for generations, or switch it up to something more politically correct? To the chagrin of very few, as it turns out, SEMO made the switch (I don't think they were as amenable over at U of I). Part of the reasoning was to have a more kid-friendly mascot, and I ask you what's more kid-friendly than a red-looking bird that no more resembles a hawk than it could a cardinal, an eagle, or a gamecock (#fatJSUfan seal of approval)?
So 9 years ago, SEMO made the switch from Indians to Redhawks. A Google search of "Redhawk" pulled up results for a casino and a security system before there was any mention of sports mascots, let alone actual animals. There's a red-tailed hawk that's native to the area -- or perhaps "red" is a subtle nod to the Native American past (unlikely, but it's worth noting that the Arkansas State Indians changed their name to Red Wolves) or to the St. Louis Cardinal fandom that sweeps the state (infield fly rule adversaries beware). Whatever it is, the name change has caught on without a whole lot of backlash from SEMO fans, who are either comfortable with a needed cultural upgrade or else not interested enough to actually care.
And that brings us to the other hawk taking the court on Wednesday -- that would be the Skyhawks of Tennessee-Martin. Formerly known as the "Volunteers" (and colloquially "Baby Vols") and the "Pacers," UT-Martin made the switch in 1995 to honor both the area's World War fighter pilot history as well as the "sky pilot" frontier-era term for traveling preachers. The hawk on their logo wears fighter pilot goggles, but their actual mascot does not. To me, this is a travesty -- I would have the hawk either parachuting in from the ceiling or actually piloting a model plane during pre-game introductions; at the very least, people outside of West Tennessee would actually know something about you, instead of confusing the school with "Martin Methodist" (a much smaller outfit in Southern Tennessee).
Semantics aside, it turns out that some kinds of hawks can actually play basketball (even outside of Atlanta). Day 1 of the OVC Tournament featured dunking, shooting, a few fans, a lot of bands, and even a Marshall Henderson sighting! To recap:
Game 1: Morehead State Eagles 73, Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 66
As those of you who follow me on Twitter (@andrewhard592 -- stop what you're doing and add me now!) gathered last night, my seat on press row (left) provided me some great access to take dunk photos like this one (right) -- and also put my computer in great peril during any loose ball scrum. Thankfully, this old Dell lives to see another day, but the same could not be said for the Skyhawks, who unfortunately played this contest without their best player. Myles Taylor (16.2 ppg) suffered a season-ending injury in the Skyhawks' meaningless final regular season game (they were already locked into the #8 seed), so the Martineers were already behind the 8-ball from the opening tip. Where would their scoring come from, if at all?
The answer: Marshall Henderson, Jr.. Okay, he wasn't actually Marshall Henderson's offspring/brother/clone, but junior guard Mike Liabo sure played the part. On UTM's first possession, Liabo drained a straight-on 3 and let out a SCREEEEEAM as if he had just tied the game with 2 minutes left. The next trip down the court, Morehead traveled (Liabo having nothing to do with the play), and he let out yet another SCREEEEEAM. The crazy eyes and pencil-thin beard/mustache thingy didn't help matters, either. Liabo didn't hit any 35-footers or hit on cheerleaders, but his NBA range did keep the Skyhawks in the game longer than they should have against a bigger, deeper, and faster Morehead State team (Liabo finished with 24 points including 4-9 from beyond the arc).
It's a rare night where you can shoot 1-13 from beyond the arc, 61% from the line, and still have a double-digit lead most of the game, but that's exactly what Morehead was able to do. The Eagles doubled up the Skyhawks in total rebounds (46-23) and nearly doubled them in paint points (42-22), with the Morehead bench accounting for 27 of their 73 points (as opposed to just 4 for UTM). That will happen when you go 11 deep. Morehead is a big team -- four of their rotation guys are 6'7", 230 or more -- but it's unclear who their leading scorer is or if, like the Denver Nuggets (who feature Morehead alum Kenneth Faried), they don't actually need a signature player. In this one, though, depth and size were more than enough to send the Skyhawks flying back home.
Game 2: Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 78, Eastern Illinois Panthers 68
Little-known fact that only the insider access at The Road to 592 can provide: not only does SEMO guard Nick Niemczyk have a 3.88 GPA (best among all OVC basketball players), but it turns out he can shoot too! It must be a Costanza-like physics analysis of basketball trajectory or something. Niemczyk -- and the rest of the Redhawks -- were flat unconscious in a Feb. 28 win over Austin Peay, hitting an OVC-record 20 3-pointers in a 108-81 blowout (Niemczyk went 5-10, while fellow guard Corey Wilford shot an astonishing 8-12 from behind the arc). The Redhawks may have had a bad start to the season, but this game was the breakout performance that showed just how good SEMO can be.
The Redhawks didn't disappoint in this one, running a four-guard offense around 6'8" Tyler Stone with Wilford, Niemczyk, Marland Smith, and coach's kid Lucas Nutt (again, yes, the coach's name is Dickey Nutt). Offensive efficiency was off the charts for SEMO in the first half, as wide-open shooters littered the perimeter for Stone's extra passes, ready to make it rain from beyond the arc. If they didn't shoot, SEMO ran it back door for Stone for an alley-oop. In the first half, the Redhawks were 6-12 from beyond the arc, with Stone a perfect 6-6 from the field for 12 points. Things cooled off a bit in the second half as SEMO tried to work it inside more, but the lead was always double-digits in this easy win. EIU's Josh Piper (19 points) and Alex Austin (17) kept it from being a total disaster for the Panthers.
Day 2 Preview
6:00 -- #4 Tennessee State Tigers vs. #5 Morehead State Eagles
The Morehead-TSU matchup on February 28 might have been the game of the year in the OVC, and maybe the non-OT game of the year in all of college basketball. The Eagles usually make their living outrebounding people (as they did against Martin), but in this 101-100 victory, they actually shot it well too -- 61.7% from the field and 60% (15-25) from beyond the arc. 11 Eagles scored, led by 23 from Angelo Warner, and five notched double figures. The Tigers didn't shoot it as well (46.2%), but boy was there a parade to the free throw line -- 30-38 for TSU on 29 Morehead fouls. Four TSU players scored double figures in that one, led by Kellen Thornton's 29 and Robert Covington's 23.
If this game was any indication, this might be the wildest game of the entire tournament. When TSU wins, it likes to score in the 80s (the Tigers notched 80+ in 7 of their 8 wins since January 10) and use big, athletic forwards Thornton and Covington to space the floor, run the break, and crash the boards. When Morehead wins, it likes to score at least 70 (the Eagles notched 70+ in 6 of their last 7 wins), go 11-12 deep, run the floor, press you on defense, and crash the offensive boards. Maybe they'll give up a fast break or 5, but they're coming right back on the other end. Morehead's Achilles heel is its outside shooting -- they rained 3s in the last win over TSU, but went 4-14 in a loss to woeful Tennessee Tech (and the old guys) on March 2 and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn against UT-Martin. They had the size to pound Martin and cash in second-chance points, but they won't have that luxury against the bigger, more athletic Tigers.
If the Eagles hit from the outside, this game could win up in the 90s because TSU will keep up that frenetic pace. If the 3s aren't falling, Morehead is in trouble. Because they're coming off a game yesterday and won't be as fresh as the rested Tigers, I don't see this as the game where the lights suddenly come on from beyond the arc. That's why I'm taking Tennessee State to advance to the semifinals against Belmont.
8:00 -- #3 Eastern Kentucky Colonels vs. #6 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
The Colonels have won this year on the strength of their outside shooting -- Mike DiNunno and Glenn Cosey combined for 39 points, including 6-12 from beyond the arc, in EKU's 81-72 win at SEMO in February. But SEMO is a different team now, playing by far their best basketball of the season in the last 3 games. Rumor has it that Tyler Stone came down with the flu prior to the Austin Peay game, meaning that Dickey Nutt had to improvise and bring him off the bench, going with a four-guard lineup most of the game. You saw the 3-point shooting numbers -- I'd say it worked out. The Redhawks won handily at Murray on Saturday to close the regular season, and the momentum hasn't stopped. EKU will be facing a different Redhawks team this time around, and they're going to have to get more defensively from forward Eric Stutz, their best chance to stop Stone in and around the paint. If Stutz can stay disciplined and avoid the back cuts, SEMO will have to settle for Stone going back-to-the-basket or kicking out to the shooters. SEMO has shown that they can make it rain, but EKU would be wise to make the Redhawks prove they're on fire from beyond the arc first.
If SEMO has a weakness defensively, it's with the dribble drive. Alex Austin and Morris Woods got to the line a fair amount for EIU yesterday (12-12 combined), so the Colonels can look to exploit that with their explosive guards. The Colonels also like to employ a four-guard offense around Stutz, so the drive-and-kick could really test the Redhawks' on-ball defense. This game will absolutely come down to EKU making their outside shots, since they will have a very difficult time grabbing rebounds with Stone and Nino Johnson manning the paint for SEMO.
Both teams only go about 7 deep, so don't expect a whole lot of running. But I wouldn't be surprised if we saw another high-scoring game in the nightcap, since both teams shoot so well from the outside. I picked EKU to make the finals in yesterday's preview, so I won't back down from that selection. But I'm very worried about this matchup for them. Colonels by a hair to advance to Friday's semifinal against Murray State.
Follow me on Twitter for live updates from today's quarterfinal, and don't forget to tune back in tomorrow for a Thursday recap and Friday semifinal preview.
--The Road to 592 is a pipe dream started by a diehard Atlanta fan with a sparse history of truly great sports atmospheres (being Atlanta and all). Read up on my unending pursuit here and check out the full list of venues here. For those sick of conference realignment, you can also relish in another pipe dream of mine -- the 28-team SEC. Follow me on Twitter @andrewhard592.
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