Tennessee-Martin ready to make up for last year

~ The Skyhawks, coming off a 6-21 season, host Southeast in the OVC opener for both teams.

Tennessee-Martin had a season last year that coach Bret Campbell would just as soon forget.

"We had a number of setbacks that pulled us down through the season," said Campbell, whose squad went 6-21 overall and finished 10th in the 11-team Ohio Valley Conference at 3-13. "It was just a really tough year for everybody involved."

Even though the Skyhawks tied for eighth place in the OVC's preseason poll this year, many people consider UTM -- featuring some of the league's top individuals -- a darkhorse conference contender.

Campbell doesn't disagree with that -- and neither does Southeast Missouri State coach Gary Garner, who expects his Redhawks to have their hands full tonight.

UTM (2-1) and Southeast (2-2) begin their OVC schedules with a 6 p.m. tipoff at Skyhawk Arena in Martin, Tenn.

"They're probably the most athletic team in the OVC, and their talent is as good as anyone," said Garner, whose squad was picked eighth along with UTM in the league's preseason poll. "Their starting five ... I don't see a better one in the OVC, except maybe Murray State.

"They are one of the teams that can definitely win the OVC championship."

If early games are an indication, Garner might be right.

The Skyhawks opened the season with a 78-61 loss at seventh-ranked Louisville, although they trailed by just eight points with under 7 minutes remaining.

After routing Division III Webster 94-72, the Skyhawks posted an impressive 80-77 overtime win over Arkansas State on Thursday night.

"I like our team," Campbell said. "I think we have a little more maturity, and hopefully that will pay off."

As for whether he believes UTM can contend for the OVC title, Campbell said, "I would hope so. I think the league is really balanced, probably top to bottom as strong as it's been. We hope to be right in there."

The Skyhawks feature the OVC's tallest starting lineup -- they go 6-foot-9, 6-9 and 6-8 across the front line, with a pair of 6-5 guards -- and have arguably two of the league's premier players in Jared Newson and Jeremy Kelly, who also rate as two of the OVC's top athletes.

Newson, a 6-5 senior guard, was a first-team all-conference preseason selection. Last year, he finished seventh in the league in scoring and sixth in rebounding, with averages of 15.4 and 6.8 per game.

Through three games this year, Newson -- known for his acrobatic drives and dunks -- is averaging 21.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. He had 27 points and 11 rebounds against Arkansas State.

Perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle for UTM this year is Kelly, a 6-5 senior point guard who missed all of last season with an injury after averaging 13.8 points per game to earn third-team all-OVC honors two years ago.

Kelly poured in 31 points against Louisville, and is averaging 22.7 points per game. He also has 16 assists against 10 turnovers, a solid ratio for somebody who is not a natural point guard.

"We really missed him. We struggled at guard last year, and he sure would have helped," Campbell said. "His presence ... he's making his teammates better. He's matured.

"Our senior leadership is so much improved. Newson and Kelly are a big part of that."

Said Garner: "Newson is a tremendous athlete, one of the best in the OVC. And a lot of people think Kelly might be the best player in the OVC. They really missed him last year. They struggled at the guard spot last year, and with Kelly, I think their season would have been a whole lot different."

The Skyhawks also feature 6-9, 245-pound junior center Cleve Woodfork, who averaged 12 points per game last year.

But with Kelly and Newson combining to average 44 points a contest, and with UTM displaying a deep bench -- eight players are averaging at least 18 minutes per game -- Woodfork's offense has not yet been needed.

"Their size is really incredible, and all of those guys are very good athletes," Garner said. "We thought Nebraska was big, but overall they're bigger than Nebraska."

UTM, which tries to run at every opportunity, is averaging 78 points so far, while Southeast is averaging just 63 points, so Garner considers it imperative that the Redhawks control the tempo as much as possible.

"We have to control the game," he said. "That doesn't mean we don't want to get easy baskets, but we sure don't want to get into a track meet with them."

While Garner expects problems from the Skyhawks, Campbell anticipates the same from the Redhawks, who don't have nearly the experience of UTM. He is particularly aware of senior guard Roy Booker, a Montana transfer who leads Southeast with 19.3 points per game.

"Booker makes them a lot better," Campbell said. "I know they've got a lot of new players, but I think once they get it going, they're a scary team."

No matter what happens tonight, both squads will still have 19 conference games remaining -- but Garner knows how nice it would be to get off to a good start.

"Even if we don't win, it's not the end of the season," Garner said. "But boy, if we could go on the road and get this one, it would really be big.

"It's going to be tough for us at their place, but if we do the things we need to do, I feel like we can go there and win."