Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner has no doubt where the Indians' 2001-2002 schedule ranks in degree of difficulty compared to his four previous seasons in charge of the program.

"It's definitely the toughest schedule we've faced," said Garner. "Our non-conference schedule is extremely tough and it's just a really challenge schedule overall."

The schedule, which was officially released Thursday, is highlighted by four daunting early-season non-league road games: against Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference, Saint Louis of Conference USA and Southwest Missouri and Southern Illinois of the Missouri Valley Conference.

"The SEC and USA are two of the top conferences in the country and Southern Illinois and Southwest Missouri are both expected to have very good teams," Garner said.

Southeast, coming off an 18-12 season that included a fifth-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference, will be young in 2001-2002 as the Indians have just one senior among a host of sophomores and freshmen.

"You'd always like the schedule to fit your team and we're going to have a very young basketball team," said Garner. "We'll have a lot of new players and you always worry about confidence with such a tough early schedule."

Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman said the university will be paid $46,000 to play Vanderbilt and $40,000 to play Saint Louis, with that money going not specifically to the basketball program but toward the athletic department as a whole.

In college basketball, contests like the ones at Vanderbilt and Saint Louis are referred to as guarantee' games, with major Division I programs bringing in lower-level Division I programs for a guaranteed amount of money. The tradeoff is that those lower-level teams generally get saddled with a loss, although upsets happen on rare occasions.

Kaverman said those types of games -- which Southeast played plenty of during the basketball program's early years in Division I -- are vital to help with athletic department revenue.

"In these days of escalating costs and limited revenue, I feel like these kinds of games are important. You'll find every team in our league is playing these kinds of games," he said. "And quite frankly, I think it creates excitement in the program, especially with these two games so accessible for our fans.

"I would think we'll be doing one or two of these games each year in the future."

The Indians will once again play 14 regular-season home games, along with two exhibition contests at the Show Me Center Nov. 8 and Nov. 12.

Southeast's first home game will be Nov. 16 against Birmingham Southern. Other non-conference opponents at the Show Me Center will be Arkansas-Little Rock, Western Illinois, Mississippi Valley State and Division II squads North Alabama and Lincoln. The Indians will also visit Western Illinois.

OVC play begins Jan. 5 at Eastern Illinois while the first conference home game will be Jan. 7 against Tennessee State.

The Indians will tip off the season Oct. 12 with Houck Madness at Houck Field House. The first practice is slated for 12:01 a.m. Oct. 13, which is the earliest teams can begin working out under NCAA guidelines.

2001-02 Men's Schedule

(Home games in capital letters)

Nov. 8 EXHIBITION, TBD, 7 p.m.

Nov. 12 DREAMBUILDERS (exhibition), 7 p.m.

Nov. 16 BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN, 7 p.m.

Nov. 24 at Southwest Missouri, 7:05 p.m.

Nov. 27 ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK, 7 p.m.

Dec. 1 WESTERN ILLINOIS, 7 p.m.

Dec. 5 at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m.

Dec. 8 NORTH ALABAMA, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15 at Saint Louis, 1 p.m.

Dec. 17 MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, 7 p.m.

Dec. 22 at Southern Illinois, 3 p.m.

Dec. 29 LINCOLN, 1 p.m.

Jan. 2 at Western Illinois, 8 p.m.

Jan. 5 at Eastern Illinois, 7:10 p.m.

Jan. 7 TENNESSEE STATE, 7 p.m.

Jan. 10 EASTERN KENTUCKY, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12 MOREHEAD STATE, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17 at Tennessee-Martin, 7:45 p.m.

Jan. 19 at Murray State, 7 p.m.

Jan. 24 TENNESSEE TECH, 7 p.m.

Jan. 26 AUSTIN PEAY, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31 at Tennessee State, TBD

Feb. 2 at Tennessee Tech, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 7 at Morehead State, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 9 at Eastern Kentucky, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 14 TENN.-MARTIN, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 16 MURRAY STATE, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 18 EASTERN ILLINOIS, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 23 at Austin Peay, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 26 OVC Tournament (first round), TBD