Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner has preached defense throughout his career, and he points to that aspect of the game as one of the primary reasons for the Indians' fantastic record so far.

The Indians sport the Ohio Valley Conference's top-rated defense, which has been a big key to Southeast's 16-3 overall record and 9-1 OVC mark that has the Tribe in first place in the 10-team league.

"I really think defense is the key to winning championships, in any team sport," said Garner. "Our players take so much pride in their defense, and they're taking more and more pride all the time."

Southeast leads the OVC in the three major statistical defensive categories: points allowed (60.8 per game), field-goal percentage (.378) and 3-point field-goal percentage (.278). The Indians' field-goal percentage defense ranks 19th nationally.

And the Indians, despite really having nobody that Garner considers a true shot-blocker, also leads the league in rejections with 93, an average of almost five per game.

"I keep those (defensive) stats in front of them, and I think it really motivates them," Garner said. "As each week goes by, they take more and more pride in their defense, even during drills in practice."

Garner said the key to being a strong defensive team starts with effort and goes from there.

"You can be the most sound defensive team in the world, but if you don't have the effort, you won't have a good defense," he said. "After that, there are so many fundamentals involved, so many things that go into it, like body and feet position, communication and being focused."

Southeast's defense was rock solid during the recent four-game homestand that the Indians swept. And Garner knows the defense will have to remain strong this week as the Indians hit the road for a pair of OVC games, against Tennessee State Thursday night and Austin Peay Saturday night.

"We're in good shape (in the OVC), but there is a lot of basketball left to be played and so much can happen," said Garner. "We've still got the toughest part of our schedule to go, with five road games and a home game against Murray State.

"Needless to say, this is a huge week for us. If we win both, we're in great shape (in the OVC). If we split, we're in good shape. If we lose both, we're not out of the race. But if we win both, that would really be big."

* For the fourth time this season, Southeast received votes in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll that was released Monday.

The Indians matched their previous high with five votes, placing them in a tie for 37th nationally with North Carolina and St. Bonaventure.

This is the second straight week that the Indians have received votes in the national poll and Garner would like nothing better than for that to continue.

"It's great recognition for our program," he said. "It's the kind of thing that can really help in recruiting."

* Southeast's fans have also apparently been impressed by the Indians' record so far.

Three of the four biggest crowds to visit the Show Me Center this season took place during the last three games of the just-concluded homestand, with the 5,742 fans who attended Saturday night's game against Eastern Kentucky making up the second-largest crowd of the season.

The Indians averaged crowds of more than 5,400 for the four-game homestand, with better than 5,500 fans attending each of the last three contests.

"Our fans have been great all year," said Garner.

* Southeast continues to have several players rank among the OVC leaders in a host of individual categories.

Roderick Johnson is second in field-goal percentage (.603), third in rebounding (8.4 per game) and second in blocked shots (1.26 per game).

Mike Branson is third in 3-point field-goal percentage (.427) and ninth in free-throw percentage (.803).

Michael Stokes is fifth in assists (4.53 per game), Brian Bunche is eighth in rebounding (6.4 per game) and Amory Sanders is eighth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.360).

Branson continues to lead the Indians in scoring at 13.5 points per game, which ranks 12th in the league. Johnson (12 ppg) and Stokes (11.9 ppg) are 19th and 20th, respectively, in the OVC in scoring.

While Johnson leads the Indians in blocked shots with 24, four other players have at least 13, led by redshirt freshman Drew DeMond, who has 17 in just 101 minutes of action. Nyah Jones has 14 blocks, followed by Branson and Bunche with 13 each.

* Stokes was named co-OVC Newcomer of the Week Monday as he had 36 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds last week during wins over Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky.