Cincinnati looking past SEMO? Plus news on local hoops events

They're already crowing in Cincinnati about a 5-0 start, no doubt helped along by a Wednesday item in the Cincinnati Enquirer touting a rise in season ticket sales and enthusiasm for first-year coach Brian Kelly.

But for Southeast fans making the drive for the nighttime kickoff, don't expect overflow crowds for the Aug. 30 opener. The Bearcats' Nippert Stadium seats 35,000 fans and last season finished a distant last in the Big East with an average attendance of 20,373. The 7,559 season tickets sold through Aug. 12 are little more than the 6,464 sold last year, about half of which were never used.

• A hat tip to Al Jackson, who passed along the recently released list of participants in the Poplar Bluff Showdown, an annual boys basketball tournament in late December. Sikeston will compete in the event for the first time since 2000, joining host Poplar Bluff, Jackson (Tenn.) Liberty, Union City, Tenn., Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison, Little Rock (Ark.) Mills, Raytown South and Maplewood-Richmond Heights. The two teams in last year's championship game — Forrest City, Ark., and Vashon — aren't in this year's field.

• Organizers of the Heartland Hoopfest are finalizing their fourth annual event, which this year will be at the Show Me Center. An announcement about the event's new sponsor is expected soon. Last year's one-day schedule at the Perry Park Center in Perryville featured eight games with teams from Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana and Illinois.