Missouri Valley Conference Notebook
by Neal Heston
A good sign
The last time the Missouri Valley Conference got three teams in the NCAA Tournament was 1999. During that campaign, seven teams boasted winning records. This season, there are eight so far. If Drake is able to knock down Illinois State on Saturday, only one Valley team will have a losing mark. In addition, the conference could have seven teams with double digit win totals by Wednesday if Bradley and Evansville can put tallies in the win column. Only eight reached 10 wins or more all of last season.
Mid-Major Top 25
Five teams in the Valley sit in the Mid-Major top 20 on Collegeinsider.com. Only Evansville moved up after its strong outings last week. Wichita State received three of 31 first-place votes and sits at No. 4 in the poll. Southern Illinois also gained a first-place vote and occupies sixth. Also included are Creighton at No. 14, Northern Iowa at No. 15 and Evansville at No. 19.
Turnaround to be tested this week
Everyone is aware of the turnaround Evansville has achieved this season, but that will be tested this week. The top two teams in the Valley will challenge the Purple Ace’s 8-0 home record when they visit Carver Arena.
It’s still possible to see Evansville at the top of the standings by next week though. A hot Northern Iowa team was tormented in a 92-73 thrashing last Friday, and other teams such as Western Kentucky, Creighton and Purdue struggled to get through the purple wall as well.
MVC Game of the Week
Wednesday, Jan. 12: Southwest Missouri State at Northern Iowa, 7:05 p.m.
It took two overtime periods for Northern Iowa to put the Bears down in the MVC Tournament championship game last March. Now SMS is in desperate need of a win to keep its contention hopes alive in the Valley. A win for the Panthers will keep the team in pace with front-runners Wichita State and Southern Illinois.
The Bears have lost four of their last four games, but nearly upset Wichita State last Saturday. UNI had won seven consecutive games and was off to its best start since 1990 before losing 92-73 to Evansville.
This game will feature the league’s top scorer, Ben Jacobson (18.2 points per game), and two of the conference’s top rebounders, Grant Stout (No. 2) and Eric Coleman (No. 4).
SMS and Northern Iowa meet again on Jan. 18 at Southwest Missouri State, where it has been nearly impossible for the Panthers the last several years.
Other games to keep an eye on: Wednesday, Jan. 12: Southern Illinois at Evansville, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 15: Creighton at Northern Iowa, 7:05 p.m.; Monday, Jan. 17: Wichita State at Evansville, 7:05 p.m.
Hoopville’s MVC Player of the Week: Lorenzo Gordon, Illinois State
The Redbirds may not have won both games last week, but that shouldn’t overshadow the performances from Gordon. Twenty points against a stingy Indiana State defense and 24 points and 14 rebounds against Evansville make this junior forward worthy for Player of the Week.
Hoopville’s Newcomer of the Week: Chris Bryant, Drake
The Bulldogs are hot, and so is this freshman guard. Bryant scored a career-high 26 points in Drake’s 91-80 victory over Mid-Major No.20-ranked Texas A&M-Corpus Christian. Even more astounding is the fact he accomplished it in 23 minutes. Prior to Monday’s game, Bryant had scored 39 points this season.
Wichita State Shockers (10-1, 3-0)
Last week: defeated Southwest Missouri State 63-61
This week: Wednesday, Jan. 12 vs. Bradley, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 15 at Indiana State, 6:05 p.m.; Monday, Jan. 17 at Evansville, 7:05 p.m.
This will be a busy week with three games scheduled. Bradley visits Wednesday, and then the Shockers head to Indiana State and Evansville during the holiday weekend. WSU won easily in the first meeting with the Purple Aces, but Evansville is 8-0 at home and gave Northern Iowa a good thrashing in its visit to Indiana last week.
Southern Illinois Salukis (12-3, 3-0)
Last week: lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 63-61, defeated Creighton 69-63
This week: Wednesday, Jan. 12 at Evansville, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 15 vs. Southwest Missouri State, 7:05 p.m.
Think the Salukis are ready to back down this season? The answer should be “no” since SIU marched into Omaha and accomplished what no Missouri Valley Conference team has since the 1997-98 season: beat Creighton in Omaha during back-to-back seasons. The task wasn’t easy after a disappointing loss to La-Lafayette earlier in the week.
Neither team managed to build leads of more than five points until Tony Young and Jamaal Tatum hit free throws for the final score. Free throws turned out to be the difference, as Southern Illinois missed only four while the Bluejays hit just nine of 16. Darren Brooks led the SIU attack with 15 points, while Stetson Hairston and Tatum added 13 apiece.
Southern Illinois proved its strength Saturday, but there isn’t time to celebrate because this week will be even tougher. The first test comes with a road trip to Evansville Wednesday, where the Purple Aces have been unbeatable. Southwest Missouri State visits Carbondale Saturday. The Bears may only be 1-3 in league play, but two of those losses were by one and two points.
Northern Iowa Panthers (11-3, 2-1)
Last week: lost to Evansville 92-73, defeated Indiana State 64-48
This week: Wednesday, Jan. 12 vs. Southwest Missouri State, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 15 vs. Creighton, 7:05 p.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 18 at Southwest Missouri State, 7:05 p.m.
Northern Iowa got a slap in the face last week when Evansville couldn’t miss a shot. The Panthers were able to keep up with the Purple Aces during the first half with strong shooting, but the second half was a different story. Evansville continued to get hot, while the Panthers started digging a hole. Ben Jacobson’s 26 points weren’t enough to stave off 67 percent shooting from UE.
Points were hard to find again Saturday against one of the Valley’s stronger defenses, but UNI held Indiana State to 48 points in a 64-48 win. Jacobson led the Panther attack again with 18 points, and the inside boys were strong again too. Grant Stout recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards, while Eric Coleman added another 12 points and nine rebounds. Chris Foster also came off the bench for another strong 12 points.
UNI has quietly gotten off to the school’s best start since 1990, but will face a tough week with two dates against Southwest Missouri State and a visit from Creighton. All three games against SMS last season were decided by five points or less with UNI winning two of those, including the double overtime thriller in the MVC Tournament championship game.
Evansville Purple Aces (9-4, 3-2)
Last week: defeated Northern Iowa 92-73, defeated Illinois State 69-61
This week: Wednesday, Jan. 12 vs. Southern Illinois, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 15 at Bradley, 1:05 p.m.; Monday, Jan. 17 vs. Wichita State, 7:05 p.m.
Evansville won seven games last season. In the 2004-05 campaign, the team is 8-0 at home alone. Turnaround? You bet.
The Purple Aces have gone toe-to-toe with several quality teams such as Western Kentucky, Purdue, Creighton, Wichita State and Northern Iowa. Evansville showed one way to beat the MVC’s top offense (Northern Iowa) is to just outscore them. It’s typical to see turnarounds like this occur because of easy schedules, but that isn’t the case with this team. Predicted by most to be at least a year or two from competing in the Valley, Evansville is proving to be a force.
There is one obstacle in the way: playing away from Roberts Stadium. Away from home, the Purple Aces are just 1-3, with the last road win on Dec. 6. To be a contender in the Valley, road wins are a must. Still, don’t be surprised to see some competitive games, or upsets for that matter, against Southern Illinois and Wichita State this week.
Andre Burton and Bradley Strickland gave outstanding efforts in two victories last week. They averaged 18 and 19 points, respectively.
Bradley Braves (9-3, 2-2)
Last week: defeated Southwest Missouri State 81-70, lost to Drake 79-73
This week: Wednesday, Jan. 12 at Wichita State, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 15 vs. Evansville, 1:05 p.m.
Similar to Evansville, Bradley is nearly impossible to beat at home but can’t seem to win on the road. Offense has been the largest problem away from Carver Arena. In two conference wins at home, the Braves averaged 78.5 points. In two conference road losses, the average dipped to 68.5 points. That kind of difference won’t get the team any higher than fifth or sixth place. If the offense can get in sync away from Carver, this team is capable of catching anyone off guard, just as they have already caught several preseason cynics who originally predicted a disastrous season.
An upset at Wichita State would be a huge boost. The Shockers won both meetings in the series last season, both by comfortable margins.
Marcellus Sommerville and Tony Bennett enjoyed good outings last week. Sommerville tallied 22 points in the win over SMS, and Bennett was good for 25 points against Drake.
Creighton Bluejays (10-5, 2-2)
Last week: defeated Drake 61-58, lost to Southern Illinois 69-63
This week: Wednesday, Jan. 12 at Indiana State, 6 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 15 at Northern Iowa, 7:05 p.m.
Kellen Miliner’s 3-point basket and Pierce Hibma’s two free throws beat Drake last Wednesday and salvaged a .500 week for Creighton. The Bluejays held a double-digit lead for much of the contest before falling victim to an eight-minute scoring drought. Drake took advantage and went on a 12-0 run to grab a 58-56 lead with just more than two minutes remaining. Both teams struggled to hit anything from then on, and Creighton held on for the win.
With the escape, an opportunity to take over second place sat directly in front of the Bluejays. The only obstacle was to take down defending MVC champion Southern Illinois. That almost became reality, as CU held several five-point leads, but Southern Illinois was able to get the baskets down the stretch and hit free throws to walk out of the Qwest Center remaining in a tie for first place.
Nate Funk, Miliner and Johnny Mathies scored in double figures for both contests.
Revenge should be in mind when the Bluejays fly into the UNI-Dome Saturday to take on Northern Iowa. The Panthers spoiled Creighton’s perfect season last year while dominating the contest.
Illinois State Redbirds (10-5, 2-3)
Last week: defeated Indiana State 62-61, lost to Evansville 69-61
This week: Saturday, Jan. 15 vs. Drake, 4:05 p.m.
The only home loss for the Redbirds was at the hands of Illinois-Chicago in November. It’s quite possible No. 2 will come Saturday when Drake heads into town. The Bulldogs are rolling, and Illinois State hasn’t been playing as well as they are capable of lately.
Lorenzo Gordon and Trey Guidry were the only consistent players last week. Gordon averaged 22 points in two games and grabbed 14 boards against Evansville Sunday. Guidry tallied 19 points against Evansville as well.
The schedule is light this week, but it’s needed for the team Illinois State is preparing for. If they come out of the gates slow or play conservatively at any point in the game, Drake will make them pay.
Drake Bulldogs (6-7, 2-3)
Last week: lost to Creighton 61-58, defeated Bradley 79-73, defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christian 91-80
This week: Saturday, Jan. 15 at Illinois State, 4:05 p.m.
Bravo to the Bulldogs for rebounding from a 2-5 start. The early losses to tough squads such as Iowa, Iowa State, Southern Utah and Wichita State paid off. Since the rough start, Drake dominated Wagner, rallied to beat Indiana State and instilled fear in Southern Illinois and Creighton after nearly taking those two traditional powerhouses down.
This Bulldog squad is a total of nine points – a couple of bounces here and there – from being 4-1 in Valley play. Don’t let the record fool you. The Bulldogs will be in the thick of the race come late February if they are able to keep playing with this caliber.
The offense came to life in two wins last week, as five players scored in double figures each game. Two highlights included Klayton Korver’s first double double in his career and Chris Bryant’s career-high 26 points (in 23 minutes) against Texas A&M-Corpus Christian. His 26 points were the most by a Drake player in one game since Luke McDonald scored 26 almost four years ago.
A light schedule is on the plate this week, with the only contest against Illinois State Saturday. The game will give the Bulldogs an opportunity to reach the .500 mark overall and in the MVC. That would be a welcomed site with Creighton, Southwest Missouri State, Wichita State and Northern Iowa being the next four opponents after Saturday.
Southwest Missouri State Bears (7-5, 1-3)
Last week: lost to Bradley 81-70, lost to Wichita State 63-61
This week: Wednesday, Jan. 12 at Northern Iowa, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 15 at Southern Illinois, 7:05 p.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 18 vs. Northern Iowa, 7:05 p.m.
Learn to win on the road, and learn quickly. That is the advice from this writer. The Bears have a 1-4 record away from Hammons Student Center – not a good statistic to have with road trips to Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois looming. Losing those two games would put SMS at 1-5 in the conference and surely crush any hopes of contending for the Valley title.
Turning fortunes around won’t be as hard as might be expected though since three of the Bear’s last four losses were by 10 points or less (two by one and two), but something special needs to happen to stop the bleeding.
Indiana State Sycamores (5-10, 0-4)
Last week: lost to Illinois State 63-61, lost to Northern Iowa 64-48
This week: Wednesday, Jan. 12 vs. Creighton, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 15 vs. Wichita State, 7:05 p.m.
The Sycamores are reeling with eight consecutive losses. Similar to last season, the offense just isn’t there to compliment one of the Valley’s best defenses. Unlike last season, leads are getting blown. A nine-point lead against Drake and a 10-point lead against Illinois State both turned into losses. Sunday’s blowout loss at the hands of Northern Iowa wasn’t a good omen either.
David Moss gave strong efforts with 22 points and 11 rebounds against Illinois State and 15 points against Northern Iowa.
Possibilities of ending the losing streak aren’t high with Creighton and Wichita State visiting this week, unless the Sycamores are able to hold them to 60 points or less.
