Missouri Valley Conference Notebook
by Neal Heston
Tourney Watch
- Wichita State: NCAA Tourney – The Shockers continue to dominate anyone who comes their way. The team is still on the outside of the rankings, looking in, but that shouldn’t be the case for too long.
- Southern Illinois: NCAA Tourney – The assertive defense should still be enough to catch an at-large bid for the Salukis.
- Illinois State: NIT Bound – There’s no telling how long the Redbirds will stay here. The team almost suffered two home losses this week.
- Northern Iowa: NIT Bound – The shooting seems as if it’s back to normal. If that keeps up, the Panthers will play in the postseason one way or another.
- SMS: NIT Bound – Remember when the Bears were 1-6 in Valley play? They don’t.
- Creighton: NIT Bound – Nate Funk is playing excellent for the Bluejays, who are a fun team to watch right now.
Highlights from last week
SMS 79, Creighton 71
SMS climbed back to the .500 mark in MVC play, remarkable after a horrible start. The Bears nearly ran away with the game in the first half after jumping out to a 34-19 lead. Creighton cut into that though and was close as 60-58 before the Bears sealed the victory. Nate Funk put up an impressive 25 points and nine rebounds, but that was outdone by a career-high performance from SMS’ Blake Ahearn. Ahearn tallied 27 points.
Northern Iowa 67, Creighton 61
The Salukis never worried too much when they trailed 31-19 in the first half. Darren Brooks led an SIU run to pull Southern Illinois within three at the break, and the Salukis gained a 44-43 advantage early in the second frame. It was a seesaw battle from there, as the Panthers regained the lead at 48-44, only to see SIU tie the score at 48 and again at 51. Brooks McKowen’s two free throws gave UNI the lead back, which it wouldn’t lose again. Ben Jacobson and Erik Crawford scored 18 and 16 points, respectively, for UNI. Brooks led SIU with 14 points.
Creighton 83, Northern Iowa 82
The game of the week didn’t disappoint, as Creighton beat UNI by one point for the second consecutive time. The Bluejays stormed out of the gate to take a 14-3 lead, with every starter putting a dent on the scoreboard by the 16:00 mark. UNI stormed back to pull within 19-18, but the Bluejays pulled again and led at the half, 33-28.
The Panthers led by as many as four in the second half, but couldn’t pull away. Free-throw shooting was the team’s Achilles heel, as UNI nailed just 7 of 14 from the charity stripe. Creighton took advantage of its opportunities, hitting 22 of 26 from the line. That proved to be the difference when the buzzer sounded.
Ben Jacobson had a career night for the Panthers, believe it or not. He scored 31 points – 10 more than fellow Sioux City, Iowa rival Nate Funk. Funk probably didn’t mind exchanging that battle for the final score, though.
MVC Game of the Week
Wednesday, Feb. 16: Creighton at Wichita State, 7:05 p.m.
Wichita State almost pulled off a win at the Qwest Center on Feb. 1, and now the Shockers will attempt to avenge the loss. It won’t be that easy with Nate Funk, Johnny Mathies and Tyler McKinney as part the opposition. Expect a fun game to watch and possibly a Bluejays’ upset.
Other games to keep an eye on: Wednesday, Feb. 16: Southern Illinois at Illinois St., 7:05 p.m.; Drake at Northern Iowa, 7:05 p.m.
Hoopville MVC Player of the Week: Nate Funk, Creighton
The junior averaged 23 points in two very competitive games. The Bluejays may not have won both, but Funk had the team in both contests.
Hoopville Newcomer of the Week: Lorenzo Gordon, Illinois State
There really doesn’t seem to be many games when this junior doesn’t score 20 points – for example, 20 points and six boards against Wichita State Thursday.
Touring the Valley
Wichita State Shockers (18-3, 11-2)
Last week: defeated Indiana St. 67-57, defeated Illinois St. 76-62
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 at Bradley, 7:05 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 16 vs. Creighton, 7:05 p.m.
The only shock with this team is that it isn’t ranked. Where’s the justice? To be 11-2 in this league this season is nothing short of amazing. With the way the Shockers are rolling through the Valley, there’s no reason why anyone shouldn’t expect this team to make a Sweet 16 run in March. This senior-laden team is certainly ready for it.
WSU made a good Illinois State team look fairly mediocre on Thursday, as the Redbirds strolled into Kansas with the chance to pull within one game of first-place Wichita State. The game was everything anyone would have wanted in the first half, but the Shockers dominated the second frame en route to the 76-62 victory. Five players scored in double figures for the balanced Shockers, led by 19 points from Randy Burns.
The largest threat to WSU occurs Wednesday against Creighton. It’s a chance for revenge after the loss to the Bluejays on Feb. 1, but the Shockers will definitely need their A-plus game on that night.
Not to worry WSU fans, but winning its first league title since 1983 won’t be a picnic. After Creighton, the final three conference contests are against Southwest Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa.
Southern Illinois Salukis (19-6, 10-3)
Last week: lost to Northern Iowa 67-61, defeated Drake 58-57, defeated Indiana St. 64-53
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 vs. Creighton, 5 p.m. (ESPN2); Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Illinois St., 7:05 p.m.
It was a rather tough week for the Salukis. SIU first fell just short at defeating Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, then almost fell to MVC cellar dweller Drake, and ended by rallying to beat last-place Indiana State. With all that, here they are – still in second place. Kudos to Southern Illinois. There were several times the team could have faltered, and had that happened, Wichita State would pretty much be polishing that trophy now.
Southern Illinois rallied from an early 12-point deficit at Northern Iowa and even regained the lead in the second half before the Panthers finished the game at the free throw line. At Drake two days later, Josh Warren’s jumper with 13 seconds remaining finished off the Bulldogs, 58-57. Finally, Indiana State played neck-and-neck with the Salukis until a run late in the first half propelled SIU.
Matt Shaw stepped up this week, giving the Salukis two double digit efforts with 10 points against Northern Iowa and a career-high 22 against Indiana State on Wednesday.
This week will be huge with games against third-place Illinois State and Creighton, which is in a three-way tie for fourth place.
Illinois State Redbirds (16-7, 8-5)
Last week: defeated Bradley 69-62, lost to Wichita St. 76-62
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 vs. Northern Iowa, 4:05 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 16 vs. Southern Illinois, 7:05 p.m.
A chance to pull within a game of first place was at the Redbirds’ hands on Thursday, but Wichita State didn’t let that happen. Illinois State led the Shockers by one at the half, but was dominated in the second frame. Both teams shot well, with Wichita State at 52 percent from the field and ILS at 48 percent. The difference was from beyond the arc though, as the Shockers hit 10 treys compared with three from the Redbirds.
An opportunity lies with the Redbirds again this week. With two wins, the team can move closer to a second-place tie with Southern Illinois and distance itself from the logjam at fourth place. Then again, two losses put the Redbirds in a very difficult position.
Northern Iowa Panthers (16-8, 7-6)
Last week: defeated Southern Illinois 67-61, lost to Creighton 83-82
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 at Illinois St., 4:05 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 16 vs. Drake, 7:05 p.m.
There was no reason to think that the rematch between Northern Iowa and Creighton wouldn’t go down to the wire. The Bluejays could have run away with the contest after jumping out to a 14-3 lead, but the Panthers wouldn’t let that happen. Though UNI lost to Creighton by one point again, there were some good signs. Ben Jacobson has recovered from the flu nicely after posting a career-high 31 points Wednesday, and Brooks McKowen regained some of his touch from last season. The sophomore was perfect from 3-point range at the Qwest Center for his only nine points.
If the Panthers can get a road win at Illinois State and avenge an earlier loss to Drake, the team should put itself in good position to grab third place in the standings.
Southwest Missouri State Bears (13-8, 7-6)
Last week: defeated Creighton 79-71, defeated Bradley 80-66
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 vs. Drake, 1:05 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 15 at Indiana St., 6:05 p.m.
Three weeks ago, this team was miserable. SMS looked as if it was on its way to an easy victory against Northern Iowa on Jan. 18, only to see the Panthers rally and send the Bears to 1-6 in the Valley. It was demoralizing, to say the least. Since then, SMS has reeled off six consecutive victories – including one over Southern Illinois and two over Creighton – to move up five spots in the standings. And the rise doesn’t appear to be finished just yet.
SMS capped off a successful week by dominating Bradley. Five players scored in double figures, led by 17 points from Tyler Chaney. The Bears were an excellent 32 of 38 from the charity stripe and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds en route to 26 second-chance points. In that contest, Blake Ahearn extended his successful free throw attempts to 38 after going 8 of 8 Wednesday. That is fifth-longest in MVC history. The record also belongs to Ahearn from last season when he nailed 60 in a row.
Creighton Bluejays (15-9, 7-6)
Last week: lost to SMS 79-71, defeated Northern Iowa 83-82
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 at Southern Illinois, 5 p.m. (ESPN2); Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Wichita St., 7:05 p.m.
Along with SMS, this is currently one of the most exciting teams to watch right now. The Bluejays have been capable of beating anyone lately, and they will need to remain that way with contests at Southern Illinois and Wichita State this week.
Creighton was involved in an exciting contest on Wednesday against Northern Iowa. Nate Funk, Johnny Mathies and Tyler McKinney took charge and made UNI pay for nearly every minor defensive mistake. Funk and Mathies combined for 38 points in the 83-82 victory.
In addition to getting the job done from the field and with defense, the Bluejays have been very successful with free throws lately. The team has hit 43 of its last 52 attempts.
Bradley Braves (11-10, 4-9)
Last week: lost to Illinois St. 69-62, lost to SMS 80-66
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 vs. Wichita St., 7:05 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Evansville, 7:05 p.m.
The wheels fell off quickly, as the Braves have now dropped five consecutive games. After a good 4-4 start, it’s likely that the team will have to play in the conference tournament’s play-in round on Friday, March 4 – where seeds 7-10 compete.
Last week saw the Braves drop two contests – one close, one not-so close. Bradley nearly caught Illinois State off-guard in a very evenly-matched game. Marcellus Sommerville and Daniel Ruffin put up 23- and 12-point efforts, respectively. SMS reversed the Braves’ fortunes four days later and dominated the contest in nearly every category. Sommerville was strong in that contest as well though, scoring another 23.
The opportunity to snap the losing streak isn’t great on Saturday, but a road trip to Evansville will feature a game between two squads that have struggled mightily during the last month.
Evansville Purple Aces (10-11, 4-9)
Last week: lost to Drake 76-72 (OT)
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 at Indiana St., noon; Wednesday, Feb. 16 vs. Bradley, 7:05 p.m.
“Heartbreak” is the only thing to say after the type of defeat the Aces suffered to Drake last week – Evansville’s fourth consecutive and seventh out of its last eight. The Purples Aces controlled a 60-41 advantage with less than 10 minutes remaining, only to see the Bulldogs rally to force overtime and eventually steal the game.
The opportunity sits in front of UE to turn fortunes around with contests slated against teams from the conference’s bottom half.
Drake Bulldogs (8-13, 4-9)
Last week: defeated Evansville 76-72 (OT), lost to Southern Illinois 58-57
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 at SMS, 1:05 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Northern Iowa, 7:05 p.m.
The schedule isn’t easy this week for the Bulldogs, but Drake may be ready to take on any challenge after what happened against Evansville last Saturday. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half, but mounted the largest comeback in school history to force overtime and win the game. Four players reached double figures in the contest, led by 17 points from Lonnie Randolph and 13 from Aliou Keita.
It seemed as if there was a hangover from the Evansville contest when Southern Illinois visited two days later. The Bulldogs led by as many as seven points in that game and appeared on path to victory until SIU’s Josh Warren nailed a jumper with 13 seconds remaining. Drake couldn’t get its final two attempts to fall afterward.
Indiana State Sycamores (8-16, 3-10)
Last week: lost to Wichita St. 67-57, lost to Southern Illinois 64-53
This week: Saturday, Feb. 12 vs. Evansville, 1:05 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 15 vs. SMS, 6:05 p.m.
The trees are definitely falling, but who didn’t expect it with contests against Wichita State and Southern Illinois. For the first-place schedule Indiana State was forced to face, it played rather well. The Sycamores played right with the top two teams in the first half of each contest, only to falter just enough to let the Shockers and Salukis escape with victories.
Gabriel Moore gave a strong effort against Wichita State with 13 points, and Eric Gray also added another 13. David Moss and Amani Daanish reached double figures against Southern Illinois.
