Missouri Valley Conference Notebook
by Neal Heston
Tourney Watch
- Southern Illinois: NCAA Tourney – SIU just knows how to win the big games. Winning at Illinois State is tough, and the Salukis made it look simple.
- Wichita State: NCAA Tourney – Two tough losses have the Shockers slipping, but they haven’t fallen far enough. Each additional loss will be magnified even more now, though. Remember last season?
- Northern Iowa: NIT Bound – Two wins at Wichita State and Southern Illinois during the next week would really give a boost to the Panthers’ resume.
- Creighton: NIT Bound – The Bluejays could be the surprise team at the MVC Tournament this March.
- SMS: NIT Bound – An upset at the hands of Indiana State hopefully won’t hurt the Bears’ morale, especially with games against Wichita State and Illinois State coming up.
- Illinois State: NIT Bound – Three consecutive losses have the Redbirds in a hole, but those losses haven’t been by much (two losses by an average of four points this week).
Here he goes again
SMS’ Blake Ahearn hit all seven of his free throws on Tuesday to lift his streak to 53 consecutive free throws made. That is the third largest total in MVC history. Ahearn set the record last season with 60 consecutive successes from the charity stripe. He hasn’t missed an attempt since Dec. 19, 2004.
MVC Game of the Week
Wednesday, Feb. 23: Northern Iowa at Southern Illinois, 7:05 p.m.
The Salukis, 13-0 at home this season, will look to avenge a 67-61 loss to the Panthers three weeks earlier. UNI has the opportunity to spoil SIU’s run at a fourth consecutive conference crown. A loss by Southern Illinois could leave the Salukis and Wichita State deadlocked at first place with the two meeting Saturday, Feb. 26. The key for UNI will be freshman Eric Coleman, who managed just one point in the first meeting (9.5 points below his season average). If he’s not in sync, it could be a long night for the Panthers.
Other games to keep an eye on: Wednesday, Feb. 23: SMS at Wichita St., 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26: Wichita St. at Southern Illinois, 1 p.m.; Illinois St. at SMS, 7:05 p.m.
Hoopville MVC Player of the Week: Nate Funk, Creighton
Funk takes the honor for the second consecutive week after averaging 27.5 points in two games. The junior scored a career-high 35 points at Wichita State and hit eight combined 3-pointers.
Hoopville Newcomer of the Week: Lawrence Wright, Bradley
The junior transfer stepped up this week and hit a career-high 26 points in an upset over Wichita State. He followed that with an 18-point performance against Evansville on Wednesday.
Touring the Valley
Southern Illinois Salukis (21-6, 12-3)
Last week: defeated Creighton 71-67, defeated Illinois St. 66-59
This week: Saturday, Feb. 19 at Kent St., 5 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 23 vs. Northern Iowa, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 vs. Wichita St., 1 p.m.
One tough week down, another gut wrenching four games to go. As the Salukis attempt to capture title No. 4 in a row, Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Indiana State will try to take a bite out of them. UNI defeated SIU on Feb. 5 in Cedar Falls, Wichita State will definitely look forward to avenging the two-point loss from last month, and Indiana State has defeated some very good teams in Terre Haute, including Wichita State and fourth-place Illinois State.
Jamaal Tatum and Darren Brooks led SIU in victories last week, as they averaged 16.5 and 11.5 points per game, respectively. Everyone else will need to step up another notch with games against the No. 2 and 3 teams in the MVC. If the Salukis aren’t careful, that possible conference title could vanish before their eyes.
Wichita State Shockers (18-5, 11-4)
Last week: lost to Bradley 74-68, lost to Creighton 82-68
This week: Saturday, Feb. 19 at Miami (Ohio), 11 a.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 23 vs. SMS, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 at Southern Illinois, 1 p.m.
It was a “shock and awe – ful” week for Wichita State, as one of the bottom teams in the conference upset the Shockers, and Creighton pushed WSU around in its own house four days later. Free throws were the Shockers’ worst enemy against the Bluejays. Creighton attempted 11 more shots from the charity stripe and missed just five of them (22 for 27). On the other side, Wichita State converted 10 of 16 free throws.
Paul Miller and Jamar Howard were the only players to reach double figures in both contests. P.J. Couisnard came off the bench for 11 points against Creighton on Wednesday.
Now after rolling through the schedule, Wichita State must be careful and definitely not look past Miami and SMS. Doing so could result in another late-season collapse and possibly force the Shockers to make a conference tournament run to get consideration for an NCAA at-large bid.
Northern Iowa Panthers (18-8, 9-6)
Last week: defeated Illinois St. 65-64, defeated Drake 61-60
This week: Saturday, Feb. 19 vs. Western Michigan, 3:05 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 23 at Southern Illinois, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 vs. Bradley, 1:05 p.m.
Check those pace makers. Had two plays gone the other way, the Panthers would be in sixth place right now instead of two games out of second. Ben Jacobson took UNI on his back toward the end of both contests. He bounced a 3-pointer off the board to help propel the Panthers past Illinois State, and he nailed a near-impossible shot from the right side for two very important points against Drake Wednesday.
Grant Stout also enjoyed strong contests, averaging 10 points, 8.5 rebounds and four blocks. His UNI single season block record stood at 61 heading into the game against Western Michigan.
Keeping sole possession of third place this week will most likely mean handing Southern Illinois its first home loss of the season. If the Panthers can somehow achieve that, they’ll seek vengeance against Bradley when it visits on Feb. 26.
Illinois State Redbirds (16-9, 8-7)
Last week: lost to Northern Iowa 65-64, lost to Southern Illinois 66-59
This week: Saturday, Feb. 19 at Wisconsin-Green Bay, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 23 at Bradley, 7:35 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 at SMS, 7:05 p.m.
There’s good news and bad news for the Redbirds. The bad news: Illinois State has dropped three games in a row while falling into a three-way tie for fourth in the conference. The good news: None of those losses were by a great amount, with the largest defeat at the hands of Wichita State (76-62, and even that score is a little misleading).
Even after converting 18 more free throws than UNI, ILS couldn’t get over the hump and take advantage of a poor free-throw percentage from the Panthers. Trey Guidry and Lorenzo Gordon combined for 38 points.
Stopping the losing streak won’t be simple. Not only are the Redbirds on the road, but those games are at Wisconsin-Green Bay, Bradley and Southwest Missouri State – arguably the toughest schedule of any MVC team this week.
Creighton Bluejays (16-10, 8-7)
Last week: lost to Southern Illinois 71-67, defeated Wichita St. 82-68
This week: Saturday, Feb. 19 vs. Chattanooga, 1:05 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 22 vs. Evansville, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 vs. Indiana St., 1:05 p.m.
This team is playing the best basketball out of all the MVC. After nearly stealing a win at Southern Illinois, the Bluejays dominated Wichita State on its home court. Nate Funk took control, averaging 27.5 points in two games (which included a career-high 35 at Wichita State). In addition to that, Funk is getting all the support he needs from Tyler McKinney and Johnny Mathies.
Although no game in this conference is a “gimme,” the Bluejays should go undefeated this week heading into the season finale at Illinois State on Feb. 28.
Southwest Missouri State Bears (14-9, 8-7)
Last week: defeated Drake 85-78, lost to Indiana St. 74-72 (OT)
This week: Saturday, Feb. 19 vs. Oral Roberts, 7:05 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 23 at Wichita St., 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 vs. Illinois St., 7:05 p.m.
SMS’ seven-game winning streak fell in Terre Haute – a place where several top teams in the conference have struggled. The Bears almost pulled it off after forcing overtime, but there just wasn’t enough left. Thanks to a victory over Drake last Saturday, SMS is still in the race to possibly clinch the third seed for the conference tournament. Some help will be needed though.
Blake Ahearn gave as good of an effort off the bench as was possible. He tallied 21 points against Drake and added another 23 against Indiana State. He also increased his consecutive free throw streak to 53 – the third-longest streak in MVC history.
Bradley Braves (12-11, 5-10)
Last week: defeated Wichita St. 74-68, lost to Evansville 76-66
This week: Saturday, Feb. 19 at Western Kentucky, 4:05 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 23 vs. Illinois St., 7:35 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 at Northern Iowa, 1:05 p.m.
Just when you think the Braves are finished, they knock down the first place team. Lawrence Wright, Marcellus Sommerville and Jeremy Crouch were huge contributors to that win. Wright, a junior transfer, tallied a career-high 26 points. Sommerville and Crouch added 19 and 13 points, respectively.
Foul trouble got Bradley in trouble during the loss to Evansville. The Braves fouled 12 more times than the Purple Aces, allowing UE to shoot 21 additional free throws. That was too much to overcome. Wright gave another very strong effort, though, scoring 18 and grabbing six rebounds.
Evansville Purple Aces (11-12, 5-10)
Last week: lost to Indiana St. 81-67, defeated Bradley 76-66
This week: Saturday, Feb. 19 vs. Loyola-Chicago, 7:05 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 22 at Creighton, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 at Drake, 4:05 p.m.
Evansville got out of its slump this week but could be in another one by next Saturday. Games at Creighton and Drake will do that to a team. Every player seems to be coming back to life, though. Matt Webster and Bradley Strickland scored in double figures against Indiana State last Saturday. Against Bradley, it was three different players who stepped up. Kyle Anslinger, Lucious Wagner and Andre Burton gave 18-, 17- and 15-point efforts, respectively.
After beginning the MVC season at 4-4, though, the Aces could be looking at the 10th seed in the conference tournament after this week’s slate is played.
Indiana State Sycamores (10-16, 5-10)
Last week: defeated Evansville 81-67, defeated SMS 74-72 (OT)
This week: Tuesday, Feb. 22 at Drake, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 at Creighton, 1:05 p.m.
For the first time since early December, the Sycamores strung consecutive victories together after a hot night from the field against Evansville and a stunner against SMS.
Indiana State shot 52 percent from the field against Evansville – 63 percent in the second half. In addition, they outrebounded the Aces, 36-25 and sunk 20 more free throws. David Moss had a notable night, scoring 24 points – including 12 of 14 from the charity stripe. The hot shooting continued against SMS, as the Sycamores connected on 46 percent of their shots.
Similar to Evansville, the schedule isn’t kind this week. Not only does INS have to play Drake and Creighton, but it has to travel to the Knapp and Qwest Centers.
Drake Bulldogs (8-15, 4-11)
Last week: lost to SMS 85-78, lost to Northern Iowa 61-60
This week: Saturday, Feb. 19 vs. San Jose St., 7:05 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 22 vs. Indiana St., 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 vs. Evansville, 4:05 p.m.
This is probably the best last-place team in the history of the MVC. Heartbreak after heartbreak has sent the Bulldogs to four losses in five games. Those heartbreakers include one-point losses to Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa – in the span of two weeks.
The backbreaker may have been at Northern Iowa on Wednesday. Drake played right with the Panthers on their home court and appeared to force overtime until Klayton Korver fouled UNI’s Brooks McKowen with no time left. McKowen hit the second free throw to send the Bulldogs to another gut wrenching defeat.
The good news for Drake is that if it continues playing with the same intensity this week, it’s hard to see any losses. Indiana State and Evansville can be tough, but they aren’t playing as tough as the Bulldogs right now.
