Missouri Valley Conference Notebook
by Neal Heston
Early season surprises
Through Nov. 18, the Valley fought to a 14-8 non-conference record – slightly lower than what the quickly rising mid-major conference has been used to seeing the past two seasons. Wichita State has cruised to a 3-0 mark and is joined by Southern Illinois, Missouri State, and startling to most – Bradley – as the other unbeatens in the MVC during this very young season.
Bradley is knocking on the door for the College Insider Mid-Major top 25 and is also receiving votes in the AP poll. The Braves deserve this early recognition after socking DePaul in their opener, 78-58. A team that lost four-fifths of its starting cast from last year’s Sweet 16 squad now sits at 2-0 and could easily be 5-0 heading into a tournament game against either Illinois or Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 25.
With early season surprises come early disappointments, and that infamy belongs to the then-No. 25 Creighton Bluejays. Intrastate rival Nebraska stunned the Bluejays last Saturday – a game in which Creighton was heavily favored. But it’s difficult to beat a Husker team that shoots nearly 70 percent from the field. For the first time in nine years, Creighton failed to win its first two contests, and the road could get bumpier with a date at George Mason on Nov. 25.
Hoopville’s MVC Player of the Week: Eric Coleman, Northern Iowa
The junior center averaged 13.7 points and 10 rebounds, as UNI almost earned an upset at No. 15 Washington last Monday.
Other notable performers
Kyle Wilson, Wichita State: 14.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG
Nate Funk, Creighton: 20.5 PPG, 4 RPG
P.J. Couisnard, Wichita State: 11 PPG, 5.7 RPG
Dominitrix Jackson, Illinois State: 16.7 PPG
Bradley (2-0)
The season is only two games old, but everybody outside Peoria, Ill., would be lying if they said they thought the Braves would look this good early on. Bradley hasn’t skipped a beat after last March’s magical run, shocking DePaul and easily handling SIU-Edwardsville in its first two contests. BU needs new players to step up if wins are to keep on coming, and that has definitely happened so far. J.J. Tauai sank 21 points in a 74-58 win over SIU-Edwardsville, and Will Franklin and Jeremy Crouch have each averaged double figure scoring during the 2-0 start. The Braves have three very winnable tests before a possible date with Illinois on Saturday.
Creighton (1-1)
Say good bye to that No. 25 ranking, although the absence should be short-lived. A 73-61 loss to intrastate rival Nebraska will drop CU out of the ranks and also prevent the Bluejays from starting a season 3-0 for the first time in nine seasons. After trailing Creighton 31-28 at the half, the Cornhuskers stormed through the remainder of the contest and finished with a 68 percent field goal percentage – unfortunate for the ‘Jays and senior guard Nate Funk, whose 28-point effort was spoiled.
The 2006 season tipped off well for the Bluejays with a 78-42 victory over Mississippi Valley. Four players reached double figures in that win, including 14 tallies from Anthony Tolliver and Nick Porter, 13 points from Funk and 10 bench points from Isacc Miles. Miles has provided quality time off of the bench, averaging 9.5 points per contest. Creighton will have an opportunity to rebound on Saturday as George Mason comes into town. The Patriots will be eager for revenge against the Valley after losing to Wichita State on Sunday.
Drake (1-1)
The Bulldogs played through two completely different experiences in the first two rounds of the BP Top of the World Classic. In the opener, Drake breezed past Southeast Missouri State, 78-51, but Utah State put the Bulldogs on a leash in the semifinals, cruising to a 92-74 win. Offense has not been a problem and would have carried DU to a 2-0 start had Utah State taken even a short break from target practice.
Ajay Calvin has led the ‘Dogs attack with a 20-point average in two games, and Chris Bryant, Nick Grant and Leonard Houston have also made significant contributions. A low point to look at is at the charity stripe, where Drake has connected on only 39-of-67 attempts, something that will need to change quickly.
Evansville (1-2)
Turnovers are a large reason for the Aces’ 1-2 mark. Evansville has allowed too many points off of miscues in two of its three contests. Lipscomb slipped by UE in the season opener, 67-64, after scoring 15 points off turnovers and Miami (Fla.) squeezed out a 74-69 victory, with 17 tallies coming off turnovers.
Matt Webster has been the go-to-guy on the offensive side, reaching double figures in scoring for all three contests: 13 points against Lipscomb, 26 against Miami (Fla.) and another 15 in a 63-49 win over Cleveland State. UE’s lone contest on the calendar for this week is against Buffalo on Sunday.
Illinois State (1-2)
The offense sputtered through two opening defeats to SMU and Florida State, but Boo Richardson and Greg Dilligard led the Redbirds to a 67-50 win over McNeese State in game three with 23 and 20 points, respectively. Until that win, Dominitrix Jackson had led the offense with 23.5 points per game, including a 32-point performance against Florida State (out of the team’s 59 points). Cal State Northridge and St. John’s are on slate for this week.
Indiana State (1-1)
Worried about the Sycamores surviving without David Moss? After the struggles that happened when the now-graduated guard went down to injury last season, nobody could blame you. However, Indiana State seems to be doing fine so far with a 73-71 win over Western Michigan in the opener and a near-upset of Indiana for the second consecutive meeting. Down by as many as 19 points in the second half to the Hoosiers, INS stormed back to within two points before falling 73-66 to its intrastate rivals.
Gabriel Moore and Cole Holestrom have been staples for this offense. Both are averaging double figures in points with 11.5 and 13, respectively, and Moore is tacking on 5.5 assists per contest. On tap for this week is a date against Tulane on Saturday.
Missouri State (1-0)
The 2006 season certainly began on the right foot for Missouri State after a 79-66 win over Toledo in its opener. Blake Ahearn, Dale Lamberth and Nathan Bilyeu all struck for double figures, and Drew Richards wasn’t far behind with a stellar nine points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Dates with Lincoln University and a tough test with Wisconsin in Padre Island, Texas, are on tap for this week.
Northern Iowa (2-1)
Doubters of this year’s version of the UNI Panthers should think twice after Northern Iowa’s first week of play. The Panthers cruised to two wins against Nicholls State and Pepperdine before being cooled off at Washington last Monday. Senior Grant Stout and junior Eric Coleman are dominating again early on, and Jared Josten, Adam Viet, Travis Brown and Jordan Eglseder have all provided quality minutes as well. Coleman has averaged a double-double this season, and Grant Stout has recorded two double-doubles of his own.
After taking a 31-28 lead at the break, UNI couldn’t hold off No. 15 Washington on the road. After playing Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sunday, the Panthers host South Dakota State this weekend.
Southern Illinois (1-0)
“Impressive” is an understatement to describe SIU’s start to the season. The Salukis manhandled Washington (Mo.) by holding their opposition to a school-record 28 points. Tony Young nearly outscored Washington himself after leading Southern Illinois with 21 points. If we’ve learned anything new this past week, it’s that the Salukis’ defense has looked even better than last season, which is really saying something. Holding any other opponents to less than 30 points is unlikely, but the Valley – and the nation for that matter – should feel a little more tense about this team.
The Salukis played Murray State on Sunday and will head to Orlando for a tournament this weekend, beginning with a Thanksgiving tip-off against Arkansas.
Wichita State (3-0)
Wichita State is looking like a top 20 team early on, as it has cruised to a 3-0 mark. Not only have the Shockers looked good, but they took revenge on the team that ended its postseason run last March (George Mason) with a 72-66 win on the Patriot’s home court. Prior to the mild upset, WSU sailed to 71-47 and 76-64 wins over Rockhurst and Chicago State, respectively.
P.J. Couisnard, Kyle Wilson and Sean Ogirri have routinely led the offense, as the trio has scored at least 10 points apiece in each contest. Karon Bradley is also pitching in strong help from the bench, putting together a 13 point, five rebound night against Chicago State. WSU faces an even tougher challenge on Saturday with a date at LSU – the Shockers’ second road trip to a Final Four squad’s floor in less than one week.
