February 17, 2015
8:05 PM EST
8-18 (5-9) Drake
at 18-8 (8-6) Evansville
8-17 (5-8) Drake
Conference Wins:
-Indiana State 84-78 (Home)
-Bradley 69-57 (Road)
-Evansville 70-65 (Home)
-Southern Illinois 63-61 (Home)
-Bradley 60-54 (Home)
Single-Digit Conference Losses:
-#16 Wichita State 66-58 (Home)
-Loyola (IL) 50-47 (Road)
-Illinois State 64-56 (Home)
Last Game:
-Loss To Indiana State 75-54 (Road)
Players to Watch:
---#12 Reed Timmer (FR)
-11.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, & 2.4 APG.
---#2 Gary Ricks Jr. (SR)
-10.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, & 2.3 APG.
---#11 Jacob Enevold Jensen (SR)
-7.3 PPG & 5.4 RPG.
---#3 Jordan Daniels (SR)
-7.3 PPG.
---#25 Chris Caird (SR)
-7.2 PPG & 2.1 RPG.
17-8 (7-6) Evansville
Solid Wins:
-San Francisco 79-72 in Third Place Game of Gulf Coast Showcase.-Wright State 86-78 (Home)
-Belmont 65-62 (Road)
-Ohio 81-69 in Overtime (Home)
-#23 Northern Iowa 52-49 (Home)
-Indiana State 89-78 (Home)
Single-Digit Losses:
-Green Bay 64-62 in Semi-Final of Gulf Coast Showcase.-Murray State 81-79 (Home)
-Indiana State 79-75 in Overtime (Road)
-Loyola (IL) 71-70 (Home)
-Drake 70-65 (Road)
-Bradley 56-53 (Home)
Last Game:
-Win Against Southern Illinois 72-64 (Road) Players to Watch:
---#31 D.J. Balentine (JR)
-19.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, & 3.3 APG.---#55 Egidijus Mockevicius (JR)
-12.4 PPG, 10.3 RPG, & 2.5 BPG.
---#5 Mislav Brzoja (SO)
-8.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, & 2.8 APG.
---#50 Blake Simmons (SO)
-7.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG, & 2.3 APG.---#12 Adam Wing (JR)
-7.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, & 2.3 APG.
Prediction:
Could Mockevicius be the difference in Evansville being an NCAA Tournament team or a College Insider Tournament team? We will soon find out as the hardest part of their schedule begins Sunday at Wichita State and concludes the next game in Cedar Falls against the Northern Iowa Panthers. Without the big Lithuanian, the Purple Aces went 1-1 with a very disappointing loss to the Bradley Braves at the Ford Center. But with that loss in the past, Evansville is riding a two game winning streak with their latest victory coming in a very solid 72-64 win at Carbondale. Against Southern Illinois, the Purple Aces shot the lights out as they were 56.3% from the floor with five players in double digits (Balentine 15 pts, Moore 13 pts, Brozja 12 pts, Gibson 12 pts, & Mockevicius 10 pts). D.J. Balentine did struggle though, and ended the night five for fifteen from the floor. Foul trouble also played a factor at SIU as Mislav Brozja fouled out and Egidijus Mockevicius was limited to eleven minutes. Evansville will need to avoid stupid fouls and continue their good shooting against Drake this evening in a must-win before they face the "big dogs of the Missouri Valley Conference." The Drake Bulldogs, who have played well of late, dropped their second game in the last three versus Indiana State last Saturday. Drake did hang around the Sycamores throughout the game and put up a tough fight. At one point, the Bulldogs were only down five points to Indiana State with 9:21 left in the second half, but Sycamore guard Devonte Brown scored six points to lead a 17-0 run that put Drake out of their misery. Not Reed Timmer or Gary Ricks Jr., but Trevor Berkeley had a huge game in Terre Haute as he shot an efficient six for seven from the field and four for five from beyond the arc for eighteen points. Freshman Reed Timmer scored above his average with fourteen but was five for thirteen on the afternoon. Better shooting is a must for Drake to win on Evansville's home court tonight. Although I see Mockevicius and Balentine doing anything they please to their opponent and getting any shot they want, I believe tonight will be a close game. Like last Saturday, I do look forward to seeing how Drake's Timmer performs since he is a contender for Freshman of the Year and going up against a great rim protector in Mockevicius. Nevertheless, I forsee Balentine scoring twenty plus points and Mockevicius controling the paint with a double-double performance in a Purple Aces win.
---Evansville 75, Drake 67
8:05 PM EST-ESPN3
23-3 (13-1) 13. Wichita State
at 10-17 (3-11) Southern Illinois
23-3 (13-1) 13. Wichita State
Lunardi's Bracketology: 4 Seed
#3 Best Mid-Major According to CollegeInsider.com
Solid Wins:
-Memphis 71-56 (in Sioux Falls)
-St. Louis 81-52 (Home)
-Seton Hall 77-68 (Home)
-Alabama 53-52 (Home)
-Illinois State 70-62 (Home)
-Loyola (IL) 67-53 (Road)
-Evansville 61-41 (Road)
-Indiana State 74-57 (Home)
Losses:
-#25 Utah 69-68 in Overtime (Road)
-George Washington 60-54 in the Championship of the Diamond Head Classic.
-#18 Northern Iowa 70-54 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Illinois State 68-62 (Road)
Players to Watch:
---#31 Ron Baker (JR)
-15.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#23 Fred Van Vleet (JR)
-12.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.4 APG, & 1.8 SPG.
---#12 Darius Carter (SR)
-11.7 PPG & 5.4 RPG.
---#32 Tekele Cotton (SR)
-9.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, & 1.3 SPG.
10-17 (3-11) Southern Illinois
Solid Wins:
-Loyola (IL) 59-52 (Home)
-Bradley 70-59 (Home)
-Illinois State 65-59 (Home)
Single-Digit Conference Losses:
-Missouri State 53-50 (Home)
-Indiana State 59-56 (Home)
-Evansville 75-66 (Road)
-#18 Northern Iowa 59-52 (Home)
-Missouri State 52-46 (Road)
-Drake 63-61 (Road)
-Loyola 66-62 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To Evansville 72-64 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#25 Anthony Beane (JR)
-16.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#14 Jordan Caroline (FR)
-9.7 PPG & 6.8 RPG.
---#33 Sean O'Brien (SO)
-7.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#1 Jalen Pendleton (JR)
-6.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, & 1.1 SPG.
Prediction:
Last season the thirty-game Missouri Valley Conference winning streak started in Carbondale, but this season the Wichita State Shockers are hoping to increase their current MVC winning streak to four. Wichita State has been great since the slaughter in Cedar Falls and their close call in Peoria as they have defeated opponents by an average margin of twenty-two points. In last weekend's win at Illinois State though, there were a few scary situations like when Pre-Season All-American point guard Fred Van Vleet hit the deck twice and had to be taken out the game. Thank the Lord, Van Vleet is okay, but he may not be absolutely needed tonight against Southern Illinois especially with the way Ron Baker played after his poor performance against Indiana State. Baker posted nineteen points in the win and silenced the Redbird faithful multiple times. Even Evan Wessel got into the scoring act with twelve points. I am not sure how the Salukis feel, but I wouldn't want to play Wichita State tonight. The Southern Illinois Salukis are back to sliding again and it is not because of the snow outside. In their last game at home against Evansville, the Salukis scored the ball well, but could not get defensive stops when they mattered. In fact, all starters scored over nine points that afternoon led by Freshman Jordan Caroline. Caroline had a big day as he scored thirteen points while grabbing fifteen rebounds off the glass. SIU star Anthony Beane did not have as good as game as his teammate as he scored eleven points on four from ten shooting. Beane will need a better performance than his previous game or his first meeting versus Wichita State (four for twelve from field, ten points) to pull off the upset tonight. But is it even possible for the Shockers to get beat by anyone besides Northern Iowa? I am not sure if it is! One thing I do know for sure is that the Southern Illinois Salukis will not defeat the thirteenth best team in the nation.
---Wichita State 67, Southern Illinois 60
8:00 PM EST-ESPN3
13-13 (9-5) Indiana State
at 9-17 (3-11) Missouri State
13-13 (9-5) Indiana State
Solid Wins:
-Illinois State 63-61 (Road)
-Evansville 79-75 in Overtime (Home)
-Missouri State 71-56 (Home)
-Illinois State 71-70 in Overtime (Home)
"Never Shoulda Happened" Losses:
-Eastern Illinois 60-56 (Home)
-Missouri-Kansas City 73-70 in Double Overtime.
-Drake 84-78 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Drake 75-54 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#11 Devonte Brown (JR)
-13.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, & 3.0 APG.
---#4 Brenton Scott (FR)
-11.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#1 Khristian Smith (JR)
-9.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#5 Justin Gant (SR)
(DNP vs. Drake with concussion-like symptoms)
-9.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, & 1.0 BPG.
---#15 Tre' Bennett (JR)
-7.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG, & 3.0 APG.
---#0 Jake Kitchell (SR)
-7.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG, & 1.0 BPG.
9-17 (3-11) Missouri State
Conference Wins:
-Southern Illinois 53-50 (Road)
-Drake 62-37 (Home)
-Southern Illinois 52-46 (Home)
Single-Digit Conference Losses:
-Evansville 56-54 (Home)
-Bradley 61-59 (Road)
-Loyola (IL) 53-50 (Home)
-Evansville 73-66 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To #13 Northern Iowa 68-57 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#30 Camyn Boone (JR)
-8.6 PPG & 5.2 RPG.
---#2 Austin Ruder (SO)
-7.9 PPG & 2.3 RPG.
---#23 Dorian Williams (JR)
-7.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.6 RPG, & 1.5 SPG.
---#20 Gavin Thurman (JR)
-5.9 PPG & 2.3 RPG.
Prediction:
Will today be the day that Indiana State finally gets above .500 for the first time since January 14? Today's Indiana State Sycamores are definatley not the same team that lost to Eastern Illinois and UMKC in non-conference play earlier this season as they have taken the Missouri Valley Conference by storm while currently sitting safely in the third spot of the conference standings. Last Saturday the Sycamores put behind a double-digit loss to Wichita State on the road by defeating the up and coming Drake Bulldogs. The match was very close for the first thirty-one minutes but eventually Indiana State with a 17-0 run spurred on by Devonte Brown and Khristian Smith took the Bulldogs back to the dog house for conference win number nine on the season. While Indiana State is coming in off a win, the Missouri State Bears hope to break a losing skid while instillinh some revenge on the Sycamores. The one game that started the Bears slide down the conference standings is none other than the first meeting between these two teams in Terre Haute. Prior to the matchup, each team was 2-0 in conference play and even Marcus Marshall was still playing for Missouri State. What insued for the Bears was surprising as they not only lost to Indiana State, but got lost in "the Forest" leading to one win in their next twelve games. In Missouri State's previous matchup, the team could not stop Seth Tuttle who dominated the paint with a twenty-two point, four rebound performance. The only positive of the whole game for the Bears was how they played the last fourteen minutes. During the last fourteen, the offense finally began to click as Austin Ruder started nailing three pointers and Camyn Boone started netting mid-range and post baskets. Honestly, that segment of time was probably the best Missouri State's offense has been since the departure of Marcus Marshall. If the Bears keep their accurate shooting going tonight, the Sycamores could be in trouble, but I forsee Indiana State's good defense making halftime adjustments if Missouri State jumps out quickly ultimately stopping their opponent's success. In addition, I feel Brenton Scott will come out of his recent slump with a fifteen plus point performance that fuels the offense.
---Indiana State 61, Missouri State 57
8:00 PM EST-ESPN3
24-2 (13-1) 11. Northern Iowa
at 16-10 (6-8) Loyola (IL)
24-2 (13-1) 11. Northern Iowa
Lunardi's Bracketology: 4 Seed
Solid Wins:
-Stephen F. Austin 79-77 in Overtime (Road)
-Virginia Tech 73-54 in Semi-Final of Cancun Challenge.
-Northwestern 61-42 in Championship of Cancun Challenge.
-Iowa 56-44 (in Des Moines)
-Loyola (IL) 67-58 (Home)
-Indiana State 66-60 (Home)
-Illinois State 54-53 (Road)
-#12 Wichita State 70-54 (Home)
-Indiana State 61-51 (Road)
-Illinois State 83-64 (Home)
Losses:
-VCU 93-87 in Overtime (Road)
-Evansville 52-49 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Missouri State 68-57 (Road)
Players to Watch:
---#10 Seth Tuttle (SR)
-16.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, & 3.2 APG.
---#11 Wes Washpun (JR)
-8.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#1 Deon Mitchell (SR)
-6.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, & 2.3 APG.
---#14 Nate Buss (JR)
-6.6 PPG & 2.5 RPG.
16-10 (6-8) Loyola (IL)
Solid Wins:
-Kent State 69-61 (Road)
-Texas Tech 62-44 in the Semi-Finals of the Las Vegas Classic.
-Boise State 48-45 in the Championship of the Las Vegas Classic.
-Bradley 64-49 (Home)
-Evansville 71-70 (Road)
-Missouri State 53-50 without Milton Doyle and Christian Thomas (Road)
Single-Digit Conference Losses:
-#23 Northern Iowa 67-58 (Road)
-Southern Illinois 59-52 (Road)
-Southern Illinois 59-52 (Road)
-Evansville 65-56 (Home)
-Illinois State 48-45 (Home)
Last Game:
-Win Against Bradley 58-53 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#35 Milton Doyle (SO)
(DNP in last 8 with ankle injury.)
-11.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#32 Christian Thomas (SR)
-10.9 PPG & 4.0 RPG.
---#24 Montel James (JR)
-9.3 PPG & 4.4 RPG.
---#4 Devon Turk (JR)
-8.3 PPG & 2.6 RPG.
---#2 Earl Peterson (JR)
-7.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, & 1.7 APG.
Prediction:
He's back! Milton Doyle? No, Christian Thomas! Loyola Senior Christian Thomas, who has been the main threat for the Loyola Ramblers with Milton Doyle sidelined, began to look like his vintage self with a thirteen-point performance to lead his team to their first two-game conference winning streak since entering the Missouri Valley. With Thomas, starters Ben Richardson, Montel James, and Devon Turk combined for twenty-seven points while Loyola Freshman Julius Rajala came alive with seven points in nine minutes of action. Even with the offense clicking, the big blows on Sunday were provided by Loyola's defense, who held Bradley to 37.0% from the field while causing the Braves' leading scorer Warren Jones to score only six points on two for six shooting. The same solid defensive performance that has been seen in both Loyola's last two games will be needed to defeat the hottest team in the MVC this evening. The Northern Iowa Panthers continued their winning ways quite easily last Sunday in a 68-57 win at Missouri State. Larry Bird Player of the Year canidate, Seth Tuttle helped the Panthers jump out to a 29-11 lead in the first half by scoring twelve of his game-high twenty-two points in the first twelve minutes of play. Later Northern Iowa increased their lead to twenty-two with the score of 42-20 at halftime. Towards the end of the forty minutes, Camyn Boone and Austin Ruder finally started to get the Bears' offense scoring, but the amount of time on the clock was not enough as the Panthers increased their winning streak to thirteen. UNI guards Deon Mitchell, Jeremy Morgan, Nate Buss, and Paul Jespersen all helped Tuttle with the scoring as the four combined for thirty-eight points on the afternoon. Offense will meet defense tonight at the Joseph J. Gentile Center. Without star Milton Doyle, I find it very hard for the Ramblers to produce enough points to stay within striking distance on Northern Iowa, but if their defense can stop contain Tuttle in the post and make their shooters take rushed attempts from outside, Loyola will be able to compete. The problem is that stopping Seth Tuttle is a lot easier said than done as he comes into tonight averaging 21 points in his last five performances! It could take two to three Ramblers to score 21 tonight for their team. Personally, I see Tuttle being too much for Loyola on the offensive end while on the defensive end, UNI steals the show in a double-digit victory.
---Northern Iowa 62, Loyola 51
9:00 PM EST-Full Court/ESPN3
15-11 (7-7) Illinois State
8-19 (3-11) Bradley
15-11 (7-7) Illinois State
Solid Wins:
-Old Dominion 64-45 in the Semi-Final of Paradise Jam.
-DePaul 78-72 (Road)
-Missouri State 69-55 (Road)
-Evansville 77-51 (Home)
Single-Digit Conference Losses:
-Indiana State 63-61 (Home)
-#16 Wichita State 70-62 (Road)
-Indiana State 71-70 in Overtime (Road)
-#20 Northern Iowa 54-53 (Road)
-Southern Illinois 65-59 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To #15 Wichita State 68-62 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#3 Daishon Knight (SR)
-13.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#44 DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (JR)
-12.4 PPG & 5.3 RPG.
---#22 Reggie Lynch (SO)
-9.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, & 2.8 BPG.
---#4 Bobby Hunter (SR)
-8.1 PPG & 2.2 RPG.
---#24 Deontae Hawkins (FR)
-7.3 PPG & 5.3 RPG.
---#1 Paris Lee (SO)
-6.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, & 2.5 SPG.
---#11 MiKyle McIntosh (FR)
-6.1 PPG & 4.3 RPG.
8-19 (3-11) Bradley
Solid Wins:
-Central Michigan 84-73 (Home)
-Southern Illinois 63-44 (Home)
-Missouri State 61-59 (Home)
-Evansville 56-53 (Road)
"Never Should Have Happened" Losses:
-Texas-Arlington 86-75 (Home)
-Robert Morris 68-61 (Home)
-UC Irvine 55-47 in the Semi-Final of the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.
-Arkansas-Little Rock 64-54 in the Consolation Championship of the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.
Last Game:
-Loss To Loyola (IL) 58-53 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#2 Warren Jones (JR)
-13.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, & 1.5 SPG.
---#5 Tramique Sutherland (JR)
-12.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, & 3.0 APG.
---#4 Auston Barnes (SR)
-10.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#24 Omari Grier (JR)
-8.4 PPG & 2.0 APG.
---#21 Josh Cunningham (FR)
-7.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#0 Ka'Darryl Bell (JR)
-7.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, & 1.0 SPG.
Prediction:
Well one would think that Illinois State would finally get the job done against Bradley, but who knows. The Illinois State Redbirds were once a team that I thought could give Wichita State or Northern Iowa a run for the conference championship when Arch Madness came around, but currently I am very unsure. The losses to Wichita State and Northern Iowa were expected but the defeat to Southern Illinois was disappointing. During the three-game skid, star Senior Daishon Knight averaged only 8.8 points per game on 34.0% shooting. Redbirds' fans hope that by traveling North on Interstate-74 Knight will rediscover his shooting stroke against the Bradley Braves. Bradley once again fell into the loss column last Sunday as they were narrowly defeated by Loyola. The Braves, who were down by eleven points with about ten minutes to go, were able to rally and tie the game up on a jumper from Nate Wells. On the following possession, Loyola's Earl Peterson made a layup giving the Ramblers a two point lead. It all came down to Bradley's ensuing possession, when Tramique Sutherland drove the ball into the lane and attempted a layup for the tie. The ball left Sutherland's hand and bounced hard of the backboard missing the rim completely. The Loyola Ramblers won again without Doyle. So what does Bradley need to do to get back in the win column? The Braves need Warren Jones to play like he did prior to being suspended. In Jones' first game back, the Junior from Centralia, Illinois, went two for six from the field in addition to going two for six from charity stripe for a total of six points. Jones must crack double-digits in order for his team to contend with the athletic Illinois State Redbirds. In the first matchup, Illinois State won by ten, but Bradley Freshman Josh Cunningham out played Reggie Lynch. Tonight I see one role reversing, which will be Lynch taking the Freshman to school in an Illinois State Redbird victory.
---Illinois State 62, Bradley 53
THE ROAD TO ARCH MADNESS
It is never to early to begin looking ahead to March so here is the seedings and matchups if the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament started today.
Arch Madness if it Started Today
1. Northern Iowa 24-2 (13-1)
2. Wichita State 23-3 (13-1)
3. Indiana State 13-13 (9-5)
4. Evansville 18-8 (8-6)
5. Illinois State 15-11 (7-7)
6. Loyola (IL) 16-10 (6-8)
7. Drake 8-18 (5-9)
8. Missouri State 9-17 (3-11)
9. Bradley 8-19 (3-11)
10. Southern Illinois 10-17 (3-11)
Thursday Night
G1: MOST vs BRAD (BRAD Won First Meeting at Carver Arena (BRAD))
G2: DRAKE vs SIU (DRAKE Won First Meeting at The Knapp Center (DRAKE))
Friday Afternoon
G3: UNI vs W-G1
G4: ILST vs EVAN (ILST Won First Meeting at Redbird Arena (ILST))
Friday Night
G5: INST vs LOY (INST Swept the Season Series)
G6: WSU vs W-G2
PW's Prediction Record Coming into Today: 156-58 (55-15 in the MVC)
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