2:00 PM EST-ESPN Full Court
15-8 (7-4) Illinois State
at 9-15 (2-9) Southern Illinois
15-8 (7-4) Illinois State
Solid Wins:
-Old Dominion 64-45 in the Semi-Final of Paradise Jam.
-DePaul 78-72 (Road)
-Missouri State 69-55 (Road)
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)
Last Game:
-Win Against Evansville 77-51 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#3 Daishon Knight (SR)
-14.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#44 DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (JR)
-11.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#22 Reggie Lynch (SO)
-9.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, & 2.9 BPG.
---#4 Bobby Hunter (SR)
-8.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, & 1.7 APG.
---#24 Deontae Hawkins (FR)
-7.2 PPG & 5.0 RPG.
---#1 Paris Lee (SO)
-7.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, & 2.6 SPG.
9-15 (2-9) Southern Illinois
Solid Wins:
-SIU-Edwardsville 79-67 (Road)
-Loyola (IL) 59-52 (Home)
-Bradley 70-59 (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)
Last Game:
-Loss To Drake 63-61 (Road)
Players to Watch:
---#25 Anthony Beane (JR)
-16.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#14 Jordan Caroline (FR)
-9.3 PPG & 6.3 RPG.
---#33 Sean O'Brien (SO)
-8.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
---#1 Jalen Pendleton (JR)
-6.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, & 1.0 SPG.
Prediction:
Heartbreak. Heartbreak is the one word to describe the Southern Illinois Salukis Wednesday Night in Des Moines. Southern Illinois was in the driver seat in the final minute as they were up one point with Freshman Jordan Caroline at the charity stripe for two shots with seventeen seconds left. Caroline, who shoots 68.6% from the season, missed both free throws leaving the back door open for Drake to take the lead on the next possession. He should have made the free throws as Drake's Chris Caird nailed a three pointer to give the Bulldogs a 63-61 lead. Anthony Beane attempted a three pointer at the buzzer for the win but it was off the mark. SIU was stunned and so was I. Beane had a very solid game as he shot six for eleven from beyond the arc with 22 points, which I would consider a great game. Beane and his Dawgs will need an overall great game to knock the Illinois State Redbirds off their current course. Illinois State continued their winning streak in great fashion last Tuesday as they destroyed the Evansville Purple Aces by 26 points! The whole team stepped up as MiKyle McIntosh and Deontae Hawkins scored over their points per game averages with thirteen and twelve points respectively. Reggie Lynch dominated Evansville's big man from Lithuania Egidijus Mockevicius while netting a career high sixteen points with five blocks in seventeen minutes of play! What a performance! The Redbirds should be fairly fresh for today since none of the starters played over twenty-five minutes. Anthony Beane will really need a huge game to keep the score close in my estimation, since Illinois State has so many great players. I also feel Reggie Lynch will continue to control the paint with have another great game and we cannot forget about Daishon Knight who will also be looking to score points.
---Illinois State 65, Southern Illinois 56
2:05 PM EST
7-17 (2-9) Bradley
at 16-7 (6-5) Evansville
7-17 (2-9) Bradley
Solid Wins:
-Central Michigan 84-73 (Home)
-Southern Illinois 63-44 (Home)
-Missouri State 61-59 (Home)
"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 #16 Wichita State 62-59 (Road)
Players to Watch:
---#5 Tramique Sutherland (JR)
-11.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, & 2.9 APG.
---#4 Auston Barnes (SR)
-10.7 PPG & 4.5 RPG.
---#24 Omari Grier (JR)
-8.4 PPG & 2.0 APG.
---#21 Josh Cunningham (FR)
-8.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#0 Ka'Darryl Bell (JR)
-7.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, & 1.1 SPG.
16-7 (6-5) 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)
Last Game:
-Loss To Illinois State 77-51 (Road)Players to Watch:
---#31 D.J. Balentine (JR)
-19.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, & 3.3 APG.---#5 Mislav Brzoja (SO)
-8.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, & 2.8 APG.
---#50 Blake Simmons (SO)
-8.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, & 2.3 APG.---#12 Adam Wing (JR)
-7.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, & 2.5 APG.
Prediction:
Will Warren Jones miss another game because of his arrest at a strip club? I have no idea, but Egidijus Mockevicius will miss this afternoon's matchup. Mockevicius, who posted eight points and eight rebounds, came out in street clothes for the early shootaround. Without Mockevicius, the Aces could have a tough time handling Bradley's Freshman Josh Cunningham. Cunningham has averaged 12.3 points per game with 9.3 rebounds per game in his last three outings. As a team, the Braves played their best game of the season, as they took Wichita State to the final minute in a 62-59 loss. The Braves had four players in double digits against the Shockers, Tramique Sutherland with eighteen points, Auston Barnes with thirteen, Omari Grier with twelve, and Josh Cunningham with ten. The only bad stat was the team's shooting performance as Bradley shot 35.7% from the field. To snap the three game skid, the Braves must receive the same scoring production from Wednesday game from the four players previously mentioned. The Evansville Purple Aces were completly dominated last Tuesday at Illinois State. In the first half Evansville was outscored 43-24 with the second half not getting any prettier. The Missouri Valley Conference's leading scorer D.J. Balentine had yet another rough outing as he shot four for tweleve from the field with twelve points. Balentine must score with the absence of Mockevicius or today's game might turn into a Bradley upset win. A positive for Evansville was the return of Mislav Brzoja. Brozja broke his hand in the home loss to Wichita State a few weeks ago but he played sixteen minutes in the loss at Bloomington. I really smell an upset coming with the big man Mockevicius out since he is Evansville's rim protector. Look for Josh Cunningham to take it to Evansvillle Jaylon Moore.
---Bradley 62, Evansville 59
4:00 PM EST-Full Court/ESPN3
11-12 (7-4) Indiana State
at 14-9 (4-7) Loyola (IL)
11-12 (7-4) 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 Should Have Happened" Losses:
-Eastern Illinois 60-56 (Home)
-Missouri-Kansas City 73-70 in Double Overtime.
-Drake 84-78 (Road)
Last Game:
-Loss To #14 Northern Iowa 61-51 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#11 Devonte Brown (JR)
-12.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, & 2.9 APG.
---#4 Brenton Scott (FR)
-11.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, & 1.0 BPG.
---#1 Khristian Smith (JR)
-10.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, & 1.0 SPG.
---#5 Justin Gant (SR)
-9.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, & 1.0 BPG.
---#15 Tre' Bennett (JR)
-8.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG, & 2.9 APG.
---#0 Jake Kitchell (SR)
-6.8 PPG & 5.2 RPG.
14-9 (4-7) 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)
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 Missouri State 53-50 (Road)
Players to Watch:
---#24 Montel James (JR)
-9.0 PPG & 4.2 RPG.
---#4 Devon Turk (JR)
-8.1 PPG & 2.4 RPG.
---#2 Earl Peterson (JR)
-7.0 PPG & 2.0 RPG.
Prediction:
Loyola is finally back in the win column and impressively they did it without Milton Doyle (ankle) AND Christian Thomas (concussion). How did they do it? The Ramblers won on the road by getting big defensive stops late in the game after a Missouri State run and by getting big baskets from Ben Richardson. With the game tied at 44 and a little over four minutes left, Richardson tried his best Milton Doyle impression by scoring seven of Loyola's next nine points leading his team to a 53-50 win. Will Richardson be able to step-up again and make-up the production of Christian Thomas against Indiana State. The Indiana State Sycamores just cannot seem to find a way to stay over .500 this season. With the record of 11-11, Indiana State was beaten by the Northern Iowa Panthers at the Hulman Center. The Sycamores struggled to find a way to score as Devonte Brown was the only player in double-figures while the team as a collective whole shot 37.3% from the field. In addition, Indiana State could not find a way to stop UNI's Wes Washpun's aggressive play-making as he was able to get into the paint whenever he wanted. The way the early games look in the MVC this afternoon, I expect nothing less than a very close back and forth game. But who will I pick? I am going to go with Indiana State since Loyola is missing their "Batman and Robin." Also, I expect Devonte Brown to continue his refent success by scoring fifteen plus points.
---Indiana State 63, Loyola (IL) 57
8:00 PM EST-ESPN2
9-14 (3-8) Missouri State
at 20-3 (10-1) 16. Wichita State
9-14 (3-8) 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)
Last Game:
-Loss To Loyola (IL) 53-50 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#2 Austin Ruder (SO)
-8.1 PPG & 2.2 RPG.
---#30 Camyn Boone (JR)
-8.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG, & 1.0 BPG.
---#23 Dorrian Williams (JR)
-7.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.7 RPG, & 1.4 SPG.
20-3 (10-1) 16. Wichita State
Lunardi's Bracketology: 5 Seed
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)
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 Bradley 62-59 (Road)
Players to Watch:
---#31 Ron Baker (JR) -15.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, & 1.2 SPG.
---#12 Darius Carter (SR)
-11.8 PPG & 5.6 RPG.---#23 Fred Van Vleet (JR)
-11.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.3 APG, & 1.7 SPG.---#32 Tekele Cotton (SR)
-9.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, & 1.3 SPG.Prediction:
One thing can be surely said about the 2014-2015 Wichita State men's basketball team at this point in the season...they are definatley not as good as last year's group. Dually noted is the fact that the Shockers had a future NBA player on their team last season in Cleanthony Early, but Gregg Marshall's team just does not have the same dominance in conference play. In Wichita State's last game at Bradley, the Shockers blew a fourteen point lead by not making a field goal for the last twelve minutes and forty-two seconds of the second half. Fortunatley for Wichita State is that there was only 12:42 remaining rather than fifteen minutes. The game came down on the shoulders of Pre-Season All-American Point Guard Fred Van Vleet with 4.6 seconds and his team up one point. Remember when Van Vleet missed the front end of an 1 and 1, down one point to Utah earlier in the season? You do? Well this time against the Braves, Van Vleet was "cooler than the other side of the pillow" as he knocked both shots in to give his team a three point lead. But Bradley still had a chance until Evan Wessel stole BU's Donte Thomas's pass clinching victory for Wichita State. Like Bradley, Missouri State could also not complete the comeback in their last game. The Bears were able to muster a second half rally from fifteen points down versus a Milton Doyle and Christian Thomas-less Loyola Ramblers team, but the rally fell short as Missouri State was unable to score more than their opponent after tying them at 44. Sophomore sharpshooter Austin Ruder, had another poor outing on Wednesday as he went scoreless. Cameron Boone, who has played the best on the team since the departure of Marcus Marshall, scored a team-high thirteen points in the loss. I am not going to sugar coat my prediction...Wichita State will blowout Missouri State again tonight. Granted I do not see it being as high of deficit as last time, but it will be fifteen points or higher nonetheless.
---Wichita State 67, Missouri State 50
8:00 PM EST-Full Court/ESPN3
7-16 (4-7) Drake
at 21-2 (10-1) 14. Northern Iowa
7-16 (4-7) Drake
Division I Wins:
-IUPUI 73-60 (Home)
-Jackson State 76-66 (Home)
-Indiana State 84-78 (Home)
-Bradley 69-57 (Road)
-Evansville 70-65 (Home)
Single-Digit Conference Losses:
-#16 Wichita State 66-58 (Home)
-Loyola (IL) 50-47 (Road)
-Illinois State 64-56 (Home)
Last Game:
-Win Against Southern Illinois 63-61 (Home)
Players to Watch:
---#2 Gary Ricks Jr. (SR)
-11.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, & 2.3 APG.
---#12 Reed Timmer (FR)
-10.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG, & 2.5 APG.
---#11 Jacob Enevold Jensen (SR)
-7.9 PPG & 5.4 RPG.
---#3 Jordan Daniels (SR)
-7.7 PPG.
---#25 Chris Caird (SR)
-7.7 PPG & 2.2 RPG.
21-2 (10-1) 14. Northern Iowa
Lunardi's Bracketology: 5 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)
Losses:
-VCU 93-87 in Overtime (Road)
-Evansville 52-49 (Road)
Last Game:
-Win Against Indiana State 61-51 (Road)
Players to Watch:
---#10 Seth Tuttle (SR)
-15.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, & 3.1 APG.
---#11 Wes Washpun (JR)
-9.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, & 1.3 SPG.
---#1 Deon Mitchell (SR)
-6.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, & 2.2 APG.
---#14 Nate Buss (JR)
-6.4 PPG & 2.4 RPG.
Prediction:
The Northern Iowa Panthers are hotter than the sidewalk in Florida during the heat of summer as they have won ten games in a row with the most impressive coming at home against Wichita State. Senior star Seth Tuttle is continuing to make the players guarding him look silly as he has twenty plus points in four of the ten games during the winning streak. Like I have said many times this season, the Panthers are loaded with depth as anyone could go off to help Tuttle with the scoring responsibility. On Tuesday night at the Hulman Center, it was a combination of Jeremy Morgan, Wes Washpun, and Nate Buss, as the three scored a total of 31 points combined (Morgan 12 points, Washpun 10 points, & Buss 9 points) to go along with fifteen from Tuttle. Unstoppable right? The Drake Bulldogs hope not. Drake has also been streaking of late as they come into tonight on a three game winning streak. Freshman Reed Timmer has been playing very well of late and presents his team with a second option to go along with Senior guard Gary Ricks Jr. Since the winning streak started, Timmer has averaged 17.3 points per game. Freshman of the Year? Maybe if he keeps performing like he has been. Tonight "The Valley" will see what Timmer is made of as UNI has held conference opponents to an average of 50.4 points per game. In the first meeting the Panthers held the Bulldogs to forty points, but that was when Drake could not buy a win. Tonight is different. I 100% expect UNI to win, but it will not be a twenty-four point slaughtering like last time.
---Northern Iowa 64, Drake 50
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 21-2 (10-1)
2. Wichita State 20-3 (10-1)
3. Indiana State 11-12 (7-4)
4. Illinois State 15-8 (7-4)
5. Evansville 16-7 (6-5)
6. Loyola (IL) 14-9 (4-7)
7. Drake 7-16 (4-7)
8. Missouri State 9-14 (3-8)
9. Southern Illinois 9-15 (2-9)
10. Bradley 7-17 (2-9)
Thursday Night
G1: DRAKE vs BRAD (DRAKE Won First Meeting at Carver Arena (BRAD))
G2: MOST vs SIU (MOST Swept Season Series)
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 Won First Meeting at Human Center & Face-Off Today)
G6: WSU vs W-G2
PW's Prediction Record Coming into Today: 117-46 (42-13 in the MVC)
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