Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

Missouri Valley lookin’ beautiful

Going by the Mid-Major rankings released by ESPN last week, the road to the MVC title is way up for grabs. Four teams from the Missouri Valley are featured in the top ten by espn.com.

With an 8-0 start under its belt, Creighton leads the pack at number two behind Gonzaga. Preseason MVC favorite Wichita State is close behind at number four, defending conference champion Southern Illinois is ranked fifth, and the surprising Bradley Braves follow close behind at number eight. The four teams have combined for a 30-6 record thus far.

Though the rankings are gaining attention for the MVC, each team will likely begin slipping as everyone beats up on each other in conference play.

Cyclone claims another victim

Iowa State dodged another bullet against an MVC opponent last weekend. After holding off a Northern Iowa rally earlier this season, the Cyclones shut down a late rally by Dr. Tom’s Drake Bulldogs on Saturday. Drake rallied for a 66-65 lead in the second half after falling behind by 15 early. Iowa State was able to overcome 27 turnovers though to finally put the Bulldogs to sleep.

Cuffle reaches milestone

With a 27-point effort against Western Kentucky, Clint Cuffle became just the 38th player in Evansville history to score 1000 career points. The senior is averaging 14.6 points a game so far this season – down slightly from last season’s average of 16.5.

Player of the Week

Though the Braves went 1-1 last week, I chose Phillip Gilbert as the conference Player of the Week. His 22 points propelled Bradley past Loyola -Chicago, and his 25 points nearly did the same thing against Pepperdine.

Newcomer of the Week

I take Southwest Missouri State’s Blake Ahearn this week. His 19 and 21-point efforts aided in the Bears getting back on the winning track after a long slump.

MVC Game of the Week

It wasn’t easy, but Northern Iowa escaped out of Normal with a 64-61 win over Illinois State. In the conference opener for both squads, UNI jumped out to a 50-34 lead but was outscored 23-7 during the next several minutes as Illinois State managed to tie the contest at 57. Brooks McKowen nailed a three to give the lead back to the Panthers, and Chris Foster sealed the win for UNI with two free throws.

Ben Jacobson led all players with 22 points for Northern Iowa, and David Gruber recorded a double double with 11 points and 10 boards. Trey Guidry led the way for Illinois State with 13 points.

The Redbirds had owned this series previous to Saturday, winning five of its last six against Northern Iowa. UNI hadn’t won in Normal since the 1998-99 season.

Team Notes

Bradley (7-3 / 0-0)

Phillip Gilbert was one of five Bradley players in double figures with 22 points in last Wednesday’s 79-63 victory over Loyola-Chicago. Marcellus Sommerville added another 13 for the Braves. Bradley took advantage of a Loyola-Chicago team that shot only 36% from the field and hit just three of 26 treys.

Pepperdine’s Glen McGowan broke Bradley’s heart on Saturday as he hit a game-winning dunk for an 81-80 win. The Braves let a 16-point lead vanish, but impressive numbers were still put up. Gilbert tallied 25 points while James Gillingham added another 24, and Sommerville recorded a double double with 17 points and 11 boards.

The holidays bring a light schedule for Bradley in the near future. The Braves will head to Las Vegas on Dec. 28 to face UNLV.

Creighton (8-0 / 0-0)

The Bluejays sit alone on the perch as the only remaining unbeaten team in the MVC. Wins over Arkansas-Little Rock and Wyoming have Creighton sitting pretty at 8-0. Nate Funk scored 17 points in the 91-66 win over Arkansas-Little Rock, and Brody Deren also recorded a double double with 12 points and 11 boards.

Against Wyoming, the Bluejays held on for dear life as Wyoming stormed back from a 21-point deficit but could only get as close as three. Joe Dabbert led Creighton with 19 points.

Creighton’s next contest won’t take place until the team’s MVC opener against Southwest Missouri State on Dec. 30 in Omaha.

Drake (3-4 / 0-1)

Iowa State traveled down to Des Moines on Saturday and won at Drake for the first time since 1995. The Cyclones rolled to a 15-point lead at the half before Drake could put together a late rally. Nick Grant gave the Bulldogs a brief lead with his free throw late in the second half, but Iowa State recovered for an 83-77 victory. Joshua Robinson tallied 18 points for the Bulldogs and Klayton Korver added another 11 in the losing cause.

Drake will be off this week before getting back into action on Dec. 29 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christian.

Evansville (1-6 / 0-0)

Holding onto leads was too tough of a task for the Purple Aces to handle in both of its losses last week. Evansville lost a seven-point lead in a 69-66 loss to Mississippi last Wednesday, and a nine-point lead vanished in a 92-82 loss to Western Kentucky on Saturday.

Four players recorded double figure scoring totals for Evansville against Mississippi. Clint Cuffle led the way with 27 points in a game where UE connected for 12 treys. Cuffle has now scored over 1000 career points for the Purple Aces – a feat accomplished only 37 previous times.

The only contest scheduled for this week is a date against Purdue in West Lafayette on Saturday, Dec. 27.

Illinois State (4-4 / 0-1)

Vince Green sank two free throws in overtime to send the Redbirds past Western Kentucky, 66-65 last Tuesday. Marcus Arnold led Illinois State with 23 points.

The Redbirds overcame a 16-point deficit against Northern Iowa on Saturday, but the rally fell short in a 64-61 loss. Trey Guidry tallied 13 points for Illinois State in its Missouri Valley opener.

A road contest at Southern Illinois on Sunday is the only game scheduled for this week.

Indiana State (4-4 / 0-0)

The Sycamores were on both sides of thrashings last week in a 57-39 loss to Butler and an 87-60 win over Tennessee-Martin. With 23 points, David Moss was the only ISU player who could find the basket against Butler. The team shot just 30% from the field. Moss came back on Monday night for a career-high 30 points against Tennessee-Martin, and ISU more than doubled its point total from the other night. The Sycamores connected on 13 treys in the blowout.

Indiana State will have an opportunity to rest until facing off against Evansville on New Year’s Eve.

Northern Iowa (5-3 / 1-0)

The only contest for UNI last week was its MVC opener against Illinois State on Saturday. Ben Jacobson took charge with 22 points, and David Gruber recorded a double double for the Panthers with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

UNI has a 10-day break before getting back into action against Siena on Dec. 30.

Southern Illinois (7-1 / 1-0)

Murray State rallied from a 13-point deficit at the half last Wednesday to hand the Salukis their first loss of the season. Darren Brooks sunk 12 points for SIU in the loss. Brooks took charge in two Saluki victories over Wright State (79-73) and Montana (82-71). He connected for 20 and 26 points, respectively.

Illinois State comes to town on Dec. 28 for a 2:05 tip-off.

Southwest Missouri State (7-4 / 0-1)

The Bears got back on the winning track last week with a double overtime victory over Missouri-Kansas City last Wednesday. Blake Ahearn tallied 19 points for SMS in the 80-77 triumph.

Ahearn led the way again with 21 points in the Bear’s 70-59 win over Saint Louis on Saturday. Tamar Maclin also recorded a double double for SMS with 13 points and 13 boards.

SMS will try to stay on the winning track as they travel to Creighton on Dec. 30.

Wichita State (8-2 / 1-0)

A 66-58 victory over Tulsa gave Wichita State its first win against Tulsa since the 1992-93 season. The Shockers came out strong, building a 14-2 lead and were able to hold on for the big win. Jamar Howard was good for 23 points on the night.

Just like the rest of the conference, the Shockers will take it easy for a while before getting back into play on Dec. 30 against Oral Roberts.

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

Panthers and Bluejays steal bragging rights

After being fouled with less than a minute to play, Northern Iowa’s Brooks McKowen looked up at the clock to see how much time remained for a UNI upset to be put in the books. Forty five seconds later, UNI grabbed bragging rights over then 24th-ranked Iowa with a 77-66 upset last Tuesday in Cedar Falls. It was the second time in three years a ranked Hawkeye team hit a roadblock while visiting the UNI-Dome.

The UNI-Iowa contest was just one of four in-state rivalry games taking place for MVC teams last week. The Missouri Valley went 2-2 as other games included Valparaiso taking down Indiana State on Monday, Kansas State shocking Wichita State and Creighton slipping past Nebraska in front of a record crowd.

Iowa (6-1) and Northern Iowa (3-3) were going back and forth in the first 34 minutes of play before McKowen sunk the Panthers’ first trey of the game to send UNI ahead 62-59. Before McKowen’s three, UNI had gone 0-14 from behind the arc. Everything completely fell apart for the Hawkeyes after Erik Crawford threw up a rainbow from beyond the arc in desperation to beat the shot clock. It fell in, putting UNI ahead by six with 2:57 left.

“We had one of those shots go against us with Butler,” commented UNI head coach Greg McDermott on Crawford’s three. “It went our way this time.”

Crawford led the UNI surge with 24 points and McKowen tallied another 15 for the Panthers. Pierre Pierce lit up the Panther defense in the first half while piling up 14 points, but he managed only one point for the Hawkeyes in the second half.

One night earlier Valparaiso took down Indiana State in a messy contest between in-state rivals. It was a matter of who could shoot better in the second half, and that was Valparaiso in a 59-53 victory. David Moss and Amani Daanish both reached double figures for the Sycamores, but it wasn’t enough as Valpo defeated ISU for the fourth time in five years.

Heading out west, two barnburners took place on Wednesday. The largest crowd ever recorded at a basketball game in Nebraska witnessed Creighton hold off a Nebraska rally for a 61-54 victory. A total of 15,561 fans packed the Qwest Center as the Bluejays held on for their 22nd consecutive win at home. Brody Deren and Nate Funk tallied 13 points each to propel Creighton to its fifth straight win over the Huskers.

Further south, Wichita State couldn’t control a Kansas State rally as the Wildcats squeezed past the Shockers, 54-50. WSU led by as much as 10, but Kansas State fought back for its second consecutive win over the Shockers. Randy Burns led the Shockers with 12 points.

Each of the four teams will take some much-needed rest before they hit the courts again on Saturday.

No place like home

Every team would like to play in front of its home crowd, but the Missouri Valley seems to really enjoy it so far this season. The MVC boasts a 29-5 home record against non-conference opponents. Away from their cozy homes, the conference is just 13-19. Thankfully, the majority of the remaining non-conference slate will be on a MVC team’s court.

MVC Game of the Week

Wichita State 81, Southwest Missouri State 63

The first half was a little physical as the Shockers struggled with technical fouls and fell behind by ten late in the first frame. But WSU recovered to only trail by one at the half and stormed out of the locker room to completely dominate the second half. Randy Burns piled up 19 points and was one of five Shockers scoring in double figures. Fridge Holman also recorded 10 assists for WSU. The Bears managed only 32% shooting from the field and connected on just five of 23 shots from beyond the arc.

Northern Iowa will visit Illinois State on Saturday for the only MVC game of the week. Tip-off is set for 12:05 p.m. and will be televised by Fox Sports Net.

Player of the Week:

Nate Funk, Creighton

The conference chooses Indiana State’s David Moss, but I think Nate Funk deserves the honor. The sophomore guard played a large role in both of Creighton’s victories last week. Funk contributed 13 points against in-state rival Nebraska, and he nailed a trey at the buzzer against Fresno State, capping a Bluejays’ rally and forcing overtime.

Newcomer of the Week:

Erik Crawford, Northern Iowa

Crawford takes the spotlight away from Bradley’s Marcellus Sommerville for at least one week. The sophomore guard’s three put the Hawkeyes away for good in the Panthers’ upset. He led all players in that game with his career-high 24 points and added another 12 points in UNI’s win over Minnesota-Crookston.

Team Notes

Bradley (6-2 / 0-0)

An MVC team finally put the Butler Bulldogs to sleep as Bradley rallied for a 59-55 victory last Wednesday. It was Butler who couldn’t hold onto a lead this time, and it cost them an eight-game winning streak over the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bulldogs enjoyed an 11-point lead at halftime before the Braves got hot from the field. Phillip Gilbert led Bradley with 18 points and Marcellus Sommerville added another 17.

Bradley has a relatively busy week compared to most other teams in the Missouri Valley. Loyola-Chicago comes to Carver Arena on Dec. 17, and then the Braves will head west to face Pepperdine on Dec. 20.

Creighton (6-0 / 0-0)

The Bluejays faced strong competition during the last week of play while taking contests over Fresno State and in-state rival Nebraska. After holding off the Huskers last Wednesday, Nate Funk’s three beat the buzzer to help Creighton rally back from an eight-point deficit and force overtime against Fresno State. The Bluejays went on to win 70-62. Funk ended the contest with nine points. Michael Lindeman led the attack with 19.

Creighton will have a chance for rest this week and then will look to extend the school-record home winning streak (22) even further when Arkansas-Little Rock visits the Qwest Center on Dec. 20. The Bluejays will end their non-conference schedule at Wyoming on Dec. 22.

Drake (3-3 / 0-1)

With the 1968-69 Drake Final Four team watching, Dr. Tom and the Bulldogs didn’t disappoint during a 71-56 win over Southern Utah on Saturday in Des Moines. Drake stole the ball 15 times and jumped out to a 20-point lead by halftime. Southern Utah’s rally fell short in the second half. Lonnie Randolph had quite the game for the home team, recording career-highs for rebounds (9) and steals (6) in a game. He also tallied eight points and six assists for the Bulldogs.

The non-conference schedule is winding down for Drake, but the next contest is a big one as Iowa State will make the trip down to Des Moines on Dec. 20. The Cyclones will look to make it two for two against teams from Iowa and the MVC this season. They held off Northern Iowa, 79-76, on Nov. 30.

Evansville (1-4 / 0-0)

It nearly happened again. The Purple Aces built a 19-point lead over Eastern Illinois, only to let it dwindle down to two late in the game. This time Evansville held on for their first victory of the season, 86-76. Lee Deywayne scored 17 on the night and Lucious Wagner added another 16 for the Purple Aces.

Mississippi will visit Roberts Stadium on Wednesday. Afterwards, UE will head to Bowling Green to face Western Kentucky on Dec. 20.

Illinois State (3-3 / 0-0)

In their lone contest this week, the Redbirds fell down early and couldn’t recover in an 86-74 setback to Illinois-Chicago. A 22-point deficit was trimmed to as little as eight, but that was all ISU could manage. With 20 points, Trey Guidry was one of four Redbirds scoring in double figures on the night.

The Redbirds have two home games to look forward to this week. Western Kentucky will travel to Normal for a contest on Dec. 16, and Northern Iowa will face the Redbirds on Saturday in the lone MVC game of the week.

Indiana State (3-3 / 0-0)

After dropping a sloppy 59-53 decision to in-state rival Valparaiso, the Sycamores recovered to hold off Ball State 66-65 on Saturday. Ball State had one final chance to win with the clock winding down, but ISU made a defensive stand for the victory. David Moss contributed 24 points in the winning cause.

The Sycamores will look to end Butler’s run of success against MVC teams when they travel to Indianapolis on Dec. 20. Bradley managed to do it last week when they ended the Bulldog’s eight-game winning streak against the MVC. From there ISU will host Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 22 to conclude the non-conference slate.

Northern Iowa (4-3 / 0-0)

The Panthers got back on track last week as they reached the win column twice and regained their consistency from beyond the arc. UNI recovered from its worst shooting performance of the season against Furman to defeat 24th-ranked Iowa in Cedar Falls on Tuesday. There was no let down on Saturday either as they breezed past Minnesota-Crookston, 80-58. Ben Jacobson lit up the scoreboard for 19 points against Minnesota-Crookston after being held mostly silent against Iowa. The Panthers also regained their accuracy from beyond the arc, hitting 8 of 17.

UNI has just one game this week, a conference contest at Illinois State on Saturday. The two teams split the series last season, with the home team winning each time.

Southern Illinois (5-0 / 1-0)

The Salukis had a week off to savor their first MVC win this season. This week is a full slate though with road games at Wright State on Dec. 15 and Murray State on Dec. 17. SIU has a home date with Montana on Dec. 21 before stepping back into MVC play.

Southwest Missouri State (5-4 / 0-1)

SMS has run into a rough stretch after dropping two consecutive games last week, an 80-66 loss to San Diego last Tuesday and an 81-63 setback to Wichita State Saturday. Blake Aheam connected for six 3-pointers against San Diego, but the Bears had already climbed into too large of a hole by then. Monwell Randle recorded a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds in the losing cause.

The Bears will look to get back on the winning track this week before the MVC season gets in full swing. A road contest at UMKC is set for Dec. 17. Saint Louis will be at Hammons Student Center on Dec. 20.

Wichita State (6-2 / 1-0)

The Shockers couldn’t hold off a late rally against state-rival Kansas State as the Wildcats earned their second consecutive victory over WSU last Wednesday, 54-50. Randy Burns had 12 points on the night, but the Shockers couldn’t hold a 10-point advantage over Kansas State. With 19 points, Burns led WSU in scoring again Saturday during an 81-63 win over Southwest Missouri State. Wichita State will host Tulsa on Dec. 20 and Texas-Arlington on Dec. 22.

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

Butler tours MVC

The Butler Bulldogs might want to consider switching over to the Missouri Valley Conference. For the second week in a row, Butler stole a win from an MVC team at the buzzer after squeaking past Evansville. The Bulldogs feature a 2-0 record against MVC foes this season but are only 1-2 vs. the rest of the nation. Two more games remain against MVC opponents.

Mike Monserez has been a name that has plagued Northern Iowa and Evansville during the last two weeks. He hit a 3-pointer as time expired to beat the Panthers Nov. 25 and sunk two free throws in the final seconds to put away the Purple Aces on Sunday. If not for those two possessions, the Bulldogs could easily be sitting near the bottom of the Horizon League early at 1-4. Tough schedule or not, that’s quite a hole to get out of.

Butler seems to be one of the few teams surviving against MVC opponents so far. Excluding the Bulldogs, the Missouri Valley is 32-16 in non-conference play. Two more MVC teams have a shot at putting away the Bulldogs. Bradley hosts Butler on Wednesday and Indiana State will visit Indianapolis on Dec. 20.

Shockers will try and live up to hype

Okay, it may be a little early in the season to hype a big conference match-up, but Wichita State (WSU) begins a journey on Saturday that the league media predicts to be a successful one. Southwest Missouri State (SMS) will host the Shockers on Dec. 9 that will feature two teams expecting to compete for this season’s MVC title. Both finished in the top four last season.

Led by preseason all-conference member Jamar Howard, WSU is tabbed to win the MVC, with Creighton, Bradley and SMS following. The Shockers haven’t captured the MVC since the 1983 team finished conference play at 17-1. Last season, WSU earned a 12-6 conference record on their way to a NIT appearance.

If the games between these two teams from last season are any indication, WSU’s first Missouri Valley challenge will be no picnic. The Shockers held on for a four-point victory in January and again for a six-point win in March, which clinched third place. WSU should be expected to pull this one out too as six players are averaging at least nine points a game compared to two for SMS. Howard leads the way for the Shockers with 13.2 a game.

Hawks soar into Dome

Iowa is soaring through the season at 6-0, but the UNI Panthers hope to take a shot at their unblemished record when the Hawkeyes make a stop in Cedar Falls on Tuesday. The Panthers have only taken four of 33 games against Iowa, but two of the last three in the UNI-Dome have gone in the Panthers’ favor.

Pierre Pierce leads an Iowa group that has four starters with scoring averages in double figures. UNI forward Matt Schneiderman and guard Ben Jacobson also have scored in double figures for the Panthers every game this season. UNI will have to rebound from Saturday’s poor shooting performance to have any shot at keeping the Hawkeyes from reaching lucky number seven in the win column.

The game will be televised on certain Fox sports networks across Iowa.

Players of the Week

I took the liberty of selecting my own Players of the Week this time. It was close to being a clean sweep for the Bradley Braves – but not quite.

After leading Illinois State to consecutive wins with 20 and 27-point efforts, Trey Guidry has the honor of being MVC Player of the Week. Guidry and the Redbirds hit the road to face a tough Illinois-Chicago squad on Saturday. Bradley’s Phillip Gilbert receives an honorable mention with 20 and 25-point performances for the Braves, who won one and lost one this week.

Surprise, surprise, Bradley’s Marcellus Sommerville is my MVC Newcomer of the Week. It was hard not to pick him after his key 20-point performance during the Brave’s 71-65 win over Central Michigan.

MVC Game of the Week

Southern Illinois 75, Drake 66

The defending champs got the MVC season started on the right foot by holding off a late Drake rally. SIU held a 34-18 advantage at the half before the Bulldogs finally found the basket. Drake hit only four of 24 baskets in the first half.

Darren Brooks will be tattooed in Drake coach Tom Davis’ head the next time these two teams face off in February. Brooks scored 24 points, captured ten boards, blocked four shots and recorded a school-record eight steals in the game. SIU recorded 16 steals in all and forced Drake into 23 turnovers.

Team Notes

Bradley (5-2 / 0-0)

Phillip Gilbert and Marcellus Sommerville continue to help Bradley roll through the non-conference schedule. Sommerville, the MVC’s Newcomer of the Week the first two weeks of the season, tallied 20 points in the Braves 71-65 win over Central Michigan on Dec. 3. Gilbert also scored 20 in the game.

The Braves have had trouble holding onto leads lately. Central Michigan rallied from 15 down although they came up short. DePaul’s rally on Sunday didn’t fall short. Bradley held a 48-28 lead over the Blue Demons to begin the second half, but DePaul controlled the game thereafter for a 77-74 win Sunday.

Butler comes to town on Wednesday, Dec. 10, and as Northern Iowa and Evansville could say, the Bulldogs are never down by enough. Butler has defeated both teams in the final seconds during the last two weeks.

Creighton (4-0 / 0-0)

The Bluejays continue to ease through the non-conference schedule, but tougher challenges loom on the schedule this week. Nebraska will visit the Qwest Center on Wednesday, and Creighton will hit the road on the weekend to face Fresno State.

Creighton defeated Bethune-Cookman 69-49 and Delaware State 77-48 last week. Though the score would indicate otherwise, the Bluejays were outplayed by Bethune-Cookman in the second half of that contest. The two wins helped Creighton boost its school-record home-winning streak to 21 games.

Drake (2-3 / 0-1)

After dropping the conference opener on Saturday, Drake will host Southern Utah this Saturday. The Bulldogs will need to take care of their “tale of two halves” problem very soon. Only three games remain before the MVC season gets into full swing. Drake has played one good half and one half to forget about in each of its losses to Iowa, Colorado State and Southern Illinois.

Evansville (0-4 / 0-0)

Butler dangled a first victory in Evansville’s face, only to take it away in the final seconds. Again it was Mike Monserez doing the damage as he did at Northern Iowa. Monserez hit two free throws in the final seconds to send Butler to a 65-64 win over UE. The Purple Aces will try for their first win again on Saturday against Eastern Illinois.

Illinois State (3-2 / 0-0)

Trey Guidry has led the Redbirds to consecutive wins during the last week. Guidry sank 20 points in an 87-53 win over Bellarmine and 27 points in an 80-69 victory over Eastern Michigan. Guidry and the Redbirds hit the road on Saturday to take on Illinois-Chicago.

Indiana State (2-2 / 0-0)

The Sycamores only played one game this week, but it worked out. Fresh legs on Saturday helped ISU jump out to a 25-9 lead over Eastern Illinois on the way to a 71-56 win. David Moss tallied 23 points in the winning effort. ISU never trailed from the start.

Northern Iowa (2-3 / 0-0)

It took Furman 15 hours just to reach UNI, and by the time they did reach Cedar Falls, there was only enough time to sleep before Saturday’s game. It didn’t matter. The basket seemed microscopic for UNI as they shot just 29% during a 64-55 loss. The MVC’s best shooting team from behind the arc hit just four of 31, including one of 18 in the first half. Matt Schneiderman recorded another double-double in the effort – his second of the season.

The Iowa Hawkeyes bring their unblemished record (6-0) to Cedar Falls on Tuesday. UNI gave the Hawkeyes a scare in Iowa City last season before Iowa went on a run to close the game. Two of the last three contests between these two teams in Cedar Falls have gone in UNI’s favor.

Southern Illinois (5-0 / 1-0)

The MVC season began on the right foot for the defending champions. After holding off a Drake rally Saturday, the Salukis will enjoy a nine-day break before traveling to Dayton, Ohio to take on Wright State Dec. 15.

Southwest Missouri State (5-2 / 0-0)

With victories over Coppin State and Weber State, the Bears captured their own tournament title, the Price Cutter Classic. Coppin State provided no serious challenge after managing only 11 points against SMS in the first half. The Bears went on to a 73-44 victory. Merrill Andrews scored 32 points in the final against Weber State on Sunday. Every single point was needed too in the 79-74 win.

SMS will be at San Diego on Tuesday and will host Wichita State Saturday in a match-up of two MVC powerhouses.

Wichita State (5-1 / 0-0)

Randy Burns and Fridge Holman led the Shockers with 15 points each in WSU’s 84-59 win over Rockhurst on Saturday. All five WSU starters reached double figures in scoring.

Next on the schedule include road games to Kansas State on Wednesday and Southwest Missouri State on Saturday.

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

Creighton and Southern Illinois are the only two MVC teams that remain unbeaten after nearly two weeks of play. Both are steamrolling their ways through the beginning of the season. Bradley and Wichita State are close behind with one loss each. The quick starts by each team have helped the Missouri Valley Conference to its best start in the last several years in non-conference play. Only Indiana State, Drake and Evansville currently sit below .500.

Southern Illinois and Drake will get the MVC season started on Saturday when they tip-off in Des Moines. The Salukis will look to continue their dominating play from the non-conference schedule as they get ready to defend their MVC title from last season.

Players of the Week

Wichita State’s Rob Kampman was named the conference’s Player of the Week having averaged almost 24 points and eight rebounds a game for the Shockers in the final two games of the Paradise Jam Tournament. He set career-high marks with 26 points and 13 rebounds in WSU’s win over Northern Arizona.

Marcellus Sommerville was named MVC Newcomer of the Week for the second week in a row. He is the only Bradley player to have scored in double figures every game this season.

Team Notes

Bradley (4-1)

With a come-from-behind win over Miami (FL) last Wednesday, Bradley finished 3-1 in the Las Vegas Tournament. Rhode Island also finished 3-1 and was crowned champion based on point differential. James Gillingham hit two free throws in the final seconds to propel the Braves to an 83-82 win. Gillingham finished with 29 points. Phillip Gilbert also added 29 for Bradley.

Gilbert and Gillingham took charge again on Saturday in the Braves’ 69-56 victory over Bowling Green. Gilbert led the team in scoring with 23 points while Gillingham added another 17.

The Braves travel to Mount Pleasant, Michigan on Wednesday to take on Central Michigan for a 6:05 tip-off. DePaul comes to town on Dec. 7.

Creighton (2-0)

The defending conference tournament champions have yet to be challenged this season after breezing past St. Bonaventure 83-63 last Saturday. Senior forward Brody Deren led the Bluejays with 18 points and eight boards. The future looks promising with home contests scheduled against Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 3 and Delaware State on Dec. 6.

Drake (1-2)

The Bulldogs came out slow and didn’t have enough time to recover in a 76-69 loss to Colorado State last Saturday. CSU ran out to a 9-0 lead and had Drake in a 40-20 hole by the end of the first half. Freshman Nick Grant led the Bulldogs with 12 points in the losing cause.

Evansville (0-3)

Evansville is the only MVC team still searching for their first win. Austin Peay kept the Purple Aces winless, sending Evansville to a 62-54 loss Monday night. UE rallied from as much as 14 down to take a brief lead before Austin Peay ran away with the win. Future games won’t be any easier for UE as they face a tough road test at Butler Dec. 6.

Sophomore guard Eric Ottens will be out with a leg injury until January. He helped Evansville off the bench last season with nearly six minutes per game.

Illinois State (1-2)

The Redbirds have dropped two consecutive games after beginning the season with a victory. Northern Illinois took advantage of poor shooting by the Redbirds for a 66-55 win last Wednesday. Gregg Alexander and Marcus Arnold both scored in double figures for ISU, but the team couldn’t recover from hitting just 15% of their shots in the first half.

Five players scored in double figures on Saturday in a better-shooting game for ISU, but Utah State was even better, sending the Redbirds to an 89-84 defeat. Sophomore Neil Plank led the way with 21 points for a team that hit 62% of its shots. Utah State hit 30 shots in 45 attempts to hold off the Redbirds.

Illinois State has home dates set with Bellarmine on Dec. 2 and Eastern Michigan on Dec. 6.

Indiana State (1-2)

The 1979 Final Four didn’t go Indiana State’s way again as the Sycamores dropped both contests in the ’79 Final Four reunion. David Moss tallied 20 points and ISU nailed 10 threes, but DePaul rallied from a 10-point deficit for a 78-66 win. Penn took care of business with an 86-48 win over ISU on Sunday in the consolation game. Sophomore center Ted Morris led the Sycamores with 16 points. The Sycamores travel to Eastern Illinois on Dec. 6 and Valparaiso on Dec. 8.

Northern Iowa (2-2)

The Panthers need a breather. After dropping a contest to Butler in the final seconds last week, sophomore Erik Crawford missed a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds during a 79-76 loss at Iowa State. Dating back to last season, UNI’s last four losses have come in the final seconds.

Matt Schneiderman led the Panthers with 22 points, but Iowa State’s Jackson Vroman was the difference in the game as he carried the Cyclones on the floor. Schneiderman was UNI’s hero on Tuesday night though as he sank a three at the buzzer to send the Panthers to a 75-72 win. The win was huge for UNI’s confidence heading into the contest against Furman on Dec. 6.

Southern Illinois (3-0)

After pulling off a squeaker against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the defending regular season conference champions remain unbeaten. Brad Korn scored a career-high 17 points in the Salukis thrashing of Jacksonville State last Wednesday. SIU enjoyed an 84-49 win in its home opener. Darren Brooks’ 26 points helped push the Salukis past Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday. SIU hosts Southeast Missouri State Dec. 3 before traveling to Des Moines to take on Drake Saturday.

Southwest Missouri State (3-2)

Tommy Johnson and Monwell Randle combined for 33 points, but Kent State was able to sneak past SMS 64-63 on Saturday. The Bears host the Price Cutter Classic Dec. 5-6, facing Coppin State Friday and either Weber State or Texas State-San Marcos Saturday.

Wichita State (4-1)

MVC Player of the Week Rob Kampman used 26 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Shockers to a 68-51 win over Northern Arizona. WSU held Northern Arizona to just 18 points during the second half to coast. The MVC preseason favorites overcame a tough challenge on Tuesday by taking down one of the toughest Mid-Major schools in the nation. Randy Burns tallied 24 points to lead the Shockers over Manhattan, 74-57. Fortunately for WSU, the temptation for Manhattan to shoot 3-pointers was too great to overcome. They hit just two of 20 in the game. Rockhurst comes to town on Saturday to take on the Shockers.

In other news for Wichita State, freshman center Zach Green is expected to miss the season for academic reasons. Green averaged 21.2 points and 12 boards as a high school senior last year.

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

Davis returns to Iowa

The homecoming for Dr. Tom Davis at Carver Hawkeye Arena wasn’t so welcoming for the Drake Bulldogs as Iowa cruised to a 74-56 victory.

Drake opened some eyes in the first frame going into the half only trailing 36-32. Iowa more than doubled its first half total though by hitting eight of 12 shots coming out of the locker room. The Bulldogs fell even to 1-1 in the new Tom Davis era.

Davis returned to Iowa City for the first time since 1999 when his Hawkeyes bowed out to Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament. He is the winningest coach in Iowa Hawkeye history and was named AP National Coach of the Year in his first season after leading the Hawkeyes to a school-record 30 victories. In 13 years at the helm from 1986-99, Davis took the Hawkeyes to the postseason nine times, including each of his final five seasons.

Drake is the new home for Tom Davis now and Bulldog fans could not be happier. The Bulldogs haven’t enjoyed a winning season since the 1986-87 campaign when they posted a 17-14 record. If history repeats itself, that might just change in the near future.

Davis is already credited with turning around one basketball program that was in shambles. He took over a Stanford team in 1982 that hadn’t recorded a winning season in ten years and just one in the last 15 years. They went 14-14 in his first season and have had just three losing seasons since 1982.

Turning around the Bulldogs won’t be easy. Davis not only inherits a team that finished 10-20 last season, but the top three scorers won’t be returning either. Junior Lonnie Randolph will be looked at to lead a young team that includes three underclassmen starters. Randolph averaged nine points a game last season, but really turned hot near the end, averaging nearly 16 points in the final seven games.

Drake defeated Simpson 87-72 Friday night to give Davis a win in his coaching debut with the Bulldogs – already reaching a feat few Drake coaches have. Howard Stacey was the last coach to win his first game with Drake 32 years ago. Winning his debut is a minor step that Drake fans hope will be a quick turnaround.

With 543 wins, Davis is 11th on the list for active Division I coaches. His previous stints include seasons at Lafayette from 1971-77, Boston College from 1977-82, Stanford from 1982-86 and Iowa from 1986-99.

Other MVC news…

Indiana State, Penn, DePaul and Michigan State are all in the Final Four – of 1979 that is. The four teams will take part in the 1979 Final Four reunion this weekend in Michigan. Michigan State captured the title that year behind the tournament’s most outstanding player, Magic Johnson. Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores fell one game short of a perfect season. Some facts about the 1979 tournament:

• The field expanded to 40 teams and each team was seeded for the first time.

• The 1979 NCAA championship game was television’s highest-rated final ever.

• Penn made it to the Final Four despite being a ninth seed. Their trip included a win over ninth-ranked North Carolina.

Each team in the MVC flexed its muscles during the first week of the season, and their opponents blinked. Nine of the ten teams in the conference opened their season with a victory. Only Evansville dropped its opener, a 70-54 setback to Illinois-Chicago. The unbeatens will face stiffer challenges next week though as teams like Iowa, Iowa State, Butler, Utah State and Colorado State make their way on several team’s schedules.

A milestone has been reached in Peoria. Bradley tipped off its 100th season successfully on Friday with a victory – just like the good old days. It wasn’t easy, but the Braves rallied from an early 13-0 deficit to defeat Louisiana-Monroe in overtime during the first round of the Las Vegas Tournament. Prior to Friday’s contest, the 91-90 win over top-ranked Cincinnati on Jan. 16, 1960 was recognized as the greatest game in Bradley basketball history.

St. Louis will remain the home for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament until at least 2007. MVC commissioner Doug Elgin announced the three-year contract extension that will keep tournament play in Savvis Center. The MVC Tournament was first brought to St. Louis in 1991. The Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden is the only conference with a longer run in the same neutral site.

A minor change will be enforced in 2004 tourney play to accommodate a home game for Saint Louis. The Billikens will have a home contest on the same day as the first set of MVC games, so MVC play will begin Friday at noon instead of 6 p.m.

Bradley (2-1)

The Braves opened their season with a first round victory in the Las Vegas Tournament. A 73-65 overtime victory over Louisiana-Monroe continued the MVC’s dominance over the weekend. Senior guard James Gillingham helped rally BU from 13 down with his 29 points, and sophomore forward Marcellus Sommerville forced the game into overtime with a layup. Sommerville tallied 15 points and added 12 rebounds in a winning cause.

Sommerville took charge again on Sunday in a 92-86 victory over Northeastern. He scored 20 points this time to go along with 13 boards. Four additional Braves also totaled double digits in scoring, including Phillip Gilbert with 23 points. Lubbock Christian handed Bradley its first loss of the season on Tuesday, 89-81. Sommerville yet again lit up the scoreboard with 28 points in a losing cause.

Creighton (1-0)

A record crowd showed up as the Bluejays played their first home game in Qwest Center. Creighton dismantled San Diego, 79-44 in front of a crowd of 12,255 on Saturday. Center Brody Deren grabbed 12 rebounds and the Bluejays sank six 3-pointers in the second half to breeze through the season-opener.

Drake (1-1)

Dr. Tom Davis stepped back into the coaching spotlight with an 87-72 victory over Simpson College Friday night. Davis is the first Bulldog coach to win his debut with the team since 1971. In the first meeting between these two teams since 1993, four Bulldog players scored in double figures, including Quantel Murphy with 19 points and Lonnie Randolph with 18 points.

Drake traveled to Iowa City on Tuesday to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Davis was not treated well in his homecoming as Iowa pushed around Drake in the second half to cruise to a 74-56 win.

Evansville (0-2)

Illinois-Chicago took advantage of eight newcoming players from Evansville as they handed the Purple Aces a 70-54 season-opening loss. Horizon League Pre-Season Player of the Year Cedrick Banks lit up Evansville all night, scoring 26 points for Illinois-Chicago. Sophomore center Dewayne Lee led the Purple Aces with 14 points. Evansville made the game more interesting in the rematch at Chicago on Tuesday. Illinois-Chicago squeaked by with a 77-73 win.

Evansville will travel to Austin Peay on Dec. 1 with the game starting at 7:05 p.m.

Illinois State (1-0)

Head coach Porter Moser began his coaching career on the right foot with Illinois State as the Redbirds sailed past Florida A&M 87-70 on Sunday. Junior guard Trey Guidry led the way, putting up 24 points for ISU. Marcus Arnold also added 21 points in the winning effort. The Redbirds saw an early 9-0 lead evaporate but regained composure to take a 10-point lead into halftime.

The Redbirds return back home on Dec. 2 for a contest with Bellarmine at 7:05 p.m.

Indiana State (1-0)

Just like eight of the other nine MVC teams, Indiana State opened its season with a victory. The Sycamores downed Gardner Webb 67-53 Sunday. Amani Danish tallied 17 points to go along with nine rebounds and five steals to lead ISU. David Moss added 12 points and seven assists in the winning effort.

Northern Iowa (1-1)

UNI overcame a slow start and used a 16-0 run to breeze past Chicago State 83-59 on Friday night. Sophomore guard Ben Jacobson led the Panthers with 18 points, and freshman forward Grant Stout made a strong debut with 12 points.

Butler came to town on Tuesday night and ran away with a close victory, 56-54. UNI head coach Greg McDermott knew his team was in for a fight, but was optimistic the Panthers would pull off a win if they played their style of basketball. Butler is trying to prove they still belong after losing several starters from last season’s Sweet 16 team.

Southern Illinois (1-0)

Losing two key players and the head coach from last season didn’t stop the Salukis in a 67-62 season-opening win over Wyoming Saturday. Junior guard Darren Brooks was one of four SIU players scoring in double figures with 16 points. Southern Illinois recovered from shooting 28% in the first half to sink 16 of 30 shots in the second half. Wyoming started three new players in the loss.

Southwest Missouri State (3-1)

SMS had no trouble fighting through the first two rounds of the Guardians Classic in Kansas City, Mo. with easy wins over Western Illinois and San Francisco. South Carolina appeared to be a roadblock in the semifinal round though as they knocked of the Bears, 77-64. Junior Tommy Johnson scored a career high 25 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Gamecocks sank eight 3-pointers in the second half to put the game away. SMS captured third place at the Guardians Classic by quickly disposing of San Francisco again 72-51. The Bears took a 15-point lead to the half and capped it off by hitting 8 shots from beyond the arc in the second frame.

Wichita State (2-1)

The Paradise Jam Tournament has been anything but a paradise for WSU. The Shockers seem to like living on the edge so far this season with all three of their games coming down to the wire.

With four players scoring in double digits, WSU held on to defeat La Salle 74-71 in the quarterfinal round Friday night. Sunday’s semifinal match with Hampton was just as exciting as Hampton missed a possible game-tying 3-pointer with time expiring. Jamar Howard led the way for WSU in the game with 17 points and eight boards. The Shockers ran out of gas in the championship game against Boston College on Monday night. WSU rallied from as much as 11 down, but Fridge Holman missed a possible game-tying three, sending the Shockers to their first loss of the season, 84-81.

Players of the Week

With his 24-point effort in Illinois State’s season-opening win, Trey Guidry was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. Guidry sank 12 free throws against Florida A&M, tied for most in a game at Redbird Arena.

Marcellus Sommerville is one reason why the Bradley Braves are expected to be so tough in the MVC this season. For his outstanding efforts in two victories, Sommerville was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week. In his first three games, the sophomore forward has averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds.