Missouri Valley Conference Notebook
by Neal Heston
The Missouri Valley Conference helped itself to quite a feast during Thanksgiving week: a 2-1 (nearly 3-0) record vs. the Big Ten, three wins over Final Four teams and a 2-0 mark against the nation’s top 10. Wipe out Bradley’s four-point defeat at Illinois, Drake’s upset loss to Troy and Southern Illinois’ overtime defeat at the hands of Arkansas, and the Valley goes 24-0 during the past week. For now, though, 21-3 will do. Two weeks in, and the MVC is still jammed at the top with an unbeaten and five one-loss teams.
Hoopville’s MVC Player of the Week: Zach Andrews, Bradley
The senior forward racked up 15 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this past week as the Braves continue to surprise.
MVC Notes
Bradley (5-1) continues to show that there is still life when four-fifths of the starting roster departs. After defeating Illinois-Chicago, Florida A&M and Rutgers by an average of 23-point margins, the Braves nearly pulled off an upset against Illinois, but fell just short, 75-71. A date at Michigan State on Dec. 3 will give BU another opportunity to prove preseason nay-sayers wrong.
Braves’ player of the week: It’s difficult to pick just one when three players average well into double figures for scoring. The coin flips to Zach Andrews though, who sank 15 points and grabbed 8.3 rebounds per game.
Creighton (2-1) joined the fun with MVC rival Wichita State and handed Final Four participant George Mason its second loss of the season, 58-56. The Bluejays controlled a six-point advantage at the half and held on thanks to two charity shots from Dane Watts to end the contest. Arkansas-Pine Bluff is the only challenge for the 2-1 ‘Jays this week.
Bluejays’ player of the week: Dane Watts led the way with 19 points and five boards against George Mason.
Drake (2-2) rebounded from an 80-75 defeat to Troy at the BP Classic and walloped Waldorf, 104-51. The Bulldogs collected an outrageous 65 rebounds en route to the fifth-largest victory margin in school history. At 2-2, the squad hopes to carry over some of that high-powered offense to Iowa State while facing an old MVC foe, Greg McDermott, and the Cyclones this weekend.
Bulldogs’ player of the week: Aliou Keita earned a double-double against Waldorf with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Klayton Korver’s 13 tallies, eight boards and five assists can’t be looked past either.
A 74-44 whipping of Buffalo helped Evansville (3-2) rebound and get back to .500 on the year. The Aces hosted Southeast Missouri on Monday and will finish the week on the road at Tennessee-Martin and Missouri.
Aces’ player of the week: Matt Webster led the way in this week’s victory with 16 points and four boards.
This weekend’s 78-65 win at St. John’s has the Illinois State (3-2) Redbirds no longer fearing to fly on the road. The road triumph was Illinois State’s first in 16 attempts. Prior to getting the monkey of their back, the Redbirds eased past Cal State Northridge, 66-44.
Redbirds’ player of the week: Four players had large roles in this week’s wins, but Greg Dilligard’s 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest were the most catching.
The defense of old reappeared in Sycamore nation, as Indiana State (4-1) racked up a pair of victories in surrendering a mere 54 points per game. That included a six-point squeaker past IPFW and a 59-47 victory over Tulane. Middle Tennessee State and Ball State occupy the slate this week – very winnable contests for the 4-1 Sycamores.
Sycamores’ player of the week: Trent Wurtz sank 13.5 points in the contests and almost averaged as many rebounds (10.5).
For the first time this season, Missouri State (4-1) was held below 70 points, but it didn’t matter. The defense stepped up against No. 7 Wisconsin as the Bears pulled off a 66-64 upset. Before that contest, MSU had averaged 81.3 points per game, but the slight setback to the Badgers dropped that number all the way down to 77.5. With the big win on the resume, Missouri State will have the opportunity to improve on its 4-1 record this week against Alabama State and Santa Clara.
Bears’ player of the week: Blake Ahearn was the go-to-guy with 25 points when knocking off Wisconsin.
Quietly making its way to a 4-1 start, Northern Iowa (4-1) has yet to really establish its identity. That will change this week though, as the Panthers face two very big tests against Iowa State and at Bucknell. Former UNI head coach Greg McDermott will make a return trip to the UNI-Dome on Wednesday, as Northern Iowa attempts to avenge last season’s defeat to Iowa State.
Panthers’ player of the week: Grant Stout continues to dominate early, as he averaged 10.8 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 blocks during the last two victories.
A team that definitely has an identity is Southern Illinois (4-1). We’ve learned that SIU isn’t invincible, which seemed so after allowing a mere 74 total points in its two first wins, but the Salukis are still surrendering just 50.4 points per game while storming to a 4-1 record. Defense has been a staple for this team the past several years, but its success thus far this season surely has Valley counterparts preparing for a couple of nightmares this winter.
Salukis’ player of the week: Bryan Mullins isn’t piling up the most points, but he’s been a huge asset. He racked up 6.3 points and 5.8 assists this past week and averaged 3.3 steals in SIU’s last three contests.
The lone ranked MVC team remained unbeaten this week after yet another impressive victory. Wichita State (4-0) rose seven spots to No. 17 in the ranks this week after defeating a second Final Four team on the road in six days. No. 6 LSU was the victim this time, as WSU handed the Tigers a 57-53 loss. The rough schedule continues this week against Missouri-Kansas City on Wednesday and at No. 17 Syracuse on Saturday. However, don’t be surprised to see the defending conference champs begin the season 6-0.
Shockers’ player of the week: P.J. Couisnard scored 11 points and grabbed seven boards, as WSU scored its upset in Baton Rouge.
