Today In The Valley (Nov. 18)
Indiana State Sycamores (#124 CHN preseason ranking) @ Northern Illinois Huskies (1-1)
6:00 p.m.
Convocation Center; DeKalb, Illinois
Indiana State, led by our good friend Kevin McKenna, looks to start their 2008-2009 season on a high note as they travel to DeKalb for their season opener. That might be too much to ask for at least the next few weeks, though.
The Sycamores, picked to finish 7th in the MVC, must replace junior guard and go-to scorer Marico Stinson. He left for personal reasons. McKenna must ride out the storm for the first semester without Harry Marshall, another junior guard who is ineligible because of academic issues. As the Terre Haute Tribune-Star’s Todd Golden wrote in St. Louis during Valley media days, “In the span of two months, Indiana State’s men’s basketball team has gone from 22.1 points in its projected starting backcourt to zero.” Ouch. Add to these missing ingredients the 10 freshmen and sophomores on the Sycamores roster, and you’ve got a recipe for a slow start.
The first team on the schedule for ISU is Northern Illinois, a squad searching for its identity after a very disappointing 2007-2008 season. Huskies fans are hoping that the second season of action for former Colorado head coach Ricardo Patton and his NIU team can follow the success of super sophomore Darion “Jake” Anderson (last year’s MAC Freshman of the Year). Northern Illinois enters the game 1-1, looking to make it two in a row on Tuesday and get some retribution for last year’s 75-65 loss in Terre Haute. Anderson might look familiar to Sycs fans; he dropped 23 points at the Hulman Center in that game.
This might be one of those games you follow on the ESPN ticker. I see a slow and somewhat sloppy game, with two very young teams trying to find their way.
~ Dance Cam Guy
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Evansville (1-0) vs. Oakland City (0-1)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana
Fresh off a 70-62 season opening win against Austin Peay Saturday night, the Purple Aces (1-0) had two days to prepare to take on the Mighty Oaks from Oakland City University (0-1). Not like they’ll need the prep time, though, right? The Division II Mighty Oaks were more like gentle ferns in their season-opening loss against Lipscomb, falling 121-54. They actually gave up 60 or more points in both halves. Mike Sandifar’s 32nd year at the helm for Oakland City promises to be much more different than most, as he has to replace five starters.
You can almost hear Shy Ely licking his chops already. In the opener against the Governors, he recorded his first career double-double (23 points and 10 rebounds). Evansville’s stout defense limited Austin Peay to just 29% shooting in the second half and helped erase a 3-point halftime deficit.
This will prove to be another “exhibition” game for the Purple Aces, yet it will actually count in the win column. That’s one step closer to a 3-0 start, with only Buffalo (sans Turner Gill) standing in Marty Simmons’ way. And trust me, you don’t want to be in Marty’s way.
~ Panon
6:00 p.m.
Convocation Center; DeKalb, Illinois
Indiana State, led by our good friend Kevin McKenna, looks to start their 2008-2009 season on a high note as they travel to DeKalb for their season opener. That might be too much to ask for at least the next few weeks, though.
The Sycamores, picked to finish 7th in the MVC, must replace junior guard and go-to scorer Marico Stinson. He left for personal reasons. McKenna must ride out the storm for the first semester without Harry Marshall, another junior guard who is ineligible because of academic issues. As the Terre Haute Tribune-Star’s Todd Golden wrote in St. Louis during Valley media days, “In the span of two months, Indiana State’s men’s basketball team has gone from 22.1 points in its projected starting backcourt to zero.” Ouch. Add to these missing ingredients the 10 freshmen and sophomores on the Sycamores roster, and you’ve got a recipe for a slow start.
The first team on the schedule for ISU is Northern Illinois, a squad searching for its identity after a very disappointing 2007-2008 season. Huskies fans are hoping that the second season of action for former Colorado head coach Ricardo Patton and his NIU team can follow the success of super sophomore Darion “Jake” Anderson (last year’s MAC Freshman of the Year). Northern Illinois enters the game 1-1, looking to make it two in a row on Tuesday and get some retribution for last year’s 75-65 loss in Terre Haute. Anderson might look familiar to Sycs fans; he dropped 23 points at the Hulman Center in that game.
This might be one of those games you follow on the ESPN ticker. I see a slow and somewhat sloppy game, with two very young teams trying to find their way.
~ Dance Cam Guy
---
Evansville (1-0) vs. Oakland City (0-1)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana
Fresh off a 70-62 season opening win against Austin Peay Saturday night, the Purple Aces (1-0) had two days to prepare to take on the Mighty Oaks from Oakland City University (0-1). Not like they’ll need the prep time, though, right? The Division II Mighty Oaks were more like gentle ferns in their season-opening loss against Lipscomb, falling 121-54. They actually gave up 60 or more points in both halves. Mike Sandifar’s 32nd year at the helm for Oakland City promises to be much more different than most, as he has to replace five starters.
You can almost hear Shy Ely licking his chops already. In the opener against the Governors, he recorded his first career double-double (23 points and 10 rebounds). Evansville’s stout defense limited Austin Peay to just 29% shooting in the second half and helped erase a 3-point halftime deficit.
This will prove to be another “exhibition” game for the Purple Aces, yet it will actually count in the win column. That’s one step closer to a 3-0 start, with only Buffalo (sans Turner Gill) standing in Marty Simmons’ way. And trust me, you don’t want to be in Marty’s way.
~ Panon
posted by Creighton Otter at 12:15 AM
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