Today In The Valley (Dec. 3)
Drake (3-2) vs. Lincoln (3-3)
7:00 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa
While the Cyclones and Panthers meet a little further to the northeast tonight, Drake hosts the Blue Tigers from Division II Lincoln University (in Missouri). Needless to say, this isn’t the marquee game of the night in the Hawkeye State.
Lincoln won just 7 games last season. They’re almost halfway to that victory through just 6 games this year. Drake advanced to the NCAA tournament as one of the Cinderella stories in college hoops last season. And tonight, they will raise the MVC regular season and tournament championship banners along with a banner commemorating last season’s Big Dance appearance.
The Bulldogs are coming off a weekend victory against Steve Alford and the New Mexico Lobos.
Not surprisingly, Drake is led by Josh Young’s 17 points per game and Jonathon Cox’s 11 points and 8 rebounds per game. But much to the relief of new coach Mark Phelps, those two go-to Bulldogs are getting some help from 6-8 senior forward Brent Heemskerk (8 points, 7 rebounds per contest).
There’s no doubt about it; Drake should dispose of the Blue Tigers quite easily. That should give all in attendance at the Knapp Center plenty of time to wonder if such an animal exists.
~ Creighton Otter
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Missouri State (2-2) vs. Arkansas-Little Rock (5-0)
7:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri
The Trojans of Arkansas-Little Rock look to take out another Missouri Valley Conference school; they already handed Creighton their first loss of the season. They killed the Jays on the glass, and yet loss the rebounding battle in their next game (a 67-59 win at home versus Loyola Marymount).
UALR has five solid scoring threat, led by guard Mike Mouzy (17 points), guard Steven Moore (11 points), and forward John Fowler (12 points). But the most difficult player for Missouri State to handle tonight might be big Mike Smith. The 295-senior transfer from Ole’ Miss can clear the lane easily, especially against a team like the Bears without a proven inside presence.
The Bears lost their last game, a 71-58 setback at home against Utah. Look on the court at any time during their games, and you’re bound to see Chris Cooks (15 points), Spencer Laurie (13 points), Cardell McFarland (10 points), and Kyle Weems (10 points) on the floor. These three average more than 33 minutes per game. Cuonzo Martin’s team isn’t deep, and he knows it will take a great performance to beat a talented Trojans team. He knows most Bears fans probably take Arkansas-Little Rock more lightly than their big brothers from Fayetteville, the Arkansas Razorbacks, but they are probably a better team right now than the SEC Hogs.
If the Bears can stay with the Trojans on the glass, and if the MSU faithful turn up the volume in their new arena, Missouri State could hand UALR their first blemish on the year. Those are some big ifs, though.
~ Creighton Otter
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Wichita State (3-3) at Texas Tech (6-1)
7:00 p.m.
United Spirit Arena; Lubbock, Texas
Texas Tech scored 167 points in a single game this season. They beat East Central (who apparently couldn’t pick a direction for their school) 167-115. I’m not kidding. The Red Raiders scored 90 points in the second half alone. That’s entertainment, people.
But obviously, those stats came against a completely overmatched opponent. And while it might be easy to scoff at Tech’s 5 other wins, too (against the likes of Sam Houston State, Eastern Kentucky, Southeastern Louisiana, etc.), Pat Knight’s squad will offer yet another stern test on the road for Gregggggg Marshall’s Shockers.
WSU has two more road games (including this contest in Lubbock) before they get a home game. They just finished participating in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, where they went toe-to-toe with Georgetown (an 8-point loss), Siena (a 2-point win), and Michigan State (an 8-point loss). Their performance against upper-echelon schools gives Marshall and his players reasons to believe that they are getting better.
The tournament found Clevin Hannah, a junior college transfer charged with running this season’s Shockers at the point guard position, coming into his own a bit. For the season, he is WSU’s leading scorer at 11 points per game and is dishing out 4 assists per contest.
~ Creighton Otter
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Northern Iowa (4-2) vs. Iowa State (4-1)
8:00 p.m.
McCleod Center; Cedar Falls, Iowa
Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott will be coaching his third game against his former team, a school he took to the NCAA tournament three years in a row. This will be McDermott’s second trip back to Cedar Falls, his first visit to the McLeod Center (or “The House McDermott Built”), against a school he has yet to beat as the head boss of ISU.
Two years ago, McDermott's visit was the last basketball game at the UNI Dome. The Panthers followed a win in that game with one in Ames last season. While the Cyclones own a 34-9 series advantage, UNI has won three of the last four.
Northern Iowa is coming off a win against Auburn in the Chicago Invitational. The Panthers shot a season-high 54% from the field in that game to pull out the win. They are still undefeated at home this season, a streak that will be challenged tonight.
Iowa State is making their second road trip of the year; albeit a bit shorter than the first, a loss at Hawaii. They are led in scoring by P’Allen Stinnett’s former teammate, forward Craig Brackens (16.2). He will have a tough night defensively against Panther post players Jordan Eglseder and Adam Koch. In the backcourt, the Cyclones rely heavily on a group of guards who have made at least eight 3-pointers in every game.
While an in-state rivalry game means more opponents’ fans in the building, getting a ticket for a game in the smaller McLeod Center might be difficult for some Cyclones fans. Either way, a hostile crowd should be in attendance for this anticipated part of the Iowa State Championship series.
~ Panon
7:00 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa
While the Cyclones and Panthers meet a little further to the northeast tonight, Drake hosts the Blue Tigers from Division II Lincoln University (in Missouri). Needless to say, this isn’t the marquee game of the night in the Hawkeye State.
Lincoln won just 7 games last season. They’re almost halfway to that victory through just 6 games this year. Drake advanced to the NCAA tournament as one of the Cinderella stories in college hoops last season. And tonight, they will raise the MVC regular season and tournament championship banners along with a banner commemorating last season’s Big Dance appearance.
The Bulldogs are coming off a weekend victory against Steve Alford and the New Mexico Lobos.
Not surprisingly, Drake is led by Josh Young’s 17 points per game and Jonathon Cox’s 11 points and 8 rebounds per game. But much to the relief of new coach Mark Phelps, those two go-to Bulldogs are getting some help from 6-8 senior forward Brent Heemskerk (8 points, 7 rebounds per contest).
There’s no doubt about it; Drake should dispose of the Blue Tigers quite easily. That should give all in attendance at the Knapp Center plenty of time to wonder if such an animal exists.
~ Creighton Otter
---
Missouri State (2-2) vs. Arkansas-Little Rock (5-0)
7:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri
The Trojans of Arkansas-Little Rock look to take out another Missouri Valley Conference school; they already handed Creighton their first loss of the season. They killed the Jays on the glass, and yet loss the rebounding battle in their next game (a 67-59 win at home versus Loyola Marymount).
UALR has five solid scoring threat, led by guard Mike Mouzy (17 points), guard Steven Moore (11 points), and forward John Fowler (12 points). But the most difficult player for Missouri State to handle tonight might be big Mike Smith. The 295-senior transfer from Ole’ Miss can clear the lane easily, especially against a team like the Bears without a proven inside presence.
The Bears lost their last game, a 71-58 setback at home against Utah. Look on the court at any time during their games, and you’re bound to see Chris Cooks (15 points), Spencer Laurie (13 points), Cardell McFarland (10 points), and Kyle Weems (10 points) on the floor. These three average more than 33 minutes per game. Cuonzo Martin’s team isn’t deep, and he knows it will take a great performance to beat a talented Trojans team. He knows most Bears fans probably take Arkansas-Little Rock more lightly than their big brothers from Fayetteville, the Arkansas Razorbacks, but they are probably a better team right now than the SEC Hogs.
If the Bears can stay with the Trojans on the glass, and if the MSU faithful turn up the volume in their new arena, Missouri State could hand UALR their first blemish on the year. Those are some big ifs, though.
~ Creighton Otter
---
Wichita State (3-3) at Texas Tech (6-1)
7:00 p.m.
United Spirit Arena; Lubbock, Texas
Texas Tech scored 167 points in a single game this season. They beat East Central (who apparently couldn’t pick a direction for their school) 167-115. I’m not kidding. The Red Raiders scored 90 points in the second half alone. That’s entertainment, people.
But obviously, those stats came against a completely overmatched opponent. And while it might be easy to scoff at Tech’s 5 other wins, too (against the likes of Sam Houston State, Eastern Kentucky, Southeastern Louisiana, etc.), Pat Knight’s squad will offer yet another stern test on the road for Gregggggg Marshall’s Shockers.
WSU has two more road games (including this contest in Lubbock) before they get a home game. They just finished participating in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, where they went toe-to-toe with Georgetown (an 8-point loss), Siena (a 2-point win), and Michigan State (an 8-point loss). Their performance against upper-echelon schools gives Marshall and his players reasons to believe that they are getting better.
The tournament found Clevin Hannah, a junior college transfer charged with running this season’s Shockers at the point guard position, coming into his own a bit. For the season, he is WSU’s leading scorer at 11 points per game and is dishing out 4 assists per contest.
~ Creighton Otter
---
Northern Iowa (4-2) vs. Iowa State (4-1)
8:00 p.m.
McCleod Center; Cedar Falls, Iowa
Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott will be coaching his third game against his former team, a school he took to the NCAA tournament three years in a row. This will be McDermott’s second trip back to Cedar Falls, his first visit to the McLeod Center (or “The House McDermott Built”), against a school he has yet to beat as the head boss of ISU.
Two years ago, McDermott's visit was the last basketball game at the UNI Dome. The Panthers followed a win in that game with one in Ames last season. While the Cyclones own a 34-9 series advantage, UNI has won three of the last four.
Northern Iowa is coming off a win against Auburn in the Chicago Invitational. The Panthers shot a season-high 54% from the field in that game to pull out the win. They are still undefeated at home this season, a streak that will be challenged tonight.
Iowa State is making their second road trip of the year; albeit a bit shorter than the first, a loss at Hawaii. They are led in scoring by P’Allen Stinnett’s former teammate, forward Craig Brackens (16.2). He will have a tough night defensively against Panther post players Jordan Eglseder and Adam Koch. In the backcourt, the Cyclones rely heavily on a group of guards who have made at least eight 3-pointers in every game.
While an in-state rivalry game means more opponents’ fans in the building, getting a ticket for a game in the smaller McLeod Center might be difficult for some Cyclones fans. Either way, a hostile crowd should be in attendance for this anticipated part of the Iowa State Championship series.
~ Panon
posted by Creighton Otter at 9:38 AM
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