Today In The Valley (Jan. 13)
Indiana State (4-12; 2-3) vs. Bradley (10-6; 4-1)
6:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana
One team just snagged its second huge MVC win over the weekend. The other squad dropped their first conference, perhaps starting the “MVC Shuffle” a bit early. They meet in Indiana for a Tuesday night tussle.
Indiana State showed some real guts and fight on Saturday night as they were able to take down the explosive and athletic Illinois State Redbirds in overtime. That win could be used by Kevin McKenna as a huge confidence builder for his young Sycs in the topsy-turvy Missouri Valley Conference, but it came at a cost: Harry Marshall is questionable with a hamstring injury suffered in the extra period of play against ISU.
It is an injury that will make knocking off first-place Bradley a tougher challenge as the Trees look to become a team to reckon with. Everyone always says that college basketball is a great game because anyone can win on any given night. Year after year, teams in the MVC drop games that no one in their right mind would predict. Creighton losing to UNI at The Phone Booth and Indiana State defeating Illinois State are just two more shockers that have become the norm for this ever-deepening conference.
Then you have games that you know will be good matchups and that either team could win. That is what we had Saturday night when Creighton traveled to Peoria and played an amazing team game to steal one away from the Braves. This game was played right after Bradley was able to knock off then-undefeated and hated rival Illinois State, and they were riding high.
The loss on Saturday dropped Bradley into a three way tie for first place in the Valley, and they will need to rekindle the sharp execution on both ends they displayed before the loss to CU to beat the Sycamores. This game, a road tilt for the Braves, will be decided by balance: will the sluggish Sycamores of the early part of the season play a complete 40 minutes on both ends of the floor? Will the Braves go back to being the team pounding its collective chest after beating the Redbirds with stifling defense, or will we see Jim Les’ squad that was unable to stop a Booker-less Creighton?
Picks
Creighton Otter: Bradley
Panon: Indiana State
Dance Cam Guy: Bradley
~ Dance Cam Guy
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Evansville (11-4; 3-2) vs. Northern Iowa (10-6; 4-1)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana
The Purple Aces are perfect at Roberts Stadium so far this season. At 10-0, they’ve handled every challenge on their home turf so far. Tuesday night’s matchup will be a good litmus test for Evansville.
Will they be able to handle one of the best teams in the Valley through 5 games (Northern Iowa is tied with Drake for the longest current win streak in Valley play, winning 4 straight after dropping their opener), or will they fall to.500 in MVC play?
After breaking out to a 9-point lead midway through the first half, a 15-2 SIU run spanning both halves was enough for the Salukis to hold off the Purple Aces in Carbondale. Shy Ely scored 22 and continues to lead the Valley in scoring. He’ll be a tough matchup for the Panthers. On the perimeter, the UNI guards (Moran, Ahelegbe, and Farokhmanesh) are all listed at 6-2 or under. One of them will try and contain Ely.
UNI has shown it can handle tough environments in winning at SIU Arena and Qwest Center Omaha. Now, will they be able to win in a stadium not known as a rowdy environment? This game will also set the tone for a streak where Ben Jacobsen’s Panthers hit the road for five of their next seven games. If Coach Jacobsen’s team can keep taking care of business on the road, the comparisons between this year’s UNI squad and last year’s Drake team will be more and more frequent.
Besides, it is hard to lose when you shoot 81.8% in a half of basketball, as they did in their win over Missouri St.
Pick
Creighton Otter: Evansville
Panon: Evansville
Dance Cam Guy: Evansville
~ Panon
6:00 p.m.
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, Indiana
One team just snagged its second huge MVC win over the weekend. The other squad dropped their first conference, perhaps starting the “MVC Shuffle” a bit early. They meet in Indiana for a Tuesday night tussle.
Indiana State showed some real guts and fight on Saturday night as they were able to take down the explosive and athletic Illinois State Redbirds in overtime. That win could be used by Kevin McKenna as a huge confidence builder for his young Sycs in the topsy-turvy Missouri Valley Conference, but it came at a cost: Harry Marshall is questionable with a hamstring injury suffered in the extra period of play against ISU.
It is an injury that will make knocking off first-place Bradley a tougher challenge as the Trees look to become a team to reckon with. Everyone always says that college basketball is a great game because anyone can win on any given night. Year after year, teams in the MVC drop games that no one in their right mind would predict. Creighton losing to UNI at The Phone Booth and Indiana State defeating Illinois State are just two more shockers that have become the norm for this ever-deepening conference.
Then you have games that you know will be good matchups and that either team could win. That is what we had Saturday night when Creighton traveled to Peoria and played an amazing team game to steal one away from the Braves. This game was played right after Bradley was able to knock off then-undefeated and hated rival Illinois State, and they were riding high.
The loss on Saturday dropped Bradley into a three way tie for first place in the Valley, and they will need to rekindle the sharp execution on both ends they displayed before the loss to CU to beat the Sycamores. This game, a road tilt for the Braves, will be decided by balance: will the sluggish Sycamores of the early part of the season play a complete 40 minutes on both ends of the floor? Will the Braves go back to being the team pounding its collective chest after beating the Redbirds with stifling defense, or will we see Jim Les’ squad that was unable to stop a Booker-less Creighton?
Picks
Creighton Otter: Bradley
Panon: Indiana State
Dance Cam Guy: Bradley
~ Dance Cam Guy
---
Evansville (11-4; 3-2) vs. Northern Iowa (10-6; 4-1)
7:00 p.m.
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, Indiana
The Purple Aces are perfect at Roberts Stadium so far this season. At 10-0, they’ve handled every challenge on their home turf so far. Tuesday night’s matchup will be a good litmus test for Evansville.
Will they be able to handle one of the best teams in the Valley through 5 games (Northern Iowa is tied with Drake for the longest current win streak in Valley play, winning 4 straight after dropping their opener), or will they fall to.500 in MVC play?
After breaking out to a 9-point lead midway through the first half, a 15-2 SIU run spanning both halves was enough for the Salukis to hold off the Purple Aces in Carbondale. Shy Ely scored 22 and continues to lead the Valley in scoring. He’ll be a tough matchup for the Panthers. On the perimeter, the UNI guards (Moran, Ahelegbe, and Farokhmanesh) are all listed at 6-2 or under. One of them will try and contain Ely.
UNI has shown it can handle tough environments in winning at SIU Arena and Qwest Center Omaha. Now, will they be able to win in a stadium not known as a rowdy environment? This game will also set the tone for a streak where Ben Jacobsen’s Panthers hit the road for five of their next seven games. If Coach Jacobsen’s team can keep taking care of business on the road, the comparisons between this year’s UNI squad and last year’s Drake team will be more and more frequent.
Besides, it is hard to lose when you shoot 81.8% in a half of basketball, as they did in their win over Missouri St.
Pick
Creighton Otter: Evansville
Panon: Evansville
Dance Cam Guy: Evansville
~ Panon
posted by Creighton Otter at 11:22 AM
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