Today In The Valley (Jan. 14)
Illinois State (14-2; 3-2) vs. Drake (13-4; 4-1)
7:00 p.m.
Redbird Arena; Normal, Illinois
What a week it has been for the Redbirds. Riding high after their win over a solid Creighton club, they took their undefeated show on the road to visit hated rival Bradley. The sellout crowd was a bit much for the Redbirds to handle, as they fell 56-52 to the Braves.
But that was a rivalry game, where records are often thrown out of the window. Now they could clear their heads, and the distraction of an undefeated season was out the window. They could focus on the conference title and brush aside the lowly Sycamores of Indiana State. Or not. T
he Sycamores were able to shock Illinois State as well as the rest of the Valley with an overtime victory in Terre Haute, 75-70. After seeing Champ Oguchi at less than full strength for a few games and then having Big O come down with a bad cold the day of the game against the Trees, times are getting a bit tough in Normal; the Redbirds fell from their perch down to a three way tie for second place in the MVC.
Drake, on the other hand, has been on a bit of a hot streak. The Bulldogs have won their last four games, placing them at the top of the league (with Northern Iowa and Bradley). After trailing the majority of the game on Sunday night, the Bulldog reserves were able to will their way to a victory over Triple G and the gang.
Tonight’s game will feature a Drake squad steeped in numerous defensive looks and consistent offensive execution against an Illinois State team loaded with talented shooters who can guard and rebound at every position. You can bet the ‘Birds are a bit ticked at the ‘Dogs for the beating Drake administered on national television last March in St. Louis, and you can imagine that Josh Young and Bucky Cox don’t really care. This should be a good one.
Picks
Creighton Otter: Illinois State
Panon: Drake
Dance Cam Guy: Illinois State
~ Dance Cam Guy
---
Missouri State (7-9; 0-5) vs. Wichita State (6-10; 0-5)
7:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri
The good news: one of these two teams will finally earn a win in MVC play after tonight’s “showdown” between the Bears and the Shockers. The bad news: fans of both schools will need to tune in or show up in person to watch the teams try to overcome glaring weaknesses in order to start heading in the right direction.
Missouri State plays solid defense, but they continue to suffer from an inexplicable amount of injuries to key starters as well as bench players. Oh, and their best player is working back into form after suffering head injuries a month ago. They score the fewest amount of points per game among Valley teams.
Wichita State can’t really shoot, either. I know that is being overly simplistic, but let’s not sugarcoat it. They’re 8th in the league in scoring. Greggggg Marshall can’t seem to find a lineup that works night in and night out, so the game of musical chairs continues deep into another midlands winter.
Both teams are among the league leaders in points allowed per game defensively, yet one can’t get stops when it needs them most (WSU) and the other just allowed Northern Iowa to shoot more than 80% in one half (MSU).
This game seems to scream “toss up” in the worst sense of the term. I can’t imagine the crowd in Springfield’s new digs will be very large tonight, but here’s hoping the home team gets a win and rewards Cuonzo Martin with his first MVC win as head coach. That’s about all there is to cheer for in this one.
Picks
Creighton Otter: Wichita State
Panon: Wichita State
Dance Cam Guy: Missouri State
~ Creighton Otter
7:00 p.m.
Redbird Arena; Normal, Illinois
What a week it has been for the Redbirds. Riding high after their win over a solid Creighton club, they took their undefeated show on the road to visit hated rival Bradley. The sellout crowd was a bit much for the Redbirds to handle, as they fell 56-52 to the Braves.
But that was a rivalry game, where records are often thrown out of the window. Now they could clear their heads, and the distraction of an undefeated season was out the window. They could focus on the conference title and brush aside the lowly Sycamores of Indiana State. Or not. T
he Sycamores were able to shock Illinois State as well as the rest of the Valley with an overtime victory in Terre Haute, 75-70. After seeing Champ Oguchi at less than full strength for a few games and then having Big O come down with a bad cold the day of the game against the Trees, times are getting a bit tough in Normal; the Redbirds fell from their perch down to a three way tie for second place in the MVC.
Drake, on the other hand, has been on a bit of a hot streak. The Bulldogs have won their last four games, placing them at the top of the league (with Northern Iowa and Bradley). After trailing the majority of the game on Sunday night, the Bulldog reserves were able to will their way to a victory over Triple G and the gang.
Tonight’s game will feature a Drake squad steeped in numerous defensive looks and consistent offensive execution against an Illinois State team loaded with talented shooters who can guard and rebound at every position. You can bet the ‘Birds are a bit ticked at the ‘Dogs for the beating Drake administered on national television last March in St. Louis, and you can imagine that Josh Young and Bucky Cox don’t really care. This should be a good one.
Picks
Creighton Otter: Illinois State
Panon: Drake
Dance Cam Guy: Illinois State
~ Dance Cam Guy
---
Missouri State (7-9; 0-5) vs. Wichita State (6-10; 0-5)
7:00 p.m.
JQH Arena; Springfield, Missouri
The good news: one of these two teams will finally earn a win in MVC play after tonight’s “showdown” between the Bears and the Shockers. The bad news: fans of both schools will need to tune in or show up in person to watch the teams try to overcome glaring weaknesses in order to start heading in the right direction.
Missouri State plays solid defense, but they continue to suffer from an inexplicable amount of injuries to key starters as well as bench players. Oh, and their best player is working back into form after suffering head injuries a month ago. They score the fewest amount of points per game among Valley teams.
Wichita State can’t really shoot, either. I know that is being overly simplistic, but let’s not sugarcoat it. They’re 8th in the league in scoring. Greggggg Marshall can’t seem to find a lineup that works night in and night out, so the game of musical chairs continues deep into another midlands winter.
Both teams are among the league leaders in points allowed per game defensively, yet one can’t get stops when it needs them most (WSU) and the other just allowed Northern Iowa to shoot more than 80% in one half (MSU).
This game seems to scream “toss up” in the worst sense of the term. I can’t imagine the crowd in Springfield’s new digs will be very large tonight, but here’s hoping the home team gets a win and rewards Cuonzo Martin with his first MVC win as head coach. That’s about all there is to cheer for in this one.
Picks
Creighton Otter: Wichita State
Panon: Wichita State
Dance Cam Guy: Missouri State
~ Creighton Otter
posted by Creighton Otter at 12:30 AM
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