Today In The Valley (Jan. 29)
Special Edition of TITV: Postponed Games From 1/28
Drake (14-7; 5-4, 5th) vs. Evansville (12-7; 4-5, t-6th)
4:00 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa
The Bulldogs host the Purple Aces tonight in a pretty even matchup of teams jockeying for position in the middle of the MVC. They are headed in different directions it seems, if their most recent games are any indication.
DU had lost 3 straight before coming to Omaha over the weekend and silencing a large crowd with a definitive 12-point win against Creighton. UE, on the other hand, led for all but the final few seconds on the road against Wichita State and lost to the Shockers on a 3-pointer with just a few ticks left on the clock. That loss was the Aces’ fourth in five games.
These two teams opened MVC play against one another, with the Aces holding serve at home with a 76-65 win on December 28. UE’s Jason Holsinger was a factor from far away that day, hitting a number of 3-pointers in the second half to help the Aces outdistance the Bulldogs. Since then, however, he’s been struggling from long range.
As has the entire Evansville team. They average the fewest 3-point baskets in the MVC. The game also features two of the best players in the league, and arguably the most valuable players on any teams in the conference: UE’s Shy Ely and DU’s Josh Young. But the real question is: do the Purple Aces have anyone to stop Drake’s Bucky Cox?
Picks
Creighton Otter: Drake
Panon: Drake
Dance Cam Guy: Drake
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Southern Illinois (9-11; 4-5, t-6th) vs. Missouri State (9-11; 2-7, 9th)
8:00 p.m.
SIU Arena; Carbondale, Illinois
Southern Illinois comes into this game in unfamiliar territory. They’re sitting at 4-5 in the conference, tied for 6th place, and in a battle to avoid playing in a Thursday night game in Arch Madness. The Bears from Missouri State will most likely take part in the Thursday games in St. Louis, but they are just looking to build some consistency during the last month of the season and get everyone healthy and gelling to try to make a run through the tournament and possibly play spoiler for some higher ranked teams.
The Salukis are coming off a road loss at Illinois State, but there is nothing like a game in the Dawg Pound to put a loss behind them and get back on the winning track. After some midseason turmoil that saw the departure of two players, C-Lo is starting to settle on a lineup he can rely on. Kevin Dillard is showing the conference, during his first trip through the MVC as a freshman, the reasons why he was Mr. Basketball in Illinois last year. Dillard is not a physically intimidating Saluki like many of their recent guards, but on the court he does enough to scare a lot of opponents.
MSU is coming off a home loss against UNI. Cuonzo Martin is finally getting his players back from injuries, something that will hopefully stop the merry-go-round of starting lineups he’s had to put on the floor during most of the season so far. Look for SIU to get control of this one early and make a nice run in the second half of conference play.
Picks
Creighton Otter: Southern Illinois
Panon: Southern Illinois
Dance Cam Guy: Southern Illinois
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Drake (14-7; 5-4, 5th) vs. Evansville (12-7; 4-5, t-6th)
4:00 p.m.
Knapp Center; Des Moines, Iowa
The Bulldogs host the Purple Aces tonight in a pretty even matchup of teams jockeying for position in the middle of the MVC. They are headed in different directions it seems, if their most recent games are any indication.
DU had lost 3 straight before coming to Omaha over the weekend and silencing a large crowd with a definitive 12-point win against Creighton. UE, on the other hand, led for all but the final few seconds on the road against Wichita State and lost to the Shockers on a 3-pointer with just a few ticks left on the clock. That loss was the Aces’ fourth in five games.
These two teams opened MVC play against one another, with the Aces holding serve at home with a 76-65 win on December 28. UE’s Jason Holsinger was a factor from far away that day, hitting a number of 3-pointers in the second half to help the Aces outdistance the Bulldogs. Since then, however, he’s been struggling from long range.
As has the entire Evansville team. They average the fewest 3-point baskets in the MVC. The game also features two of the best players in the league, and arguably the most valuable players on any teams in the conference: UE’s Shy Ely and DU’s Josh Young. But the real question is: do the Purple Aces have anyone to stop Drake’s Bucky Cox?
Picks
Creighton Otter: Drake
Panon: Drake
Dance Cam Guy: Drake
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Southern Illinois (9-11; 4-5, t-6th) vs. Missouri State (9-11; 2-7, 9th)
8:00 p.m.
SIU Arena; Carbondale, Illinois
Southern Illinois comes into this game in unfamiliar territory. They’re sitting at 4-5 in the conference, tied for 6th place, and in a battle to avoid playing in a Thursday night game in Arch Madness. The Bears from Missouri State will most likely take part in the Thursday games in St. Louis, but they are just looking to build some consistency during the last month of the season and get everyone healthy and gelling to try to make a run through the tournament and possibly play spoiler for some higher ranked teams.
The Salukis are coming off a road loss at Illinois State, but there is nothing like a game in the Dawg Pound to put a loss behind them and get back on the winning track. After some midseason turmoil that saw the departure of two players, C-Lo is starting to settle on a lineup he can rely on. Kevin Dillard is showing the conference, during his first trip through the MVC as a freshman, the reasons why he was Mr. Basketball in Illinois last year. Dillard is not a physically intimidating Saluki like many of their recent guards, but on the court he does enough to scare a lot of opponents.
MSU is coming off a home loss against UNI. Cuonzo Martin is finally getting his players back from injuries, something that will hopefully stop the merry-go-round of starting lineups he’s had to put on the floor during most of the season so far. Look for SIU to get control of this one early and make a nice run in the second half of conference play.
Picks
Creighton Otter: Southern Illinois
Panon: Southern Illinois
Dance Cam Guy: Southern Illinois
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posted by Creighton Otter at 5:57 AM
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