MVC Day Four - Championship

3/07 9:45 PM cst - After SMS had a chance to tie it at 52, Creighton has responded by scoring 8 in a row, behind a pair of long range bombs from Tyler McKinney and Jimmy Motz. Both shots were disheartening blows to the SMS defense, who had done their job well for over 30 seconds. Creighton now leads by 10 with under 4 minutes to go.

3/07 9:26 PM cst - On every possession, Creighton seems to run down the 35-second clock to the last few ticks. The Bears have bailed out the Jays a few times, once on an awful Bilyeu foul on a three-pointer and twice now by giving up offensive rebounds. With 7:39 on the clock, Jeffrey Day is going to the line after picking up one of the offensive boards, and a chance to put CU up by 6, 52-47.

3/07 9:25 PM cst - Time outs are much quieter then usual without Barry Hinson stomping and yelling the whole time. Today, I’m sitting behind Creighton’s bench, and the most interesting thing I can make out is Coach Altman blowing his nose. Apparently I’m not the only one with the sniffles. Blake Ahearn scores his first points of the games at the 10:46 mark to bring SMS within 4 points, 49-43.

3;07 8:30 PM cst - After missing all 5 of his attempts in SMS’ semifinals win, senior Anthony Shavies has come back strong with 8 points already on a variety of mid-range jumpers and leaners. Despite his offensive efforts, the Bears trail 26-22 with 7:53 left in the half. Five players have hit threes for Creighton, who is simply finding success (6-7 from three) shooting over the Bears zone defense. CU’s Nate Funk recently picked up his 2^nd foul, and it will be interesting to see how CU fares on offense without him.

3/07 8:10 PM cst - After the 1^st TV timeout with Creighton up 11-9, both teams are obviously winded as they head to their benches. The flow of the game has been the best of any yet, as no fouls have been called in the first 5 minutes. Anthony Tolliver set the defensive tone for Creighton, blocking two shots on SMS’ first possession of the game. The Bears got on the board with a three from Deke Thompson, who has converted on all 3 of his attempts.

MVC Day Three - Semifinals

3/06 7:20 PM cst - Creighton fans chant “NIT” as the game ends, predicting where Wichita State will be playing in the coming weeks. Although CU missed some free throws down the stretch, Wichita State was not able to take advantage and the Blue Jays held on for the 70-60 win. Johnny Mathies led all scorers with 17 points, and Nate Funk added 14 as well for Creighton.   Both of them mainly scored from the line, as they only combined to shoot 5-20 from the floor.  Coach Altman was pretty subdued at the podium as compared to Barry Hinson earlier, realizing that the Blue Jays got rather lucky to win.  "It was a slugfest out there, and we just happened to hit enough shots to win."  They were out rebounded by 18 and shot 38%, but won the game by forcing 20 turnovers and converting on 33 free throws.

With WSU and UNI going down before the finals, the Valley’s only hope for 3 bids will be SMS winning and Creighton squeezing in with an at-large bid. Despite having a lower RPI than UNI or WSU, Creighton has better non-conference wins and has a strong record of making the Tourney in recent seasons.  This is the 5th time in the last 7 seasons that CU has made the MVC Finals.

3/06 6:47 PM cst - With 9:25 on the clock, Jamar Howard picks up his 4^th foul, a few minutes after Paul Miller picked up his 4^th. This now leaves the Shockers with 2 of their 3 leading scorers on the bench with 4 fouls. The Blue Jays have regained momentum and with a 9 point lead, are threatening to put the game away.

3/06 6:34 PM cst - With a flurry of quick fouls, Creighton’s reliable starting point guard Tyler McKinney gets sent to the bench with his 4^th. The Blue Jays throw the ball away on their next possession, and WSU now has a chance to tie it up down 3 with 13:56 to go.

3/06 6:27 PM cst - The second half already has a much better flow to it, and the points have been coming a little easier for both teams. Then again, its hard not to improve, when both teams combined to hit only 12 field goals in the 1^st half and shot 25% and 31% respectively. Rob Kampman, who was money yesterday in WSU’s win over Drake, just hit his first three of the game to bring the Shockers within 7 points at the 15:54 mark.

3/06 6:02 PM cst - WSU fans serenade the refs with boos as they leave the court at half-time. The Shockers trail 33-26, following a big three by Creighton’s Jimmy Motz at the buzzer. Both teams have been plagued by foul problems, and the Blue Jays were forced to go with rarely used forward Dennis Howard for long periods of time.

3/06 5:39 PM cst - Creighton leads 21-15 with 5:58 to go in the game. This game has been much more physical (and verbally abusive) than the previous game, and the refs are working harder to keep everything under control. Creighton’s Jeffrey Day picks up what seemed to be an undeserved technical foul when going hard for a rebound and making contact with WSU’s Kyle Wilson.

3/06 5:20 PM cst - After Nate Funk gets fouled on a drive to the basket, WSU Coach Mark Turgeon gets a technical foul with his team down 13-8. It’s almost as if Turgeon was begging for the foul in order to get his team pumped up. After the ensuing four ft‘s, the Blue Jays take a 17-8 lead.

3/06 5:01 PM cst - “That’s one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a apart of.” Barry Hinson seems genuinely proud of his team in the post-game conference. Coach Hinson takes some time to politic the national media to give the MVC three bids. SMS will have a chance to be one of those three if they win tomorrow night’s Final. Maclin, who finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds said simply of the second half, “We took it to ‘em.” In a losing effort, Darren Brooks ended with 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, but got little help from anyone else, especially in the second half. The biggest different in the final stats was on the free throw line, where the Bears hit 27 of 31 attempts to just 8 of 10 for SIU.

3/06 4:36 PM cst - Continuing his great play, the senior Maclin, took a big charge on a driving Darren Brooks with 31 seconds to and the Bears holding on to a 2 point lead. Maclin, who finished with 19 points and Kellen Easley hit their free throws down the stretch to lock up the win. Coach Hinson, with his usual gusto, gets his fans excited following the win prompting chants of “Barry!”

3/06 4:23 PM cst - Tamarr Maclin goes flying for a lose ball, and comes crashing into the SMS bench. The Bears get the timeout on Maclin’s heads up play, and regain possession down two points with 2:22 left on the clock. On the ensuing possession, the Bears finally manage to tie it up at 59 on a Nathan Bilyeu lay in.

3/06 4:11 PM cst - The basket has gotten very small for SIU, and shots are just no longer falling. The Bears have come roaring back to cut it to within two, 55-53. Tamarr Maclin appeared to get fouled, with a chance to tie the game at the line, but the refs called an offensive foul to the ire of the SMS faithful. Perhaps this will be the momentum switch that SIU is now looking for.

3/06 3:59 PM cst - Things have suddenly become interesting, as the Bears now only trail by 10 points, and 95% free throw shooter Blake Ahearn is going to the line. The Salukis have become very complacent against the Bears zone D, and lack the energy they had earlier in the game.

3/06 3:50 PM cst - SMS has come out of half with the right energy level, but so far they’ve only been able to chip 3 points into their deficit to trail 47-34 with 15 minutes to go. There’s still more than enough time for them to make a run, and with their season on the line, you figure something has to give.

3/06 3:22 PM cst - The half mercifully comes to an end for SMS. A late three by Tyler Chaney gets SMS to within 16 points at the break, 42-26. About the only thing slowing down the Salukis are themselves, as they seemed to slow down the pace and start working the clock the last few minutes of the half.

3/06 3:07 PM cst - SIU is simply unconscious on the offensive end, as everyone is feeling the flow. The Salukis have taken a 20 point lead, 35-15. Jamal Tatum has been the main offensive cog for the SIU in the past 10 minutes, hitting a pair of three’s to lead all scorers with 15.

3/06 2:50 PM cst - I take a look back in the crowd and see Justin Fuehrmeyer and some of his Howell Central (MO) High teammates. Fuehrmeyer, a junior, has committed to SMS for the 06-07 season.

3/06 2:46 PM cst - The lower bowl of the Savvis Center is charged up with a field of maroon shirts and jerseys. SIU has jumped out to a quick 13-5 lead, behind the hot shooting of Darren Brooks. Brooks is 3 for 3 from the floor and has 7 points. For SMS, the only thing keeping them from being blown out of he building is the play of center Tamarr Maclin, who has 5. SIU finally misses a shot, and picks up an offensive foul going for the board. The Salukis have picked up 5 team fouls by the 14:30 mark which should help SMS back into the game.

3/06 12:31 PM cst - If you're a fan of quality basketball, you have to be excited about today's MVC semifinal match ups. SMS avenged their loss to UNI in last year's MVC finals and now faces 25th ranked SIU in the first semifinal.  Beating UNI should give the Bears a lot of confidence for today's 2:30 game.. as will knowing they spanked SIU by 15 points in their last meeting.  Creighton, winners of 6 games in a row, has to be considered the favorite over Wichita State in the later semifinal.  Despite having a lower RPI than Wichita State or Northern Iowa for that matter, Creighton is probably the team most deserving of an at-large bid at this point.  The selection committee simply can't overlook road wins at Ohio State, Xavier, Nebraska, and at Missouri.  This brings up an interesting scenario.. what if SMS wins the championship?  Then who makes the Big Dance?  SMS obviously, and SIU is a lock as well.  But then what do you do about UNI, Creighton, and WSU.  The Shockers are the least deserving at this point, but they still have an RPI under 40.  And then what about UNI and Creighton.  Can the MVC really get 4 teams in the Tourney? Doubtful as UNI's chances took a big blow yesterday, but lets just say the league has created a very good problem for themselves this year.

MVC Day Two - Quarterfinals

3/5 4:41 PM cst.. The final score is 70-62 as SMS hits its free throws and makes all the right decisions down the stretch.. The story for UNI is the struggles of their two leading scorers, Ben Jacobson and Erik Crawford.. For SMS, you have to figure at the very least, this should lock up a bid to the NIT.. For UNI, they now have to hope that their RPI of 32 is enough to get them a bid into the NCAA tournament..

3/5 4:33 PM cst.. With 2 seconds left on the shot clock, and SMS hanging on to just a 3 point lead, Deke Thompson hit’s a huge three in the corner to go up 6 with under 50 seconds to go.. Erik Crawford comes down and misses a quick three for the Panthers, who foul on the offensive rebound forcing SMS back to the line.. Tyler Chaney calmly knocks down a pair to bring the Bears quickly back up to an 8 point lead..

3/5 4:23 PM cst.. SMS opened up a big 10 point lead, before a momentary lapse on defense by Nathan Bilyeu leaves Erik Crawford wide open for an easy three.. The Panthers have also run into foul trouble of their own as Jacobson and Crawford both have 4 fouls.. The Panthers have gone away from Coleman down low, and have struggled finding outside shots against the Bears 2-3 zone..

3/5 4:01 PM cst.. Jacobson is still quiet, but the Bears haven’t been able to take advantage due to foul problems.. It takes a pair of three’s by little used backup Sky Frazier and sophomore Deke Thompson to cut it to 44-43 with 10 minutes to go.. Shortly after, the Bears already pick up their 10^th team foul at the 9:59 mark..

3/5 3:44 PM cst.. “Lets go fight!” Coach Hinson tries to get his team pumped up, and he almost smacks Tamarr Maclin in the face pumping his fist..

3/5 3:20 PM cst.. This has been a real back and forth battle.. UNI heads into half with a 3 point lead.. Eric Coleman leads the way for UNI with 10 points.. Ben Jacobson has been real quiet, hitting just one three.. You have to figure he’ll play a big part in the 2^nd half action.. For SMS, its been a real team effort. Freshman Tyler Chaney had 7 points, and just rimmed out a few long range jumpers.. Watching this game you realize the future of the MVC is in good hands.. Both of these teams are real young.. UNI doesn’t have a senior in its starting five, and they have two great young big men in Coleman and sophomore Grant Stout.. SMS is a bit more experienced, but have a great future behind Chaney and Ahearn..

3/5 2:51 PM cst.. SMS is out to an early 12-11 lead over UNI.. Blake Ahearn, who shoots 95% from the line actually just missed one, his 5^th miss from the line this season in 85 tries.. For UNI, Eric Coleman got off a to a nice start, and has a real nice touch for a freshman big man.. As usual, SMS coach Barry Hinson has been subbing quite often, working in his deep bench..

3/5 2:27 PM cst.. Interesting tone in the post-game conference with SIU coach Chris Lowery.. Basically he knows his team is in the Big Dance, and he’s worried about his teams focus because, “you tend to relax when people already think you’re in.” Coach Lowery also knows that its best for the MVC to get as many teams in as possible, but that his team will have to lose for them to get in the max.. Darren Brooks hit the 17,000 career point mark late in the 1^st half of this game, becoming just the 6^th player in SIU history to do so.. ISU’s leading scorer David Moss (16 ppg) was held to just 1 of 6 shooting in the game. Brooks, who chased Moss all game and really shut him down, called him, “the hardest person I had to guard this season.”

3/5 1:52 PM cst.. SIU pulled away with ease in the last few minutes to win it.. Walk-On CJ Smith came in for the Salukis and scored his first basket of the season in the final minute.. Give ISU a lot of credit, but in the end, the clearly better team got the win..

3/5 1:35 PM cst.. ISU’s showing a little spunk.. Some tough defense draws SIU into a timeout, as Darren Brooks is surrounded by ISU freshman Gabriel Moore.. Brooks throws an elbow, and Moore tries to get back in his face, but the refs do a good job breaking it up..

3/5 1:34 PM cst.. Suddenly things have become very interesting as ISU’s scored 7 points in a row to cut it to 49-44.. The Salukis haven’t scored in about 5 minutes now..

3/5 1:28 PM cst.. Give isu a lot of credit for keeping it relatively close.. For a few minutes early in the 2^nd half, it looked like SIU would blow them away, but with 8 minutes to go in the game, the Sycamores are only down 12 points.. ISU’s hopes for the rest of the game lies in their outside shooting.. Sophomore starter Eric Gray seems to be finding his range in the 2^nd half..

3/5 12:55 PM cst.. It’s basically a home game for SIU, as Saluki fans outnumber ISU fans about 20 to 1.. The crowd was pretty quiet early on as ISU was able to hang tight for most of the 1^st half due to sloppy by siu and some help from the refs.. SIU had packed up 6 fouls to 0 for ISU 10 minutes into the game.. But a quick 10-0 run late in the half created some separation.. Jamal Tatum hit a pair of three’s in the run and finished with 8 in the half.. MVC player of the year Darren Brooks added his usual quiet 10 points.. For isu, they had there best success going to senior big man Amani Daanish, who finished with 7 points, but had easy chances for more.. Side notes: ISU’s saxophone showed some good solo skills prior to the game.. Kind of embarrassing moment for the Sycamores dance team at the half as their music wouldn’t start..