Missouri St

Coaching News: Change at UAPB and Other Tidbits

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:17:49 -0700

A rundown of some of today's coaching news: - UAPB head coach Van Holt resigned after six seasons at the helm. The Golden Lions finished 13-18 this year, and Holt's overall record was 50-124. This record might not look good but consider that UAPB was 4-51 in the two seasons before Holt took over. - Besides the firing of Barry Hinson and Tim Welsh over the weekend, other relatively prominent firings in recent days include Toledo's Stan Joplin (just one season removed from being MAC Coach of the Year) and TCU's Neil Dougherty. - Yesterday I noted that Hinson was a candidate for Mercer's opening, and the Macon Telegraph reports the other interviewee so far has been Oklahoma assistant Bob Hoffman. - According to the Springfield New-leader, Michigan State assistant Mark Montgomery and Texas assistant Rodney Terry are possible replacements for the Missouri State job. - Multiple outlets in Chicago reported yesterday that former Bulls coach Scott Skiles will be interviewed for the Indiana job, but he is by no means the front-runner for the position.

Wednesday Report Card: Foster Threes, UNM's Blown Chance..

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:04:13 -0800

A - Northwestern

Before February 19th, Northwestern had lost all 14 of its Big Ten games by at least 10 points. But a close hard-fought 2 point loss on the 19th at Iowa gave NW hope heading into a big home showdown with Indiana. Another hard-fought 3-point loss to the Hoosiers carried over into the Wildcats first Big Ten win in over a year, a 62-60 victory over Michigan. In what has been another forgettable season for the program, at least there's hope for next year.. as the Cats top three players (Coble, Moore, and Thompson) all return.

B - Shan Foster

Back when Foster was in high school, I had reservations about his awkward release. Writing at the 2003 ABCD Camp, I wrote, "although his outside shot isn’t the prettiest, it will go in so long as he’s squared to the hoop and has ample time to lock and load." Foster still has that same weird knuckle-ball of a shot.. but they seem to keep going down as the senior's hitting on 46% of his threes. At home he's even more deadly from long range, and is now a huge reason why Vandy upset the #1 team in the country. After losing 4 of 5 game sin January, Vandy's hot start looked like a fluke.. but they've suddenly won 7 in a row to look legit again. Should be interesting to see how they fare in the Tournament.

C - Missouri State

This is basically the end of an era at Missouri State. Last night's home game was the last at the JQH Student Center.. and probably Barry Hinson's last ever chance to coach in Springfield. After another disappointing, non-NCAA Tournament season, you have to figure Hinson will be let go in the off-season. But despite a season full of mediocrity, at least Hinson and the Bears found some glory last night, beating the 20th ranked Bulldogs of Drake.

D - Tennessee

Losing at Vandy isn't that shocking.. but what bothered me was how poorly they played down the stretch. From a game-management standpoint, it was pretty horrendous. Fouling when you shouldn't foul, not fouling when you should, driving to the basket when you need a three, the ball in the wrong person's hands, etc, etc. It wasn't even like Vandy was lights out down the stretch, missing some FT's, a bonehead foul of their own, but the Vols wasted whatever openings they had.

F - New Mexico

The Lobos blew a huge opportunity last night.. falling to BYU in OT at home. UNM had won six straight games, moved into the Top 50 RPI, was getting respect nationally.. and finally had a home game against one of the MWC's top teams. But despite taking a 58-50 lead with under 6 minutes to go.. the Lobos squandered the lead.. and perhaps their season. The fact remains UNM doesn't have a Top 50 all year, which is simply inexcusable for an at-large team.

The Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

Previous Best / Worst

February 25th - The Bubble / Villanova

February 21st - Tony Lee / Oregon State

February 20th - Hasheem Thabeet / Aaron Bruce

February 19th - Josh Duncan / Tim Welsh

February 18th - Wake Forest / NJIT

February 15th - Oral Roberts / Big Ten Predictions

February 13th - Mike Green / Ed Donato

February 11th - Charron Fisher / Tim Morris

February 8th - Big West / Virginia

February 6th - Chris Lofton / Dick Vitale

February 5th - Bob Knight / Josh Heytvelt

February 4th - New York Giants / Washington State

February 1st - Nevada / Penn

Daily Dribble: Monday Report Card

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:19:54 -0800

The Report Card

A new series, the Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

A - New York Giants

Seriously, who saw this coming? After the Big Blue started 0-2, I figured they had the same chance to make the Super Bowl as Eastern Washington has of winning the national title. Somehow a close loss to New England gave them a new sense of focus and purpose.. and the rest is history.

B - Weber State

The Wildcats are a highly unlikely 4-1 in Big Sky play after beating Montana Sunday night. After a less than impressive 5-7 record in non-conference play, including an embarrassing 62-32 loss to New Mexico, and then a loss to Northern Colorado to start conference play.. you figured their season is done. But somehow Weber has run off four straight wins, including two in a row on the road to find themselves in the Big Sky mix. Assuming they can beat lowly Sacramento State at home on Wednesday, next Friday's game against Northern Arizona will have first place implications.

C - Miami (OH)

Early in the season, it looked like Miami might be one of the year's surprise teams. They beat current CHN Top 50 teams Xavier, South Alabama, and Mississippi State and had down to the wire losses to USC, Louisville, and Dayton. Michael Bramos was shooting the lights out from three, and the Redhawks defense was stifling. But despite beating Buffalo last night, all Miami has to show for their early efforts is a 7-9 overall record, and they're just 1-3 in MAC play. Lingering ankle issues from Bramos have hurt, but also the defense hasn't been quite as tough. No one could break 63 against Miami in their first 10 games, but early MAC foes all put up near 70 or above.

D - Barry Hinson

I like coach Hinson, so I hate giving him this grade. But lets be honest, Missouri State's loss to Northern Iowa yesterday drops the Bears to 10-9 overall and 3-4 in the Valley. Records that scream mediocrity. Barring some kind of epic MVC tournament run, Hinson's tenure (an underrated one in my opinion) is coming to a close.

F - Marquette

Two Report Card's ago, I railed on Marquette for losing to Louisville by 20 and West Virginia by 15 on the road. Even though it's a bit repetitive to rip the team every time they lose a road game, falling by 16 at UCONN last night is another awful effort. To begin the season, Marquette was a fringe Top 10 team, but right now they're barely even Top 10.. in the Big East.

Previous Best / Worst

January 20th - Maryland / ESPN.com editors

January 18th - Cleveland State / Marquette

January 17th - Drake / HP Laptops

January 14th - Roy Hibbert / Michigan State

January 10th - Tony Bennett / Saint Louis

January 9th - DJ White / CSTV

January 8th - Robert Morris / Schedule Makers

January 7th - Wayne Ellington / Illinois

January 6th - Herb Sendek / Kentucky

Daily Dribble: Monday Rewind in 10

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:11:20 -0800

A little bit delayed with the Rewind today.. had a little engagement in beautiful Trenton, NJ. I was sworn into the New Jersey Bar this morning (yes, they let me in somehow..), but I'm back at the trusty keyboard this afternoon. Nothing too exciting last night.. as the real action is today.. UNC, Memphis, USC, Kansas State all in action and all on national cable. Nonetheless, here is a shortened review of last night in 10:

1. Eric Gordon, newly christened as the top rookie in the Freshman 10, injured his back last night in Indiana's victory over Tennessee State. DJ White shined in his absence, scoring 29 points.. the first time he's broken the 20 point mark since February last year.

2. I thought Missouri State at Arkansas would be a good game on Monday.. but the Razorbacks spanked the Bears by 19. This was a disappointing result for MSU, and pretty much relegates them to the NIT at best. Oddly enough, Arkansas won without any of its starters scoring in double-digits.

3. Life post-Stuckey for EWU should be pretty uneventful, but the Eagles did pick up their 3rd win of the season at UMKC. Things get a bit stickier on Wednesday, as they take a road trip to Kansas.. inevitably to be smacked around.

4. Remember Tubby Smith? The guy who used to coach at Kentucky? His Gophers are 5-1, and will continue to play cupcackes for the next few weeks. They could easily be 10-1 heading into UNLV on December 30th, and they could easily be quite bad at that point still.

5. The Gophers got that 5th win against North Dakota State last night. The Bison got some national pub when they upset Marquette last year. Things aren't going as well in 07-08, just 2-4 against D1 competition.

6. I mentioned this on the message board, but how in the world was Wofford at Wisconsin televised on ESPN2? The Badgers won by 27, in a game that had no business even being on ESPNU6. There's thousands of great college basketball games.. its not hard to do better than this.

7. You may remember when Mercer upset USC to open the season? The Bears proceeded to lose their next five games before finally beating Charleston Southern last night.

8. Relating to Mercer.. Mike Mercer, formerly of the Georgia Bulldogs, is transferring to South Florida.

9. And relating to Georgia, the Bulldogs avoided disaster last night.. almost losing to DII Augusta State. In fact, the Jaguars were up by 4 with just 4 minutes to go. Don't be fooled by Georgia's 5-1 record.. they're not good.

10. I keep pulling for 0-9 NJIT to get a win, but they got blown out 81-56 by Lafayette last night. I hate to bring it up again, but the Highlanders have lost by at least 20 in 8 of 9 games. They host Army on Thursday, perhaps a chance for their elusive first win..

2007-08 Missouri State Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:23:20 -0700

Missouri State Bears

Overall Rank: #93

Conference Rank: #6 Missouri Valley

2006-07: 22-11, 12-6, 3^rd

2006-07 postseason: NIT

Every year Missouri State is so close to securing an NCAA Tournament berth, but fail. This year it should not be quite as close, but the failing will remain. With the best three players graduating, it may be a long season in Springfield. Yet, all is not lost for the Bears. Coach Barry Hinson has some talent down the bench that is ready to play bigger role on the team. The talent level is not quite NCAA worthy at this point, but in what should be a wide open race in the MVC, Missouri State will not be far behind.

Who’s Out:

Blake Ahearn, Tyler Chaney and Nathan Bilyeu were the heart and soul of the team. Ahearn may be best known for his free-throw shooting, but he did a lot more than that. The St. Louis native averaged a team high 15.4 points per game and was great three-point shooter during his senior campaign. Chaney was the next best long range shooter on the team and that is an area of concern that has to be addressed if MSU wants a shot at the postseason. At 6-6 and 215 pounds, Bilyeu was not a really big guy by basketball standards, but he never let that stop him from doing a big man’s job. He led the team in rebounding and averaged nearly double digit points during his senior season and the team will be looking to replace his toughness. Kyle Rausch, who saw limited minutes in 31 games, and Sky Frazier, who left the team after just six games last season, will not be suiting up for the Bears in 2007-2008.

Who’s In:

It is the addition of a couple of junior college transfers that turns Missouri State from a bottom of the conference team to a potential surprise squad. Wade Knapp, a 6-8 power forward, will help the post offense right away. He is not a traditional banger under the basket, but Knapp is a solid scorer facing the basket. The versatile the 6-4 wing, Chris Cooks, is a superb athlete. He is strong enough to mix it up inside and quick enough to beat just about anybody off the dribble. Redshirt freshman Ryan Jehle is a Bilyeu type of player. He is undersized for a power forward, but has the toughness and quickness to be a solid contributor. Incoming freshman David Cline is a more traditional power forward and will be good for some rebounds off the bench if the team needs him. Small forward Kyle Weems has a decent outside shot and a healthy amount of athleticism, but will find it difficult to earn minutes as a freshman. Along with Cooks, the perimeter gets a couple more impact players with Lamont Austin and Tomas Brock. Austin has an amazing amount of speed and quickness and will be the backup point guard right away. Brock is a tremendous shooter and will garner plenty of comparisons to Ahearn early in his career.

Who to Watch:

If it was not for the newcomers, the Laurie brothers would be starting side by side for the entire season. Spencer started all 33 games for the Bears after spending two seasons at Missouri. He is a decent shooter, but it is his ball handling and playmaking abilities that make Spencer so valuable. Shane has a little more competition on his hands to earn the starting spot next to his brother. He only averaged 3.2 points and earned one start last year, but Shane will be starting at the two guard spot early in the year if the newcomers are not ready quite yet. Dale Lamberth spent all of last season coming off the bench and will likely step into a starting role this year. The 6-5 forward is a good scorer, but it is Deven Mitchell who is ready to become the team leader. Mitchell is a superb athlete and managed to average 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds last year despite struggling with some nagging injuries. If healthy, Mitchell will be one of the best players in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Final Projection:

Drew Richards is the lone proven post presence returning. The 6-9, 250 pound center is a decent scorer in the paint and a solid presence on the defensive end. It would be beneficial if he was a little tougher on the glass, especially without Bilyeu to help him out, but the senior will get the job done. What this team has now is less experience, but more athleticism. As long as the experience concerns do not become a huge issue, Missouri State will be hanging around the top half of the conference standings for the entire season. But the lack of experience, mostly off the bench, will become an issue at one point or another and that will keep MSU from reaching the postseason.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Spencer Laurie, Senior, Guard, 5.9 points per game

Chirs Cooks, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Dale Lamberth, Senior, Forward, 7.5 points per game

Deven Mitchell, Senior, Forward, 10.8 points per game

Drew Richards, Senior, Center, 7.5 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

MVC BracketBusters Preview & Predictions

David Merchant — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 09:13:50 -0800

Valley teams will take center stage this week as ESPNU presents the annual BracketBuster Event, where teams from non-BCS conferences face off against one another in an attempt to bolster their tournament resumes. The Valley is arguably the best non-BCS league in the nation and with its third best non-conference record ever at 82-27, the MVC has shown it can play with the best in the country. Valley teams have posted numerous quality wins this season, including Missouri State’s win over Wisconsin, Indiana States knocking off nationally ranked Butler and Wichita State beating Syracuse on the road. This weekend’s games will give teams hoping to make the post season a chance to pick up a marquee win as the Valley continues to prove it is one of the top conferences in all of college basketball.

Here’s a closer look at the 10 Valley BracketBuster match ups with predictions.

Friday February 16th

Winthrop at Missouri State

The Bears have a chance to add to a resume that includes a win over #4 Wisconsin when they face a very solid Winthrop team from the Big South Friday night in Springfield. Winthrop, who lost to Wisconsin in overtime in Madison, is currently 10-0 entering this week’s action in the Big South and looks to be the favorite to win their conference tourney. Should they slip up, a win at Missouri State could help them out in their quest for an at-large bid. Missouri State will have its hands full with the Eagle’s leading scorer Michael Jenkins who is averaging almost 16 points a game. The Bears know what’s at stake and a win here will move them even closer to the Big Dance. The Bears don’t want a repeat of last year’s Selection Sunday when they were left out of the tourney and this game will have Missouri State stepping up to the challenge and beating the Eagles behind a huge game from seniors Blake Ahearn and Tyler Chaney.

Prediction – Missouri State 75-70

Saturday February 17th

Appalachian State at Wichita State

Both teams will probably need to win their respective conference tournaments to get into the NCAA Tournament but both teams enter this match up as two of the best non-BCS teams in the nation. The Shockers, who looked to be a lock to make the Big Dance a few weeks ago desperately needs this win if they want to even find themselves on the “bubble” come Selection Sunday. Both squads own numerous quality wins this season with Appalachian State beating Virginia, Vanderbilt and VCU but it might be the winner of this game that keeps its NCAA Tournament dreams alive. The Mountaineers, currently first in the Southern Conference’s North Division, likely hasn’t encountered an atmosphere like Wichita State’s Koch Arena. The home crowd will be a huge factor and the Shockers led by Kyle Wilson and Sean Ogirri will pick up yet another quality win, but will the win be enough to help them come Selection Sunday?

Prediction – Wichita State 80-70

Evansville at Samford

Neither team has a shot at the NCAA Tournament but it’s the Evansville Purple Aces who will look to continue their season with a shot at the NIT still within reach. Sitting at just one game under .500, the Aces need to pick up as many wins as possible over the course of the last three weeks if they want to make the postseason. The Aces will travel to Samford Saturday to take on a very strong Bulldog team, which is currently second in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Bulldogs are led by Randall Gulina who is averaging just over 18 points a game for a very solid Bulldog team. The Aces have been good this season at home but they are just 3-9 on the road. The Aces are 3-0 against the OVC this season with wins over Austin Peay, SE Missouri State and Tennessee-Martin. The Aces, despite their road struggles, will pull out a very close win over Samford, running the table against OVC teams.

Prediction – Evansville 62-61

UW-Milwaukee at Drake

The Drake Bulldogs were off to one of their best starts in school history at 9-2 but they have since hit a lull and have struggled in the MVC. The Panthers of UW-Milwaukee have historically been one of the top teams in the Horizon league but they are having a down year. Both teams have no shot at the post season but they both will be playing for the pride of their conferences. The difference in this game will be Drakes full-court pressure as it will give the Panthers fits all game long. The Panthers have yet to win a road game this season as they are currently 0-13 away from home. UW-Milwaukee is lead by Avery Smith, one of two Panthers averaging double figures in scoring with 15 points per game. Drake will get a huge game out of senior Ajay Calvin and the Bulldogs should have no trouble handing the Panthers their 14 consecutive road loss of the season.

Prediction – Drake 68-55

Miami (OH) at Indiana State

The Redbirds of Miami, Ohio will travel to Indiana State Saturday to take on the Sycamores in a game both teams need badly if either one hopes to make the NIT. Both teams are hovering around the .500 mark thus far and in order to quality for the NIT, teams must finish above .500. The Sycamores will struggle despite this game being on their home floor as the forward duo of Tim Pollitz and Nathan Peavy has been huge for the Redhawks as each play over 34 minutes and average 14 points per game. The Sycamores have struggled recently with their shooting and if they want to stay close they’ll have to play much better on the offensive side of the ball. This game will be close throughout but the Redhawks will steal one on the road and inch even closer to a possible postseason berth.

Prediction – Miami (OH) 62-55

#15 Southern Illinois at #12 Butler

The highlight game on this year’s BracketBuster schedule features two nationally ranked teams clashing head on when Southern Illinois visits Butler. Both teams are in the running for a top 4 seed in the Big Dance and whichever team wins here will add to their already very solid tournament resume. The Bulldogs have been the surprise team in the country this season as they have been almost unbeatable behind AJ Graves’ stellar play. Graves keeps this team together, averaging 17 points a game, but this team is very solid from beyond the arc as they hit 20 threes a week ago in a win over Cleveland State. One of the Bulldogs only two losses came to Valley member Indiana State, a team SIU has already beaten during conference action. SIU will once again rely on their smothering defense to try and stop the Bulldogs. Regardless of the outcome both teams will be seeded very high in the NCAA Tournament and both, at this point, are locks to make the Big Dance. This game should be an outstanding college basketball game, but Butler playing at home has the edge and will escape with a narrow win.

Prediction – Butler 68-66

Ball State at Illinois State

Another Missouri Valley verse Mid-American match up has the Ball State Cardinals traveling to Normal, Illinois to take on the Illinois State Redbirds. Neither team has a shot at the post season unless they get hot and run the table in their conference tournament, which most likely won’t happen. Both teams, however, will be looking to step outside conference play and pick up a win on a national stage. The advantage goes to the Redbirds in this game as they are a much better team than the Cardinals and they are playing at home. The Cardinals are led by Skip Mills, averaging 13 points per game, but after him they are not very deep. Illinois State will play one of its more complete games this season and beat Ball State handily.

Prediction – Illinois State 75-62

Northern Iowa at #11 Nevada

Just a couple weeks back, the Northern Iowa Panthers looked primed for another tournament run and a possible MVC Championship. But the Panthers have struggled as of late and now their tournament chances are in serious jeopardy. One simple way to revive those chances is to beat nationally ranked Nevada on the road. But that is easier said than done and the Panthers will have their hands full with an extremely talented Wolfpack team lead by Player of the Year Candidate Nick Fazekas. Fazekas is averaging over 20 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Wolfpack who have only tasted defeat twice this season. The Panthers will have to hope that both Grant Stout and Eric Coleman can stay out of foul trouble and they will have to do anything possible to contain Fazekas. Nevada has the edge in guard play, both Marcelus Kemp and Ramon Sessions average in double figures, and since this game is away from Cedar Falls, the Panthers will be trouble from the opening tip. Nevada wins and all but knocks UNI out of NCAA Tournament at-large talk.

Prediction – Nevada 80-70

Bradley at Virginia Commonwealth

Both teams are hoping to hear their names called on Selection Sunday but both still have work to do and the winner of this game will certainly enhance their chances. The Braves have slipped as of late and VCU is looking to pad its resume in case it doesn’t win the automatic bid for the CAA. VCU currently sits atop the CAA and is primed to be the next surprise team to make some noise in the Big Dance after George Mason did so next year. However, they must first beat a solid Bradley team at home and they should have no trouble doing so. VCU is lead by a trio of guards, B.A. Walker, Eric Maynor and Jesse Pellot-Rosa, all who are averaging in double figures. The Braves live and die by the three point shot and lately that shot hasn’t been falling. It won’t be easy for the Braves, as they’ll head into a gym where VCU has only lost twice all season. The Rams will keep their tourney hopes alive with a victory of a solid Bradley team.

Prediction – Virginia Commonwealth 75-65

Drexel at Creighton

The last game to be played by a Valley member in this year’s BracketBuster event will feature the Drexel Dragons going on the road to take on the Creighton Bluejays. Both teams appear to be in good shape to make the Big Dance but the Dragons need this game badly as they are sitting on the “bubble” for at-large consideration. The Bluejays appear to be a lock to make this year’s tournament but a win over a Drexel team who has wins at Syracuse, St. Joseph’s and Villanova, will certainly enhance their seed. When the Dragons walk out onto the floor at the Quest Center they’ll be in for quite a surprise as no atmosphere in the CAA is like that of the one in Omaha. The Bluejays must stop Drexel’s force in the middle, center Frank Elegar, who is averaging 15 points and 7 boards per game. Anthony Tolliver will be up to the challenge and Nate Funk will continue to make the “big shot,” and the Bluejyas will win a very close game over the Dragons of Drexel.

Prediction – Creighton 77-73

Expert Predictions: Feb 12-16

CHN — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 09:41:28 -0800

Experts Picks

CHN experts predict four of the week's biggest and closest games..

#17 Oklahoma State at #25 Texas

Monday, 9, ESPN

#20 Southern Illinois at Missouri State

Tuesday, 8:05

#24 Indiana at Purdue

Wednesday, 7

#21 USC at Arizona

Thursday, 10:30

Jeff Borzello

Rematch of 3-OT classic. This time, Kevin Durant and the Longhorns get the W at home.

Texas

Two hot MVC teams. I think that SIU will find a way to shut down Blake Ahearn, and get a road win.

Southern Illinois

Purdue absolutely needs a win to stay in the at-large discussion. Carl Landry vs. D.J. White will be a fun battle down low.

Purdue

Interesting match-up of offense vs. defense. Arizona is back on the right track after their road win at Oregon.
Arizona

Jason Brubaker

Under the shadow of Durant, Augustin has
developed into one of the better guards in the conference. IUT will get revenge here for the thriller they dropped in Stillwater
Texas

Fresh off big win over Creighton, the Salukis are now in sole possession of first place in the MVC.
SIU won by 20 against the Bears earlier, this one will be closer, but still a win.

Southern Illinois

Purdue held D.J. White in check last time against Hoosiers...and still lost by 27. This time, White leads IU to a big road win over pesky Boilermakers.

Indiana

Huge road win over Oregon may have given the Cats confidence needed to start playing up to their talent level. USC keeps it close, but Lute's boys prevail at home.

Arizona

Kevin McNeill

The young Texas squad is playing better and better, and will return
the favor for the classic in Stillwater. Durant will score 40.

Texas

Southern Illinois is the better team, but both teams are playing well of late. The hometown Bears get some payback for their drubbing in Carbondale.

Missouri State

Again, the back-against-the-wall rule. The Boilers need this game badly, and are playing at home against their in-state rival.
Purdue

As pure a toss-up as it gets. I'll go with an Arizona team coming off
their biggest win of the year, and a statement not to count them out just yet.
Arizona

Shawn Siegel

According to the polls, this should be a close game.. but we all agree Texas should win with relative ease.

Texas

Mo State's lost to the MVC's other top teams (Creighton and UNI) at home. But the Bears are playing much better then they were a month back.

Missouri State

Purdue's only home loss all season is to Ohio State. Indiana is no Ohio State. Boilers win.

Purdue

Zona's lost to three straight ranked teams at home.. but that streak will end in surprisingly easy fashion.

Arizona

Predicting Record

Brubaker (19-9), Siegel (13-15), Borzello (12-16), McNeill (9-7), Silver (8-4), Tomassini (5-7)

Check the archive of Expert Predictions

Missouri State Edges Northern Iowa

Press Release — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Cedar Falls, Iowa – Blake Ahearn scored a game-high 19 points to lead Missouri State to a hard-fought 62-58 win over the University of Northern Iowa Saturday night at the McLeod Center. With the victory, Missouri State improved to 19-7 overall, 10-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while UNI fell to 16-10, 7-8.

Jared Josten (Webster City, Iowa) scored a career-high 16 points to lead UNI, while Brooks McKowen (Fairbank, Iowa) added 15. The Panthers Grant Stout (New Sharon, Iowa) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

UNI nearly came from way back to pull out the win. The Bears took a 52-40 lead with 7:09 left in the game after Deven Mitchell’s conventional three-point play. But UNI rallied, going on a 12-3 run over the next four minutes. McKowen capped the rally with a conventional three-point play of this own, pulling UNI within 55-52 with 3:57 left. Ahearn answered with a three-pointer from the corner with the shot clock running down to extend MSU’s lead back to six, but Josten hit a three and McKowen scored on a layup to pull UNI within one, 58-57, with 2:27 on the clock.

After Ahearn missed a three, the Panthers had a chance to take the lead with just over a minute to go, but Travis Brown (Richfield, Minn.) missed a three-pointer from the corner. The Bears’ Tyler Chaney was fouled on the rebound, and he made two free throws. UNI’s Eric Coleman (Maplewood, Minn.) then made one of two foul shots to make the score 60-58 in favor of the Bears.

With just under a minute to go, Chaney missed a jumper, and Coleman grabbed the rebound, but he had the ball stolen by Dale Lamberth. After running the shot clock down, Ahearn was fouled with 24 seconds left and made one of two free throws, putting MSU up 61-58. Stout then missed a three-pointer from the left wing that would have tied the game, and Lamberth hit one of two free throws to seal the win.

Coleman had nine points and nine rebounds for UNI, while freshman Jordan Eglseder (Bellevue, Iowa) came off the bench to score six points and grab three rebounds.

UNI looks to snap its three-game losing streak on Tuesday (Feb. 13) as the Panthers travel to face Creighton. Tipoff time is 8:05 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

- UNI Media Relations -

Daily Dribble: 2/03

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 11:08:17 -0800

I've always the Sagarin rating was the most useful of the various computer rankings. The fact that the RPI doesn't account for the venue basically renders it meaningless. As of now, the Sagarin Top 25 is oddly similar to the human polls.. particularly the coaches poll. 23 of the Sagarin's Top 25 are in the Coaches Top 25. The two exceptions are Georgetown and Missouri State. Georgetown is 21st in the Sagarin, but 29th in the Coaches. A sizable difference, but still in the same conversation. The other team though is Missouri State. Missouri State is 25th in the Sagarin.. but didn't even garner a single vote in the Coaches Poll. Mo State also didn't even get one vote in the AP poll, which includes more team because of the much larger pool of voters. While the voters underrate Missouri State (or does the Sagarin overrate them?).. the voters apparently highly overrate Vanderbilt. The Sagarin just isn't that impressed with Vandy's recent run.. ranking them 53rd. The voters were a bit more persuaded though, placing them 24th in the AP and 28th in the Coaches. Which one is right? Probably neither.. my guess is that Vandy is really around the 35th-40th team in the country. Vandy's early losses still really hurt in the Sagarin, while the voters overrate wins over what really has been a rather unimpressive SEC (outside of Florida). Some might find it problematic that the computer ratings count early games as much as later games. The selection committee of course places a lot of value on a team's last 10 games. But by placing value on the end of the season, its basically the committee's way of saying we're going to place value on BCS teams. (Ie, its basically impossible for Butler to impress in the final 10 because of who they play). The same can be said of placing value in the RPI as opposed to the Sagarin.. if you place value in results regardless of venue, you basically are just favoring the BCS teams that get to schedule home games. Ayways, Missouri State and Vandy aren't the only disagreements between the Sagarin and the voters. Sagarin Favors: Missouri State Indiana (Sagarin 12 - AP 26) UNLV (Sagarin 22 - AP 32) Villanova (Sagarin 29 - AP 43) AP Favors: Vanderbilt Nevada (Sagarin 27 - AP 15) Virginia Tech (Sagarin 30 - AP 16) Alabama (Sagarin 42 - AP 19) Stanford (Sagarin 44 - AP 23) VCU (Sagarin 51 - AP 30) I have my opinions of which ranking is more appropriate. Like the Sagarin, I don't think Bama belongs near the Top 25 for example. But I also favor the voters in not overrating UNLV. Which do you think is right?

Poll: Who Will Win the Missouri Valley Conference?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 10:12:00 -0800