Northern Iowa

Missouri Valley Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:42:29 -0500

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Conference Rank: 9th

10 year average: 9th

All-MVC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Bryan Mullins	So. Illinois	Sr
G	Osiris Eldridge	Illinois St	Jr
G	Josh Young	Drake	Jr
G	P'Allen Stinnett	Creighton	So
F	Jonathan Cox	Drake	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
High-Major All-Americans Jonathan Cox Osiris Eldridge Bryan Mullins P'Allen Stinnett Josh Young		Points: Josh Young 15.9 Rebounds: Jonathan Cox 8.5 Assists: Bryan Mullins 5.0

MVC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

24	Creighton	MVC	1	NCAA
43	Southern Illinois	MVC	2	NCAA
56	Drake**	MVC	3	NIT
64	Bradley	MVC	4	NIT
82	Illinois State	MVC	5	NIT
110	Indiana State	MVC	6
134	Wichita State	MVC	7
161	Northern Iowa	MVC	8
198	Evansville	MVC	9
211	Missouri State	MVC	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MVC?

Other MVC Content

Head Coach Q&A's

Tim Jankovich: Illinois State

Conference Media Poll

Creighton Top Media Poll

Other

How Many MVC Teams Will Make the Tourney?

Rise & Fall: MVC

MVC/MWC Challenge Announced

MVC Media Poll: Creighton Favored

Press Release — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:20:26 -0400

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men¹s basketball team is the near-unanimous pick to win the Missouri Valley Conference, according to the preseason poll announced today during the league¹s annual Basketball Media Day. Creighton earned 36 of 39 first-place votes in the survey of league coaches, beat writers, sports information directors and play-by-play men.

Pollsters have accurately predicted the league¹s regular-season champ only 10 times out of 24 since 1985-86, but Bluejay fans can take solace knowing that 21 of those 24 predicted champs have gone on to postseason play, with 15 of those 21 playing in the NCAA Tournament.

This is the second time in three years that Creighton has been picked to win The Valley, and league-high seventh time overall since the preseason poll began in 1985-86. Creighton won the regular-season title in two of their previous six runs as favorite (1990-91 and 2000-01) and finished in second place the other four times (1989-90, 1998-99. 2002-03. 2006-07).

The preseason poll doesn¹t always match the year-end standings. Last year¹s poll forecasted Drake to finish ninth in the MVC. The Bulldogs proved everyone wrong, going 28-5 and winning the Valley regular-season title by two games over an Illinois State team tabbed fifth in the preseason.

Creighton collected 36 first-place votes and earned 386 of a maximum 390 points in the preseason poll. Southern Illinois grabbed two first-place votes and was second with 322 points, just ahead of Illinois State, which had 309 points and garnered the remaining first-place vote. Defending league
regular-season and tournament champion Drake was fourth with 274 points, its best preseason pick the 1991-92 season. Bradley was fifth with 219 points while UNI was sixth with 186 points. Rounding out the bottom four teams were Indiana State (137), Evansville (122), Wichita State (105) and Missouri State (85).

2008-09 MVC Preseason Poll

Rk. School (1st place votes) Total
1. Creighton (36) 386
2. Southern Illinois (2) 322
3. Illinois State (1) 309
4. Drake 274
5. Bradley 219
6. Northern Iowa 186
7. Indiana State 137
8. Evansville 122
9. Wichita State 105
10. Missouri State 85

Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors and media.

Preseason All-MVC Team

Jonathan Cox, Sr., F, Drake
Osiris Eldridge*, Jr., G, Illinois State
Bryan Mullins, Sr., G, Southern Illinois
P¹Allen Stinnett, So., G, Creighton
Josh Young, Jr., G, Drake
*Preseason Player of the Year

Honorable Mention:
Shy Ely (Evansville)
Jason Holsinger (Evansville)
Andrew Warren (Bradley)
Theron Wilson (Bradley)

State of '08: Iowa

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:36:12 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Iowa. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

IOWA

IOWA - It remains to be seen what type of success Todd Lickliter will have at Iowa, but this is still the state's premier program. From 2001 to 2006, Iowa made 6 straight postseason trips under Steve Alford, though fans were disappointed with just one NCAA Tourney win in that period. Certainly Drake was the state's top team last year, and UNI was the best the previous few seasons, but Iowa is consistently solid and has never had the lean years of its in-state rivals.

NORTHERN IOWA - Greg McDermott worked some magic at UNI, leading the Panthers to three straight tourneys from 2004 to 2006. But McDermott jumped ship for a bigger contract, and the program is still in transition under Ben Jacobson. He's managed to keep the ship afloat, going 18-18 in MVC games, but the future is a bit murky. UNI has also lost 4-straight games to rival Drake.

IOWA STATE - It took McDermott three years to turn around UNI, so Cyclones fans are hoping he can repeat that success in his 3rd season at ISU. It seems unlikely though that the Cyclones will sniff the postseason, as there's just not much talent on the roster. In the last seven years, Iowa State's made just one NCAA Tournament trip and has consistently finished in the bottom half of the Big 12. A lot is riding on this year's deep recruiting class.

DRAKE - The Bulldogs pulled off one of the all-time great turnaround seasons last year. In his first season, Keno Davis (is he a coaching genius or just lucky?) led Drake to a 28-5 record, the NCAA Tournament, a Top 10 RPI, and an MVC title. But this is a program that hadn't made the Big Dance since 1971, and hadn't finished above .500 in MVC play in the prior 22 seasons. Until the program proves last year wasn't just a fluke, they remain in the cellar.

Last: Indiana - Next: Kentucky

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Northern Iowa Basketball Schedule: 2008-09

Press Release — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:11:30 -0400

Six teams that qualified for postseason play last season highlight the 2008-09 University of Northern Iowa mens basketball schedule, the athletic department announced today. The Panthers will play at least 11 games against teams that made 2008 postseason play, with nearly half of them at the McLeod Center.

Weve put together a very competitive schedule, said UNI head coach Ben Jacobson. Weve got a number of games against teams that made postseason play last year, including facing national-power Marquette as part of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. We also look forward to our annual games with Iowa and Iowa State, as those two contests always highlight our early-season schedule. We think the non-conference portion of our slate will challenge our team and help prepare us for what will be another great Valley season.

After opening with exhibition games against Dubuque Nov. 4 and Wayne State (Neb.) on Nov. 10, the Panthers open the regular season hosting the University of Denver on Nov. 15 at McLeod. After a trip to face Illinois-Chicago Nov. 19 in a return from last years ESPNU BracketBusters game, the Panthers then play in a four-game exempt event, the Chicago Invitational Challenge.

UNI will host the first two games of the tournament, facing Texas Southern (Nov. 23) ant Chicago State (Nov. 25) at the McLeod Center. The Panthers then travel to the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., for the final two games, where they will face 2008 NCAA tournament qualifier Marquette (Nov. 28) and Auburn (Nov. 29).

The Panthers then host two straight games, with Iowa State making its first visit to the McLeod Center on Dec. 3, followed by North Dakota Dec. 6. UNI travels to play Iowa on Dec. 9, followed by a trip to play Mountain West Conference member Wyoming in Casper, Wyo. The Panthers close out the non-conference portion of their schedule by hosting South Dakota State Dec. 21.

UNI opens Missouri Valley Conference play at home, hosting Indiana State Dec. 28. The Panthers travel to 2008 NIT qualifier Southern Illinois Dec. 31, and then open 2009 by hosting Wichita State Jan. 3. UNI then plays three of its next four on the road, including trips to 2008 NIT participant Creighton (Jan. 6) and 2008 MVC champion and NCAA qualifier Drake (Jan. 17).

The Panthers host 2008 College Basketball Invitational finalist Bradley Jan. 21, followed by a trip to Missouri State Jan. 25. After hosting 2008 NIT qualifier Illinois State Jan. 28, UNI hits the road for two straight games, at Indiana State (Jan. 31) and at Bradley (Feb. 3). The Panthers then host Creighton and Southern Illinois in consecutive home games, on Feb. 8 and 11, respectively. After a return trip to Wichita State, UNI hosts intra-state rival Drake Feb. 18.

UNI will play a road game for its annual ESPNU BracketBusters tilt on Feb. 21, and then ends the regular season with a road game at Illinois State (Feb. 24) and a home clash against Evansville (Feb. 28). The 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament will be held Mar. 5-8 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

Times will be announced as soon as they become available, as well as a television broadcast schedule.

2008-09 UNI Mens Basketball Schedule
Nov. 4 Dubuque -- Exhibition
Nov. 10 Wayne State (Neb.) -- Exhibition
Nov. 15 Denver
Nov. 19 at Illinois-Chicago

Chicago Invitational Challenge
Nov. 23 Texas Southern
Nov. 25 Chicago State
Nov. 28 vs. Marquette (Hoffman Estates, Ill.)
Nov. 29 vs. Auburn (Hoffman Estates, Ill.)

Dec. 3 Iowa State
Dec. 6 North Dakota
Dec. 9 at Iowa
Dec. 13 vs. Wyoming (Casper, Wyo.)
Dec. 21 South Dakota State
Dec. 28 *Indiana State
Dec. 31 *at Southern Illinois
Jan. 3 *Wichita State
Jan. 6 *at Creighton
Jan. 10 *Missouri State
Jan. 13 *at Evansville
Jan. 17 *at Drake
Jan. 21 *Bradley
Jan. 25 *at Missouri State
Jan. 28 *Illinois State
Jan. 31 *at Indiana State
Feb. 3 *at Bradley
Feb. 8 *Creighton
Feb. 11 *Southern Illinois
Feb. 14 *at Wichita State
Feb. 18 *Drake
Feb. 21 at ESPNU BracketBusters
Feb. 24 *at Illinois State
Feb. 28 *Evansville
Mar. 5-8 at State Farm MVC Tournament

*Missouri Valley Conference game
Home games in bold and played in McLeod Center

2007-08 Northern Iowa Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:12:10 -0400

Northern Iowa Panthers

Overall Rank: #76

Conference Rank: #5 Missouri Valley

2006-07: 18-13, 9-9, 5^th

2006-07 postseason: none

Northern Iowa will not be mentioned with the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference heading into the fall, but they might be by the time we reach March. The team is relatively young and inexperienced, but if they can grow up quickly, the Panthers will be in the mix for a postseason berth.

Who’s Out:

The graduations of Grant Stout and Brooks McKowen are a big deal. Stout was a dynamic forward who would do a little bit of everything. Stout averaged 12.6 points and 9.0 rebounds as a senior and his ability to bang inside and hit the outside jumper provided something that will be difficult to replace. McKowen put up some great numbers of his own, averaging 10.6 points and 5.8 assists. Normally replacing a quality big man and a point guard is a lot to ask, but UNI has become a team that reloads, not that rebuilds. Seldom used Stephen Jones and Tyler Grifin will not be suiting up for the Panthers in the 2007-2008 season.

Who’s In:

Along with the returning players who were down the depth chart a ways, many of the newcomers will battle for starting jobs and important roles off the bench. Josh Molstead and Drew Lundberg will compete for minutes running the point. The talent level gets a little more exciting on the wing. Carlton Reed is eligible after transferring from Iowa. The former Hawkeye saw limited action in Iowa City, but is a good athlete who could displace one of the starting wings. The same can be said for Kerwin Dunham. At 6-6, the redshirt freshman has great size for a perimeter player. He is a consistent shooter and proved to be a prolific scorer in high school and is expected to be an impact player this year. The addition of Jonathan Montgomery adds a logjam of talent on the wings and the talented freshman might be the odd man out…for now. Montgomery, a 6-4 Chicago product, has a nice mid-range game and can finish around the basket, but he will need a little time to polish the rest of his game. Lucas O’Rear and Brent Barz will add depth up front. At times O’Rear will look like a point forward. At 6-6 and 240 pounds, he looks like a forward and he will spend plenty of time in the paint, but he has some ballhandling and passing skills that will make it difficult for the opposition to handle. Barz, at 6-10 and 220 pounds, will bring more size to the lineup. He is not as polished as O’Rear, but can also step outside and hit the outside shot.

Who to Watch:

Without McKowen, there is no star in the backcourt. Jared Josten and Travis Brown did a decent job stepping into the starting roles last year, but neither developed into stars. Josten is a great shooter and has the potential to be more than just a shooter if he gains enough confidence to get to the basket a little more. Brown may be relegated to the bench, where he finished last season, after averaging 7.9 points per game. It is a good sign of the talent coming in when a returning starter might be relegated to the bench. Adam Viet will join the perimeter group off the bench and take his fair share of long balls, and occasionally a shot from within the arc, but not many. The big question in the backcourt is obviously replacing McKowen at the point. Kwadzo Ahelegbe will get the first shot. The 6-2 sophomore earned four starts last year, but will be seeing a lot more action this year. If he can handle running the show, UNI will be in good shape. Even if he cannot, the Panthers have other options with the newcomers.

Final Projection:

There is a star on this team somewhere and that is Eric Coleman who led the team with 13.1 points and 9.1 rebounds. The 6-6 senior may be a little undersized, but he has never played that way and has proven time and time again that his size is not an issue. Adam Koch had a productive freshman campaign and is expected to take over the power forward duties. With a little more beefing up, Koch will help UNI fans forget about Stout. Jordan Eglseder, a 7-1 center, had a decent freshman season. He may have to spend another year coming off the bench until Coleman wraps up his collegiate career, but it is feasible that Coleman could move to the four if Eglseder developed enough between his freshman and sophomore campaigns.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Sophomore, Guard, 2.6 points per game

Jared Josten, Senior, Guard, 7.8 points per game

Carlton Reed, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Adam Koch, Sophomore, Forward, 2.8 points per game

Eric Coleman, Senior, Center, 13.1 points per game

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

UNI Signs Three Guards

Press Release — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 06:23:34 -0400

Cedar Falls, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team has signed three guards for next season, UNI head coach Ben Jacobson announced today. Joining the Panthers for the 2007-08 campaign are 6-1 point guard Matt Culliver (Omaha, Neb./Iowa Western Community College), 6-4 shooting guard Jonathan Montgomery (Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park High School), and 6-2 point guard Drew Lundberg (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna High School).

Culliver averaged 11.7 points, 4.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game at Iowa Western this past season, while earning second team All-Region XI honors. A two-year starter for the Reivers, he averaged 10.4 points and 4.8 assists per game as a freshman, and earned honorable mention All-Region XI accolades. A 2005 graduate of Omaha (Neb.) Bryan High School, he earned all-state honors as a senior, while leading the state in scoring at 25 points per game.

Culliver had his sophomore season at Iowa Western cut short after suffering a knee injury in February 2007, but he is expected to be at full strength by the start of the 2007-08 season. Culliver will have two seasons of eligibility at UNI.

“Matt is a high-energy player,” Jacobson said. “He has an infectious personality and leadership skills that will be very good for our program. In high school, he was a big-time scorer. The past two seasons at Iowa Western have seen him really develop his point guard skills and become a better all-around player. Matt is a terrific fit for us.”

Montgomery averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game this past season for Lincoln Park High School. He is ranked as the 20th best 2007 recruit overall in Illinois, and the fourth best shooting guard, by Chicago Hoops.com.

He was a four-year starter for Lincoln Park, which competes in the rugged Chicago Public League. Montgomery helped lead the Lions to a 23-6 record this past season, including claiming the championship of the prestigious Big Dipper Holiday Basketball Tournament in Illinois.

“Jon is a tough, hard-nosed player,” Jacobson said. “He’s very versatile and has a great understanding of how to play. Playing in the fiercely competitive Chicago Public League will prepare him well for life in the Missouri Valley Conference. Jon will have an opportunity to impact our program immediately.”

Lundberg was a four-year starter for Owatonna High School, earning first team all-conference honors three times, and was twice honorable mention all-state. As a senior, he averaged 21.2 points per game, while shooting 51 percent from three-point range, which is the 8th-best total in Minnesota high school history for season three-point percentage.

Owatonna posted a 25-3 record and claimed the conference championship last season. Lundberg scored 1,565 points and had 427 assists during his career, both school records.

“Drew had a tremendous senior season,” Jacobson said. “He has great passion for basketball and is constantly working to improve. Drew has a great feel for the game and we look forward to his development at the point guard position.”

Culliver, Montgomery and Lundberg join 6-10 forward Brent Barz (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston High School) and 6-6 forward Lucas O’Rear (Nashville, Ill./Nashville High School) as UNI’s 2007 class. Barz and O’Rear inked during the November, 2006, signing period.

“My coaching staff did a tremendous job putting this recruiting class together,” Jacobson said. “We feel good about the quality and character of this group. All five players really want to be Panthers and we’re very excited to get them on campus. Our fans are really going to enjoy this recruiting class.”

MVC Weekly Notebook: Tourney Time

David Merchant — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 03:00:00 -0500

After a rugged 18-game conference schedule, the Southern Illinois Salukis are the 2007 Missouri Valley Conference Champions. SIU closed out the regular season by winning their fifth conference title in the last 6 years and will
enter the conference tournament as one of the top non-BCS teams in the nation at 25-5. The Salukis appear to be in line for a very favorable NCAA Tournament seed, one that could be in the top 4. The Creighton Bluejays finished second, 2 games behind SIU, and the Bluejays saw their chances at a conference title fade away as they went 0-2 against SIU. Missouri State finished 12-6 in league play for the second consecutive year and will enter the conference tournament as the 3 seed. The Bradley Braves finished fourth at 10-8 followed by Northern Iowa at 9-9. Wichita State, last years MVC regular season champion, finished in a disappointing sixth place at 8-10. Illinois State, Evansville and Drake all finished in a tie for seventh at 6-12, with the Redbirds winning a tiebreaker for the #7 seed at the conference tournament. After starting 4-1, the Indiana State Sycamores ended the season in dead last with a 5-13 league mark.

After winning the regular season crown, the Southern Illinois Salukis continued their climb in the national polls released Monday. SIU jumped from #13 to #11 in the AP Poll and the Salukis are also ranked #11 by the coaches in the USA Today / ESPN Coaches Poll after coming in at #14 last week. Creighton, the runner-up to SIU, was the only other MVC team to receive votes this week. The Bluejays received 12 votes in the USA Today / ESPN Coaches Poll, good for a #33 ranking.

The Missouri Valley Conference, currently with a #6 ranking in the RPI as a conference, appears to be in good shape this season to get three teams into the Big Dance. The Salukis however, will be the only team to enter the conference tournament as a “lock” to make the NCAA Tourney, as both Creighton and Missouri State need to win their quarterfinal games to enhance their resumes. The Bluejays and Bears, both currently in the top 40 in the RPI, appear to be at-large worthy and a win by both teams in their quarterfinal games will all but assure both teams of a tourney appearance. A loss by either team in the quarterfinals could send them packing to the NIT. The Bears failed to reach the semifinals last season, fell out of at-large status and were left out of the Big Dance despite a lofty RPI. It’s simple, win and get to the semifinals. And, the Bluejays and Bears have to like their chances.

The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament gets under way this Thursday from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The tournament dubbed “Arch Madness,” is sure to be a dandy. SIU will look to become repeat champions and the first #1 seed to walk out with the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth since 1998. However, don’t just crown SIU the champs. The rest of the league will be vying for the all-important automatic bid and SIU will get the league’s best shot. If exciting college basketball is what gets your blood flowing, tune in this weekend to the always-entertaining MVC Tournament.

Game of the Week – #13 Southern Illinois at Indiana State, Tue Feb. 20, Hulman Center, Terre Haute, Indiana

The Southern Illinois Salukis knew all they had to do was win and the 2007 Missouri Valley Conference Championship would be theirs out-right. It was easier said then done Wednesday night in Terre Haute but the Salukis weren’t about to let everything they had worked for slip out of their grasp. SIU battled back from a 2-point halftime deficit and held on to beat Indiana State 58-50 and in doing so won the MVC. The Salukis have now won or shared 5 of the last 6 conference championships. Despite entering the contest having lost 4 straight games and in last place in the conference, the Indiana State Sycamores gave it their all and almost pulled off the biggest upset of the conference season. ISU built a 5-point advantage after a bank shot by Trent Wurtz at the 14-minute mark but SIU responded with a 10-2 run giving SIU a three-point lead with 7 minutes to play. SIU would never relinquish the lead and they would go on to beat ISU, earning the number 1 seed for this weekend’s conference tournament. Jamal Tatum and Tony Young each had 15 points as SIU shot 44 percent from the floor while holding Indiana State to just 35 percent. Marcio Stinson was the only Sycamore in double figures with 17 points. The Salukis will now head to St. Louis with their 25-5 record and the role of team to beat in the MVC Tournament. If SIU can become the first number one seed to win the tourney title since 1998, the Salukis could be heavily rewarded come Selection Sunday. With a tournament championship on their resume, SIU could land a # 2 seed in the Big Dance.

Game of the Upcoming Week – Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship Game, Sun. March. 4, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri at 1 p.m. on CBS

The Missouri Valley Conference will take center stage this Sunday when the league will host its conference tournament championship game on CBS. The Southern Illinois Salukis have to be the favorite this year to be the ones holding up the signs at center court on Sunday that read “Missouri Valley Champs”. The Salukis stormed through the regular season with a 15-3 conference record and enter Arch Madness with an 11 game winning streak. Top challengers would appear to be Creighton, the #2 seed and Missouri State, the #3 seed. The Salukis, during the regular season, however, swept both teams. And don’t rule out Bradley, who made an impressive run last year to the tournament final as the #5 seed, and Wichita State, who was ranked as high as #8 nationally this year. If these two teams can get on a roll, they have the talent and ability to win the tournament. Very rarely do the seeds hold to be true, but this year will be the exception. Southern Illinois, Creighton, Missouri State and Bradley, the top 4 seeds, will all make it to the semifinals Saturday. From here, it’s anybody’s guess, but Southern Illinois is to strong and Nate Funk has always played well in St. Louis and on Sunday the Salukis will battle the Bluejays with the league’s automatic berth on the line. SIU will defeat the Bluejays for the third consecutive time this season and enter the NCAA Tournament on a 14 game winning streak. The Salukis will likely receive a top 4 seed, possibly as high as # 2. SIU will have tons of momentum entering the Big Dance and they have the talent to make it very deep run into March.

Prediction – Southern Illinois over Creighton – 58-50

Player of the Week – Randal Falker, Jr., C – Southern Illinois

The recent emergence of junior center Randal Falker has been a big reason why SIU has climbed into the Top 15 of the national polls and just recently captured their fifth conference title in the last 6 years. Falker was a man among boys Saturday night in the Salukis win over Evansville as he put his team on his back and carried them to victory. Falker hit 13-of-15 shots from the floor while scoring a career-high 30 points while grabbing a game high 7 rebounds. In the Salukis conference championship-clinching win over Indiana State Wednesday, Falker had just 4 points but he took only 3 shots. Falker continued to be a force down low, however, as he grabbed a team high 10 rebounds. The only glitch in Falker’s game, which could prove to be costly in close tournament games, is his free throw shooting as he made just 6-of-15 attempts this past week. Falker is dominating on both ends of the floor and he is currently second on the team in scoring with 13 points per game while leading the team in rebounding, averaging 7 boards a game. When Falker his playing to the best of his ability, the Salukis are almost unstoppable. SIU needs to Falker to continue his solid play if they look to bring the MVC Tournament title to Carbondale.

Team Capsules

1. Southern Illinois (25-5, 15-3) Last Week: 1st

The Southern Illinois Salukis wrapped up the 2007 Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship Wednesday night when they defeated Indiana State 58-50 in Terre Haute. The Salukis have won or shared 5 of the last 6 regular season Valley Championships and in doing so have made a name for themselves on the national scene as one of the top mid-majors in the country. Despite trailing by 2 at the half to the Sycamores, the Salukis, who only had 6 buckets in the first half, played like champions in the second half as they held on to beat ISU behind 15 points from Tony Young and Jamal Tatum. The Saluki defense was once again outstanding as they held ISU to just 35 percent shooting. SIU then extended its winning streak to 11 games Saturday night when they knocked off Evansville, the same Ace team that beat them earlier this season, 76-69. Junior Randal Falker wasn’t going to let this years SIU seniors, who have accomplished so much, go out with a loss. Falker scored a career-high 30 points while grabbing a team high 7 rebounds as SIU avenged their earlier loss to Evansville. Young added 17 and Tatum had 15 in their final home game of their career. The Salukis will open up MVC Tournament action as the #1 seed Friday at noon when they face the winner of Thursday’s Evansville / Drake game. SIU will have no trouble moving on to the semis and even though no top seed has won the conference tournament since 1998, you’ve got to like the Salukis chances as they enter tournament action on an 11 game winning streak. A tournament championship will greatly enhance the Salukis chance at a top 4 seed in the Big Dance.

2. Creighton (19-10, 13-5) Last Week: 2nd

The Bluejays surprising home loss to Drexel in last Saturdays BracketBuster Event hung around a little longer than the Bluejays would have liked as they lost for the second consecutive time Tuesday, falling to Illinois State 65-55 in Normal, Illinois. The loss ended the Bluejays slim conference championship hopes and may have even put a damper on the Jays at-large hopes. If the Jays can get hot in St. Louis they’ll stay in the Big Dance mix. Creighton jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead and appeared to be coasting before the Redbirds made a stunning second half comeback. The Redbirds outscored CU 40-20 in the second half and went on to hand the Jays their fifth conference loss. Nate Funk led the Bluejays with 16 points and Anthony Tolliver added 12 points and 9 rebounds. Creighton however, bounced back and picked up a solid win Saturday to avoid entering the conference tournament on a three game skid. CU beat Wichita State, avenging an earlier loss to the Shockers, 71-54 at the Quest Center on Senior Night. The Bluejays were deadly from beyond the arc as they hit 56 percent of their three point attempts as they jumped all over the Shockers and coasted to a 15 point win. Nick Porter had 17 points and Funk added 16 as the Bluejays finished conference action 13-5. The Bluejays will enter the MVC Tournament as the 2 seed despite losing 3 out of their last 5 games to close out the regular season. Creighton will get the winner of the 7-10 match up between Illinois State and Indiana State. The Bluejays should have no trouble beating the winner of that game Friday and moving on to the semifinals where they’ll face either Missouri State or Wichita State. Creighton has the ability to make the championship game so don’t be surprised if they are playing for the league’s automatic bid Sunday afternoon on CBS.

3. Missouri State (21-9, 12-6) Last Week: 3rd

After losing 2 home games last week, the Missouri State Bears found themselves on the “bubble” for the NCAA Tournament. When faced with adversity, good teams respond and that’s just what the Bears did, picking up 2 wins this past week and putting themselves right back in the NCAA Tournament mix. Tuesday night, the Missouri State Bears did something they hadn’t done since 1996 when they beat Wichita State in Wichita. The Bears got 18 points from Nathan Bilyeu and 17 from Blake Ahearn as the Bears beat the Shockers 71-65 and in doing so completed the season sweep of Wichita State. Despite shooting just 42 percent from the field, the Bears were on fire from the three-point arc hitting 11-of-27 attempts, which proved to be the difference in the game as MSU was out rebounded 40-28. The Bears then picked up their second win of the week, a 92-74 win over Drake Saturday night and will now enter the MVC Tournament with some momentum. Blake Ahearn scored 24 points in his final home game in a Bear’s uniform and he also hit 4 threes giving him the school record for threes in a career. Ahearn hit 267 three points shots during his tenure as a Bear. The Bears were once again on fire all night long as they hit 55 percent of their shots and 42 percent of their three point attempts. The Bears have made the conference tournament final in 2 of the last 3 years, but have come up just short in both instances. It’s never easy to beat the same team 3 times in a season but the Bears will get that chance when they play Wichita State Friday night. The Bears should get past the Shockers and in doing so almost lock up an NCAA at-large berth. Missouri State could make a run at the tourney title but they are 0-4 against SIU and CU. The Bears will likely fall in the semifinals.

4. Bradley (20-11, 10-8) Last Week: 4th

Entering this week’s action the Bradley Braves were on everybody’s radar as a possible NCAA Tournament at-large team. The Braves didn’t help out their cause Tuesday night when they fell to UNI, but don’t count out the Braves just yet. If they can get hot in St. Louis, just like they did last year, and reach the tournament final, they may find themselves right back in the at-large picture come Selection Sunday. Bradley opened up last week with a very damaging loss, a 79-70 setback to Northern Iowa. The Braves jumped out to a 7-point halftime lead but then they allowed UNI to shoot a remarkable 78 percent from the floor in the second half as the Panthers came back and handed the Braves a 9-point loss. Daniel Ruffin had a game-high 20 points and 9 assists and Zach Andrews had 14 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort. The Braves however, bounced back Saturday as they closed out the regular season with a 74-58 win over Indiana State and in doing so locked up a fourth place finish in the MVC. Jeremy Crouch led 5 Bradley players in double figures with 13 points. After only leading by 4 at the half, the Braves caught fire in the second half, outscoring ISU 40-28 as they coasted to their tenth conference win of the year. The Braves won’t have to wait long to get revenge on the Panthers for their loss last week. Bradley opens up tournament action Friday with a game against UNI. Bradley gets past the Panthers before losing to SIU in the semifinals.

5. Northern Iowa (18-12, 9-9) Last Week: 6th

After losing eight of their last nine games entering this past week, the Northern Iowa Panthers season looked to be slipping away. However, the Panthers bounced back last week picking up 2 very important conference wins and will now enter the MVC Tournament with a little momentum. If this team can get hot, they could be very dangerous in St. Louis, but they must be able to make their outside shots because when they can’t, they are in trouble. UNI opened the week with a solid 79-70 win over Bradley, led by Brooks McKowen and Travis Brown who each had 15 points. UNI trailed by 7 at the break but shot 78 percent from the floor in the second half as they picked up the win. The Panthers also hit 8-of-10 three-point shots in the game and showed they can be deadly from beyond the arc. Grant Stout and Eric Coleman each recorded a double double in the Panthers victory over the Braves. UNI then closed out the regular season Saturday with a 71-66 win over Illinois State. Stout, the Missouri Valley Player of the Week, had 19 points and 9 rebounds and Coleman added 15 points and 7 rebounds as they reasserted themselves as they top frontcourt duo in the conference heading into the MVC Tournament. UNI once again was solid from outside hitting 40 percent of their threes and they ended MVC action at 9-9. The Panthers will open tournament play Friday with an afternoon contest against Bradley. The Braves are the better team and will likely send UNI packing, but the Panthers played solid last week and could give the Braves fits. The Panthers however, had a solid year, despite their recent skid, and they will most likely be headed to the NIT after a loss to the Braves.

6. Wichita State (17-13, 8-10) Last Week: 5th

It’s been a strange year for the Wichita State Shockers, but with a solid showing at the MVC Tournament, the Shockers could resurrect what has been a very disappointing second half of the season. The Shockers rose all the way to #8 in the polls after a solid non-conference portion of the season but they then went 8-10 in MVC action and will now likely be playing in the NIT instead of the Big Dance for the second consecutive year. The Shockers picked the wrong time to fade as they have now lost 4 consecutive games as they head into St. Louis this weekend. The Shockers opened up play last week looking to end their two game skid but the Missouri State Bears come into Koch Arena and beat the Shockers on their own floor 71-65 for the first time since 1996. The Shockers out shot and out rebounded the Bears but they were just 9-of-20 from the free throw stripe and the Bears hit 11 three point baskets which proved to be the difference. Kyle Wilson and Karon Bradley each had 17 points in the loss. The Shockers then closed out the season Saturday with their fourth loss in a row, a 71-54 setback at the hands of Creighton. PJ Couisnard led the Shockers with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Shockers will take the court at the Scottrade Center Friday night when they take on the Missouri State Bears. The Shockers have fallen to MSU twice this season, but they are good enough to win this game. However, Wichita State’s recent struggles will continue and their season will end with a quarterfinal loss in the MVC Tournament. The Shockers will likely be headed to the NIT.

7. Illinois State (15-15, 6-12) Last Week: 8th

The Illinois Sate Redbirds will enter the Valley Tournament this weekend having won 3 of their last 4 games. ISU picked up a very solid win Tuesday night when they beat the second place Creighton Bluejays 65-55 at Redbird Arena. After trailing by 10 at the break, the Redbirds went on numerous runs in the second half, led by the MVC Newcomer of the Week Osiris Eldridge who scored all 18 of his points in the second frame and ISU outscored CU 40-20 in the second half. The Redbirds used a 14-4 run to start the second half to tie the game and later went on a 15-5 run to distance themselves from the Jays. Levi Dyer added 12 points as the Redbirds won their sixth conference game of the year. The Redbirds however, saw their three game winning streak come to an end Saturday as they fell in their final game to Northern Iowa 71-66. Dyer had 17 points and Greg Dilligard had 12 points and 9 rebounds. The Redbirds will play the second opening round game Thursday night in St. Louis when they’ll battle the 10th seeded Indiana State Sycamores. Illinois State should have no trouble with the Sycamores and they’ll advance to the quarterfinals to take on Creighton. The Redbirds beat the Jays last week, but that won’t happen again. ISU’s season will end when they fall to Creighton on Friday at the MVC Tournament.

8. Evansville (14-16, 6-12) Last Week: 7th

The Evansville Purple Aces picked the wrong time to lose two games and the Aces, after falling in their final two games of the season last week, will now enter the MVC Tournament this weekend reeling. Evansville opened up last week with a hard fought 82-79 loss to Drake in Des Moines. After trailing 61-44 with just over 12 minutes top play the Aces went on a 16-1 run to get within 2 points but they couldn’t get over the hump. Jason Holsinger hit 8-of-12 three pointers on his way to a career high 29 points. Matt Webster added 15 points and 7 rebounds as the Aces split the regular season series with Drake. The Aces then had a very tough challenge Saturday night as they closed out the year with a visit to SIU for the Salukis Senior Night. The Aces hung around all night but the Salukis showed why they are ranked #11in the country as they avenged an earlier loss to the Aces by the score of 76-69. Webster led the Aces with 21 points as the Aces lost despite shooting over 50 percent from the floor and from three-point land. Of the four teams playing opening round games on Thursday at the MVC Tournament, the Evansville Purple Aces, despite entering the tournament as the 8 seed, are the most dangerous team of the four. The Aces own wins over Missouri State and Southern Illinois in conference play and if they can get hot from three-point land they could surprise some people in St. Louis. The Aces kick off the tournament Thursday with a game against Drake, a game they should have no trouble winning. The Aces will then give SIU all they can handle again Friday before falling in a very close game to the #1 seeded Salukis.

9. Drake (16-14, 6-12) Last Week: 10th

The Drake Bulldogs will enter this week’s Valley Tournament having won 4 of their last 6 games. Drake opened up last week with a solid 3-point win over Evansville Wednesday night. Drake jumped out to an 11-point halftime advantage and survived a late 16-1 run by Evansville to hold on for the 82-79 victory, their sixth conference win of the year. Nick Grant led the Bulldogs with 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting and Ajay Calvin added 16 points as the Bulldogs forced the Aces into committing 13 turnovers while only committing 6 themselves. The Bulldogs then closed out their regular season with a trip to Missouri State to take on the Bears who had not lost in 17 consecutive games on Senior Night. That streak ran to 18 as the Bulldogs fell to the Bears for the second time this season 92-74. Drake is 0-8 against the Bears in the last four years under coach Tom Davis. Calvin led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 9 rebounds as the Bulldogs got run off the floor by the Bears in the second half. The Bulldogs will open tournament action Thursday when they take on the Evansville Purple Aces. The two teams split their regular season series, with Drake beating Evansville just this past week. This time though the Drake Bulldogs will be on the short end of the stick as their season will come to a close as they’ll fall to the Aces in St. Louis. Despite their opening round loss to Evansville, it was still a very solid year for the Bulldogs as they finished the season with their first winning record in 20 years

10. Indiana State (12-17, 5-13) Last Week: 8th

The Indiana State Sycamores, after starting MVC play 4-1, and being one of the early surprises in the Valley, proceeded to go 1-12 in their final 13 conference games and wound up finishing in dead last in the conference standings. Indiana State had an opportunity Tuesday night to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the conference season when they hosted Southern Illinois as the Salukis looked to win the conference title outright. The Sycamores hung close for most of the game but SIU pulled away and beat ISU 58-50. The Sycamores had a 2-point halftime lead but SIU outscored ISU by 10 in the second half and held on for the 8 point win. Marcio Stinson was the only ISU player in double figures as he had 17 points. The Sycamores shot just 35 percent from the floor in the loss. ISU then closed out the regular season with a 74-58 loss to Bradley, their sixth consecutive loss. ISU was within 4 at the half but they allowed Bradley to shoot 49 percent from the floor in the second half and the Braves pulled away handing the Sycamores their 13th conference loss. Jay Tunnell had 14 points and Gabe Moore added 10. The Sycamores will likely be one and done at the MVC Tournament in St. Louis this weekend. The Sycamores open play with Illinois State Thursday night and the Redbirds should be able to dispatch the Sycamores rather easily. Indiana State’s season will end in St. Louis and they’ll return home with a 12-18 overall record and a bitter taste in their mouth after a very disappointing season that started so promising.