The last time Creighton played Missouri State, fans streamed out of the Qwest Center after a second half that left people disappointed, but not surprised. After having the Bears on their heels in the first half of their meeting a couple of weeks ago, Missouri State came out in the second half to completely break down the Creighton defense and create uncontested layups.
Missouri State just lost their first conference game Wednesday night in a thriller in Terre Haute against Indiana State. The good news for Bluejays fans is that although Creighton is still a couple games down in the standings, that MSU loss (and a second home loss for Wichita State) opened up the race again for conference supremacy. The bad news is that Missouri State gets to play their next game at home and they will likely be pretty focused on beating Creighton.
We talked to Missouri State’s beat writer when the Bears came to Omaha, but this time we decided to get a view from a fan’s perspective to see what the game in Springfield might be like. Billy Jansen runs the Missouri State fan’s message board MSU Bear Nation. He shares some insight with us on Missouri State before the 4PM matchup Saturday on ESPN2.
White & Blue Review: Missouri State lost their first conference game this week to Indiana State. Although the final score came about because of a 3-point play at the end of the game, what were the things that the Bears struggled with that took the game to that point?
Billy Jansen: Indiana State did an excellent job getting open looks from 3. In a game where both teams were really struggling to put up points early, Indiana State ended up shooting 75% (6/8) from 3 in the second half. The Bears had been allowing opponents to shoot just 38% from beyond the arc up until then.
WBR: A few weeks ago in Omaha, The Bears looked like they were going to go down to Creighton, but then outscored them 47-26 in the second half and walked away with a convincing win. What did they change to be so successful in the second half of that game?
BJ: The final 15 minutes of the game in Omaha was easily the Bears best basketball of the season. They were truly hitting on all cylinders. Missouri State was able to pull away from Creighton because they scored on 10 of their first 13 possessions in the 2nd half and were hitting the 3-ball. But the big advantage for the Bears was turning up the defensive pressure. I believe there was a stretch of almost 8 minutes in the second half where CU only scored 2 points.
WBR: The past two seasons, Missouri State was 1-17 in conference road games. This season however, they have won road games at some of the league’s toughest venues. What has been the difference this season compared to the last two?
BJ: Plain and simple, the Bears are a veteran team. Rarely are losses a good thing, but the losses at Tennessee, Tulsa, and Oklahoma State were all great learning opportunities for this team. The past two seasons have been tough, but most of these players had only played together for one or two seasons. It was a learning process, but Coach Martin is an excellent teacher of the game. His calm demeanor has been able to keep the Bears from ‘losing their cool’ this season.
Last year, the Bears were very close to pulling off several road wins, but they would lose the lead late in the game. This season, they know that they need to not get in a panic and just play their game.
WBR: Does Kyle Weems appear to be setting himself up to get MVC Player of the Year honors? How has his game evolved from last year to this year?
BJ: Kyle Weems is becoming one of the best players in Missouri State history. He did something in our road game at Bradley that he just has not done until now, he took over the game. In the Bradley game he scored 27 points on 12 of 14 shooting. But even after a performance like that, Weems passed on all the credit to his teammates, he told the Springfield News-Leader, “I give a lot of credit to my teammates for finding me on certain plays and the coaches for putting me in position to be successful. Not every player has that.” Weems can sometimes be TOO unselfish, passing up the ball instead of taking a shot where he could score, but this year his confidence level is through the roof. He has really turned into MSU’s ‘go-to’ player, something the Bears have not had since Blake Ahearn was wearing the Maroon and White.
WBR: Since Missouri State moved to JQH Arena, how has the atmosphere changed compared to the previous venue? It sounds like some wish there were better attendance numbers.
BJ: JQH Arena is an incredible facility to call home. It is one of the nicest on-campus arenas in the country. That said, with the setup of Hammons Student Center, it felt like you were right on top of the action, even if you sat on the wooden bleachers in the end zones. It was a very loud place to play basketball. When we moved into JQH and had the two-tiered seating, the upper-bowl fans seems to feel like they can’t get into the game, even though the top row of JQH seating is actually closer to the floor that at Hammons Student Center.
Attendance has been disappointing so far, but it takes a while to build a fan base. An 8,000+ crowd at HSC was a near sellout, but at JQH Arena it feels like a mediocre-at-best atmosphere. There is a buzz around Springfield about the Creighton game, we will see if the city finally decides to show up.
WBR: Who has surprised you the most this season for Missouri State that you didn’t see coming?
BJ: Will Creekmore has been excellent so far this season. He has three double-doubles. Earlier this season he had a streak of 14 straight games of scoring 10 or more points. He has really worked on his post moves and on drawing offensive fouls.
WBR: When all is said and done, who are the teams that you see will be battling for the conference crown down the stretch?
BJ: I still think you need to look for Missouri State and Wichita State to be the two teams fighting for the conference at the end of the season. While Indiana State is tied for first, they need to prove that they can win on the road before they put their name in as a title contender. Creighton has also made a case to finish top 3 or 4. Northern Iowa was playing great basketball at the end of the non-conference season then ran into Missouri State. Their loss at SIU was surprising but just goes to show how tough it is to win on the road in the MVC, which is what makes their win at Wichita that much more intriguing.
WBR: For those making their first trip to Springfield, where do you recommend people go before the game?
BJ: There are so many great restaurants in downtown Springfield. A local favorite is Ebbets Field on Walnut Street, they have some of the best burgers anywhere. A few other great choices would be Flame Steakhouse and Nonna’s Italian downtown. A lot of people also enjoy going to Boomers Campus Sports Bar which is just a few blocks from JQH. If you are waiting until tipoff to buy tickets, I would suggest getting there at least 30 minutes beforehand because lines can sometimes take until after tipoff to clear.
WBR: What is your final prediction? Can Creighton steal a win?
BJ: Creighton could definitely steal a win. Missouri State has labeled this weekend as “Validation Weekend” and they couldn’t have nailed it more on the head. I think the matchup we need to watch is Nafis Ricks and Antoine Young, two of the best point guards in the Valley. In the first matchup, Young had an uncharacteristic 4 turnovers with only 3 assists, while Ricks had 5 assists with no turnovers. The Bears have an 18-game home winning streak on the line. It should be a fun game for the national TV audience.