Oklahoma State (8-1) vs. Missouri State (6-2)
Gallager-Iba Arena; Stillwater, OK
7:00 CT
The Bears of Missouri State will travel to Stillwater tonight to face a red hot Oklahoma State team. The Bears, winners of their last four, will look to make it number five on the road. Coming off a 40 point win over Central Arkansas, confidence is high with the Bears, especially Weems. Klye shot 66% against Central Arkansas for a game high 20 points.
Yes, Weems night was impressive, but when you break a record held by Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, that is something. Marshall Moses set a school record as he dropped 31 points on Tulsa hitting all 12 of his field goals. The Cowboys are rolling right now, and Stillwater can be a tough place to play. The Bears will need to bring their “A” game tonight, as it could turn out to be a good one.
Illinois State (6-3) vs. Illinois Chicago (4-5)
Redbird Arena; Normal, Ill.
7:00 CT
Illinois State is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Ohio 65-67. The Redbirds will play host to the Flames of Illinois Chicago, who are coming off a two point loss of their own to Akron. Whenever you get two in state rivals on the court, it is anyone’s game. With the play of the Redbirds as of late, I think this one could be closer than some think.
Western Kentucky (4-5) vs. Southern Illinois (5-4)
E.A. Diddle Arena; Bowling Green, KY
1:05 CT
According to ESPN Insider Pickcenter Plus, it appears to be a long night for the Salukis. Western Kentucky is projected to win the game 68-64. With Western Kentucky at home, the advantage seems to favor them. SIU is coming off a 15 point win over Southeast Missouri State. Senior guard Jack Crowder led the Salukis with 16 points, a career high. Just one of four players in double figures; Carlton Faye, Mamadou Seck, and Gene Teague also reached double digits.
Western Kentucky is lead by preseason player of the year in the Sun Belt Conference, Sergio Kerush. In their season opener at St. Joe’s, a 98-70 WKU win, Kerush scored 31 points on 11-15 shooting. His average dropped to 12.2 ppg but two other teammates are averaging double digits for WKU.
Evansville (3-4) vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore (2-6)
Roberts Stadium; Evansville, IN
7:05 CT
The Purple Aces hosted North Carolina earlier in the week in UNC’s first trip to Roberts Stadium. The Purple Aces held a high flying UNC offense to just 76 points but could only muster 49 of their own in the defeat. Tonight they can hop back on the winning track. For the Hawks, they are lead by Hillary Haley (11.8 ppg) and Dishawn Bradshaw (11.0 ppg). The Hawks have one just one game in five attempts on the road.
Northern Iowa (4-3) vs. Morehead St. (6-3)
McLeod Center; Cedar Falls, IA
7:05 CT
It has been a balanced attack early in the season for the Panthers. Four players are averaging 8.0 ppg or more. That balanced attack will have to find a way to score points. For the second time in seven games, UNI was held under 40 points when they lost to Iowa, 51-39. They didn’t exactly light the nets on fire while scoring just 16 points in the second half. Coach Jacobson is finally started to play with his own recruits, will he be able to turn the team around as he did around Christmas two seasons ago?
Morehead State is already two game into the Ohio Valley Conference season and are 2-0. The Eagles will test the Panthers are home where the Panthers play extremely well against non-conference opponents. The Eagles play tough on the road, despite losing at Ohio State by 19, they lost at Florida by just 6.