Missouri State (17-6, 9-3) vs. Indiana State (12-11, 7-5)
JQH Arena; Springfield, MO
2:00 CST
Missouri State had the surprise outcome of the week last week when they dropped a 77-65 loss to Evansville. That game marked the second straight loss for the Bears, as they find themselves in a three way race for the Valley Crown with WSU and UNI. The game tonight could be anyone’s guess, as both squads have cooled down quite a bit.
The Sycamores will be coming off a drumming by Wichita State to the tune of 70-54. The Sycamores, who were the talk of the Valley for a while, have come back down to Earth with the recent stretch of losses. Which team will get back on track, I guess we will see.
Wichita State (19-4, 10-2) vs. Illinois State (11-12, 3-9)
Koch Arena; Wichita, KS
7:00 CST
The Shockers are back in first place after a route of Indiana State 70-54. The Shockers will have an easy one tonight as the play host to the Redbirds of Illinois State.
ISU-Red started the conference season 0-9, but has managed to run off three wins in a row. However, it may be a little late for the Redbirds this season, and I don’t give them much of a shot in this one.
Drake (9-14, 4, 8) vs. Northern Iowa (18-6, 9-3)
Knapp Center; Des Moines, IA
12:00 CST
ESPNU
In-state rival UNI comes to the Knapp Center for today’s game on ESPNU. With bad weather not an issue, expect UNI fans to make the short drive to watch the Panthers on the road. It will be a new look Panther team with the loss of Lucas O’Rear who is out for the season with a broken ankle. Expect the Panthers to go smaller and start Kerwin Dunham. Jake Koch will be the main man in the middle for the Panthers to start off.
Drake is tied with Southern Illinois for 7th and just two games behind the Jays for 6th. They picked up a confidence building 65-44 win at SIU Arena on Wednesday. Making 16-24 3-pt shots, the Salukis could not guard the perimeter. Expect better pressure defense by the Panthers tonight. If the Bulldogs can get open looks and connect, the game will come down to the wire.
Southern Illinois (10-13, 4-8) vs. Bradley (7-16, 1-11)
SIU Arena; Carbondale, IL
2:05 CST
Ask me a couple weeks ago and this game would have been all SIU. What a difference a couple weeks makes. These two teams have momentum traveling in the opposite direction. Bradley picked up their first win of the season Tuesday afternoon. Andrew Warren continues to shoulder the scoring load, scoring 23 against the Jays. With their 11-game losing streak snapped, there is a good chance they can win two in a row.
Just as the Salukis think they can get a home win against Bradley, the suspension of three players makes that task a little tougher. Three players were suspended on Friday for three games for violation of team rules and the University conduct code. In street clothes will be Mykel Cleveland, Troy Long, and Gene Teague. Cleveland and Teague are starters on Lowry’s team. According to The Southern, all three players are accused of battery and are to appear in court March 9. The distractions will not help a team riding a four-game losing streak.