Illinois State (10-2,1-0) @ Missouri State (11-1,1-0)
JQH Arena
Springfield, MO 7:05 pm CT Comcast-Illinois
Well, the Redbirds were able to hold their own in their 72-57 win over the talk of the Valley, the WSU Shockers, and showed that they were ready to take on a challenge. Over the past few weeks, I have been claiming that the Redbirds were “paper” champions. They were able to come out of the non-conference season with an 10-1 record, but those wins were against some pretty weak competition. With the win over WSU, they may have changed the minds of some Valley fans, but not this one. We will need to see a lot more consistent basketball from the redbirds before we crown them valley champs.
Their next task will be a team that has been wearing a similar paper crown. The Bears of Missouri State have been maybe the biggest surprise this season, but showed signs of struggles in their 74-60 win over Evansville. This should be a good match up,, and could propel either team to an impressive run in the Valley. I like the home team in this one, but I will be the first to tell you that I don’t see the Bears magical season lasting too deep into the Valley.
– Paul Liberty
Southern Illinois (10-2,1-0) @ Bradley (6-5,1-0)
Carver Arena
Peoria, Ill. 7:05 CT Mediacom-Ill.
Southern Illinois has shown early in this season that they have the ability to play as a team and will be looking to make more noise than many of the talking heads thought they would make. Coming off an impressive win over Indiana State on Tuesday, SIU will look to go 2-0 against a struggling Braves team.
Bradley has been a bit up and down this season. After getting blown out by Iowa State, coach Jim Less made a point to show how disappointed he was in his team by apologizing to the opponent and their fans for a poor game. The Braves were able to take care of Drake on Thursday, but I have a feeling by the end of the season we will be saying, who hasn’t. This one could get out of hand, but hopefully the home court will keep it close.
– Paul Liberty
Drake (5-8,0-1) @ Wichita State (11-2,0-1)
Koch Arena
Wichita, KS 7:05 CT COX-Kansas
Well, no pun intended, but that loss by WSU was a bit shocking. My buddy Panon was constantly checking the score during the Creighton game and was constantly giving me updates. With a one point game at half time, I was sure they would pull it out. But, I guess the first conference opener in Redbird Arena in six seasons was a bit muck for Gregg Marshall and WSU. I will mention, however, that the last time the Shockers had a loss this season, they went on to win 9 in a row.
WSU will need to refocus on their next opponent when they host a struggling Drake team that has really taken a nose dive since their 2007-2008 regular season and tournament championships. This game has all the markings of a big win for the Shockers, and I can’t see it going any other way. There are many other games on tomorrow that I will be spending my time watching.
– Paul Liberty
Evansville (6-5) @ Northern Iowa (10-1)
McLeod Center
Cedar Falls, IA 7:00 CT
Before Evansville hosts Creighton Sunday they first must go to Cedar Falls. The Purple Aces hung with Missouri State for a half before the Bears took control in the second half, went on a 23-6 run, and won by 14 on the opening night. It wasn’t James Haarsma or Colt Ryan who led Evansville in scoring. Nope, it was sophomore guard Denver Holmes. Can Marty Simmons trust him to be a go to guy? Well, one of the three rules the coach in Teen Wolf was to never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city.
What more does UNI need to do to prove it is one of the top teams in the conference? We all know they won in Omaha on Tuesday. They host Evansville tonight before they host Missouri State on Sunday. With Missouri State’s record, they’ve been a surprise of the Valley. Any chance the Purple Aces get overlooked? Probably not under Ben Jacobson’s watch but one would like to think so. Instead UNI will rely on their defense and ask the 8-ball who will be the leading scorer for the night.
– Panon