Northern Iowa (9-5, 0-2) vs. Evansville (7-5, 1-1)
McLeod Center; Cedar Falls, IA
7:05 PM CST
The Panthers could easily be 2-0 and leading the Valley along with Creighton and Wichita St. A pair of shots late in the games against Missouri St. (Kyle Weems at the buzzer) and Southern Illinois (Carlton Fay with 2.2 seconds) and the Panthers are winless in the league. Where do they go from here? A home game against a bottom tier opponent will help them get their confidence back.
Evansville returned home over the weekend and picked up a win against Indiana St. The Purple Aces know the Panthers will slow down the game and keep it low scoring. Will they be able to match the defensive intensity of the Panthers? Colt Ryan needs a big game to keep the Purple Aces close. After two straight losses, the Panthers will be hungry for a win.
Indiana State (6-7, 1-1) vs Illinois State (8-5, 0-2)
Hulman Center; Terre Haute, IN
6:05 CST
The Sycamores are coming off a tough loss to Evansville where it seemed they had things in hand before the Purple Aces mad a second half run that stole the game. Indiana State fell a game below .500 with the 59-64 loss, but will look to get back to that mark as they play host to the Redbirds of Illinois State.
With an 0-2 mark to open Valley Play, the Redbirds will need this game tonight to get a bit of momentum heading into the rest of the cnference schedule. With their most recent loss at the hands of a very talented Missouri State team on Saturday 82-71, the Redbirds have yet to perform to their potential. Or have they hit it already? This game will be important for two teams struggling to get the ball rolling.
Bradley (6-7, 0-2) vs Southern Illinois (7-6 , 1-1)
Carver Arena; Peoria, Ill.
7:05 CST
Southern Illinois delivered the second heart wrenching loss in a row to UNI on Saturday as Carlton Fay hit a two point jumper with two seconds remaining on the clock to give SIU a 57-55 win in Cedar Falls. The Salukis are looking to get back to basics this season after two consecutive losing seasons. And I think we all know what “basics” means at SIU, defense.
The Salukis should have some good practice tonight as they face a struggling Bradley team that has been devastated by injuries and illnesses this season. The Braves will need a lot of heart and great coaching to get them through the season. One could say that great coaching brings out your heart and desire to win, so maybe the Braves are in more trouble than I thought.
Wichita State (11-2, 2-0) vs Drake (6-7, 1-1)
Koch Arena; Wichita, KS
7:05 CST
David Kyles lead the way as Wichita State remained unbeaten in conference play on Saturday with a 79-63 win over the Bradley Braves. the Shockers were able to put together a very solid offensive approach to the game with a number of players finishing in double figures.
With Drake coming the Wichita, the Shockers should have their way with this wounded puppy. The Bulldogs are coming off a loss to Creighton where Freshman Doug McDermott and Senior Kenny Lawson Jr. finished with a double-double each and out rebounded Drake 45-24. Drake has some talent on their team, but I don’t know if it will be enough to match the talent and athleticism of the Shockers.
