Drake (6-8, 1-2) vs. Bradley (6-8, 0-3)
Knapp Center; Des Moines, IA
7:05 PM CST
Fox Sports
After winning their Valley opener at home a young Drake team has dropped a pair of road games. They were tested on the road at Creighton and at Wichita. Down by 4 at the break, Drake was outscored by 15 in the second half. Freshman Rayvonte Rice finished with 17. It is hard for a freshman to carry the load for a team in the Valley but Rice will help determine how far Drake can go this season.
Bradley is still searching for their first conference win. The Braves have been hit by the injury bug leaving Andrew Warren and Dodie Dunson to lead the team. Against SIU on Tuesday, they fell behind by 8 at the Drake. They will need a hot start in Des Moines to get the crowd out of the game. Bradley travels to UNI on Sunday so their roadtrip won’t get any easier.
Indiana State (7-7, 2-1) vs. UNI (10-5, 1-2)
Hulman Center, Terre Haute, IN
6:05 CT
Aaron Carter led the way for the Sycamores over Illinois State with 14 points as they cruised to a 72-57 win. The Sycamores have been laying well since the start of conference play, but should have their hands full as they play host to the Panthers of UNI.
The Panthers were able to avoid their first 0-3 Valley start since 2000-2001 with a win over Evansville on Tuesday night. The Panthers, who suffered two heart breaking losses at home to start the conference slate will have a good chance at starting a new streak when they arrive in Terre Haute.
Illinois State (8-6, 0-3) vs. Wichita State (12-2, 3-0)
Redbird Arena; Normal, Ill.
7:05 CT
With the 0-3 start, many Redbird fans are beginning to wonder how this season will end up, and if they should get a room in St. Louis for Thursday night. The most recent defeat came at the hands of Indiana State, a team they could historically handle. Things will not get any easier for the Redbirds, as MVC favorite, Wichita State comes to town.
The Shockers got a bit of a scare on Tuesday night, as it seemed Drake would give them a game. With a half time margin of only 4, the Shockers were able to pull away in the second half and finish with a 82-63 victory. J.T. Durley lead the way for WSU with 13 points, while four other layers contributed double-digit points.
Missouri State (11-3, 3-0) vs. Evansville (7-6, 1-2)
JHQ Arena; Springfield, MO
7:05 CT
Missouri State looked like they were in for a whooping in Omaha on Tuesday night as they headed into the locker room trailing the Bluejays by 9 points. But, as Patrick Marshall said, it was a tail of two halves. Missouri State made a few changes to their game plan and were able to knock off Creighton and remain undefeated in conference play.
The Bears will play host to Evansville, who is coming off a loss to UNI. Although Colt Ryan was able to contribute 15 points, it was not enough to topple the Purple Aces. They will either need a lot more from Colt or have everyone pitch in as they will have their hands full against the Bears tonight.
