Bradley (1-0) vs. Loyola Marymount (1-1)
Carver Arena; Peoria, Ill.
7:05 CT
The Braves had their hands full last night as they trailed the majority of the game against Northern Illinois. Thanks mostly to a great effort by Andrew Warren and his 24 points, the Braves were able to walk away from the home opener with a winning record.
Tonight, the Braves will play host to Loyola Marymount, a team with one extra game under their belt and are coming off a victory over LaSierra University. Hopefully the Braves got all of their jitters out early, as this one should be a walk in the park.
Ball State (1-0) vs. Indiana State (1-2)
Moncie, IN
6:05 CT
Ball State will enter tonight’s match up with a 1-0 record, and will look to move to 2-0 over the Sycamores. Ball State was able to take out Eastern Illinois in their last match up and did it with four players scoring in double figures.
The Sycamores of Indiana State will need to get back on track to compete against the balanced attack they will see tonight. In their last effort, they had an opportunity to beat Eastern Kentucky, but a missed shot with two seconds remaining caused the game to go into overtime where they would eventually fall 64-59.
Illinois State (1-0) vs. Tennessee State (1-1)
Redbird Arena; NOrmal, Ill.
7:05 CT
Tennessee State will bring a lot of heart into tonight’s game against the Redbirds, but that does not make up for athleticism. Illinois State will enter the game with a 1-0 record that consists of an absolute thrashing of southern Illinois – Edwardsville 92-64. The Redbirds should not have an issue putting on a repeat performance tonight in front of their home crowd.
Iowa State (2-0) vs. Drake (1-0)
Hilton Colliseum; Ames, IA
7:00 CT
ESPN3
A game that will interest most Jays’ fan, Iowa State hosts Drake. With wins over Alabama State and Northern Arizona, the Cyclones host an in-state rival in Fred Hoiberg’s first game as coach against the Bulldogs.
Drake’s win came against Texas Southern on Friday. They shot only 34.5% but managed a 60-46 win. Ryan Wedel lead the Bulldogs with 20 points. A 15-2 Drake run in the second half game the Bulldogs some cushion in a game that was close up to that point.
Evansville (1-0) vs. Texas – San Antonio(1-0)
Roberts Stadium, Evansville, IN
8:35 ET
Division II Oakland City was no match for the Purple Aces in their opener. They shot 67% from the field on way to 40 point win. Kenneth Harris finished with 21 to leave the Purple Aces. Eleven players for Evansville played more the 10 minutes. Marty went to the bench early and often.
The Roadrunners only game has been against Huston-Tillotson, an NAIA school. They won by 17 and were lead by Stephen Franklin and Jeromie Hill who scored 16 each.
#23 Tennessee (2-0) vs. Missouri St. (2-0)
Thompson-Boling Arena; Knoxville, TN
7:00 ET
Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off
Coach Martin and the Bears will get their shot at Tennessee. It took a 80-71 win over Arkansas St. on Tuesday night to get there though. Kyle Weems finished with 18 points for the Bears. A win over a ranked team on the road will look good on the resume come March if the Bears can pull it off.
Tennessee was upset earlier this season by Division II Indianapolis. They played Belmont in the NIT opening and held on for a 85-76 victory. It will be Tennessee’s first meeting with Missouri St. (formerly SMS) since 1999 when the Bears came away with second round win.