North Florida (1-1) @ Illinois State (1-0)
Redbird Arena
Normal, IL 4:05 CST
Illinois State started their season on the road this year when they traveled to Edwardsville, IL to take on SIU-Edwardsville. Sure it wasn’t the friendly confines of Redbird Arena, but the 2009-2010 season started off just the way Redbird fans would have wanted it too, with a dunk off of the opening tip by pre-season MVC Player of the Year Osiris (O-Hawk) Eldridge. But he didn’t stop at 2 points. Osiris led the Redbird with 19 points on the day, and was one of five players in double figures. With good defense and great ball distribution, the Redbirds walked out of Edwardsville with a convincing 82-60 win.
Who’s next? Illinois State will play their home opener against North Florida this afternoon. Entering the game with a 1-1 record, North Florida should be an opponent the Redbirds can handle. With a decisive loss to Notre Dame (65-86) and a win over Savannah State (57-46), the Ospreys have not shown much yet this season to think they will be able to nock off Illinois State, a team that I had in the top three of the Valley this season.
– Paul Liberty
The Citadel (2-1) @ Missouri State (2-0)
Springfield, MO 8:05 CST
Hispanic College Fund Classic
Well, Missouri State gave us a bit of a scare on Friday night, as they played Maryland-Eastern Shore to a tie at halftime. The game was sloppy and there was little energy put out by either team. Fortunately, Missouri State is armed with a young man by the name of Kyle Weems who was able to put a little energy into the Bears in the second half, and lead the way to a victory with 16 points.
The Bears, as I have mentioned before, did not have a very hopeful season on the horizon, and the first half of Friday’s game gave us a glimpse as to why there has been such negative projections for this team. Coming off a great win over Auburn, this game may have been for the better, as it may have helped the team and coaches put some things into perspective, like focusing on every game.
The next focal point for the Bears will be The Citadel, who is coming off a victory of their own in the opening round off the Hispanic College Fund Classic, theirs coming over Eastern Michigan 63-56. The Citadel has yet to face a really tough opponent this season, and should find one in the Bears tonight. Missouri State will need to show that they are back on track and try and make a statement tonight. I think they have it in them.
– Paul Liberty
#10 Butler (2-0) @ Evansville (2-0)
Roberts Stadium
Evansville, IN 7:05 PM CST
Despite having a team full of new faces, playing a top-10 team to Evansville isn’t so new. Last year the Purple Aces had the opportunity to go to Chapel Hill and play the eventual champions. Tonight, they get to take on the Bulldogs, winners of 10 out of the last 11 in the series.
Veterans Kavon Lacey and Pieter van Tongeren need to lead by example and get the team off to a good start. Taking some of the early pressure off second leading scorer Colt Ryan and Bryan Bouchie (transfer from Valparaiso) will allow the game to come to them.
The Bulldogs are coming off wins against Davidson and at Northwestern, their first in Evanston. A two-headed monster leads the Bulldogs in Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward. With the attention they have been getting Shelvin Mack is moving into the role of a third option. Last year against the Purple Aces Mack score 18.
While we’ve seen a highly rated Jays team fall in Roberts Stadium, I don’t expect the Purple Aces to pull off a similar win.
– Panon
Akron (0-2) vs. Drake (1-2)
Ocean Center – Glenn Wilkes Classic
Daytona Beach, Florida 12:15 CST
The Bulldogs were able to get that first W in their first game in Daytona. Drake got out to an eight point halftime lead and went on to win 65-58 over Georgia State. Ryan Wedel and Seht VanDeest had 15 and 13, respectively, to lead the Bulldogs. CO\oming off an injury Josh Young chipped in 10.
Akron is still searching for their first W. A terrible start in their first game (in Florida) in the Glenn Wilkes Classic saw them down 22 points at the half against a touch North Carolina State team. Akron also lost to Austin Peay in the first round (on campus) of this tournament. “Humpty” Hitchens scored 10 points in the loss.
A close battle between these two teams. Let’s see how the teams respond to back-to-back games this early in the season.
– Panon
Southern Illinois (2-0) @ UNLV (2-0)
Thomas & Mack Center, Tarkanian Court
Las Vegas, Nevada 9:00 PM CST
MWC-MVC Challenge
Guards Tony Freeman and Kevin Dillard look to lead the Salukis to Las Vegas in the MWC-MVC Challenge. The third game of the season and they will get test compared to their wins over Tennessee-Martin and Indianapolis. Dillard recorded a double-double, 16 points and 10 assists, in their 84-69 win over Indianapolis. He will need another productive night and Carlton Fay will need to be ready to come off the bench and play effectively.
Early in the challenge between the two conferences and we’ve seen the home team get the early advantages. BYU defeated Bradley in Utah and Indiana State defeated Colorado State in Indiana. Based on that alone UNLV has the upper hand.
The Runnin’ Rebels have collected wins over Pittsburg State (D-II) and Nevada-Reno. Tonight’s game will be their third of five consecutive home games to start the season. A trio of players are averaging double figures led by junior guard Tre’Von Willis at 12.5 ppg. Former Creighton assistant Greg Grensing, in his 5th season as an assistant under Lon Kruger, is familiar with the Salukis from his years in the Valley to help prepare the Runnin’ Rebels.
A good early season test for both these teams. No television coverage so tune in on the radio (for those in Nevada or Illinois) or Internet to hear the action.
– Panon
UNI (1-1) vs. East Carolina (1-3)
UVI Sports and Fitness Center
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 2:30 PM CST
Paradise Jam
A day after losing to DePaul, UNI has to turn around and get ready for East Carolina today. A win in the first round and they get a day off plus a chance to play Tennessee. Unfortunately, DePaul will get the day off and play Tennessee.
The Panthers battled to a five point halftime lead. A big second half by DePaul turned the tides in the game. Ali Farokhmanesh led UNI with 12. After a double-double in the opening game Jordan Eglseder was held to 2 points on 1-9 shooting and 6 rebounds. A tale of two halves yesterday. The Panthers shot 67% from 3 in the first and just 16% in the second.
The Panthers get a good pick me up game in facing the Pirates. The Pirates fought hard early, up 17-13 with 12 minutes to go in the first half. Just one field goal the remainder of the half and they were down 43-27 at the break and went on to lose 106-66. Brock Young had 15 points and 4 assists to lead the Pirates. The Panthers should be all over him because against the Volunteers he also had 12 turnovers.
Panthers get back on the winning side and at least get to enjoy part of their trip down to the Virgin Islands.
– Panon