Can They Crash The Party?

(St. Louis, MO) – What’s better for the Missouri Valley Conference and can someone crash the party? All year we’ve been waiting for the Northern Iowa/Wichita State matchup on the first Sunday in March in St. Louis.

Now as we close in on that day, they have one more hurdle before that fateful day.

The semifinals.

Illinois State and Loyola Chicago await the two juggernauts and could spoil the big showdown. What a daunting task for either of those teams? Both of the top teams have already won 28 games. Both of the challengers were swept by the Kings of the Conference, and if either of them won in the semifinals, they would have to play the other giant in the finals. A tall order.

Redbird Head Coach Dan Muller says he’s proud of his team’s victory on Friday and for them to succeed against Wichita State, you have to be tougher than the ‘play angry’ Shockers.

 

 

If any team in the Valley can compare with WSU athletically it is the Redbirds. Teddy Hawkins, Reggie Lynch, MiKyle McIntosh and John Jones are all 6’7” or better and all can run the floor. Their perimeter players Daishon Knight, Paris Lee, Bobby Hunter, DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Justin McCloud have adequate size and are capable scorers. They present matchup problems at several positions for the league champs.

Four of the MVC ‘All-Defensive Team’ members come from these two teams. Lee and Lynch from ISU and Shocker teammates Tekele Cotton and Fred VanVleet.

In the other semifinal Northern Iowa almost seems machine-like. They don’t lack emotion, but they are so efficient and well schooled in what they’re trying to do on both ends of the floor. They are a difficult task for the Ramblers.

UNI Head Coach Ben Jacobson appreciated the leadership of two of his seniors, Deon Mitchell and Nate Buss in their win over Bradley. Buss led all scorers with a season high 23 points on a night when team leader, and player of the year in the Valley, Seth Tuttle struggled with his shot.

 

Their opponent, the surprising Loyola Ramblers, overcame so much to get to this point. They won four of their last six regular season games despite having their leading scorer, and best player, Milton Doyle, MIA for all but 9 minutes of those games. Those 540 seconds came in the final regular season game. In his limited minutes in Friday’s blow-out of Indiana State, he looked rusty and anxious, but was still productive.

The homecoming for Clayton High School’s Christian Thomas was a good one. The undersized power forward was inspirational and solid in Friday night, just like he’s been his entire four-year career in Chicago.

Porter Moser’s first ever recruit is closing out his career with a big splash, but can they match up with the Panthers? Moser says he loves being in the Valley, is happy for Thomas and the other seniors on his squad, and has great respect for Northern Iowa.

 

Head Coach Porter Moser knows UNI is a formidable opponent, but believes his growing Ramblers are up to the task. The X factor could be Doyle. With his minutes growing and the rust coming off, he’s the kind of player that can take over a game, and of course he hit a game winning shot at Scottrade Center last year.

Loyola and Illinois State both have legitimate chances on Saturday, but even if they win, they have to do it all over again on Sunday. Has any MVC team ever defeated two, top 12 teams in back-to-back days? It would be a weekend for the ages.

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