Crowded Behind the Shockers

(St. Louis, MO) – Wichita State is back in the national rankings where they belong. All the major polls place the Missouri Valley Conference’s best team no worse than 26^th in the nation. CBS Sports has them as high as 21^st.

But the race directly behind Gregg Marshall’s giant is tight and this week’s schedule is filled with upper echelon challenges for those teams vying for second through fourth in the conference race. Finishing in the top two earns a team a first round bye at Arch Madness 2016.

Southern Illinois, Evansville, Indiana State, Illinois State and Missouri State are battling for those three spots. SIU (at 7-1) leads Evansville (6-2) by one game and Indiana State and Illinois State (5-3) by two. Missouri State lurks one game further back at 4-4. Oh, and don’t count Northern Iowa (2-6) out of a battle for sixth place just yet.

Southern Illinois’ incredible season (18-3) includes a perfect 8-0 road record. The Salukis have already won six more games than last season, and along with Tennessee State of the Ohio Valley Conference are staging near historic one year turn arounds. There are several keys in SIUC’s vast improvement.

Player of the Year candidate Anthony Beane has been dynamic averaging 19.3 points and connecting on 48 three-pointers, but the depth of contributions behind him is shown in the fact that the Egyptian Dawgs are second in the MVC in scoring, but have only two players averaging double figures in that department, but five other players average at least five points per game.

This week Head Coach Barry Hinson’s squad hosts Evansville on Thursday and travels to Northern Iowa on Sunday. Hinson says attendance is up at Saluki home games and the home fans make a difference.

 

 

Evansville lost their first game to someone not named Wichita State Sunday, when they lost at Indiana State. How will the Aces respond to that defeat and playing in the always energetic SIU Arena on Thursday? That will go along way in determining how the Aces’ season progresses.

Head Coach Marty Simmons says preparing to play the balanced and unselfish Salukis is a difficult task.

 

 

Indiana State and Illinois State are those two teams flying under the proverbial radar that no one wants to play. Both stand at 5-3 and are playing well right now. Indiana State is receiving inspired play from seniors Devonte Brown and Khristian Smith and revelatory action from Brenton Scott. The Sycamores have won four of their last six games.

Dan Muller’s Illinois State team has won two straight as point guard Paris Lee’s play has returned to form and sophomores MiKyle McIntosh and Deontae Hawkins have stepped up to aid senior DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell in the scoring department.

Sycamore head man Greg Lansing says his team’s Sunday win over Evansville was their most complete game of the season.

 

 

Missouri State is poised to make some noise. The Bears (4-4) play at Indiana State and host Illinois State this week. After an extremely tough start (4-10) MSU has won four of their last six games.

Head Coach Paul Lusk saw the return of guard Dorrian Williams to the lineup, but the recent injury to post player Camyn Boone is a problem because Boone is their best interior player.

 

 

Northern Iowa is just 2-6 and wants desperately to move out of seventh place in the league race before Arch Madness 2016. The Panthers have lost four straight games and haven’t lost five straight since Ben Jacobson’s first season as head coach (2006-07). UNI travels to Bradley on Tuesday and then has back-to-back games hosting SIU and Evansville. This could be the time that veteran squad makes its move.

The conference season stretch run has truly begun.

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