Leaders Tumble & Races Are Nuts

3-Point Road Losses Create Conference Race Chaos

(St. Louis, MO) – Austin Peay, you are the leader of the Ohio Valley Conference with three games to play. Loyola, you’re now tied for the top spot in the Missouri Valley. Oh, and Bradley and Southern Illinois, you are now one game out of first place. Belmont is tied for second and one game out of first place.

Yes, the standings took a kick to the head in both the MVC and OVC.

Miracle Come Back

Eastern Illinois trailed OVC co-leader Murray State by 15 points at the half and by 27 points with 11:45 to play. The Panthers closed the game by outscoring MSU 40-10. Josiah Wallace’s buzzer beating triple was the difference. The Racers (19-8, 12-3) fell out of a tie with Austin Peay, who won at Southern Illinois Edwardsville and into a tie with Belmont (21-9, 12-3) who took care of business at Morehead State. EIU won the game by a score of 63-60.

Here is the winning tally.

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Dramatic home win for @eiubasketball with @theycallmejwall draining the game winning 3-pointer as Panthers rally from 27 down to beat Murray State, 63-60 pic.twitter.com/FDanCRvPOK

— Eastern Illinois Athletics (@EIU_Panthers) February 21, 2020

Eastern Kentucky (14-14, 11-4) is one game back. The Colonels earned a home win over Tennessee State.

One Shot Shy of a Miracle

Missouri Valley leader Northern Iowa got pounded early at Indiana State. The Panthers trailed by 17 points at intermission. UNI put on their own furious come back attempt. Their 41-27 advantage in the second half nearly resulted in the same kind of come-from-behind miracle that took place in Charleston, Illinois.

UNI (22-5, 11-4) trailed by 20 points with 9:01 to play and out scored ISU 27-10 over those final nine minutes. Three times they trimmed the deficit to one point. A.J. Green (21 points) missed a buzzer-beating triple attempt for the potential tie. Indiana State won it by a score of 67-64.

Here’s how that one finished.

 

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“The League just got tighter”❗️❗️

🗣 @mitchholthus & @CoachZZ#MarchOn pic.twitter.com/6afHgUDDR5

— Sycamore Basketball (@IndStMBB) February 21, 2020

Southern Illinois earned a home win over Evansville. SIU (16-12, 10-5) remains tied with Bradley. Both teams are one game behind UNI and Loyola (19-9, 11-4).

What’s Next?

There are three games remaining in both league schedules. All twelve OVC teams play on Saturday and six tangle in the MVC. Two more Valley games take place on Sunday. The most impactful game on the OVC slate is at Eastern Kentucky, where the Colonels host Belmont. Game time in Richmond is set for 6 pm Central on ESPN+.

Murray State plays at SIUE and Austin Peay travels to Eastern Illinois.

While big games abound in the Valley, now the most significant weekend game is in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Panthers host a Southern Illinois team that is suddenly just one game out of first place. Both Loyola and Bradley play on the road. The Ramblers travel to Missouri State and the Braves visit Valparaiso. Sunday’s game between SIU and UNI is a 1:00 pm tip on ESPNU.

Bradley, Southern and Loyola finish with two of their final three games on the road. Northern Iowa plays two of three at home. Loyola visits Bradley on the final day of the season.

The OVC finale finds Austin Peay visiting Murray State. Don’t miss one game!

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo courtesy of eiupanthers.com.