No Chalk & the Clock is Ticking

Arch Madness Session Two

(St. Louis, MO) – A wild second session of Arch Madness was highly entertaining and reminds us that the clock is ticking. Both of the lower seeds won their opening round games as Evansville defeated Illinois State and Illinois Chicago nipped Southern Illinois.

Game One

Evansville (16-16) won a defensive battle (59-53) as two second year coaches were looking for their first ever Arch Madness victory. David Ragland’s team was never ‘in control’, but held a small upper hand most of the game.

All-newcomer team member Ben Humrichous started slowly, but led the Aces with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Aces committed just five turnovers and advance to Friday’s second round and a date with second seeded Drake (25-6).

All-newcomer team member Myles Foster was outstanding throughout scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds. His costly ‘flagrant 1’ foul was a turning point moment late in the game. Illinois State (15-17) finishes its season with four more wins than last season.

Game Two

The game of the day was the double-overtime win by Illinois Chicago. Another head coach claimed his first ever Arch Madness victory. Luke Yaklich’s Flames (12-20) relinquished a 16-point lead to Southern Illinois (19-13) and the Salukis led by six points with 3:21 left, but the clock was ticking.

Flames sophomore, from nearby East St. Louis, Illinois, Christian Jones scored a running layup to force the first overtime with the score tied at 63. SIU battled foul trouble as Valley leading scorer Xavier Johnson fouled out during the first overtime, finishing the night with 27 points. He and other Salukis missed crucial free throws at the end of regulation and in overtime play.

UIC’s Isaiah Rivera was brilliant during the extra sessions. The Colorado State transfer tallied a career high 28 points, with 16 of them coming after regulation. It was his two free throws with three seconds left that forced the second overtime. UIC became the first eleven seed to advance in the Arch Madness opening round (this is the second season with 12 teams) by winning the fifth double-overtime game in the tournament history.

What Clock is Ticking?

After one day of ‘Madness’ the clock is ticking. While four teams advanced and they race into preparation for their second round games, four teams’ seasons are over and as they turn the page there are decisions to be made, talent to acquire and NIL money to raise.

Murray State (12-20) will lose some players to graduation and they have significant holes to fill. The Racers must get bigger and more physical. No Racer with significant playing time is taller than 6’7. During his postgame comments, head coach Steve Prohm talked about adding talent and building the program.

The same things could be said about Valparaiso (7-25), but first year coach Roger Powell Jr has some significant building blocks in ‘Freshman of the Year’ Cooper Schwieger, leading scorer Isaiah Stafford and junior point guard Darius DeAveiro. There are other good young players on the Beacon roster. Powell has been vocal about hitting the transfer portal and I’m told there are players waiting in the wings wanting to come to Northwest Indiana.

But the clock is ticking on the Valpo administration too. Funding an upper level Missouri Valley Conference team is a challenge for this small Lutheran university and being situated in a smaller community could present NIL challenges.

Illinois State seems to be headed in the right direction and I’m told the Redbird NIL situation is good. Ryan Pedon did a good job of bringing in fresh talent last offseason. How does he balance graduation losses, finding more size and fighting off the poachers that will be sniffing around freshmen Johnny Kinziger and Chase Walker?

Coaches and Decisions

Is the clock ticking at SIU? Xavier Johnson’s spectacular season masked the struggles in Little Egypt. After losing Marcus Domask and Lance Jones to Big Ten schools last offseason, there was not much left in the Saluki cupboard. Johnson carried an otherwise offensively challenged team. Johnson and veteran Trent Brown have exhausted their eligibility. Young players Ferguson and Kenard Davis are legitimate MVC players, but SIU needs more talent.

SIU Administration may be on the verge of signing a two-year extension to the contract of head coach Bryan Mullins and we think they should make that move and make it now, because the clock is ticking. We’ve also heard rumors leaning in the other direction and recruits (both high school and portal) hear those things too. We believe Mullins has one year left on his contract, if that is true, Saluki administration should confirm Mullins’ continued employment sooner rather than later.

There will be coaching vacancies nationally and perhaps in the Valley. With the firing of Matt Crenshaw at IUPUI we immediately heard rumblings that the Jaguar program has reached out to Indiana State Associate Head Coach Matthew Graves. The former Butler assistant and North Alabama head coach lives in that region, knows the Horizon League well and would be a great fit, but the clock is ticking.

How long will IUPUI wait if Indiana State makes a deep NCAA Tournament run?

Today in St. Louis

Speaking of the clock ticking, I have to get to Enterprise Center. Four big games today. Those Sycamores play Missouri State at noon. I’ll be announcing (for local St. Louis radio) the 2:30 pm game between Belmont and Northern Iowa. Tonight Drake squares off with Evansville and UIC faces Bradley.

More later, the clock is ticking!

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo courtesy MVC.