The Main Event

(St. Louis, MO) – We’re halfway home and the biggest game of the Missouri Valley Conference season is finally here! First place and twelfth ranked Wichita State travels to Cedar Falls to play second place and eighteenth ranked Northern Iowa.

It is the first time since 1982, that two nationally ranked MVC teams will play one another. Wichita State was involved in that game too, as the 16^th ranked Shockers lost to #18 Tulsa.

Both teams are streaking. The defending champion Shockers have won nine straight games and the upstart Panthers have won eight. They have identical 19-2 records. WSU is an unblemished 9-0 in Valley play, while UNI dropped their league opener to Evansville and stand at 8-1.

Are you looking for star power? Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker (Wichita State) and Seth Tuttle (UNI) were all named to the pre-season all-league team. Tuttle (1,531) leads all active MVC players in points. VanVleet leads all active players NATIONALLY in career assist:turnover ratio (3.20). Baker is closing in on 1,000 career points (968).

Do you want hard-nosed defense? Northern Iowa is sixth in the nation in scoring defense and the Shockers are 11^th. VanVleet and teammate Tekele Cotton (reigning MVC defensive player of the year) are second and fourth in the Valley in steals. UNI packs the paint and is the best Valley team in shooting percentage defense (.379), 3-point shooting defense (.308) and second in defensive rebounding.

How about some coaching pedigree? Gregg Marshall (193-73 in 8 years at WSU) hasn’t finished below second place in five years while winning two of the last three league titles. Ben Jacobson (185-103 in 9 years at UNI) has won two MVC championships and two Arch Madness trophies.

UNI is the quintessential ‘team’ with nine different players averaging at least four points per game. Tuttle sets the tone. He does a little bit of everything while leading the team in scoring, rebounding and assists.

The Shockers are a star-studded team. Baker and VanVleet dotted pre-season all-American teams. Both are projected as NBA draft picks if either junior leaves school early. Baker is the league leader in three pointers per game.

It will be a slug-fest between the MVC’s two best teams. Northern Iowa (10-0) is undefeated at home and they’ve won 13 straight at McLeod Center. Wichita State has the nation’s best road record over the past five years, and have won 13 straight MVC road games. One of these 13-game streaks will end on Saturday.

Panther depth versus Shocker stars. Or is the key question which of those Northern Iowa players you don’t yet know about, will step up and play an important role. Or perhaps the question is whether senior post, Darius Carter can neutralize Tuttle. How significant will the home floor and fans be? McLeod is already sold out and Panther fans have had this game circled for some time.

This is the first of two heavy-weight battles. The two titans finish the season with a February 28^th game in Wichita.

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