Date: January 9, 2008
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Site: Knapp Center
Tip-off: 8:05 p.m. EST
Radio: The Crock 92.7 FM
Talent: Brian Fritz & Matt Renn
Series: ISU leads 33-30
Last Time: DU 74, ISU 68 (1/18/07)
It's still early in the season, but tonight's game is an important one for the Missouri Valley Conference, as Indiana State and Drake face off for first-place bragging rights in tonight's game.
The Sycamores head into the game on a four-game winning streak, including a three-game winning streak to start Valley play. ISU earned two wins at home last week to keep their home record unblemished at 7-0, with Saturday's win over UNI keeping the streak alive.
Junior Jay Tunnell led the way for ISU against UNI with a game-high 19 points. Senior Gabe Moore also had a solid game with seven points, seven assists and eight rebounds to cap off a stellar week of play that earned him MVC Player of the Week honors.
Drake's 12-1 start equals the best start in school history. Their 11-game winning streak is the longest for the Bulldogs since the 1969-70 season. Last week, Drake picked up a win at home against Southern Illinois on Wednesday and then followed that up with a road win at Evansville to keep their Valley record at 3-0.
Junior forward Jonathan Cox scored 19 points, including 12 in the second half, to key solid shooting effort as the Bulldogs held off Evansville, 71-68, on Sunday to .
Indiana State leads the series, 33-30, but Drake has won 10 of the previous 14 games including six of the last eight. However, ISU has won two out of the last three games in the series. The two teams split last year's season series, with each team winning on its home court.
► Indiana State's Kevin McKenna is in his first season at the helm of the Sycamores program, after completing his ninth season at Creighton as an assistant coach, where he helped the Bluejays advance to four NCAA tournament appearances. From 2001-05, McKenna spent four years as the head coach (89-33) at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Omaha, where he guided the Mavericks to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. He is assisted by Greg Lansing, Stan Gouard and Lou Gudino.
► Drake's Keno Davis is in his first season as the head coach of the Bulldogs. Davis took over the reigns of the program after his father, Dr. Tom Davis, retired as the head coach after last season. Prior to taking over as head coach, Davis served as an assistant for his father for three seasons and also as an assistant for six seasons at Southeast Missouri State under former Drake head coach Gary Garner. He is assisted by Chris Davis, Rodell Davis and Justin Ohl.
► Drake University is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and has an enrollment of 5,221. The Bulldogs are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games at the Drake Knapp Center (7,002).
► The Bulldogs are led by head coach Keno Davis, who is in his first season at the helm of the program. Davis took over the reigns of the program after his father, Dr. Tom Davis, retired as the head coach after last season. Prior to taking over as head coach, Davis served as an assistant for his father for three seasons and also as an assistant for six seasons at Southeast Missouri State under former Drake head coach Gary Garner. He is off to a 12-1 start in his first season.
► The team returns seven letter winners and just one starter from last year's squad. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 17-15 record overall and a 6-12 record in the Valley
► Drake sophomore guard Josh Young is the only player in the MVC who ranks in the top three in scoring, steals and three-point baskets. He leads the MVC in scoring (17.0 avg) and ranks second in three-point baskets (40-3.08 avg.), and third in steals (29-2.23 avg.).
► The Bulldogs have won their last 10 home games dating back to last year and their last 11 non-conference home games. The 10-game home winning streak is the longest in the 15-year history of the Knapp Center.
In what is shaping up to be a very interesting year in the Missouri Valley Conference, two unbeaten teams meet tonight to stay atop the conference standings. The Sycamores and the Bulldogs are both 3-0 to start conference play and both are on long winning streaks. ISU has won its last four in a row, while the Bulldogs have ripped off 11 straight games and are 7-0 at the Knapp Center this season.
Senior Gabe Moore is getting extremely close to a very prestigious milestone in his career at ISU, as he is just five points away from becoming the 30th player in Indiana State history to amass 1,000 career points. Moore headed into last week 25 points away, but with 13 points on Wednesday against Creighton and seven points on Saturday against UNI, the Little Rock, Ark., came just short despite spectacular numbers elsewhere in the box score.
Junior forward Jay Tunnell had his sights set in on keeping his team undefeated at home and in the Missouri Valley Conference on Saturday night. The Topeka, Kan., native scored the second basket of the game for the Sycamores and never looked back, as he tallied a game-high 19 points to lead ISU to the 74-56 win over UNI and improve the team's home record to 7-0 this season and its Valley record to 3-0. Tunnell was solid from everywhere on the court, as he finished 6-for-11 from the field including going 3-for-5 from three-point range and was also 4-for-5 from the charity stripe to post a new season high scoring mark.
This week was already shaping up to be a memorable one for senior point guard Gabe Moore, as he should go over 1,000 career points in tonight's game. On Monday, the week started out on a high note as the Little Rock, Ark., native was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week by the conference office for his performance in ISU's two wins last week. Moore averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game for the Sycamores as they earned wins at home against Creighton (62-54) on Wednesday and UNI (74-56) on Saturday. In Wednesday's win over the Bluejays, Moore led ISU with 13 points while pulling down six rebounds and dishing out five assists. He followed that up with seven points, eight rebounds and seven assists in Saturday's win over the Panthers. In three Valley games, Moore is now averaging 14.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per contest.
When the Sycamores earned a 74-56 victory over UNI on Saturday night at Hulman Center, it marked the first time since the 2000-01 season that ISU started Missouri Valley Conference play with a 3-0 record. During that season, the Sycamores started conference play with a 3-0 record, after beating Bradley (79-70), Northern Iowa (69-57) and Illinois State (78-71) before falling to Creighton in their fourth game. ISU went on to finish that season with a 22-12 overall record and won the MVC Tournament championship to earn an automatic birth in the NCAA Tournament.
Heading ISU's Missouri Valley Conference opener at Evansville, the Sycamores had not won a road game all season and for some time in conference play. However, that all changed with the team's 70-56 win over their in-state rivals at Roberts Stadium. The win was ISU's first Valley road win since Jan. 6, 2007, when it won at Illinois State. In addition, the win broke a four-game losing streak to the Purple Aces.
After two Missouri Valley Conference wins at home last week, it's pretty easy to see that the Sycamores like to play basketball at home in front of the fans at Hulman Center. ISU has started the season 7-0 at home, which ranks as the second-longest home winning streak since 1999, when the team won 22-straight before falling to Creighton on Feb. 4, 2001. In the team's six games at home, the squad is averaging 67.6 points per game while allowing opponents just 54.3 points per contest. The Sycamores are also shooting .468 from the field, including .393 from three-point range, while posting a +21 turnover margin.
The paint is quickly becoming freshman Isiah Martin's neighborhood and opponents are quickly beginning to find out that it is not a very hospitable place. The forward from Chicago, Ill., has amassed 29 blocked shots in 13 games for an average of 2.23 per game. His 29 blocks are tied for first overall in the Missouri Valley Conference with Illinois State's Anthony Slack (29), but his 2.23 average per game is the highest in the conference among all players. On the season, Martin has blocked at least two shots in nine games and has 12 in his first three Valley games, which is six more than any other player through the first three games of the conference season.
Senior forward Todd McCoy has found a home in the starting lineup in conference season for the Sycamores and he's making his shot count, literally. The Philadelphia, Pa., native is currently leading all players in the Valley with a .692 (9-of-13) field goal percentage in conference games. That mark includes a recent increase in his production from three-point range, as McCoy is 3-for-7 from beyond the arch so far in Valley play.
Last Wednesday's game against Creighton was the first for ISU head coach Kevin McKenna against his old team. The game was a success for the former longtime assistant coach and player, as the Sycamores picked up an impressive 62-54 win over the Bluejays to improve to 2-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play. McKenna spent nine seasons on the Creighton bench as an assistant coach(1994-2001, 2005-07) before taking over the helm at ISU. McKenna also had an illustrious career at CU, as scored 1,500 career points and was enshrined into the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.
The Sycamores are 8-5 on the season, thanks to some strong defensive efforts against opponents shooting three-pointers. Through 13 games, ISU has allowed just 74 three-pointers to its opponents. In addition, opponents are shooting just .343 percent from three-point range against ISU this season, which currently ranks as the third-best 3-point field goal percentage defense in the Missouri Valley Conference. However, the Sycamores will surely be tested in tonight's game as the Bulldogs currently rank second in the conference with their 122 three-pointers and third in teh Valley with their .378 three-point field goal percentage as a team.
ISU's new offensive scheme gives several players a chance to score points. Senior Gabe Moore and sophomore Marico Stinson have taken advantage of their opportunities and both are averaging in double figures so far this season. Moore is averaging 11.7 points per game, while Stinson is right behind with 11.6 points per contest. In addition, Moore has led the team in scoring six times this season while Stinson has led the way four times in the scoring column. Last season, the Sycamores did not have a player finish the season in double figures.
If you go to an ISU practice during the week, one could see that head coach Kevin McKenna has placed an emphasis on working on shooting free throws. It looks like that extra work and focus may be working for the Sycamores, as the team has a .721 free throw percentage this season. That mark currently ranks third among teams in the Valley, as ISU trails Bradley (.742) and Northern Iowa (.729)
Senior guard Gabe Moore is known for being a solid all-around player, as he is at or near the top of several offensive and defensive categories for the Sycamores this season. However, his steal numbers have put him among the best in the Missouri Valley Conference. Moore has 32 swipes this season for an average of 2.46 per game, both of which rank second in the league statistics. In addition, the Little Rock, Ark., native has swiped 170 in his career, which puts him in fourth place on the all-time list at ISU. Moore needs 19 more steals to take over third place, which is currently held by Michael Menser, who collected 188 steals from 1997-2001.
In ISU's first two Missouri Valley Conference games, the final result has come down to strong performances in the second half. The Sycamores went 2-0, thanks to solid performances in the latter part of the game against Evansville and Creighton. In the first half, ISU has scored a combined 50 points, the same as their two opponents. However, the Sycamores out-scored the Purple Aces and the Bluejays 82-60 in the second halves to win both games.
It had been almost a year since an ISU player last recorded a double-double, but Jay Tunnell put an end to that string with his 16 point, 10 rebound performance against Ball State. Coincidentally, it was Tunnell and teammate Adam Arnold who last achieved the feat as both recorded double-doubles against Wagner on December 22, 2006. Tunnell recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Arnold chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
