Date: February 2, 2008
Location: Terre Haute, Ind.
Site: Hulman Center (10,200)
Tip-off: 7:05 p.m. EST
Radio: The Crock 92.7 FM
Talent: Brian Fritz & Matt Renn
Series: Indiana State leads 33-31
Last Time: DU 75, ISU 50 (1/9/08)
Something's gotta give at the Hulman Center tonight, as the No. 16 Drake Bulldogs bring their 10-0 record in the Missouri Valley Conference and an 18-game winning streak into the game while ISU has posted a perfect 9-0 record at home this season.
On Wednesday at Bradley, ISU struggled in the second half and dropped a 63-44 decision to the Braves. ISU had three players in double figures in that game, led by sophomore Harry Marshall's 13 points. Junior Jay Tunnel added 12 points and six rebounds to help pace the offense, while sophomore Marico Stinson added 10 points and tied a career-high with seven rebounds in the loss.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 75-65 victory over Creighton on Wednesday night. The win extended the team's winning streak to 18 games, which matched the fifth-best winning streak in league history. In addition, their 10-0 MVC start marks the 21st time in league history that a team has started league play with 10-straight wins and the team is only the fifth to achieve that feat since the 1950-51 season.
Josh Young had a game-high 24 points to lead the way for Drake in the win over the Bluejays, with Jonathan Cox chipping in with 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Leonard Houston and Adam Emmenecker also had solid scoring nights, with 14 and 12 points respectively in the win.
Indiana State leads the series, 33-31, but Drake has won 11 of the previous 15 games including seven of the last nine games. 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 19-1 start in his first season.
► Drake's 18-game winning streak is the fourth longest winning streak in Missouri Valley Conference history, tying the mark of 18 set by Bradley from the last six games of the 1959-60 season through the first 12 games of the 1960-61 campaign.
► Sophomore guard Josh Young is the only player in the MVC who ranks in the top five in scoring, steals, three-point baskets and
three-point field goal percentage. He ranks first in the MVC in scoring (15.9 avg), second in three-point baskets (51), third in three-
point field goal percentage (.477) and fourth in steals (34).
the harder they have fallen at the Hulman Center in recent years. ISU has won three out of its last four games on their home court against ranked opponents. Last season, the Sycamores went 1-1 against ranked teams at home, including a 72-64 win over in-state foe Butler who was ranked 14th at the time. However, ISU lost their last game at home to a ranked opponent, as they dropped a 58-50 decision to then No. 13 Southern Illinois on Feb. 21, 2007.
The importance of home court advantage is often debated upon in collegiate basketball. However, one look at ISU's record this season and the Sycamores are surely be believers. The Sycamores have started the season 9-0 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 nine games at home, the squad is averaging 67.7 points per game while allowing opponents just 53.8 points per contest. In addition, the Sycamores are shooting .446 from the field, including .392 from three-point range, while posting a +34 turnover margin. Compare that to the team's numbers on the road, where they average just 58.4 points as compared to their opponent's 71.7 and are shooting just .378 from the field for a 1-10 record.
The paint is quickly becoming freshman Isiah Martin's neighborhood and opponents are beginning to find out that it is not a very hospitable place. The forward from Chicago, Ill., has amassed 39 blocked shots in 20 games for an average of 1.95 per game. Both of those mark are tops in the league, ahead of Illinois State's Anthony Slack (32/1.68). In addition, his 22 blocks (2.22 per game) in the team's 10 league games are also first in the conference, seven ahead of Drake's Jonathan Cox with and Southern Illinois' Randal Falker, who each have 15 in league play.
Marico Stinson is known for being a dynamic scorer and three-point shooter for ISU. However, in Wednesday night's game at Bradley he showed he could rebound the ball as well. Against the Braves, Stinson tied his career high by pulling down seven rebounds, including six on the defensive side of the court. Earlier this season, Stinson set the bar by grabbing seven rebounds against Butler, breaking his previous high of five set last year during his freshman season.
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 46 swipes rank second in the league, but his average of 2.30 per game is the top mark in the conference. Moore also has 19 in conference games for an average of 1.9 per game, both of which rank first in the Valley. In addition, the Little Rock, Ark., native has swiped 184 in his career, which puts him in fourth place on the all-time list at ISU. Moore needs just five more to take over third place, which is currently held by Michael Menser, who collected 188 steals from 1997-2001.
The Sycamores are off to a 5-5 start in conference play, thanks to limiting their own turnovers and forcing more from their opponents. During conference play, ISU has a turnover margin of +3.40, which ranks first in the conference. ISU is forcing an average of 15.6 turnovers from their conference counterparts, but have only been turning the ball over 12.2 times per game. Overall, the team has a turnover margin of +2.10 in 20 games this season, which is fourth best in the conference.
In 31 games as a freshman last season, Marico Stinson scored over 20 points just twice. He scored 24 points against Purdue (12/28/06) and then followed that up with a career-high 37 points against Drake (12/30/06). However, he's bested that mark with three 20+ point games this season, all of which have come in the team's last six games. He scored 20 points in the team's double overtime win over Southern Illinois at home, scored 23 at Creighton and most recently scored 22 points at Illinois State last Sunday.
One reason for the Sycamores' 5-5 start in Valley play is their increase in defensive pressure. The Sycamores have 78 steals in 10 league games, for an average of 7.8 per game. Both of those marks currently rank first among all teams in conference games, just ahead of Bradley, who ranks second with 73 swipes for an average of 7.3 per game in league play.
Wednesday's win over in-state rival Evansville completed the season sweep for the Sycamores over the Purple Aces. ISU won the first contest 70-56 in the team's Valley opener on the road (the team's only road win of the season) and then wrapped it up with the 30-point win at the Hulman Center by a score of 72-42. That win was the largest margin of victory for the team since a 36-point victory over Evansville on Feb. 21, 2001. It was also ISU's first regular season sweep of any Missouri Valley Conference opponent since it swept Evansville during the 2004 season.
Senior Todd McCoy flirted with a couple of double-double performances earlier in the season, but fell just short of the achievement. However, he got the job done on Wednesday against Evansville and recorded the first double-double of his two-year career at ISU with 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Purple Aces. The Philadelphia, Pa., native's 12 boards set a new career high and his two blocks also set a new career standard. His 12 points just missed a career high, as he scored 13 points against Evansville earlier in the season to set his high mark in that category. McCoy's double-double is the second of the season for ISU, joining junior Jay Tunnell who had 16 points and 10 rebounds against Ball State on Dec. 8.
It's not coincidence that one of the quietest members on the Sycamores roster is quietly having a very impressive season. Sophomore Marico Stinson has been on a roll as of late for ISU, as he has scored in double figures in 10 out of his last 13 games. On the season, Stinson leads the Sycamores in points (259), points per game (13.0), field goals (98) and three-pointers (47).
One look at the season statistics for ISU and one can see that the team has shared the scoring duties. In Wednesday's win over Evansville, Gabe Moore (14), Todd McCoy (12), Harry Marshall (10) and Jay Tunnell (10) shared in the scoring duties to lead the Sycamores to a season sweep over their rivals from the south. The squad has had four players in double figures five times this season, including both games against Evansville, on the road at Tulane and in back-to-back games at home early in the season against Northern Illinois and IPFW.
When teams face off against the Sycamores, one thing will be constant: Gabe Moore will be in the starting lineup. On against Wednesday against Bradley, Moore started his 103rd consecutive game in an Indiana State uniform. The Little Rock, Ark., native started the final 23 games of his freshman career and has not missed a start since, for a total of 80 straight games. In his career to date, Moore has scored 1,045 points, grabbed 288 rebounds, dished out 394 assists and collected 184 steals.
Somebody had to be the hero in ISU's double-overtime win over Southern Illinois and that player was Marico Stinson. The sophomore guard battled through 44 minutes of action on the court, but saved his biggest shots for when they counted the most. In the first overtime session, Stinson connected on a three-pointer with 1:33 left to tie the game at 52-52 and send it to the second overtime period. During the second OT period, his three-pointer with 1:22 left gave ISU a two-point lead at 59-57. However, after SIU got the lead back at 62-61, it was Stinson who nailed a three-pointer with just two seconds left to propel the Sycamores to a 64-62 victory at the Hulman Center.
Senior Gabe Moore joined a very exclusive club at Drake, as he scored eight points to take him over 1,000 in his career, becoming just the 30th player in Indiana State history to achieve that milestone. Moore headed into the game with 995 career points, but his eight points against the Bulldogs put him over the top and give him 1,003 in his four-year career at ISU. Moore now has 1,045 and needs just 20 more points to pass Harry Morgan for 29th place with 1,064 points.
When the Sycamores earned a 74-56 victory over UNI at the Hulman Center on Jan. 5, 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. The result has been the same this year, as the Sycamores started the season 3-0 before losing at Drake. ISU went on to finish the 2000-01 season with a 22-12 overall record and won the MVC Tournament championship to earn an automatic birth in the NCAA Tournament. Let's hope the same happens this year.
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 on Dec. 8. 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.
National Signing Day can be a very stressful time for coaching staffs, as they wonder whether or not their coveted recruits will sign on the dotted line. However, the Indiana State men's basketball staff now has nothing to worry about as Carl Richard Jr. (Chicago, Ill./Richards HS), Tyler Cutter (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Siegel HS) and Koang Doluony (Omaha, Neb./Bryan HS) have all signed National Letters of Intent to continue their basketball careers as Sycamores.
