Date: March 1, 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
TELVISION: WTWO NBC Ch. 2
Talent: Jason Pensky and Jim Waugh
Series: Missouri State leads 33-15
Last Time: MSU 65, ISU 44 (1/15/08)
Seniors Todd McCoy, Gabe Moore and Mick Yelovich will play the final game of their careers in the Hulman Center tonight, when they face off against Missouri State in one of the biggest games in an ISU uniform.
With a win tonight, the Sycamores are assured of at least the No. 6 seed, with a possibility of attaining the No. 5 seed with some help from the rest of the league. The last time ISU was top six seed or better was in 2001, when the Sycamores won just their second conference tournament championship in school history.
ISU comes into the game after dropping a 73-58 decision to Northern Iowa on Wednesday. With a in that game, the Sycamores would have clinched a top six seed, but the road proved difficult once again for ISU. Junior Jay Tunnell had a great game for the Sycamores, as he scored 12 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to record his second double-double of the season and the fourth of his career at ISU.
The Bears head into tonight's game as winners of two-straight games, including an 86-83 win over league-champion and No. 20 ranked Drake on Tuesday night in the final game ever at the historic Hulman Student Center. MSU had four players in double figures in that game, with Deven Mitchell leading the way with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Missouri State leads the all-time series between the two schools, 33-15. Including their win over the Sycamores earlier this season, the Bears have now won five games in a row over the Sycamores 12 of the last 14 matchup overall in the series.
► 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.
► Missouri State's Barry Hinson is in his ninth season as the Bears' head coach. During that time, Hinson has posted an overall record of 167-126 at Missouri State and has taken his team to four NIT appearances, including three-straight heading into this season. He is assisted by Ben Miller, Steve Woodberry and Kyan Brown.
► Missouri State University is located in Springfield, Mo., and has an enrollment of 21,407. The Bears are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games at the Hammons Student Center (8,846).
► The Bears are led by head coach Barry Hinson. Hinson in his ninth season as the Bears head coach. During that time, Hinson has posted a record of 167-126 at Missouri State and has taken his team to four NIT appearances, including three-straight heading into this season. Prior to coming to Missouri State, Hinson was the head coach at Oral Roberts from 1997-1999 and amassed a record of 36-23.
► MSU returns seven letter winners and two starters from last year's team that finished 22-11 overall and 12-6 in the MVC, good for a third-place tie in the conference standings. That earned the Bears a trip to the NIT, where they were defeated in the first round by San Diego State.
► The Bears head into tonight's game as winners of two-straight games, including an 86-83 win over league-champion and No. 20 ranked Drake on Tuesday night in the final game ever at the historic Hulman Student Center on Senior Night.
► Senior Deven Mitchell leads the way for the Bears in several statistical categories. His 14.3 points per game are a team high and he also leads the team with an average of 6.2 rebounds per game. He is joined in double figures by senior forward Dale Lamberth, who is averaging 14.0 points per game and is tied for the team lead in three-pointers with 55.
It's a lot easier to win a conference championships playing only three games in stead of four at the conference tournament. In tonight's game, ISU and MSU will each be fighting to get a chance to move up into the top six in the conference to avoid the play-in round at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament next weekend. With a win, the Sycamores are assured of at least the No. 6 seed, with a possibility of attaining the No. 5 seed with some help from the rest of the league. However, if they lose this game, ISU will be the No. 8 seed and will playing on Thursday night for the seventh-straight season.
Tonight's matchup between the Sycamores and the Bears is an important one for both teams. However, if you take a look at the season statistics for both teams, the Sycamores may be the favorite in tonight's game. Despite losing badly to Missouri State 65-44 on Jan. 15, the Sycamores bring a 12-1 home record into the game, with the only loss coming at home to then No. 16 ranked Drake. On the other hand, the Bears have struggled mightily on the road, as they have recorded just a 1-11 record, including an 0-8 record on the road in Valley play.
With a win tonight, the Sycamores would assure themselves of a top-six seed in the upcoming State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The last time ISU did not have to participate in the play-in round was in 2001, when the Sycamores won just their second conference tournament championship in school history. ISU was the No 5 seed that year and defeated the No. 2 seeded Bradley Braves 69-63 in the championship game to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Junior forward Jay Tunnell has been locked in lately on the court, as he has posted five double-figures scoring efforts in his last seven tries. One of his best performances of the season came on Wednesday at Northern Iowa, when he recorded his second-double double of the season by scoring 12 points and pulling down 13 rebounds against the Panthers. That double-double was the fourth of Tunnell's three-year career at ISU and he now has six double-digit rebounding games in his career.
Indiana State and seniors Todd McCoy, Gabe Moore and Mick Yelovich will play their final game of the season at home tonight, The home court at the Hulman Center has been a welcome place for ISU this season, as the team has posted a solid 12-1 record, with the only loss coming to then No. 16 Drake by a score of 83-77 on Feb. 2. On the season, ISU is averaging 70.8 points per game at the Hulman Center and are limiting opponents to just 59.8 per contest.
Senior point guard Gabe Moore will play the final home game of his career tonight at Indiana State and he will end his run as one of the best all-round guards in school history. Moore's strong play as of late, including a career high mark of 29 points against Wichita State last week, has increased his career scoring number to 1,176, which puts in him 20th place all-time, just three points away from tying Nate Green (1996-00) for 19th place. The Little Rock, Ark., also recently passed former Sycamore great Michael Menser on the all-time steals list with 202, good for third place all-time. Moore also tied the great Larry Bird (1976-79) for fifth on the all-time list with 435 after dishing out six assists on Wednesday at Northern Iowa.
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's 64 swipes tie for the top mark in the conference with SIU's Bryan Mullins. However, his average of 2.29 per game tops the league list in that category, just ahead of Mullins' mark of 2.21 per game. Moore also has 34 steals in conference games for an average of two per game, both of which rank first in the Valley.
During the 2006-07 season, the Sycamores blocked just 42 shots as a team. This season, the team has more than doubled that mark at 88, thanks in large part to freshman post player Isiah Martin. Martin has 53 blocks in his first season at ISU, which sets a new freshman single-season record and now ranks as the second most in a season behind DeCarsta Wesbster's 77 during the 1975-76 season. Those 53 blocks and his average of 1.89 per game also rank first overall in the Missouri Valley Conference, ahead of Illinois State's Anthony Slack who has 41 blocks for an average of 1.52 per game. Eric Coleman of Northern Iowa and Randal Falker of Southern Illinois are tied in second in total blocks with 40 each.
Freshman guard Aaron Carter put himself in the spotlight last week, as he averaged 14 points and five rebounds per game in the Sycamores' two win over Wichita State and Murray State. For the week, the Cannelton, Ind., native shot 9-for-13 (.692) from the field including a 4-for-7 (.571) performance from three-point range. In Tuesday's come-from-behind overtime victory over Wichita State, Carter was an integral part in ISU's comeback and finished the game with a career high 14 points and five rebounds. On Saturday against Murray State, Carter was a big part of the Sycamores' first-half comeback and tied his career high with 14 points, all in the first half, to go along with five rebounds in the BracketBusters win on the road against the Racers.
One advantage to head coach Kevin McKenna's new offensive system is that multiple players will have a chance to score. That's exactly what the Sycamores in last Saturday's win at Murray State, as four players finished the game in double figures. Harry Marshall (16), Jay Tunnell (15), Aaron Carter (14) and Marico Stinson (12) each shared in the scoring duties to help ISU win their second game of the season on the road. With their performance against the Racers, the squad has now had four players score in double figures nine times this season. Compare that to last season, when the team achieved that feat just six times.
Indiana State's comeback on Tuesday night against Wichita State was not the only story, as the Sycamores set the bar with new team and individual season highs. ISU scored a season-high 83 points in the overtime win, besting the 78 points the team scored in the season opener against Oakland City. The team also improved its record in overtime games to 2-0 on the season. Senior Gabe Moore had an outstanding game by scoring a season-high 29 points to tie his career high, while freshman Aaron Carter's 14 points also set a season and career high. Senior Todd McCoy rounded out the individual performances with his three made three-pointers to set a new career high, one of which tied the game at 48-48 to cap off the amazing 21-point run.
When Wichita State took a 21-point lead over the Sycamores with 13:43 left in the game on Tuesday night at the Hulman Center, few could sense what was about to happen over the next five minutes. The Sycamores buckled down and went on an improbable 21-point run to tie the game at 48-48 with 8:53 left on the clock. WSU then went back up by 10 points with 2:32 left in the game and held a nine-point lead with just 1:22 left. However, ISU rallied once again and a Gabe Moore layup with four seconds left tied the game at 67-67 to send the contest to overtime. From there, the Sycamores took over and cruised to an 83-73 win to improve their home record this season to 12-1 and extend their winning streak to three games.
When teams face off against the Sycamores, one thing will be constant: Gabe Moore will be in the starting lineup. On Tuesday against Wichita State, Moore started his 109th 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 88 straight games. In his career to date, Moore has scored 1,176 points, grabbed 313 rebounds, dished out 435 assists and collected 202 steals during his stellar four-year career.
With a win tonight, the Sycamores would be in line for the sixth seed in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, thanks to limiting their own turnovers and forcing more from their opponents. During conference play, ISU has a turnover margin of +2.00, which ranks second in the conference behind the league champion Drake Bulldogs. ISU is forcing an average of 14.5 turnovers from their conference counterparts, but have only been turning the ball over an average of 12.5 times per game in Valley play.
Defending the three-pointer has been a strong point for Indiana State this season, as they are allowing opponents to shoot just .346 from beyond the arc on the season, which ranks second in the league and have allowed a league-low 165 treys. That defensive effort has been particularly strong during the team's last five games, as they have allowed opponents to shoot just 33-for-100 (.333) from three-point range on way to a 4-1 record during that stretch.
Not only was the team's win over Bradley win a big one for the Sycamores, but it was also a big one in the career of head coach Kevin McKenna. The team's 76-66 win gave McKenna 100 in his career as a head coach during his time spent at Nebraska-Omaha and Indiana State. McKenna posted an 89-33 overall mark in four seasons at UNO and is now 14-14 in his first season at ISU, for a career mark of 103-47 (.687) in five seasons.
Senior Gabe Moore joined a very exclusive club at in the team's Jan. 9 game 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 1,176 points in his career, which puts him in 20th place on the all-time scoring list.
