Date: March 6, 2008
Location: St. Louis, Mo.
Site: Scottrade Center
Tip-off: 7:05 p.m. EST
Radio: The Crock 92.7 FM
Talent: Brian Fritz & Matt Renn
Series: Wichita State leads 40-25
Last Time: ISU 83, WSU 73 (OT) (2/19/08)
For the third time in just over a month, Indiana State will face off against Wichita State, but this time there is a bit more at stake. The No. 8 seed Sycamores (14-15, 8-10 MVC) will be facing off against the No. 9 seed Shockers (11-19, 4-14 MVC) hoping to advance to the quarterfinal round of the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The two teams split the regular-season series, with each team winning on its home court. The Shockers picked up a 65-60 win over the Sycamores on Feb. 9 at Charles Koch Arena, but ISU got some revenge in a thrilling 83-73 overtime come-from-behind win over WSU on Feb. 19 at the Hulman Center.
ISU heads into the tournament after dropping their final two conference games, which made them the No. 8 seed in the tournament. In their last game, sophomore Harry Marshall scored 18 points while three of his teammates scored in double figures, but it was not enough as the Sycamores fell to Missouri State 83-73 for just their second home loss of the season.
WSU has lost five out of its last six games, with the only win coming at home against Evansville last week 68-54. The Shockers wrapped up the regular season by falling at Draked 73-63 last Saturday.
Wichita State leads the all-time series 40-25 between the two schools. Tonight's showdown will be the sixth all-time against Wichita State in the conference tournament for Indiana State, with the Shockers holding a 4-1 advantage in the series after an 83-61 win over ISU in the quarterfinals of the 2006 tournament.
1978
@Hulman Center, Terre Haute, Ind.
Indiana State 90, West Texas State 71
Indiana State 88, Bradley 81
Indiana State 80, New Mexico State 78 (2OT)
@Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Neb.
Creighton 54, Indiana State 52
1979
@Hulman Center, Terre Haute, Ind.
Indiana State 94, West Texas State 84
Indiana State 79, Southern Illinois 72
Indiana State 69, New Mexico State 59
(MVC Tournament Champions)
1980
@Henry Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kan.
Wichita State 82, Indiana State 70
1981
@Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Neb.
Creighton, 64, Indiana State 61
1982
@Robertson Fieldhouse, Peoria, Ill.
Bradley 86, Indiana State 61
1983
@Tulsa Assembly Center, Tulsa, Okla.
Tulsa 108, Indiana State 89
1984
@Tulsa Assembly Center, Tulsa, Okla.
Tulsa 110, Indiana State 99
1985
@Horton Field House, Normal, Ill.
Indiana State 66, Illinois State 61
@Henry Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kan.
Wichita State 92, Indiana State 65
1986
@Tulsa Assembly Center, Tulsa, Okla.
Tulsa 68, Indiana State 50
1987
@Horton Field House, Normal, Ill.
Illinois State 70, Indiana State 55
1988
@Carver Arena, Peoria, Ill.
Bradley 93, Indiana State 74
1989
@Henry Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kan.
Creighton 85, Indiana State 70
1990
@Redbird Arena, Normal, Ill.
Southern Illinois 70, Indiana State 54
1991
@Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Mo.
Southern Illinois 80, Indiana State 61
1992
@St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Mo.
Tulsa 77, Indiana State 65
1993
@St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Mo.
Illinois State 73, Indiana State 68
1997
@Kiel Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Indiana State 86, Southern Illinois 71
Illinois State 72, Indiana State 58
1998
@Kiel Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Wichita State 65, Indiana State 55
1999
@Kiel Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Missouri St. 79, Indiana State 78-OT
2000
@Kiel Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Indiana State 57, Wichita State 50
Creighton 71, Indiana State 69
2001
@Savvis Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Indiana State 67, Southern Illinois 64
Indiana State 87, Creighton 74
Indiana State 69, Bradley 63
(MVC Tournament Champions)
2002
@Savvis Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Bradley 70, Indiana State 58
2003
@ Savvis Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Indiana State 61, Northern Iowa 60
Creighton 57, Indiana State 56
2004
@ Savvis Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Evansville 63, Indiana State 59
2005
@ Savvis Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Indiana State 63, Bradley 61
Southern Illinois 64, Indiana State 49
2006
@ Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Indiana State 72, Drake 63
Wichita State 83, Indiana State 61
2007
@ Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Indiana State 68, Illinois State 65
Creighton 59, Indiana State 38
Overall: 16-25 (.390)
Home: 6-0 (1.000)
Away:1-10 (.091)
Neutral: 9-15 (.375)
► 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.
► Wichita State's Gregg Marshall is in his first year as the head coach of the Shockers. Marshall came to WSU via Winthrop, where he spent the last nine seasons as head coach. During that time, he led the team to a 194-83 (.707) record, six Big South regular season championships, seven Big South Tournament championships and seven trips to the NCAA Tournament including a second-round loss to No. 3 seed Oregon last year. He is assisted by Earl Grant, Chris Jans and Marty Gross.
► Wichita State University is located in Wichita, Kan., and has an enrollment of 14,298. The Shockers are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games at the Charles Koch Arena (10,478).
► The Shockers are led by first-year head coach Gregg Marshall. Marshall came to Wichita State via Winthrop, where he spent the last nine seasons as head coach. During that time, he led the team to a 194-83 (.707) record, six Big South regular season championships, seven Big South Tournament championships and seven trips to the NCAA Tournament including a second-round loss to No. 3 seed Oregon last year.
► WSU returns six letterwinners and two starters from last year's team that finished 17-14 overall and 8-10 in the MVC, good for a sixth-place finish in the Valley.
► The Shockers head into tonight's game as the top rebounding team in the Missouri Valley Conference. WSU has 1,091 total rebounds in 30 games this season for league-high 36.4 rebounds per game. The Shockers also have the best rebounding margin in the league at +6.6.
► P.J. Couisnard leads the way for the Shockers, as he averages 13.5 points per game while also leading the team in steals (47), blocked shots (24) and minutes played (975).
When No. 8 seed Indiana State faces off against No. 9 seed Wichita State in the play-in round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday, it will mark the third time the two teams have met each other on the court in just over a month. The first meeting happened on Feb. 2, when the Shockers earned a 65-60 win over the Sycamores at Charles Koch Arena. The two teams then met just 10 days later at the Hulman Center, when ISU mounted separate comebacks of 21 and 10 points in the second half to eventually pick up an 83-73 overtime win over WSU in one of the most exciting games in recent team history. Thursday's match-up will be the third of the season and sixth all-time against Wichita State in the conference tournament, with the Shockers holding a 4-1 advantage in the series.
The Sycamores were not happy about dropping to the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament, but their success in the play-in round in recent years has been favorable. ISU has won its last three-straight play-in games and four out if its last five overall. Last year, the Sycamores were the No. 10 seed and defeated No. 7 seed Illinois State 68-65 to move on to the quarterfinal round. In 2006, the No. 8-seeded Sycamores picked up a 72-63 win over No. 9 seed Drake to advance and in 2005, ISU defeated No. 8 seed Bradley, 63-61, as the No. 9 seed to advance to the next round of play.
Senior point guard Gabe Moore played the last regular season game of his career last Saturday against Missouri State and wrapped up his career as one of the best all-round guards in school history. Moore finished with 17 points against the Bears to move him past Nate Green (1996-00) for 19th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,193 points. The Little Rock, Ark., native is now just seven points away from passing Bob Barker (1968-71) for 18th all-time with 1,199. Moore also ranks third on the all-time steals list with 203, behind Green and Hall of Famer Larry Bird (1976-79) in first with 240. Moore also passed Bird for fifth on the all-time assists list after dishing out six against MSU to give him 441 in his four-year stint at ISU.
During the 2006-07 season, the Sycamores blocked just 42 shots as a team. This season, the team has more than doubled that mark to 91, thanks in large part to freshman forward Isiah Martin. Martin has 55 blocks in his first season at ISU, which sets a new freshman single-season record and ranks as the second most in a season in school history behind DeCarsta Webster's 77 during the 1975-76 season. Those 55 blocks and his average of 1.90 per game also rank first overall in the Missouri Valley Conference, ahead of Illinois State's Anthony Slack who has 42 blocks for an average of 1.50 per game. Martin is the first Sycamore to lead the league in blocks since Josh Hallat achieved the feat during the 1994 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's 65 steals rank second in the conference behind SIU's Bryan Mullins. However, his average of 2.24 per game tops the league list in that category, just ahead of Mullins' mark of 2.20 per game. Moore also has 35 steals during conference play for an average of 1.94 per game, both of which rank first in the Valley. In addition, Mullins and Moore are also the league's two highest active career steals leaders, with Mullins topping the list with 209 and Moore ranking second with 203.
One advantage to head coach Kevin McKenna's new offensive system is that multiple players have a chance to score. That's exactly what several Sycamores did in last Saturday's game against Missouri State, as four players finished in double figures. Harry Marshall (18), Gabe Moore (17), Isiah Martin (11) and Aaron Carter (10) each shared in the scoring duties for the Sycamores, but the team fell short of the win. With their performance against the Bears, the squad has now had four players score in double figures 10 times this season. Compare that to last season, when the team achieved that feat just six times.
When teams face off against the Sycamores, one thing will be constant: Gabe Moore will be in the starting lineup. Last Saturday against Missouri State, Moore started his 112th 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 89 straight games. In his career to date, Moore has scored 1,193 points, grabbed 316 rebounds, dished out 441 assists and collected 203 steals during his stellar four-year career.
Freshman guard Aaron Carter put himself in the spotlight recently, 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.
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 at the time to 12-1 and extend their winning streak to three games.
Indiana State's comeback on Feb. 19 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 new 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.
Indiana State won eight Missouri Valley Conference games this season, its most since the 2001 season, thanks to limiting their turnovers and forcing more from their opponents. During conference play, ISU has a turnover margin of +2.28, which ranks second in the conference behind the league champion and No. 1 seed 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 12.2 times per game in Valley play.
Defending the three-pointer has been a strong point for Indiana State this season, as the Sycamores are allowing opponents to shoot just .344 from beyond the arc on the season, which ranks second in the league. ISU has also given up a league-low 109 three-pointer to their Valley counterparts.
Not only was the team's win over Bradley on Feb. 12 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 the 100th victory 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 14-15 in his first season at ISU, for a career mark of 103-48 (.682) in five seasons.
ISU's win over in-state rival Evansville on Jan. 23 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 conference road win of the season) and then wrapped it up with a 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 also marked ISU's first regular season sweep of any Missouri Valley Conference opponent since it swept Evansville during the 2004 season.
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 1,193 points in his career, which puts him in 18th place on the all-time scoring list.
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 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. Richard Jr., A 6-4, 180-pound small forward, averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game as a junior at Richards High School. Cutter, A six-foot point guard from Murfreesboro, Tenn., averaged 18.5 points, five assists, two steals and four rebounds per game as a junior for Siegel High School. Originally from the Sudan, Doluony, a 6-7 forward, averaged eight points and seven rebounds per game during his junior season at Omaha Bryan High School.
