Missouri State Basketball

Missouri State has had a forgettable year, but the team produced one of the most memorable plays of the 2018-19 season.

Jarred Dixon beat Illinois State Sunday on a half-court shot after a wild scramble for the ball in the closing seconds:

HE CALLED GAME FROM HALF COURT! 😱 #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/xKQQbgSrRI

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 10, 2019

The Bears trailed by five with less than 10 seconds left, but Josh Webster kept the game alive with an and-1. A loose ball on the ensuing inbound created the opportunity for Dixon to knock down the deep shot for the 66-65 win.

It seemed like nearly every player on the court hit the ground at some point during the play, but it was the last man back on defense who ended up with the ball.

Missouri State improved to 13-12 on the year with the win, including 7-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Regardless of how the rest of the season goes, however, this play will likely be the highlight of the year.

Usually, it doesn't take a brain to pick the No. 1-vs-16 and No. 2-vs-15 games in the NCAA tournament—this year, it was different.

Somehow, Missouri and Duke both fell short against Norfolk State and Lehigh, respectively, ending their NCAA tournament runs early. Norfolk upset Missouri by two points and Lehigh prevailed by five.

And both teams wrote a new chapter in the NCAA tournament book.

Lehigh and Duke went back and forth, trading leads and runs throughout the game. In the end, however, it was Lehigh who came out on top, moving on to the Round of 32 to face either Notre Dame or Xavier.

C.J. McCollum scored 30 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists in a huge game for the Mountain Hawks. When the Hawks needed a big shot, McCollum provided it.

Neither team had a significant advantage on the stat sheet, but in a game of runs, Lehigh had one at the best time. Both were trading leads, but with two minutes left, Lehigh grabbed a seven-point lead, forcing Duke to go into fouling mode.

Duke failed to put the game away at the free throw line earlier, and while they were clutch at the end, Lehigh made enough free throws to hold off the Blue Devils. Twice, the Mountain Hawks broke the press, and as a result, Jordan Hamilton and Gabe Knutson finished with dunks—which proved to be enough for Lehigh.

As a second seed, Duke was expected to cruise. Instead, they weren't able to outplay the Mountain Hawks, and when a team like Duke doesn't dominate the stat sheet against Lehigh, you know they're in trouble.

Duke turned the ball over eleven times, and Lehigh controlled the ball very well, losing the ball just seven times. Seth Curry, the brother of tourney hero Stephen Curry, made just one of nine shots from the field, and thanks to his and Austin Rivers' struggles (Rivers scored 19 and made just 5 of 14 shots), McCollum was able to shut down the guards and help Lehigh control the tempo.

In case you didn't know, controlling the tempo against Duke and the high-flying Plumlee brothers is crucial to Lehigh's success. However, what set Lehigh apart from Duke was their clutch ability.

About three and a half minutes remained, and Lehigh led by two. The Mountain Hawks took the ball up the court, and they were able to set up McCollum for an open three. He knocked the shot down, and after a John Adams dunk, Lehigh took control of the game and became one of six fifteen-seeds to win a tourney game.

Another one of those teams is Norfolk State.

Most predicted Missouri to run by Norfolk State and land in the Final Four, but Norfolk State had other plans. Kyle O'Quinn became the player every team needs to pull an upset, by scoring 26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Since the Tigers are mostly composed of talented guards, the Spartans had a size advantage. They used it wisely, out-rebounding Missouri 35-23, and 14 of those 35 were offensive rebounds.

O'Quinn controlled the boards and occupied the paint, and by getting second chances, the Spartans were able to stay in the game. With the score tied at 81, Kyle O'Quinn snatched an air-balled shot out of the air, and sent it flying off the backboard and into the hoop.

O'Quinn was fouled on the shot and made his free throw, which put the Spartans up by three. Missouri had a chance to win the game, but Phil Pressey's shot hit the back rim and bounced away, which gave Norfolk State the huge win.

Now, the first-time tourney team is headed for the Round of 32.

Three players on Norfolk State scored 20 or more, and the Spartans proved they could handle Missouri and their fast-paced basketball. Pendarvis Williams and Chris McEachin scored 20 points, and they held Marcus Denmon to 5-of-12 shooting.

More importantly, they held senior guard Kim English, who averaged about 15 points per game, to just two points.

Everyone assumed that Missouri's star guards would overpower Norfolk State's, but the Spartans came out strong, controlled the tempo, and got just enough from O'Quinn, Williams and McEachin to survive the Tigers.

Lehigh and Norfolk State had never won a tournament game, and no one expected that to change. But both teams believed, and they worked their magic.

And look what came out of that.

The regular season has come to an end in the Missouri Valley Conference. Arch Madness in St. Louis is almost upon us as March begins. With this being the case, it is time to stop and reflect back on the season and recognize the best of 2010-2011. Only four seniors are in the MVC top 15, so 2011-2012 is definitely looking up for the conference.

First Team

Andrew Warren: Senior Guard, Bradley
Stats: 19.0 ppg, 1.9 apg, 5.5 rpg, 1.7 spg 

Antoine Young: Junior Guard, Creighton
Stats: 13.6 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 spg

Colt Ryan: Sophomore Guard, Evansville
Stats: 15.8 ppg, 2.3 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 spg

Kyle Weems: Junior Forward, Missouri State
Stats: 16.3 ppg, 1.4 apg, 7.0 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 1.2 spg

Doug McDermott: Freshman Forward, Creighton
Stats: 14.3 ppg, 1.1 apg, 7.6 rpg

Second Team

Dwayne Lathan: Junior Guard, Indiana State
Stats: 11.6 ppg, 1.5 apg, 4.9 rpg, 0.8 spg

Rayvonte Rice: Freshman Guard, Drake 
Stats: 13.8 ppg, 1.7 apg, 4.8 rpg, 1.4 spg

Mamadou Seck: Junior Forward, Southern Illinois 
Stats: 10.7 ppg, 1.5 apg, 8.0 rpg, 0.9 spg

Kenny Harris: Junior Forward, Evansville
Stats: 8.4 ppg, 1.4 apg, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 spg

Will Creekmore: Senior Center, Missouri State
Stats: 12 ppg, 1.1 apg, 6.5 rpg, 0.9 bpg

Honorable Mention

Jake Odum: Freshman Guard, Indiana State
Stats: 9.1 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.9 rpg, 1.7 spg

Kwadzo Ahelegbe: Senior Guard, Northern Iowa 
Stats:14.0 ppg, 2.9 apg, 3.1 rpg

Toure' Murry: Junior Guard, Wichita State
Stats: 9.7 ppg, 3.4 apg, 5.0 rpg, 1.1 spg

J.T. Durley: Senior Forward-Center, Wichita State
Stats: 11.3 ppg, 5.1  rpg, 1.3 apg  

Jackie Carmichael: Sophomore Forward, Illinois State 
Stats: 9.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg

Coach of the Year

Cuonzo Martin, Missouri State

Freshman of the Year

Doug McDermott, Creighton
 

Player of the Year

Kyle Weems, Missouri State

Normalcy returned to the MVC the past week.

Missouri State and Wichita State separated themselves from the rest of the pack as they went 2-0 last week. Both teams are still in the hunt for the MVC regular season title and showed their desire to have the top spot as the conference tourney looms.

The Missouri State Bears dispatched Illinois State and Drake in a pair of nine-point wins, while the Wichita State Shockers had impressive road wins over Northern Iowa (73-55) and Evansville (70-64) last week.

Northern Iowa's dreams of the conference regular season title ended, however, with the loss to Wichita State.

This put the Panther's three games back with two conference games to play.

The conference front-runners both face tough challenges this weekend in the bracket-busters: The Bears travel to Horizon title contender Valparaiso and the Shockers host Colonial power Virgina Commonwealth.

As things starts to settle, the conference is looking at potentially two bids to the NCAA tournament.

However, bracket busters are this week and the conference needs to step up to keep those bids in hand.

Here is the complete slate of BracketBuster matchups:

•  Virginia Commonwealth at Wichita State
•  Missouri State at Valparaiso   
•  Morehead State at Indiana State    
•  Illinois State at Western Michigan   
•  Green Bay at Southern Illinois    
•  Creighton at Akron    
•  George Mason at Northern Iowa    
•  Evansville at Murray State    
•  Detroit at Drake   
•  Bradley at Tennessee-Martin   

*Favorites denoted in bold

The matchups definitely do not play in the MVC's favor, as the conference's top four have tough matchups and the bottom half of the conference has underachieved most of the season.

With that being the case, a 4-6 mark is probably in the cards, though a low of 2-8 and a high of 6-4 would not be surprising.

Once the weekend is over, the teams head into the final full week of conference play before getting ready for March Madness in St. Louis.

MVC WEEKLY RANKINGS

10. Southern Illinois 11-16 (5-11 MVC) Last week: No. 10

9. Illinois State 11-16 (3-13 MVC) Last week: No. 8

8. Bradley 9-18 (3-13 MVC) Last week: No. 9

7. Drake 11-16 (6-10 MVC) Last week: No. 6 

6. Evansville 14-12 (8-8 MVC) Last week: No. 4

5. Creighton 17-11 (9-7 MVC) Last week: No. 7

4. Northern Iowa 19-9 (10-6 MVC)  Last week: No. 3

3. Indiana State 15-12 (10-6 MVC) Last week: No. 5 

2. Wichita State 22-5 (13-3 MVC) Last week: No. 2

1. Missouri State 21-6 (13-3 MVC) Last week: No. 1

ST. LOUIS—Although they lost in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, the season is not over for the Missouri State Bears.

Following a 20-loss season, second-year coach Cuonzo Martin turned things around quickly this season by overhauling the roster.

The result was a 20-12 record, and a likely berth in the National Invitation Tournament.

“With seven new players, that helps. But for the rest of us, we got another year under our belt,” said sophomore forward Kyle Weems, who along with senior Justin Fuehrmeyer were the only returning players with any significant experience.

It’s the first 20-win campaign for the Bears since the 2006-07 season, as they notched their 20th victory Thursday night against Evansville. The Bears went 3-0 versus Evansville this season and is 4-0 against the Purple Aces all-time in the MVC Tournament.

While a loss to No. 2 seed Wichita State in the quarters still stings, the blow is softened with the prospect of a postseason tourney.

“It’s an honor,” Weems said. “Coach always tells us that tomorrow’s not guaranteed. We came in here with our eyes set on one prize, to be celebrating around 3 o’clock on Sunday.

“We fell short, so now it’s the next step. Whatever that step is, we’re going to compete, battle and stay together.”

Before his second season at Missouri State, Martin said there were things he had to improve upon as a coach from year one.

“They key as a coach is to understand the flow of the game, and your opponent,” Martin said. “You can learn a lot against your opponent—how they coach us, when they call timeouts. The second time around, you kind of know what your opponent’s running.

“You know the players. You know the coaches. Just actually going through it is key.”

Martin said getting a chance to further the season will be “a blessing.”

“It’s a great opportunity for our guys,” Martin said. “And when you have basically the whole roster coming back, those guys will get more reps under their belt. We came here to win this tournament and came up short, but anytime you can continue to play is always a bonus.”

Martin added that building a program the right way is also a key element to finding success as a coach.

“As far as the program from last season to this season, you’re trying to build a foundation,” Martin said. “When you’re trying to build for the long haul, you’ve got to have the right guys and have some substance to it.

“The wins will eventually come, but you’ve got to have a foundation. You don’t want to be in a situation where you win a couple of years, then four or five guys get into trouble off the court. You’ve got 15 or 18 wins, then you lose a couple guys, and next season, you’re down to 11 or 12. That’s not how you lay the foundation of a winning program.”

A focus on defense has also been important to turning around the program. Martin said his staff has worked harder to find “quality guys” more than the most talented basketball players. That’s not to say he’s willing to forgo success to recruit a good guy.

He admitted that his team exceeded expectations with 20 wins this season.

“With so many new guys, you really don’t know what you have until you actually go through the season,” Martin said. “Kyle Weems was still adjusting to college basketball. But the new guys really came in, competed and bought what we were selling as a staff.”

This article can also be found at The Alton Telegraph .

Missouri State (11-19, 3-15) against Wichita State (15-15, 8-10)

Game played at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo

Line: Wichita State -2

Missouri State finished the regular season with a 52-69 road loss against Indiana State. The loss was the second in a row for the Bears and their sixth defeat in their last seven contests.

Missouri State finished in last place with four games separating them from the closest team. These two teams split the regular season series with each team winning at home.

Wichita State fell to Southern Illinois 68-72 on Saturday to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings. Wichita State now has to perform away from home to advance, and the Shockers have been terrible on the road. Wichita State defeated Indiana State and Siena in their only road victories this season.

ATS-

Missouri State is 9-18-2 against the spread including 5-8 on the road

Wichita State is 11-14 against the spread including 6-8 on the road

Not that these teams are good to start with, but they both are very bad road teams. Both teams won just two games all season on the road and have poor ATS numbers there as well.

Both teams have trouble scoring and I expect a close low scoring affair. While I think Missouri State has a shot here, I’m going with the Shockers, as I think they have a better chance of having success on offense in a low scoring game.

Dave’s Pick: Wichita State -2

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Missouri State (9-12, 2-8) at Creighton (16-6, 6-4)

Line: Creighton -13.5

Missouri State suffered an 11-point loss on the road Thursday to Southern Illinois. It was the Bears sixth straight road loss and seventh out of eight opportunities this season. Missouri State is just not able to score. While the defense is allowing just 61.7 points a game (best in the Missouri Valley Conference), the offense isn’t even reaching that (60.9 points on average).

A pre season favorite, Creighton is seeing its regular season title hopes fade away. With Northern Iowa’s victory on Saturday, the Blue Jays find themselves 3.5 games out of the top spot. Having already lost once to the Panthers, Creighton is positioning itself now for post season play.

ATS

Missouri State is 7-13 ATS, including 3-5 on the road

Creighton is 10-8 ATS, including 4-5 at home

Creighton is 8-2 ATS against Missouri State in their last 10 matchups

Creighton has not covered this amount of points yet at home in the conference season. With the expected low-scoring game, 13.5 becomes much larger.

Dave’s Pick: Missouri State +13.5

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