Bears' Bilyeu remains at home
Missouri State senior will miss tonight's game after birth of son.
The last eight days have been anything but boring around Missouri State's basketball team.
Reserve center Sky Frazier quit the team, the Bears lost in a controversial finish at Saint Louis and starting senior forward Nathan Bilyeu became a father."Wow. Can anything else happen?" coach Barry Hinson said Thursday during a stopover on the team's trip to Tampa, Fla., for tonight's nonconference game with South Florida.
The first thing to happen will be to find out how his team plays without Bilyeu. The three-year starter from Ozark remained home after his fiancee gave birth to 6-pound Carter Dean on Wednesday.
"It's no secret that it's always been about family in our program and we certainly respect Nate's wishes to spend this time at home," Hinson said.
Bilyeu is expected to rejoin the team after Christmas as it prepares for a Dec. 30 game at Creighton.
Deven Mitchell goes into the starting lineup tonight in Bilyeu's slot and Dale Lamberth will get additional minutes off the bench.
"If we don't come ready to play, we'll be in trouble," Lamberth said. "South Florida might be the biggest, most athletic team we'll see."
The Bulls, members of the Big East Conference, already have matched last season's win total in a 7-3 start.
LSU transfer Kentrell Gransberry, 6-foot-9 and 270 pounds, is averaging 13 points and 13 rebounds in three games since becoming eligible.
McHugh Mattis, a 6-6 senior forward, is second nationally in blocked shots at 5.1 per game. Mattis blocked a school-record 10 shots in a game against Winston-Salem.
The top scorer is Melvin Buckley, a 6-7 senior forward, who's averaging 16.5.
"Phenomenal athletes," Hinson said of the Bulls. "Gransberry had 14 rebounds in the first half the other night."
USF is averaging seven more rebounds a game than its opponents, a statistic that's notable because the Bears have struggled on the boards of late.
Without Bilyeu, the rebound situation becomes more magnified.
"It's not all on our big guys. Our guards have to stick their noses in there and get some rebounds," Hinson said.
Lamberth said the one thing to come out of the Saint Louis game, lost on a tip-in either just before or after the horn, is a rebounding wake-up call.
Rebound Saint Louis' next-to-last shot and there's no tip-in, no video review of the clock and no loss.
"This is the biggest game of our season so far because it's coming off a loss," Lamberth said. "We'll see how we respond."
Three things to watch against South Florida
- Mental reflexes: It will be interesting to see if the Bears show lingering effects from Monday night's controversial loss at Saint Louis. If they dwell on the past, they'll be in trouble tonight.
- Show killer instinctIf Missouri State is able to open a decent-sized lead, it needs to throw a knockout punch. The Bears failed to do that at Saint Louis and paid for it.
- Rebound battle: South Florida has been a terrific rebounding team, getting seven a game more than opponents. The Bears have struggled on the boards of late.
