Quick turnaround for Bears

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MSU faces league favorite UNI just two days after big win over Illinois State.


In a perfect world, Missouri State's basketball team could spend a couple of days basking in Friday's home-court victory over Illinois State.

Instead, the Bears turned their immediate attention to a showdown against the Missouri Valley Conference's top team.

"We're looking forward to it," MSU forward Kyle Weems said of today's game at Northern Iowa.

The defending league champion Panthers have all five starters back and are living up to expectations, having won 10 in a row.

Bears coach Cuonzo Martin called UNI an impressive team, but downplayed the "big-game" label that seems natural for this one.

"We keep hearing that after we were 1-0 (in the league) and after 2-0 ... every game is a big game," Martin said. "For us, it's one game at a time. We continue to get better.

"One thing is for certain, our guys are ready to play. They're never phased by the environment. They're looking forward to playing this game."

Added Weems: "They're all good shooters and they play well together. So we have our work cut out for us, we're excited to go play them."

The Panthers' only loss came in the season's second game, to DePaul, on a neutral court.

Guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe and forward Adam Koch both average 13.1 points to lead a balanced offense. Seven-footer Jordan Eglseder averages 12.1 points and 7.8 rebounds.

Koch averaged 26 points and 7 rebounds in two UNI victories over the Bears last season.

There's more substance than style to UNI's success. Coach Ben Jacobson said his team prides itself on fundamentals and playing with poise.

"We've got guys that they're able to just stay composed," Jacobson told the Des Moines Register.

"They've got enough experience that they know what they're looking for," Jacobson added. "Our experience has certainly paid off in a number of games already this year."

While MSU is off to its best start since the 1996-97 Bears were 13-1, UNI's start is its best as a D-I team.

"I think that's good for us," guard Johnny Moran said of the hot start, "but we haven't really been paying attention to records or anything like that.

"We've got a good team coming in here ... and we're trying to get ready and prepare for that."

Added Martin: "They're a talented ballclub. We're staying the course and whatever happens, happens."

 

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UNI Basketball: Two hot teams to battle it out for MVC top spot




They've fended off Missouri Valley Conference heavyweight Creighton. Now comes the league upstart.

Missouri State is eager to knock the Northern Iowa men's basketball team off its pedestal, and the Bearcats appear to have the athletes to do that in today's 1 p.m. game at the McLeod Center.

Missouri State is 12-1 overall and tied with the Panthers atop the Valley at 2-0. The Bearcats were predicted to finish ninth in the 10-team league, while Northern Iowa was picked to repeat as champions.

"That's the way it is in the Valley, last year with us and two years ago with Drake, where a good team can come in and win a lot of games and get things going," Panther senior Adam Koch said.

Missouri State's success has been fueled by long-range gunners Kyle Weems (15.5 points per game, 50 percent from 3-point range) and Adam Leonard (13.3, 42.5). Its lone loss was in overtime at Arkansas.

Northern Iowa (11-1, 2-0) is riding a 10-game winning streak that is the result of strong defense. The Panthers lead the Valley by allowing just 56.2 points per game.

"Playing against their team twice last year, they're a hard-nosed, physical team," Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said. "We're defending well. The guys have been doing a better job of concentrating on that end of the floor. And I think that's the key to giving yourselves a chance to win every time you take the floor is to defend hard."

That defense feeds Northern Iowa's offensive success. The Panthers frequently reel off stretches of 10 or more consecutive points.

"When we get stops, we try to run in transition and catch them off guard," said Koch, who is tied with Kwadzo Ahelegbe for the team lead with 13.1 points per game. "We get some open looks, and we've got guys who can knock them down. I think that's the key to our wins is to get those little runs."