Missouri State-Wichita State scouting report

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Missouri State: The Bears have won two straight for the first time since Dec. 29-Jan. 1 after beating Creighton and Southern Illinois at home. MSU is 1-5 in MVC road games and allows opponents to score an average 75.8 points on the road.?.?.?. Creekmore is averaging 14.7 points and shooting 81.8 percent over his past three games. Weems hasn?t scored more than 11 points since scoring 30 against Bradley on Jan. 9. He is 10 of 40 from three-point range in nine games since making 6 of 10 against the Braves. Mallett led MSU with 21 points and nine rebounds in WSU?s 65-62 win in Springfield. The Shockers led by 25 points early in the second half.



Wichita State: Durley said his sore right hamstring is improving. ?I still have a little pain, but it?s nothing that?s going to hold me back,? he said. Regardless, Coach Gregg Marshall wants more post scoring. Five of Durley?s six shots came from three-point range against Evansville. ?I?d like to see he and Garrett (Stutz) and Gabe (Blair) and Aaron establish themselves more inside,? Marshall said. ?(Durley) was doing that against Indiana State at the end, but it was on drives. Couple of post touches. He certainly doesn?t do it consistently.?

RPIs as of Saturday: MSU 80, WSU 48

 

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Bears brace for hostile road trip
Missouri State men have one win at Koch Arena in last 14 years.




With their first two-game winning streak in more than a month in hand, Missouri State goes back on the road with a bit of rediscovered swagger.

They'll need it. Wichita State's Koch Arena is a place winning streaks usually go to die.

"It's a great environment and Wichita State is a really good team," Bears center Will Creekmore said.

The Shockers are 14-0 this season at home. MSU has one victory in Koch Arena in the last 14 years.

The challenge is obvious, perhaps even more so after Wichita State's stunning road loss in its last game at last-place Evansville likely will have the Shockers angry and focused.

"Our guys have a level of confidence and they'll be ready to play," MSU coach Cuonzo Martin said. "Wichita State will be hungry and ready after its loss.

"But it's a matter of us taking care of doing what we do best. That's all we can do."

MSU likely must find a way to win at least one of its remaining three road games to avoid falling into the play-in round at next month's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Trips to Illinois State and Indiana State, along with a home game with Drake, remain.

Creekmore said the Bears are focusing on each game as it comes more than tournament seeding, but the players know what's at stake.

"It's a logjam in the middle of the conference," Creekmore said. "A (winning streak) and you can move up in a hurry."

Wichita State gave MSU one of its two home-court defeats, beating the Bears 65-62 on Jan. 6. The Shockers rolled to a 25-point lead early in the second half before a frantic rally saw MSU get within one.

The Shockers took off from there and, until the hiccup at Evansville, have held a firm grip on second place. Now that cushion is down to one game.

Coach Gregg Marshall told the Wichita Eagle that he was at a loss to explain the Evansville defeat and some apparent slippage in two games prior to that.

"I'm pleased, for the most part, when you take the season overall at 20-6 and second place in the Valley," Marshall said. "But the last game just gnaws at you. And the last couple games have gnawed at me.

"We've got to figure out a way to right the ship."

The Bears, at 1-5 on the Valley road, know their ship isn't quite righted yet.

"When you're winning road games, it's mental focus, about having discipline every time down," Martin said. "You have to make teams beat you when you're on the road. It's a process.

"You can't just step on the floor and say 'here we are.' You have to go through it."