With the calendar turned to February and the college basketball season entering its home stretch, Missouri State?s six pack of freshmen are in uncharted territory.
The rookies have been practicing since mid-October and all have or soon will eclipse the amount of games they?ve played in a season. It?s a time when freshmen often hit the proverbial wall, physically and mentally.
?You?re always concerned about that, with any team,? MSU coach Paul Lusk said.
The grind becomes more enjoyable with success. Evansville, today?s opponent in JQH Arena, has given the Bears nothing but torment over the last couple of years.
The Purple Aces, led by standout guard Colt Ryan, have defeated the Bears five straight times. The last three regular-season meetings, including Jan. 2 in Evansville, have gone to overtime.
?I expect another close game,? MSU freshman guard Marcus Marshall said. ?Hopefully we?ll be able to break through.?
MSU will start four freshmen for the third straight game against Evansville?s lineup that includes four seniors. The Bears? two emerging rookie standouts, Marshall and Gavin Thurman, are starting to pile up some mileage.
Marshall is averaging 32 minutes in Valley play, just outside the league?s 10 busiest players. Thurman is at 26.5 minutes. Only senior Anthony Downing, at 34.5 minutes, has been on the court more.
Lusk said some young players struggle more mentally and others more physically this time of the year.
?It depends on the individual,? Lusk said. ?I think our guys are doing pretty good. Gavin has obviously gotten better. Marcus has played the most minutes and we?ve relied on him the most, but he?s holding up from both a physical and mental standpoint.
?They?ve all done a pretty good job of coming to work every day and having the right attitude and right mindset. That?s really hard for any team, nonetheless one without a ton of upperclassmen to rely on.?
Marshall said he?s learned to be a regular in the trainer?s room, after practices, to take an invigorating ice bath. Managing time away from the court, to insure adequate rest, also has becoming a priority.
?You have to get all your homework done on time so you can get your rest and not be up all night,? Marshall said.
Thurman said it?s helped him to realize that bumps and bruises are simply a part of the deal this time of the year. Proper diet has climbed higher on his priority list.
?I go to bed earlier and eat more fruit,? Thurman said. ?You just concentrate a lot harder. I keep focusing and don?t think about (being tired). That?s helped me a lot.?
Physical execution and mental focus will be key against Evansville?s motion offense, which has averaged 74.6 points against MSU the last five meetings.
Ryan is Evansville?s marquee player, averaging 17.5 points overall and 21.5 over his last 10 games. He?s just 57 points from becoming the 14th player in Valley history to score 2,000 points.
But the rest of the Aces did plenty of damage against the Bears a month ago today. Senior guard Troy Taylor belied his 6-foot measurement by grabbing a career-high 19 rebounds.
Freshman center Egidijus Mockevicius scored a career-high 18, including his team?s first nine points that put MSU in a catch-up mode most of the night.
One of the biggest keys for MSU: Don?t foul excessively. Evansville leads the Valley in free-throw accuracy (74.4 percent) with Ryan (89.7 percent) at the top.
?They?re very good at the line and they?re very good at drawing fouls,? Lusk said.
Evansville?s roster shrunk by one on Friday when coach Marty Simmons announced the seldom-used reserve forward Jordan Jahr no longer was part of the team. Jahr was averaging 3.7 points in 20 games.
The rookies have been practicing since mid-October and all have or soon will eclipse the amount of games they?ve played in a season. It?s a time when freshmen often hit the proverbial wall, physically and mentally.
?You?re always concerned about that, with any team,? MSU coach Paul Lusk said.
The grind becomes more enjoyable with success. Evansville, today?s opponent in JQH Arena, has given the Bears nothing but torment over the last couple of years.
The Purple Aces, led by standout guard Colt Ryan, have defeated the Bears five straight times. The last three regular-season meetings, including Jan. 2 in Evansville, have gone to overtime.
?I expect another close game,? MSU freshman guard Marcus Marshall said. ?Hopefully we?ll be able to break through.?
MSU will start four freshmen for the third straight game against Evansville?s lineup that includes four seniors. The Bears? two emerging rookie standouts, Marshall and Gavin Thurman, are starting to pile up some mileage.
Marshall is averaging 32 minutes in Valley play, just outside the league?s 10 busiest players. Thurman is at 26.5 minutes. Only senior Anthony Downing, at 34.5 minutes, has been on the court more.
Lusk said some young players struggle more mentally and others more physically this time of the year.
?It depends on the individual,? Lusk said. ?I think our guys are doing pretty good. Gavin has obviously gotten better. Marcus has played the most minutes and we?ve relied on him the most, but he?s holding up from both a physical and mental standpoint.
?They?ve all done a pretty good job of coming to work every day and having the right attitude and right mindset. That?s really hard for any team, nonetheless one without a ton of upperclassmen to rely on.?
Marshall said he?s learned to be a regular in the trainer?s room, after practices, to take an invigorating ice bath. Managing time away from the court, to insure adequate rest, also has becoming a priority.
?You have to get all your homework done on time so you can get your rest and not be up all night,? Marshall said.
Thurman said it?s helped him to realize that bumps and bruises are simply a part of the deal this time of the year. Proper diet has climbed higher on his priority list.
?I go to bed earlier and eat more fruit,? Thurman said. ?You just concentrate a lot harder. I keep focusing and don?t think about (being tired). That?s helped me a lot.?
Physical execution and mental focus will be key against Evansville?s motion offense, which has averaged 74.6 points against MSU the last five meetings.
Ryan is Evansville?s marquee player, averaging 17.5 points overall and 21.5 over his last 10 games. He?s just 57 points from becoming the 14th player in Valley history to score 2,000 points.
But the rest of the Aces did plenty of damage against the Bears a month ago today. Senior guard Troy Taylor belied his 6-foot measurement by grabbing a career-high 19 rebounds.
Freshman center Egidijus Mockevicius scored a career-high 18, including his team?s first nine points that put MSU in a catch-up mode most of the night.
One of the biggest keys for MSU: Don?t foul excessively. Evansville leads the Valley in free-throw accuracy (74.4 percent) with Ryan (89.7 percent) at the top.
?They?re very good at the line and they?re very good at drawing fouls,? Lusk said.
Evansville?s roster shrunk by one on Friday when coach Marty Simmons announced the seldom-used reserve forward Jordan Jahr no longer was part of the team. Jahr was averaging 3.7 points in 20 games.
