Indiana State men host Bradley today with a shot at getting to .500 in MVC play
TERRE HAUTE ? Indiana State?s eight-man college basketball endurance marathon has produced two positive efforts in three games since injuries sidelined Harry Marshall and Dwayne Lathan, but just one positive result.
A positive result in any fashion would be welcome tonight when the Sycamores host Bradley in a game in Hulman Center that has plenty of meaning for both teams.
?[The Braves] are a really good team, coming off a big win,? coach Kevin McKenna said Monday of tonight?s opponent, one game ahead of ISU in the muddled middle of the Missouri Valley Conference race. Bradley?s upset of formerly ranked Northern Iowa on Saturday ? when the Braves held the Panthers to 19-percent shooting from the field in the second half and overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to win by nine ? could have considerable significance in postseason tiebreaker scenarios. And since Bradley fought off a big Sycamore comeback to win 91-85 in overtime in Peoria last month, a second win over ISU tonight would mean the Sycamores couldn?t catch the Braves with each team having just two MVC games remaining.
?Two of the next three [conference] games are against teams we?re really close with [in the standings, the home finale against Missouri State being the other],? McKenna noted. ?And a winning record in the conference is still an attainable goal.?
Tonight?s game features two teams similar in makeup but different in preferred style of play.
?[The Braves] move the ball really well,? McKenna said. ?They?re guard-oriented, and they shoot the 3 really well ? they look for transition 3s. I think they hit five 3-pointers in the last three minutes of the [first] half the last time [we played them].?
?They set a lot of ball screens,? said Josh Crawford when asked about the Braves, ?and they play really fast. We [post players] have to get out and help the guards [defensively].?
An opponent that likes to run might seem to be a problem against a team with just eight available bodies, but McKenna downplayed that aspect of the game Monday, pointing out that Bradley seldom uses more than eight players itself.
?Our guys have held up pretty well [since both Marshall and Lathan were hurt against Illinois State],? he said. ?They?ve not been in foul trouble and they?ve not gotten hurt ? knock on wood.?
?We?re sticking together pretty well, chemistry-wise,? said Crawford. ?We know what we?re up against and we?re trying to make the best of it. We?re trying to hold it together until Harry and Dwayne come back.?
There are no advantages to their teammates being out, and the Sycamores will especially miss Marshall?s backcourt defense tonight, Crawford indicated. But there are certainly no excuses for not being ready.
?All the guys know they?re going to have to give it their all,? he said. ?They?ll all have time [during the game] to show what they can do ? we just have to play as hard as we can for 40 minutes.?
? Silver lining? McKenna said there?s no way either Marshall or Lathan will play tonight, but they might be getting closer to a return.
?I think they?re ahead of schedule [in recovery time],? he said Monday. ?They?re both planning on getting fitted for some braces [for their various injured body parts]. They?re both anxious to get back, and they?re frustrated by not getting to help out.?
Keys to the game
? The Sycamores? current eight-man roster has to continue to hold the fort until Marshall and Lathan are ready to return. Tonight?s game is huge for both teams in the standings and for MVC Tournament seeding.
? A good start would be nice, since Bradley is coming off maybe its best half of the season in its comeback win that knocked Northern Iowa out of the AP top 25. The Braves are a team that likes to ride its own momentum and play fast, while the Sycamores have been more adept at grinding out possession-by-possession basketball.
TERRE HAUTE ? Indiana State?s eight-man college basketball endurance marathon has produced two positive efforts in three games since injuries sidelined Harry Marshall and Dwayne Lathan, but just one positive result.
A positive result in any fashion would be welcome tonight when the Sycamores host Bradley in a game in Hulman Center that has plenty of meaning for both teams.
?[The Braves] are a really good team, coming off a big win,? coach Kevin McKenna said Monday of tonight?s opponent, one game ahead of ISU in the muddled middle of the Missouri Valley Conference race. Bradley?s upset of formerly ranked Northern Iowa on Saturday ? when the Braves held the Panthers to 19-percent shooting from the field in the second half and overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to win by nine ? could have considerable significance in postseason tiebreaker scenarios. And since Bradley fought off a big Sycamore comeback to win 91-85 in overtime in Peoria last month, a second win over ISU tonight would mean the Sycamores couldn?t catch the Braves with each team having just two MVC games remaining.
?Two of the next three [conference] games are against teams we?re really close with [in the standings, the home finale against Missouri State being the other],? McKenna noted. ?And a winning record in the conference is still an attainable goal.?
Tonight?s game features two teams similar in makeup but different in preferred style of play.
?[The Braves] move the ball really well,? McKenna said. ?They?re guard-oriented, and they shoot the 3 really well ? they look for transition 3s. I think they hit five 3-pointers in the last three minutes of the [first] half the last time [we played them].?
?They set a lot of ball screens,? said Josh Crawford when asked about the Braves, ?and they play really fast. We [post players] have to get out and help the guards [defensively].?
An opponent that likes to run might seem to be a problem against a team with just eight available bodies, but McKenna downplayed that aspect of the game Monday, pointing out that Bradley seldom uses more than eight players itself.
?Our guys have held up pretty well [since both Marshall and Lathan were hurt against Illinois State],? he said. ?They?ve not been in foul trouble and they?ve not gotten hurt ? knock on wood.?
?We?re sticking together pretty well, chemistry-wise,? said Crawford. ?We know what we?re up against and we?re trying to make the best of it. We?re trying to hold it together until Harry and Dwayne come back.?
There are no advantages to their teammates being out, and the Sycamores will especially miss Marshall?s backcourt defense tonight, Crawford indicated. But there are certainly no excuses for not being ready.
?All the guys know they?re going to have to give it their all,? he said. ?They?ll all have time [during the game] to show what they can do ? we just have to play as hard as we can for 40 minutes.?
? Silver lining? McKenna said there?s no way either Marshall or Lathan will play tonight, but they might be getting closer to a return.
?I think they?re ahead of schedule [in recovery time],? he said Monday. ?They?re both planning on getting fitted for some braces [for their various injured body parts]. They?re both anxious to get back, and they?re frustrated by not getting to help out.?
Keys to the game
? The Sycamores? current eight-man roster has to continue to hold the fort until Marshall and Lathan are ready to return. Tonight?s game is huge for both teams in the standings and for MVC Tournament seeding.
? A good start would be nice, since Bradley is coming off maybe its best half of the season in its comeback win that knocked Northern Iowa out of the AP top 25. The Braves are a team that likes to ride its own momentum and play fast, while the Sycamores have been more adept at grinding out possession-by-possession basketball.
