Scouting the Missouri State Bears
SIU is struggling offensively right now, and Missouri State may be just what the doctor ordered.
Let me stress the term "may be." The Bears (2-10) have lost eight straight games and rank last in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring (57.4 points per game), shooting (37.6 percent field goal percentage), 3-point shooting (25.8 percent) and free-throw percentage (58.7 percent), BUT, they're at home tonight. A win over SIU (7-4) would start Missouri State in the right direction.
"I'm not so concerned with (confidence)," MSU coach Paul Lusk said on the Dec. 17 league coaches teleconference. "We're going to play good teams and good players, and we're limited in areas. It's not just the mental side, it's the physical side of it. From a maturity standpoint, from a physical standpoint, there's a noticeable difference out there. We don't have a lot of upperclassmen, and that's catching up to us a little right now. The one thing about this group, and it's been very positive, they come to work every day."
Off to their worst start since becoming a Division I program in 1982, MSU struggles shooting, rebounding and defending. The Bears are sixth in the league in scoring defense, however, at 63.1 points per game allowed, and are one of two Valley teams to play two top 25 teams. MSU is 0-8 when getting outrebounded, and is facing the Valley's second-best rebounding team in SIU, which is outboarding opponents by an average of 3.6 rebounds per game.
The Bears haven't shot over 50 percent from the floor in a game this season, and that's including their two wins over non-Division I programs Philander Smith (NAIA) and Division II Malone. MSU misses Kyle Weems, a former player of the year who is now playing overseas, because he took control of games down the stretch last season like seniors do. He took the big shots, and made most of them.
Losing Jamar Gulley, a senior guard/forward who had 18 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes in MSU's 77-65 win over SIU in the two teams' last meeting in Springfield, Mo., was big. He was an upperclassmen that could have led the team on the floor, along with senior guard Anthony Downing, but now that role is left to Downing. And he's trying, he's playing more than 30 minutes a game and is the Bears' leading scorer at 12.8 points per game.
Downing has played 30 minutes in all but one game this season for MSU, and gone 35 minutes or more five times. He is expected to start alongside two freshmen, guard Marcus Marshall and 6-10 center Bruce Marshall, but might get junior guard Keith Pickens back tonight against the Salukis. Pickens missed MSU's last game because of injury.
SIU hasn't played a single ranked team this season, and has played, honestly, about the easiest schedule in the league. The Salukis' transition offense has slowed as teams have adjusted to taking that away, and aside from guard/forward Desmar Jackson, struggled to score consistently at the World Vision Classic in Utah.
Dantiel Daniels has found his groove and is shooting nearly 70 percent from the field, but SIU has struggled finding him in the right spots. SIU coach Barry Hinson said he's struggled, conditioning-wise, and has to get stronger in order to be more effective for a longer amount of time. He's all the Salukis have in the post right now, scoring-wise, and if they can't find a third option to go with Jackson and Daniels, they may continue to struggle to score consistently.
Anthony Beane Jr. will probably become that third option, but, as it is with most freshmen at this level, SIU will ride the up-and-down wave. Beane has played brilliantly defensively, and has shown a lot of confidence with the basketball as a true freshman, more than I've ever seen at SIU since I took over this beat in 2008, but his production has been sporadic.
At Green Bay, 5-of-10 from the field, 13 points, two rebounds, three assists, a block, a steal, and the game-winning jumper in 36 minutes. Against New Orleans on Dec. 17, season-high 17 points, six rebounds, three steals, 35 minutes. Against Nicholls State out in Utah, 2-of-8 from the field, six points, season-high seven rebounds, 30 minutes. Against Utah State, 1-of-5 from the field, one rebound, four fouls, three points, five assists, two turnovers, 26 minutes.
SIU needs its three seniors to be factors for its to prosper in Valley play. Jeff Early has been extremely consistent, and gives the Salukis some toughness down low to go with their three forwards, even at 6-1, 187 pounds. The Salukis need Kendal Brown-Surles and T.J. Lindsay, who played pretty well against Utah State even though he didn't score a ton, to come back into the forefront tonight against MSU. They may not pump the stat sheet, but they must be effective.
ETC: MSU has the seventh-youngest team in the nation in Division I men's basketball, in terms of top-level experience. The Bears' underclassmen, which could include two starters tonight against SIU, has accounted for 65.2 percent of their points and 68.4 percent of their individual rebounds. Sometimes, when a ball goes out of bounds off a bunch of hands quickly, the rebound goes down as a team rebound. ... Before the season, I figured tonight's game would be close to a sellout. Now, with MSU's struggles, and the Bears averaging 5,643 fans a game, the worst in the five seasons JQH Arena has been open, I'm not so sure. The Bears have only sold out their new arena once, on Feb. 26, 2011, when Wichita State was in town. The most MSU has drawn at JQH Arena with SIU in town is 8,112, on Jan. 12, 2011. ... SIU sophomore forward Dantiel Daniels is shooting 67.2 percent from the field entering tonight's game (45-of-67). Only Creighton's Doug McDermott, last season's league player of the year and the heavy favorite to win the honor again, is shooting better (69.4 percent). ... MSU has beaten SIU six straight times. ... The Salukis haven't won a road Missouri Valley Conference game since topping Bradley in Peoria on Jan. 4 this year.
SIU is struggling offensively right now, and Missouri State may be just what the doctor ordered.
Let me stress the term "may be." The Bears (2-10) have lost eight straight games and rank last in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring (57.4 points per game), shooting (37.6 percent field goal percentage), 3-point shooting (25.8 percent) and free-throw percentage (58.7 percent), BUT, they're at home tonight. A win over SIU (7-4) would start Missouri State in the right direction.
"I'm not so concerned with (confidence)," MSU coach Paul Lusk said on the Dec. 17 league coaches teleconference. "We're going to play good teams and good players, and we're limited in areas. It's not just the mental side, it's the physical side of it. From a maturity standpoint, from a physical standpoint, there's a noticeable difference out there. We don't have a lot of upperclassmen, and that's catching up to us a little right now. The one thing about this group, and it's been very positive, they come to work every day."
Off to their worst start since becoming a Division I program in 1982, MSU struggles shooting, rebounding and defending. The Bears are sixth in the league in scoring defense, however, at 63.1 points per game allowed, and are one of two Valley teams to play two top 25 teams. MSU is 0-8 when getting outrebounded, and is facing the Valley's second-best rebounding team in SIU, which is outboarding opponents by an average of 3.6 rebounds per game.
The Bears haven't shot over 50 percent from the floor in a game this season, and that's including their two wins over non-Division I programs Philander Smith (NAIA) and Division II Malone. MSU misses Kyle Weems, a former player of the year who is now playing overseas, because he took control of games down the stretch last season like seniors do. He took the big shots, and made most of them.
Losing Jamar Gulley, a senior guard/forward who had 18 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes in MSU's 77-65 win over SIU in the two teams' last meeting in Springfield, Mo., was big. He was an upperclassmen that could have led the team on the floor, along with senior guard Anthony Downing, but now that role is left to Downing. And he's trying, he's playing more than 30 minutes a game and is the Bears' leading scorer at 12.8 points per game.
Downing has played 30 minutes in all but one game this season for MSU, and gone 35 minutes or more five times. He is expected to start alongside two freshmen, guard Marcus Marshall and 6-10 center Bruce Marshall, but might get junior guard Keith Pickens back tonight against the Salukis. Pickens missed MSU's last game because of injury.
SIU hasn't played a single ranked team this season, and has played, honestly, about the easiest schedule in the league. The Salukis' transition offense has slowed as teams have adjusted to taking that away, and aside from guard/forward Desmar Jackson, struggled to score consistently at the World Vision Classic in Utah.
Dantiel Daniels has found his groove and is shooting nearly 70 percent from the field, but SIU has struggled finding him in the right spots. SIU coach Barry Hinson said he's struggled, conditioning-wise, and has to get stronger in order to be more effective for a longer amount of time. He's all the Salukis have in the post right now, scoring-wise, and if they can't find a third option to go with Jackson and Daniels, they may continue to struggle to score consistently.
Anthony Beane Jr. will probably become that third option, but, as it is with most freshmen at this level, SIU will ride the up-and-down wave. Beane has played brilliantly defensively, and has shown a lot of confidence with the basketball as a true freshman, more than I've ever seen at SIU since I took over this beat in 2008, but his production has been sporadic.
At Green Bay, 5-of-10 from the field, 13 points, two rebounds, three assists, a block, a steal, and the game-winning jumper in 36 minutes. Against New Orleans on Dec. 17, season-high 17 points, six rebounds, three steals, 35 minutes. Against Nicholls State out in Utah, 2-of-8 from the field, six points, season-high seven rebounds, 30 minutes. Against Utah State, 1-of-5 from the field, one rebound, four fouls, three points, five assists, two turnovers, 26 minutes.
SIU needs its three seniors to be factors for its to prosper in Valley play. Jeff Early has been extremely consistent, and gives the Salukis some toughness down low to go with their three forwards, even at 6-1, 187 pounds. The Salukis need Kendal Brown-Surles and T.J. Lindsay, who played pretty well against Utah State even though he didn't score a ton, to come back into the forefront tonight against MSU. They may not pump the stat sheet, but they must be effective.
ETC: MSU has the seventh-youngest team in the nation in Division I men's basketball, in terms of top-level experience. The Bears' underclassmen, which could include two starters tonight against SIU, has accounted for 65.2 percent of their points and 68.4 percent of their individual rebounds. Sometimes, when a ball goes out of bounds off a bunch of hands quickly, the rebound goes down as a team rebound. ... Before the season, I figured tonight's game would be close to a sellout. Now, with MSU's struggles, and the Bears averaging 5,643 fans a game, the worst in the five seasons JQH Arena has been open, I'm not so sure. The Bears have only sold out their new arena once, on Feb. 26, 2011, when Wichita State was in town. The most MSU has drawn at JQH Arena with SIU in town is 8,112, on Jan. 12, 2011. ... SIU sophomore forward Dantiel Daniels is shooting 67.2 percent from the field entering tonight's game (45-of-67). Only Creighton's Doug McDermott, last season's league player of the year and the heavy favorite to win the honor again, is shooting better (69.4 percent). ... MSU has beaten SIU six straight times. ... The Salukis haven't won a road Missouri Valley Conference game since topping Bradley in Peoria on Jan. 4 this year.
