Standout big man Robbie Avila has led Indiana State into first place in the MVC standings. (Photo courtesy: Indiana State Athletics)
Jason Barnes
Staff Writer
The Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball game of the year so far, lived up to its billing last Saturday, as first-place Indiana State hosted second-place Drake, in a showdown at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute.
And the Sycamores (20-3, 11-1) made sure to leave no doubt who the best team in the MVC was and is — at least through the first half of the conference season — as they held off the Bulldogs for a 75-67 win.
Big man star Robbie Avila had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists to lead Indiana State, while Drake star Tucker DeVries notched a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead his team.
A similar showdown will come this Saturday, when Drake travels to Peoria, to take on Bradley, in a battle of second-place teams. Both clubs are 9-3 in conference play and both need a win to keep pace with Indiana State, which will be favored in both its games this week (at home against Valparaiso on Wednesday and then on the road against Missouri State on Saturday).
Keep An Eye On
Two teams MVC fans may want to keep an eye on are Missouri State and Evansville. Both teams won both their games last week.
Missouri State (14-9, 6-6) has won four straight games, including an overtime thriller against Southern Illinois last Wednesday. The Bears trailed by 12 points midway through the second half and by 11 points with six minutes to go, but somehow managed to rally and force overtime. They then won the game in OT, following a last-second jumper by Donovan Clay.
Evansville (14-9, 5-7) has won three straight, including a heart-stopper of its own last Saturday at Valparaiso. The game featured 11 ties and 11 lead changes and came down to a missed free throw with one second left by Valpo’s Darius Deaveiro that could have forced overtime.
The Bears and Aces are both in the middle of the pack in the MVC standings, but could move themselves closer to the top of the standings if they can extend their win streaks.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chance Moore, Missouri State
Moore had game highs 23 points and 13 rebounds to lift Missouri State to a comeback win over Belmont on Saturday, converting 9-of-12 field goals and 3-of-5 3-pointers off the bench to go with a block and a steal. His steal and dunk play with 7:41 to go tied the game just ahead of his go-ahead 3-pointer 27 seconds later.
Earlier in the week, Moore’s 13-point effort off the bench at SIU ignited MSU’s comeback victory in Carbondale, including a 5-of-6 effort from the field and 2-of-2 from three. His offensive rebound and stick-back with 20 seconds left in regulation tied the game and forced overtime, and later his triple with less than 2 minutes to go in OT pushed the Bears ahead for good.
For the week, Moore averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 77.8 percent from the field (14-of-18), 71.4 percent from three (5-of-7) and 75.0 percent at the line (3-of-4) with 2 blocks and 3 steals.
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: Ryan Conwell, Indiana State
Conwell averaged 16.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.5 AST/G, two steals and a block in the undefeated week against Belmont and Drake. The sophomore was a perfect 14-14 from the charity stripe in the two games. In game one, Conwell finished with 12 points and five rebounds, and two assists.
Conwell was part of a 25-14 stretch with five points and a steal that allowed the Sycamores to eventually erase a 19-point deficit. Against Drake, Conwell led Indiana State with 21 points and seven rebounds, including a 10-for-10 effort from the charity stripe.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Kevin Overton, Drake
Overton averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in two games last week. Overton delivered 13 points (3 made three-pointers), five rebounds and two steals in the 75-67 loss at Indiana State on Saturday. He tallied 12 points, four rebounds and two assists in the 81-70 win versus Valparaiso on Wednesday.
| MVC STANDINGS | MVC | PCT. | HOME | AWAY | STREAK | ALL | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State | 11-1 | .917 | 6-0 | 5-1 | W7 | 20-3 | 9-1 |
| Drake | 9-3 | .750 | 6-0 | 3-3 | L1 | 18-5 | 7-3 |
| Bradley | 9-3 | .750 | 5-1 | 4-2 | W2 | 17-6 | 9-1 |
| Southern Illinois | 7-5 | .583 | 3-3 | 4-2 | W1 | 15-8 | 6-4 |
| Missouri State | 6-6 | .500 | 3-3 | 3-3 | W4 | 14-9 | 5-5 |
| Northern Iowa | 6-6 | .500 | 3-3 | 3-3 | L3 | 12-11 | 6-4 |
| Murray State | 6-6 | .500 | 2-4 | 4-2 | W1 | 9-14 | 5-5 |
| Evansville | 5-7 | .417 | 4-2 | 1-5 | W3 | 14-9 | 4-6 |
| Belmont | 5-7 | .417 | 4-2 | 1-5 | L2 | 12-11 | 3-7 |
| Illinois State | 5-7 | .417 | 2-4 | 3-3 | L1 | 11-12 | 3-7 |
| Valparaiso | 2-10 | .167 | 1-5 | 1-5 | L4 | 6-17 | 2-8 |
| Illinois-Chicago | 1-11 | .083 | 1-5 | 0-6 | L8 | 8-15 | 1-9 |
| This week’s schedule: Wednesday, February 7 | ||
| Valparaiso at Indiana State | ESPN+ | 6:00 PM |
| Southern Illinois at Drake | ESPN+ | 7:00 PM |
| Bradley at Evansville | ESPN+ | 7:00 PM |
| Missouri State at Northern Iowa | ESPN+ | 7:00 PM |
| Murray State at Belmont | ESPN+ | 7:00 PM |
| Illinois-Chicago at Illinois State | ESPN+ | 7:00 PM |
| Saturday, February 10 | ||
| Indiana State at Missouri State | MVC TV/ESPN+ | 1:00 PM |
| Belmont at Valparaiso | ESPN+ | 3:00 PM |
| Evansville at Murray State | ESPN+ | 3:00 PM |
| Drake at Bradley | ESPNU/ESPN+ | 5:00 PM |
| Illinois State at Southern Illinois | ESPN+ | 6:00 PM |
| Sunday, February 11 | ||
| Northern Iowa at Illinois-Chicago | ESPN+ | 3:00 PM |