Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament Preview

Co-champions UNI, Creighton survive huge scares on Quarterfinal Friday

The four higher seeds all won their quarterfinal games in the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, but that hardly means that Friday's action acquired a predictable feel.
 
While Bradley used suffocating defensive pressure--and guard Sam Maniscalco's 14-of-14 performance at the foul line--to overwhelm Southern Illinois, 62-55, in the 4-5 game, and Illinois State used Champ Oguchi's crunch-time scoring to blow by Evansville, 78-68, in the 3-6 game, the top two seeds in the Valley stared death in the face before living to fight another day.
 
In the first of the four throwdowns at the Scottrade Center, Northern Iowa's "(1)" beside its place on the scoreline didn't intimidate the ninth-seeded Sycamores of Indiana State. Coach Kevin McKenna's 11-20 ballclub played with the poise of an upper-division team, shooting the ball with confidence and spreading out the defense-minded Panthers. With just five minutes remaining in regulation, Indiana State held a 60-57 advantage, and stood to become the first ever 8 or 9 seed to knock off a top seed in an MVC quarterfinal.
 
Only then did the Panthers--slow-footed and average up to that point--finally flex their muscles and show signs of the club that ruled the league in the regular season.
 
Lucas O'Rear was the man who saved the day for UNI. Throwing his body into the heart of the paint, the fearless forward--who grabbed a game-high 8 boards--tipped in a missed shot to narrow the Sycamores' lead to 60-59. On the next few possessions, O'Rear--even when not filling the stat sheet--used his body to wall off INS (the adjusted abbreviation for Indiana State) post players and make life easier for his teammates. The energy provided by O'Rear inspired the UNI bench while causing the blue-shirted Sycamores to flinch, and once the Panthers smelled the finish line, they never looked back. Guard Ali Farokhmanesh hit an insanely difficult 3-point shot to bump UNI's lead to five, at 65-60, with 2:36 left, and the chances for a massive tournament upset went by the boards.

For Missouri Valley Conference and other college basketball tickets or 2009 NCAA Tournament tickets, look to Ticket City and DFN Sports sites!

Northern Iowa's brush with mortality--and a ticket to the NIT--didn't mark the end of death-defying feats in the Valley quarterfinals. Creighton, the second seed and tournament favorite who tied UNI for the regular-season championship, looked like the league's heavyweight in the first 36 minutes against seventh-seeded Wichita State. Coach Dana Altman's assembly of skilled studs racked up a 59-43 lead with just four minutes left in regulation, and did so in extremely dominating fashion (the Jays had led by a double-digit margin since the 2:45 mark of the first half). But in very short order, the Shockers--led by an NCAA Tournament coach in Gregg Marshall--played endgame basketball to perfection and caused bubble teams across the land--all of whom are hoping for Creighton to take the tournament--to sweat some major bullets.
 
By utilizing full-court pressure defense to gain quick steals or force the Bluejays to hoist rushed shots early in the shot clock, the Shockers steadily gained possessions and points. The boys from Omaha, besides coughing up several turnovers in the final, frantic minutes, also fouled WSU shooters to create two old-fashioned three-point plays, known by the younger set as "and-ones." Moreover, Creighton missed two front ends of one-and-ones during the Shockers' late surge--from ballhandling to fouling to the free throw line, the Jays did all the (wrong) things that lead to an endgame collapse, while the Shockers not only pushed the right buttons, but began sticking shots of their own. When WSU's Toure' Murry nailed a 3-pointer with nine seconds left, the 7 seed gained a 62-61 lead.
 
With or without a sense of panic, one could safely say that hearts were lodged in throats throughout the Creighton camp (not to mention the national membership of the Bubbleville community). A loss in the first MVC tournament game would have given the NCAA selection committee a clear and convenient reason to deny the Jays an at-large berth in the upcoming Big Dance.
 
When Creighton's Antoine Young missed a jumper with only three seconds to go, the feeling of dread had to rise exponentially on the Bluejay bench. After a timeout at the one-second mark (following an offensive rebound), the only option Altman's Army had was a catch-and-shoot play--no dribble, no fake--off an inbound pass.
 
And then it happened... the kind of moment that makes March Madness--and the Missouri Valley's signature brand of "Arch Madness"--so thoroughly unforgettable. In a scene cut from classic March scrapbooks of yore, Creighton sniper Booker Woodfox found the small opening he needed, and the man with the golden touch zinged the basket strings to keep the Jays' NCAA hopes alive, 63-62. Wichita State might have been thoroughly outclassed for most of the evening, but after the furious four-minute flurry that nearly floored the Jays, the Shockers--despite being utterly crestfallen and wholly heartbroken--reminded everyone in the Valley how rugged a league this is. 

Briefly looking ahead to Semifinal Saturday, here are the two things that stand out:
 
In the first semi between No. 4 Bradley and No. 1 UNI, a big key will be the ability of Bradley's guards to harrass the Panthers on the perimeter, and prevent easy entry passes to UNI's powerful and agile post players. Coach Ben Jacobson has Northern Iowa atop the Valley because he's armed with power and savvy on the low blocks. If the Braves allow entry passes and can't disrupt UNI's offensive rhythm, the sons of Cedar Falls should be able to muscle their way to the rim, whether for close-in shots or on putbacks from the weakside. But if BU can create turnovers in the backcourt the way it did against Southern Illinois, the tone and tenor of this contest will change substantially. It's up to coach Jim Les to figure out how to create havoc on the wings and at the point.
 
In the second semi, the widely-anticipated showdown between Illinois State and Creighton seems to be more of a mental competition. This "Battle of the Birds" could have featured two blowout quarterfinal winners, but when the Jays stunned themselves--not to mention the whole arena in St. Louis--by wilting down the stretch against Wichita State, this 3 versus 2 matchup acquired a noticeably new feel.
 
The Creighton survival act against the upset-minded Shockers has created a unique emotional dynamic that will work one of two ways: Creighton will either feel liberated by its escape from death, or the Bluejays will still be thinking about their collapse when they take the court against Tim Jankovic's Redbirds. The looming presence of a potential at-large NCAA bid--which, in the eyes of many, could be sealed with a win in this game (not Sunday's final, which would decide the league's automatic qualifier)--will either make Creighton soar or sink. Illinois State should play a very spirited game. The focus, then--for better or worse--belongs on the Bluejays, whose collective frame of mind should tell the tale in the Scottrade Center.

> Follw the entire 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament here at MVC-fans.com

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer