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Missouri Valley Basketball Weekly Recap
Scores Wednesday, January 18 Creighton 66, Missouri State 65 Illinois State 67, Indiana State 54 Wichita State 71, Northern Iowa 68 Drake 75, Southern Illinois 68 (OT) Evansville 90, Bradley 67 Saturday, January 21 Creighton 75, Indiana State 49 Missouri State 51, Bradley 48 Evansville 79, Illinois State 71 Wichita State 85, Southern Illinois 42 Sunday, January 22 Northern Iowa 66, Drake 52 The theme that has emerged in the Missouri Valley Conference is steadily being affirmed as the season continues. The consensus going into this week was that Creighton and Wichita State were both on track to secure NCAA Tournament bids, compiling resumes strong enough to make the field of 68 as an at-large team if they cannot win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in early March. The way this week unfolded, the Bluejays and Shockers have to be that much more confident about their chances on Selection Sunday.
Creighton and Wichita State both survived A-grade fistfights this past Wednesday, digging out the kinds of gritty, lunch-pail road victories that not only impress the selection committee, but build confidence for the grind ahead in February. the casual sports fan thinks of March Madness, but February is often the month when a promising college basketball season makes a wayward turn. In February, teams get tired. They hit a wall while their opponents - who have not been playing well for most of the season - find fresh energy and spring upsets against them. It's important to win games on their own merits and for their own sake, but it's also essential to bank these January wins because a team needs to be able to trust itself completely when February rolls around. Teams need to know that they can win punishing backyard battles on the road in front of familiar opponents - and coaching staffs who have thoroughly scouted them - while also handling hostile crowds and the weight of being a marked team in a given conference. Surviving January challenges is essential for a team because it creates the impression that the entirety of the season can be endured. If potholes emerge in February, coaches and players alike can turn the ship around because they know that they have dealt with - and surmounted - obstacles on previous occasions. This is what Creighton did in its one-point win at Missouri State, and it's also what Wichita State did in its come-from-behind win at Northern Iowa. Wichita State's win is particularly impressive - not because the Shockers are somehow better than Creighton (the Jays are probably better, and they actually won at Wichita State earlier in the season), but because the Shockers lost at Evansville last season and experienced the kinds of defeats that turn an NCAA Tournament season into an NIT season. Wichita State was a target in last year's Valley, whereas Creighton wasn't. It's Wichita's response against Northern Iowa which required a considerable amount of mental toughness. WSU coach Gregg Marshall can really motivate his team for the rest of the season.
By: Matt Zemek |