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these do not take yesterday's games into account. We had 10 total rankers -- thanks to everybody who participated this week!
thanks again to SaintLouBrave22 for his commentary!
rank) Team (last week's ranking) -total points-
1) ISU (1) -87-
Illinois State on top yet again and earns a home victory against more poor competition. Is the Valley conference season upon us yet? Otherwise, we may never know quite how good this team really is. You would certainly like to feel they have more depth, but outside of Sampay coming off the bench, they had 4 players combine for 27 minutes in a comfortable win against Bowling Green on Saturday. The real question being, what will Coach Jankovich do when they have to go to the bench and it becomes unfamiliar from their current rotation which plays all of their starters close to or above 30 minutes per game. There are certain character flaws for a team that starts and plays the majority of the game with 4 guards, however, this team in particular rebounds the basketball really well considering they probably have certain matchup problems on a nightly basis. If ISU has any test on the way to their first conference game at Missouri State, it won't be until December 20th when they face Illinois-Chicago.
My weekly MOP- Lloyd Phillips (16 pts, 6 rb, 5 a)
2) Creighton (2) -79-
The Bluejays finally return P. Allen Stinnett to the lineup at the end of the past week and go 2-0 including a victory on the road at St. Joseph's 69-58. That story would receive more press, however, St. Joe's is having a down year and this was already their 4th loss in 7 games, although Creighton certainly not being their best loss (Texas). The common denominator in these victories? The lights out shooting of guard Booker Woodfox who went 10-14 from 3 for the week capping it off with a 29 point performance Saturday night against the Hawks. Creighton has a tough home game Wednesday night as they face the 8-0 Dayton Flyers who have wins over Marquette and at Akron. This will be the toughest task at hand for the Jays until the 3rd of January when they play their 3rd conference game which is on the road at Illinois State.
Weekly MOP - Booker Woodfox (21.5 ppg; 4.0 rpg)
3) Evansville (5) -53-
Evansville goes 2-0 during the week with victories in convincing fashion at home against SIUE and Ball State. Of the things I have noticed about this team this year, Evansville is going to be extremely tough to beat at home, and I expect only 1 or 2 teams to accomplish that feat. The week started out with a solid 31 point victory over the SIUE Cougars and ended with a 10 point win over Ball State, which also was not a close game the entire way. A common theme was Evansville's ability to get to the bucket and get to the line, shooting 67 free throws in the 2 contests. Evansville's schedule tightens up December 18th with a trip to #1 North Carolina. If they can keep the score under 30, I expect good things from this team in the future. A final note to mention was Shy Ely pulling down a career best 14 rebounds in the win over SIUE and for that, he gets my MOP of the week.
MOP - Shy Ely (13.5 ppg; 9.0 rpg; 3.0 apg)
4) Drake (9) -52-
Whether you hate the Drake or love the Drake, you know one thing, they are always going to be a tough out. They didn't face much competition and received a scare mid week from Texas Pan Am, but they prevailed and ended the week 3-0 and have put together a nice win streak before their Tuesday contest @ Iowa State. The Bulldogs were led by Josh Parker whose sweet shot led him to 52 points in 3 games off the bench and Drake to not rely on Josh Young so much. Drake has 2 semi-difficult tasks this week, but their big game comes right before Valley season tips-off as they play in-state rival Iowa on December 20th.
MOP - Josh Parker (17.3 ppg; 12-18 3pt FG)
5) MSU (6) -48-
After reflecting on the 2 Missouri State wins this week, I notice the mentality of defense first being instilled in the players from new coach Cuonzo Martin who comes from the Gene Keady/Matt Painter style of coaching. The Bears allowed 37 and 47 points in their two wins while holding both teams to under 35% shooting. The Bears travel to Tulsa on the 10th and then don't have another real test until the Valley opener at home against Illinois State.
MOP - Chris Cooks (11.5 ppg; 6 rpg; 4.5 apg)
6) Bradley (3) -47-
Well, since there were no games to talk about for Bradley as they had a week off, I guess we can just discuss how tough the week ahead is facing Michigan State on the road and then coming home to face undefeated Butler, who just so happens to have one of the best Freshman in the Midwest in 6-3 guard Shelvin Mack. The real test will be stopping big man Matt Howard who is leading the team in rebounding and has pulled down at least 5 boars in each of the games so far this season. Its hard to look ahead, but Bradley opens the conference season at home against SIU.
7) SIU (4) -30-
The Salukis continue to fall in the standings after a decisive win vs Saint Louis, but an equally decisive loss at home vs Charlotte. Yes it was only a 2 point loss, but the reason it is so decisive is because in years past, SIU would never lose these types of games, let alone lose them at home. The Salukis are once again having problems scoring the basketball and Coach Lowery has went to multiple different lineups to try and figure out what the problems may be, even inserting Ryan Hare and Torres Roundtree into his new revamped starting lineup. As noted, it worked with mixed results and there is a great likelyhood that SIU goes into its 1st conference game at 5-6 against Bradley.
MOP - Carlton Fay (14.5 ppg; 6 rpg)
WSU (7) -29-
I question that if Gregg Marshall believed it was going to be this hard at Wichita State so far, he may not have even agreed to the position. Then again, how was he really to know that Turgeon was planning on leaving for over 2 years and left the cupboard pretty bare. It certainly didn't help matters when Sean Ogirri and Wendell Preadom decided to transfer out, or when Gal Mekel decided to go back overseas after last season. That being said, at this point I would say he's doing a pretty good job with what he has. The Shockers lost two more tough single digit games the past week to Texas Tech and Texas Christian. The question that remains is whether they are playing better teams close because they are good or its just something of a coincidence? The Shockers will start the Valley season rough playing both Creighton on the road and Bradley at home, but if they can steal one from either Bradley or by going on the road in game 3 at UNI, look out. It also needs to be stated that w/o Clevin Hannah or A.J. Hawkins, who are both new players, the Shox would not have been in those games.
MOP- A.J. Hawkins (15 ppg; 2 spg)
9) UNI (7) -25-
The UNI Panthers. It has become very clear that they are going to win the games they are supposed to win and lose the game they are supposed to lose. According to my math, that would more than likely leave them playing on Thursday night in St. Louis come March, which makes sense that they are slated for the 9-slot this week. The team has not been terribly bad to watch, but they also haven't exactly impressed anyone either. It is what it is for the Panthers, and unfortunately it is starting to look as though they made the wrong decision handing the job over to Ben Jacobsen. While the playbook from the Mac era is all there, the players are not. Either through suspensions, defections, injuries, or poor recruiting, its certain there is something wrong in Cedar Falls, where everything was supposed to get better now that they have a new arena. I guess plans don't always work out the way they should.
MOP - Kwadzo Ahelegbe (17.5 ppg; 4.5 rpg; 3.5 apg)
10) In St (10) -0-
The Sycamores...When did the program get so bad? I could sit here and discuss the ins and outs of the program and the games this past week and where they're headed, but I'm not going to. Surprisingly, by the time this will come out, they have finally won their first game. Do I think that will earn them any points next week? No, not really. This team will most likely gauge how the conference does during the conference season. You may ask me, how would the worst team in the conference be able to do such a thing? Well, my point is this: If Indiana State wins more than 5 games during the conference season, then the conference is really down...simple as that. For lack of a better option or any option really, this is your MOP for the week for InSU
MOP - Jay Tunnell (12.5 ppg; 6 rpg)
I'm finally glad we got more voters, BUT I know there are more than 10 people that frequent this site. Make sure to vote, let your voice be heard, and even fire back on anything in my commentary.
Enjoy the week and enjoy the basketball!
-STL B 22-
thanks again to SaintLouBrave22 for his commentary!
rank) Team (last week's ranking) -total points-
1) ISU (1) -87-
Illinois State on top yet again and earns a home victory against more poor competition. Is the Valley conference season upon us yet? Otherwise, we may never know quite how good this team really is. You would certainly like to feel they have more depth, but outside of Sampay coming off the bench, they had 4 players combine for 27 minutes in a comfortable win against Bowling Green on Saturday. The real question being, what will Coach Jankovich do when they have to go to the bench and it becomes unfamiliar from their current rotation which plays all of their starters close to or above 30 minutes per game. There are certain character flaws for a team that starts and plays the majority of the game with 4 guards, however, this team in particular rebounds the basketball really well considering they probably have certain matchup problems on a nightly basis. If ISU has any test on the way to their first conference game at Missouri State, it won't be until December 20th when they face Illinois-Chicago.
My weekly MOP- Lloyd Phillips (16 pts, 6 rb, 5 a)
2) Creighton (2) -79-
The Bluejays finally return P. Allen Stinnett to the lineup at the end of the past week and go 2-0 including a victory on the road at St. Joseph's 69-58. That story would receive more press, however, St. Joe's is having a down year and this was already their 4th loss in 7 games, although Creighton certainly not being their best loss (Texas). The common denominator in these victories? The lights out shooting of guard Booker Woodfox who went 10-14 from 3 for the week capping it off with a 29 point performance Saturday night against the Hawks. Creighton has a tough home game Wednesday night as they face the 8-0 Dayton Flyers who have wins over Marquette and at Akron. This will be the toughest task at hand for the Jays until the 3rd of January when they play their 3rd conference game which is on the road at Illinois State.
Weekly MOP - Booker Woodfox (21.5 ppg; 4.0 rpg)
3) Evansville (5) -53-
Evansville goes 2-0 during the week with victories in convincing fashion at home against SIUE and Ball State. Of the things I have noticed about this team this year, Evansville is going to be extremely tough to beat at home, and I expect only 1 or 2 teams to accomplish that feat. The week started out with a solid 31 point victory over the SIUE Cougars and ended with a 10 point win over Ball State, which also was not a close game the entire way. A common theme was Evansville's ability to get to the bucket and get to the line, shooting 67 free throws in the 2 contests. Evansville's schedule tightens up December 18th with a trip to #1 North Carolina. If they can keep the score under 30, I expect good things from this team in the future. A final note to mention was Shy Ely pulling down a career best 14 rebounds in the win over SIUE and for that, he gets my MOP of the week.
MOP - Shy Ely (13.5 ppg; 9.0 rpg; 3.0 apg)
4) Drake (9) -52-
Whether you hate the Drake or love the Drake, you know one thing, they are always going to be a tough out. They didn't face much competition and received a scare mid week from Texas Pan Am, but they prevailed and ended the week 3-0 and have put together a nice win streak before their Tuesday contest @ Iowa State. The Bulldogs were led by Josh Parker whose sweet shot led him to 52 points in 3 games off the bench and Drake to not rely on Josh Young so much. Drake has 2 semi-difficult tasks this week, but their big game comes right before Valley season tips-off as they play in-state rival Iowa on December 20th.
MOP - Josh Parker (17.3 ppg; 12-18 3pt FG)
5) MSU (6) -48-
After reflecting on the 2 Missouri State wins this week, I notice the mentality of defense first being instilled in the players from new coach Cuonzo Martin who comes from the Gene Keady/Matt Painter style of coaching. The Bears allowed 37 and 47 points in their two wins while holding both teams to under 35% shooting. The Bears travel to Tulsa on the 10th and then don't have another real test until the Valley opener at home against Illinois State.
MOP - Chris Cooks (11.5 ppg; 6 rpg; 4.5 apg)
6) Bradley (3) -47-
Well, since there were no games to talk about for Bradley as they had a week off, I guess we can just discuss how tough the week ahead is facing Michigan State on the road and then coming home to face undefeated Butler, who just so happens to have one of the best Freshman in the Midwest in 6-3 guard Shelvin Mack. The real test will be stopping big man Matt Howard who is leading the team in rebounding and has pulled down at least 5 boars in each of the games so far this season. Its hard to look ahead, but Bradley opens the conference season at home against SIU.
7) SIU (4) -30-
The Salukis continue to fall in the standings after a decisive win vs Saint Louis, but an equally decisive loss at home vs Charlotte. Yes it was only a 2 point loss, but the reason it is so decisive is because in years past, SIU would never lose these types of games, let alone lose them at home. The Salukis are once again having problems scoring the basketball and Coach Lowery has went to multiple different lineups to try and figure out what the problems may be, even inserting Ryan Hare and Torres Roundtree into his new revamped starting lineup. As noted, it worked with mixed results and there is a great likelyhood that SIU goes into its 1st conference game at 5-6 against Bradley.
MOP - Carlton Fay (14.5 ppg; 6 rpg)
WSU (7) -29-
I question that if Gregg Marshall believed it was going to be this hard at Wichita State so far, he may not have even agreed to the position. Then again, how was he really to know that Turgeon was planning on leaving for over 2 years and left the cupboard pretty bare. It certainly didn't help matters when Sean Ogirri and Wendell Preadom decided to transfer out, or when Gal Mekel decided to go back overseas after last season. That being said, at this point I would say he's doing a pretty good job with what he has. The Shockers lost two more tough single digit games the past week to Texas Tech and Texas Christian. The question that remains is whether they are playing better teams close because they are good or its just something of a coincidence? The Shockers will start the Valley season rough playing both Creighton on the road and Bradley at home, but if they can steal one from either Bradley or by going on the road in game 3 at UNI, look out. It also needs to be stated that w/o Clevin Hannah or A.J. Hawkins, who are both new players, the Shox would not have been in those games.
MOP- A.J. Hawkins (15 ppg; 2 spg)
9) UNI (7) -25-
The UNI Panthers. It has become very clear that they are going to win the games they are supposed to win and lose the game they are supposed to lose. According to my math, that would more than likely leave them playing on Thursday night in St. Louis come March, which makes sense that they are slated for the 9-slot this week. The team has not been terribly bad to watch, but they also haven't exactly impressed anyone either. It is what it is for the Panthers, and unfortunately it is starting to look as though they made the wrong decision handing the job over to Ben Jacobsen. While the playbook from the Mac era is all there, the players are not. Either through suspensions, defections, injuries, or poor recruiting, its certain there is something wrong in Cedar Falls, where everything was supposed to get better now that they have a new arena. I guess plans don't always work out the way they should.
MOP - Kwadzo Ahelegbe (17.5 ppg; 4.5 rpg; 3.5 apg)
10) In St (10) -0-
The Sycamores...When did the program get so bad? I could sit here and discuss the ins and outs of the program and the games this past week and where they're headed, but I'm not going to. Surprisingly, by the time this will come out, they have finally won their first game. Do I think that will earn them any points next week? No, not really. This team will most likely gauge how the conference does during the conference season. You may ask me, how would the worst team in the conference be able to do such a thing? Well, my point is this: If Indiana State wins more than 5 games during the conference season, then the conference is really down...simple as that. For lack of a better option or any option really, this is your MOP for the week for InSU
MOP - Jay Tunnell (12.5 ppg; 6 rpg)
I'm finally glad we got more voters, BUT I know there are more than 10 people that frequent this site. Make sure to vote, let your voice be heard, and even fire back on anything in my commentary.
Enjoy the week and enjoy the basketball!
-STL B 22-
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