Bradley's Exhibition Saturday vs. Northwest Missouri

[tornado]

Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, are located in Maryville, MO.

They are presently ranked #7 in D-II basketball in the OFFICIAL NJCAA poll. (Winona State is #1 and SIU-E is #4)

http://www.nwmissouri.edu/sports/mensbball/2007releases/06mbb1023.shtml

They were 22-10 and a Sweet Sixteen team last year,
but they do have a lot of new players this year.

The game vs. Bradley will be their FIRST game, it will be Bradley's 2nd exhibition game.
Here is their Game Notes release

http://www.nwmissouri.edu/sports/mensbball/2007releases/06mbb1102.pdf

(this release is an amazingly well done set of game notes, better than what most D-I schools prepare!)

This game is a little different from the Winona game in that Bradley will actually NOT be the a smaller team.
Northwest Missouri's tallest players are 6-8 soph Hunter Henry, 6-7 Jr Matt Withers, and 6-6 RS-Fr Jason Abbuhl, although only Withers started any games last year, and the three of them combined accounted for only a total of 12.9ppg and 9 rebs per game last year.
their guards are almost all untested, as three graduating (or redshirting) guards from last year take with them 38ppg.



And in Bradley's last game against a D-II school, the Nov. 15 games against SIU-E, one of the SIU-E players is Andrew Warren's Indianapolis Brebeuf teammate Edmonn Maul

http://www.siue.edu/ATHLETIC/MBB/20062007/maul.html

[chitownBUB]

Anyone know if they have a message board?
BU should win win this one in a blowout, maybe 30 pts. or more and the walkons will be in with 5-10 minutes to go.

[Da Coach]

One other note- NWMSU's leading returning scorer would have been senior guard Mose Howard. Howard averaged 13.5 ppg last year to lead the team. But unfortunately, he is redshirting this year with a knee injury. The only 2 other players that averaged double figures have graduated.

Here is something a little strange--

Northwest Missouri State was selected #7 in the preseason Div II poll by The Division II Bulletin--

http://www.nwmissouri.edu/sports/mensbball/2007releases/06mbb1023.shtml

Here are the rankings:
2006 Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 (Oct. 12)
1. Winona State
2. Montevallo
3. Tarleton State
4. SIU- Edwardsville
5. Seattle Pacific
6. Findlay
7. Northwest Missouri State
8. Rollins
9. Barton
10. Southern Indiana
11. Stonehill
12. Clayton State
13. Southwest Baptist
14. South Dakota
15. Sonoma State
16. Nebraska-Kearney
17. Lenoir-Rhyne
18. Adelphi
19. Mount Olive
20. Alderson-Broaddus
21. Bowie State
22. West Texas A&M
23. Catawba
24. Grand Valley State
25. Bloomfield

They are the highest ranked team in their conference (The MIAA). In fact, only 1 other school from their conference is ranked in the top 25, Southwest Baptist at #13.
But here is the tough thing to understand--
The MIAA Preseason coaches poll ranked them tied for 5th in their league! How can you be ranked 7th nationally, but only be tied for 5th in your own league? 4 of the teams tied with them or above them aren't even ranked at all nationally, and Southwest Baptist, which is ranked 8 spots lower in the national rankings, is above NWMSU in the conference poll. Either their conference's coaches have something against them, or the national poll is way off.

http://www.nwmissouri.edu/sports/mensbball/2007releases/06mbb1101.pdf