3 MVC games Monday 12/17

[Da Coach]

3 games Monday night involving MVC teams--

Indiana State (4-4) at Tulane (5-3) at 7:00 pm

Texas Pan-American (6-6) at Missouri State (5-3) at 7:05 pm

Houston Baptist (2-12) at Creighton (6-1) at 7:05 pm
Strange to be playing such a cupcake this late into the season? This game could get real ugly.
Houston Baptist was an NAIA school last season, and is transitioning to Division I. Their only 2 wins have been against Trinity (D3) and St. Edwards (D2 - in 2 overtimes).

Updating MVC scoreboard--

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreboard?d=2007-12-17&refresh=60&c=mvc

[Majik45]

I'm curious as to why teams schedule such cupcakes late in the season too. If you're going to schedule them, get them in early so you can work out problems you may have. If you noticed, Evansville and UNI both played cupcakes on Saturday as well (Hanover and Wartburg respectively).

[DoubleJayAlum]

First let me say that I'm not excited about the cupcakes on the schedule, either the one tonight or the one Thursday.

As to why they are being played now, Dana was posed that same question. His answer was that it gives the team a final chance to work on some problems that were discovered in other games before conference season starts. Remember, before the season started, Creighton wasn't expected to be all that great. We only return ONE starter from last year and most of the players (9) are freshmen or are playing their first year at CU. It was anticipated that the team would suffer a lot of growing pains because of the youth and I suspect DA thought they would have a lot of things to straighten out before the games that really matter: the conference games.

(I suppose the fact that this is the first game back after a week off for finals may also have played into the decision making. Might have been some concern over how all the freshmen woud handle the stress of finals for the first time).

At least the game Saturday against UALR is looking to be a lot more solid than it did before the season started...

[tornado]

Oddly, I noted that lots of teams are playing laughers and cupcakes this past week,
and I suspect it has to do with trying to schedule easy during the final exam week.


Just a couple examples of the odd games this past week that resulted in the expected blowouts:
(except for the Ohio at Maryland game!)

Coppin State was at Ohio State
Savannah State was at Nebraska
Sacramento State was at Oregon
UTSA was at Arkansas
Hartford was at Villanova
Wayland Baptist was at Baylor
Hanover was at Evansville
Radford was at Georgetown
Western Carolina at Indiana
Sacramento State at Marquette
McNeese State was at Mizzou
Wartburg at UNI
South Carolina State at NC State
Idaho State at UCLA
MD-Baltimore at West Virginia
Fresno State at Arizona
Quinnipiac at UConn

[MacabreMob]

Add Western Carolina to the list.

What a joke. Hahaha.

[Guinness]

I suspect it has to do with trying to schedule easy during the final exam week.

Well caught.

[Grassman]

3 games Monday night involving MVC teams--

Indiana State (4-4) at Tulane (5-3) at 7:00 pm

Texas Pan-American (6-6) at Missouri State (5-3) at 7:05 pm

Houston Baptist (2-12) at Creighton (6-1) at 7:05 pm
Strange to be playing such a cupcake this late into the season? This game could get real ugly.
Houston Baptist was an NAIA school last season, and is transitioning to Division I. Their only 2 wins have been against Trinity (D3) and St. Edwards (D2 - in 2 overtimes).

Updating MVC scoreboard--
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/scoreb...fresh=60&c=mvc

Only Mo Valley game with posted odds. Tulane by 5 1/2 over Sycamores
The other "game" Illini by 23.

[Da Coach]

Finals--

Indiana State 68
Tulane 80

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/boxscore?gid=200712170598

Texas Pan-Am. 53
Missouri St. 64

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/boxscore?gid=200712170551

Houston Baptist 73
Creighton 110 attendance 13,671

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/boxscore?gid=200712170133

[tornado]

Finals--

Indiana State 68
Tulane 80

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/boxscore?gid=200712170598

The story from the Tulane point of view on this game is titled:

"Tulane not phased by Sycamores' tricks"

http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-34/1197961286187140.xml&coll=1

The Sycamores threw several types of trick defenses at Tulane, but it didn't seem to work, as Tulane still scored 80 points,
shot 53% from the flloor, and had 21 assists, their BEST offensive game of the year!

meanwhile InSU shot only 24-67 and 8-24 on 3's, one of their worst outings, and now they are shooting only 29% from 3-point range as a team.
(Worst in the MVC)

Maybe they should forget the defensive "tricks" and concentrate on finding some offense!!

One of Tulane's starters is Eric Vianney, who never got off the pines while he was at Illinois State, but who has shown himself
to be a pretty good player.



IN the Creighton game vs. Houston Baptist, here's an interesting note...
In all NINE MVC home games last year, Creighton's bench scored a total of 93 points.
In just the one game yesterday, the bench scored 77.
Houston Baptist was playing the 14th of 18 straight road games, as they try to make a little $$ on "guarantee games"
in a year that they are transitioning to D-I, and this was the highest scoring game Crighton has had since they scored 115 nearly 23 years ago against INdiana State.
Creighton is really fattening up on cupcakes, as they now host 1-12, North Carolina Central, another provisional D-I.
All these cupcakes won't help Creighton's RPI much, as they are all 300 RPI teams!

[DoubleJayAlum]

IN the Creighton game vs. Houston Baptist, here's an interesting note...
In all NINE MVC home games last year, Creighton's bench scored a total of 93 points.
In just the one game yesterday, the bench scored 77.
Houston Baptist was playing the 14th of 18 straight road games, as they try to make a little $$ on "guarantee games"
in a year that they are transitioning to D-I, and this was the highest scoring game Crighton has had since they scored 115 nearly 23 years ago against INdiana State.
Creighton is really fattening up on cupcakes, as they now host 1-12, North Carolina Central, another provisional D-I.
All these cupcakes won't help Creighton's RPI much, as they are all 300 RPI teams!

Fortunately, the Houston Baptist game doesn't count against our RPI, since they are a transitional D1 this year. Unfortunately, NC Central does count against our RPI.

[tornado]

Even with a couple wins last night, the MVC's conference RPI dipped and now the Valley is 8th, but comforably ahead of the 9th place Horizon.
We can really widen the gap by beating Butler!!!

And with Houston Baptist, NC-Central, and Arkansas Little Rock all that Creighton has left before the conference season starts, the Bluejays should be at 9-1 headed into the conference part of the slate.
They have a great chance to end up with 20+ wins and get some kind of post season bid even if they don't win the conference tourney.

Whoever did the schedule for the Valley made the two games between BU and Creighton, two of the last conference games, way out into late Feb and early March.
The Pomeroy projection has Creighton going 15-3 in the Valley and ending 24-4 overall!

http://www.kenpom.com/sked.php?y=2008&team=Creighton&t=p

while BU is pegged at only going 9-9 in Valley play? (and Drake at 15-3)

http://www.kenpom.com/sked.php?y=2008&team=Bradley&t=p