School Databank:
Location: Springfield, MO
Enrollment: 17,425
Famous sports alumni: Bill Mueller (MLB), Ryan Howard (MLB), Jackie Stiles (WNBA)
Last game: Beat Bradley 91-80
Last game vs Creighton: Jays won 75-58 in MVC Semifinals
Series: Creighton leads 25-22 (MSU leads 15-5 in Springfield)
Series notes: Creighton has won 18 of the last 25, including a three-game sweep last season
Coming into the season, just about everyone was ignoring Creighton, believing this would be a rebuilding year. Then they rattled off nine wins in their first ten games, and all of a sudden the media was ready to put the target on their back as favorites to win the league. If the last two games prove anything, its that the Jays are who we thought they were (apologies to my boy Denny Green). They're a young team that will play really well at times and beat teams they shouldn't, and they'll play terribly at times and lose games they should win. Is that the definition of a rebuilding year? I don't know.
MSU coach Barry Hinson, aka "The Quote Machine", is one of my favorite coaches to listen to because he's practically the pimp for the Valley. Seriously, if Doug Elgin ever leaves the Valley to run another league, and Hinson decides he wants out of coaching, they should hire him. Here's what he said about the Jays 0-2 start:
"It's typical Creighton. They don't need me to defend them, but their start has a lot to do with the schedule. Illinois State has four starters back and a team that I think is capable of winning the league. Then they have to go on the road and play against a guy that knows all their secrets. Those are two tough games. I know Dana is going to have them fired up for this one, and it's going to be a game between teams with their backs to the wall. Everyone knows you can't lose at home if you want to win this thing. They know they don't want to start 0-3. It's going to be one heck of a matchup."
All sounds very reasonable, doesn't it? Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else. The Jays will be fine, don't worry. They'll get back to making simple plays, they'll shore up their fundamentals on both sides of the ball, and they'll get back to winning basketball games.
I have a feeling it will start tonight. The team did not return to Omaha after Wednesday's game in Terre Haute, opting to stay there and travel to Springfield direct. Makes sense, because over Winter Break the team is in hotels in Omaha anyway, so they might as well be in hotels away from the distractions of home. That means Altman and his staff have essentially had the team's undivided attention for three days.
Last year, the Jays dropped an early-January game to Indiana State in Terre Haute, a game in which they played poorly and had another road game looming. Sound familiar? That loss dropped the Jays to 8-5 overall, on the cusp of being out of NCAA Tournament consideration. They stayed in Terre Haute, Altman got their attention, and they came out two nights later and whipped Evansville.
I believe we see the team turn the same corner tonight, although with Missouri State being a much much better club than the Aces, it will be a tighter contest.
PREDICTION: Jays 65, Bears 57
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