Men's Basketball 1/16/2012 11:10:00 AM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: vs. Central Missouri

Central Missouri (10-4, 6-3 MIAA) @ TRUMAN (5-11, 3-6 MIAA)

Wednesday, Jan. 18; 7:30 pm
Pershing Arena; Kirksville, Mo.

Audio: 104.7 FM – KRES (Moberly, Mo.); Also streamed online at CentralMOInfo.com
Video: http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=295
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/truman/mbball/index.htm

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
The first trip through the MIAA schedule comes full circle on Wednesday night as the Truman men's basketball team will host the University of Central Missouri in Pershing Arena at 7:30 pm.

The Bulldogs (5-11, 3-6 MIAA) will be home for just the second time since Dec. 7, having most recently played through a stretch of five out of six on the road. However, Wednesday night kicks off back-to-back games in Pershing Arena this week, starting with the only conference team Truman has yet to face in 2011-2012.

Truman dropped a 68-64 decision at Lincoln University on Saturday, whereas Central Missouri (10-4, 6-3 MIAA) will be hitting the road for the first time in four games and is riding a three-game win streak.

Wednesday night will mark the 190^th all-time meeting between the two MIAA charter members, with UCM holding a 123-66 lead dating back to the first meeting on Feb. 14, 1920. The Mules hold a 61-46 lead in games played in Kirksville, including a 60-53 win in last season's finale on Feb. 26. Vesko Filchev scored 13 points and had seven rebounds in that game after UCM won last season's first meeting 73-45 in Warrensburg.

Three to Watch:
1.     Keeping the turnovers in check. Truman ranks last in the MIAA in turnover margin (-2.1) whereas UCM is fourth (+2.0) in that category and fifth in steals (7.8).
2.     Bulldog guards from distance. The Mules rank second in the league in defending the three-pointer and held Truman to just six total triples in last season's two meetings.
3.     Controlling the defensive glass. Both teams rank in the top-third of the league in defensive rebounds, with Truman's 25.3/game average placing them fourth.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Freshman Seth Jackson, at 11.6 ppg overall, is the team's leading scorer both overall and in MIAA (13.3) games. He is also the team's top rebounder at 4.6/game (5.8 in MIAA-only) and is 48-for-64 (75%) from the line with two 20+-point games this year.
·       Redshirt freshman Mike Carlson is averaging 11.33 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He has started all 16 games and leads the squad with 13 blocks.
·       Junior Tom Norton ranks third on the squad at 10.8 points per game as one of three players in double-figures. He has made 36 triples this season and is 36-for-45 (80%) from the free throw line.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 9.4 ppg and is the team's assist leader (43).
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 36 triples and is averaging 8.3 points per game.
·       Freshman Patrick Burmester has started 13 of 16 games and is averaging 4.8 ppg and 4.1 rpg. He also has nine blocks and is shooting 52% from the floor.
·       Senior Vesko Filchev has played in eight games overall and in each of the past five, averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in nearly 11 minutes per game. He is shooting 62% from the floor.
·       Freshman Andrew Vander Zwaag has played in all but two games this season, averaging 4.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. He is fourth on the squad with 11 triples.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has played in all but one game and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (28). He logged career-highs in points (14) and rebounds (11) at MWSU on Jan. 11.
·       Freshman Tyler Anderson has earned five starts this season and is averaging 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He has averaged more than one point and rebound more per game in MIAA play.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 5-11 (3-6 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 42.9% from the field as a team, including a 34.7% (108-for-311) mark from three-point range.
·       The 'Dogs are getting to the free throw line more than 21 times per game, for a total of 29 additional attempts than their opponents on the year. Truman is connecting at a 67.8% (232-for-342) mark on the year.
·       The Bulldogs have had six different players lead them in scoring this season, led by Jackson's team-high six times.
·       Truman has had six 20-point scoring outings this season, led by Tom Norton's 27 at Grand View and Seth Jackson's 25 against Central Christian. Jackson is the only player this year to top 20 points in a game twice.
·       Of 80 total starts in the 16 games this season, 50 (63%) have been made by freshmen and 60 (75%) have been made by newcomers overall (Hicks + freshmen).

Scouting the Mules:
Central Missouri (10-4, 6-3 MIAA) will be navigating relatively unchartered territory on Wednesday night as the Mules hit the road for just the fourth time this season as January passes the halfway point. Nine of the team's ten wins have come in Warrensburg, having just gone 1-2 in games away from the Multi this year.

The Mules, however, have strung together a stretch of three straight victories – including a 38-point drubbing of then-No. 8 Fort Hays State before picking up a three-point win against No. 24 Northwest Missouri last Wednesday and a 16-point win against Missouri Western on Saturday.

Three players average double-figures offensively for UCM, led by Widgett Washington's 13.1 ppg mark. Washington also leads the squad with 73 assists to just 49 turnovers. Dominique Long (11.9 ppg) and Boo Hunter (11.5 ppg) also contribute to the team's 76.6 ppg average.

The Mules have made a living at the free throw line this season, making 70 more freebies on 108 additional chances than their opponents. UCM is shooting 48% from the floor as a unit and has out-rebounded foes by nearly six per game.

Kim Anderson is in his tenth season at the helm with a career record of 213-78.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs begin the second round of MIAA play on Saturday afternoon when they host 23^rd-ranked Missouri Southern at 3:00 pm in Pershing Arena. The Lions enter the week 14-3 overall (6-3 MIAA) and will host Northwest Missouri on Wednesday night before making the trip to Kirksville.

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