Men's Basketball 2/14/2012 9:24:00 AM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: vs. Northwest Missouri

Northwest Missouri (19-3, 13-3 MIAA)
@ TRUMAN (7-17, 4-12 MIAA)

Wednesday, Feb. 15; 7:30 pm
Pershing Arena; Kirksville, Mo.

Audio: 104.7 FM – KRES (Moberly, Mo.)
Also streamed online at CentralMOInfo.com
Broadcasters: Brad Boyer, Hank Janssen

Video: http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=295
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/truman/mbball/scoreboard.aspx

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
The Truman men's basketball team faces a stiff test on Wednesday night in the midst of fighting for the eighth and final MIAA tournament spot when league-leading and 18^th-ranked Northwest Missouri State visits Kirksville to start a three-game MIAA home-stand.

The Bulldogs (7-17, 4-12 MIAA) enter the penultimate week of the regular season tied with Emporia State for eighth place with four games to go. Truman will be trying to win its second game in three nights following a 76-73 nonconference victory on Monday night against Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.).

Meanwhile, Northwest Missouri (19-3, 13-3 MIAA) will find out early Wednesday where it stands in the first set of South Central regional rankings, as the Bearcats hold a one-game lead on Washburn in the league standings. The Bearcats are coming off a pair of home wins last week against Lincoln (80-60; Feb. 8) and Missouri Western (67-61; Feb. 11).

The two (of three) MIAA charter members will be meeting for the 192^nd time, with the Bearcats holding a 100-91 lead in the all-time series. Northwest has won two straight, including a 65-47 win in Maryville on Jan. 7. In that game, Seth Jackson, Mike Carlson and Tyler Anderson all finished in double-figures, but the 'Dogs shot just 2-for-16 from long range and 13-for-25 from the free throw line to allow NWMSU to pull away in the second half. Kyle Haake, DeShaun Cooper and Dillon Starzl all hit double-figures for the Bearcats.

MIAA Tournament Outlook:
With four games to go in the regular season, an all-out sprint for the final tournament spot is on between four squads separated by just two losses in the standings. Truman and Emporia State are currently tied for 8^th at 4-12, while Lincoln (3-13) and Missouri Western (2-14) are close behind. None of the four teams can reach either Pittsburg State or Southwest Baptist (both 9-8) for 6^th or 7^th.

Adding to the drama during the final weeks is the amount of head-to-head matches in store between the quartet, as Truman will face both MWSU (Sat.) and LU (2/22), while the LU Blue Tigers will face all three squads in the next eight days.

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 (11.9) games. He is fourth on the squad in rebounding at 4.0/game (4.8 in MIAA-only) and has three 20+-point games.
·       Junior Tom Norton ranks second on the squad at 11.3 points per game as the team's other double-figure scorer. He has made 57 triples this season and is 55-for-66 (83%) from the free throw line.
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 61 triples, including a 10 three-pointer effort against HLG on Feb. 13 to set a program single-game record. He is averaging 9.4 ppg on the season.
·       Sophomore Mike Carlson is averaging 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He has started 22 of 24 games and leads the squad with 21 blocks.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 8.6 ppg and is the team's assist leader (71). He became the first Bulldog since 2007 to hand out 11 assists in a game (HLG; 2/13/12).
·       Freshman Andrew Vander Zwaag has played in all but two games this season, averaging 4.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He is third on the squad with 22 triples.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has started the last eight games and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (41). He leads the team in rebounds (4.7/gm) and is shooting 51% from the field.
·       Freshman Tyler Anderson has played in all but one game and is averaging 3.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
·       Senior Vesko Filchev has played in 15 games, averaging 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game. He is shooting 59% from the floor.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 7-17 (4-12 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 41.5% from the field as a team, including a 35.4% mark from three-point range.
·       The 'Dogs are getting to the free throw line more than 22 times per game but are connecting at just a 65.5% mark on the year.
·       Against HLG on Feb. 13, Isaac Gardner became the first Bulldog to ever make 10 three-pointers in a single-game, making 10-of-14. He also was the first player to score 30 in a game for TSU since Jan. 22, 2003 (Matt Beran, 31 vs. Missouri S&T).
·       Also against HLG on Feb. 13, EJ Hicks handed out 11 assists, the most since Banks Estridge in 2007. Ethan Freeman was the last Bulldog to reach double-figure assists in a game (Jan. 8, 2011).
·       Against ESU on Jan. 28, the Bulldogs hit 34 free throws (5^th most in school history; most since 1/18/88 vs. QU; 36) and took 48 attempts (4^th most in school history; most since 2/22/97 vs. Lincoln; 49).
·       The Bulldogs have had six different players lead them in scoring this season, led by Jackson's team-high eight times.
·       Truman has had ten 20-point scoring outings this season, led by Isaac Gardner's 30 against Hannibal-LaGrange and Tom Norton's 29 against Missouri Southern. Norton and Jackson are the only players to surpass 20 points in a game at least three times.

Career Check:
·       Tom Norton has hit 186 career three-pointers, tying him for 5^th all-time at Truman with Andy Guethle (1996-2000). He trails Austin Kirby for 4^th all-time by 13 (199; 2003-07).
·       Norton's career FT percentage of .861 is currently the program-best, leading both Scott Matthews (1993-94) and Mike Peterson (1987-89) who are currently at the top (.848).
·       Vesko Filchev's 78 career blocks puts him 4^th all-time at Truman, trailing Nick Certa (2004-08; 82) for third.

Scouting the Bearcats:
Winners of six straight and 10 of its last 12, the Northwest Missouri men's basketball team comes to Kirksville looking to build on its one-game lead in the MIAA standings. The Bearcats are a perfect 11-0 at home this season with an 8-3 record in road/neutral contests.

Northwest has gotten it done with its defense this season, holding MIAA opponents to just 62 points per game and a 40% field goal mark. Four players, led by DeShaun Cooper (12.6) and Jake Reinders (12.3), are pacing the Bearcat attack in league play, as Northwest is shooting 47% overall and 39% from long-range. The Bearcats are also deadly from the foul line, with five regulars connecting at a better than 80% clip.

Ben McCollum, a former Bearcat player, is in his third season at the helm in Maryville, having compiled a 41-34 mark.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will help fight breast cancer on Saturday on “Think Pink” day against Missouri Western. Truman will tipoff in a critical league match at 3:00 pm against the Griffons.

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