Men's Basketball 2/2/2012 11:12:00 AM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: at Southwest Baptist

TRUMAN (6-15, 4-10 MIAA) @ Southwest Baptist (14-9, 7-7 MIAA)

Saturday, Feb. 4; 3:00 pm
Plaster Athletic Center; Bolivar, Mo.

TV: MIAA-TV Network
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/sbuniv/mbball/index.htm

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
The Truman men's basketball team heads to Bolivar, Mo., this Saturday at 3:00 pm in search of a season sweep of the Southwest Baptist Bearcats in front of a television crowd on the MIAA-TV network's “Game of the Week”.

The Bulldogs (6-15, 4-10 MIAA) find themselves in a tight battle for the conference's eighth and final MIAA postseason tournament slot with six games to play, sitting tied with Emporia State for eighth and a half-game in front of Lincoln. All three teams trail a suddenly red-hot SBU (14-9, 7-7 MIAA) squad that has won eight of its last ten games.

Truman was stymied offensively on Wednesday night in a 66-45 home loss to Washburn, as the Bulldogs shot just 32% overall and 31% from three-point range for the game. Meanwhile, the Bearcats picked up their third straight victory with a 73-65 win at Pittsburg State behind five players in double-figures.

Earlier this season, Truman built a 15-point halftime lead and held off a late Bearcat surge to pick up an 80-79 victory on December 7. Mike Carlson led all Bulldogs with 21 points, and Isaac Gardner added six triples off the bench to help spur a 52% shooting night by the host 'Dogs.

Southwest Baptist leads the all-time series 27-19 and holds a 17-4 lead in games played in Bolivar. The Bulldogs have won two straight in the series, both at home, but will be out to snap a four-game road losing streak with the last win in Bolivar coming on Jan. 20, 2007.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Freshman Seth Jackson, at 12.1 ppg overall, is the team's leading scorer both overall and in MIAA (13.1) games. He is also third on the squad in rebounding at 4.3/game (5.0 in MIAA-only) and has three 20+-point games.
·       Junior Tom Norton ranks second on the squad at 11.2 points per game as one of three players in double-figures. He has made 52 triples this season and is 50-for-60 (83%) from the free throw line.
·       Redshirt freshman Mike Carlson is averaging 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He has started all 21 games and leads the squad with 16 blocks.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 8.8 ppg and is the team's assist leader (56).
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 46 triples and is averaging 8.5 points per game.
·       Freshman Andrew Vander Zwaag has played in all but two games this season, averaging 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He is fourth on the squad with 18 triples.
·       Freshman Patrick Burmester has started 13 games and is averaging 4.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg. He also has 12 blocks and is shooting 51% from the floor.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has played in all but one game and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (34). He ranks second on the team in rebounds (4.5/gm) and is shooting 49% from the field.
·       Freshman Tyler Anderson has earned five starts and is averaging 3.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
·       Senior Vesko Filchev has played in 13 games overall, averaging 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game. He is shooting 58% from the floor.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 6-15 (4-10 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 41.9% from the field as a team, including a 34.2% mark from three-point range.
·       The 'Dogs are getting to the free throw line more than 22 times per game, connecting at a 66.7% mark on the year.
·       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 eight 20-point scoring outings this season, led by Tom Norton's 29 against Missouri Southern, his 27 at Grand View and Seth Jackson's 25 against Central Christian. The guards are the only players to surpass 20 points in a game at least twice.
·       Of 105 total starts in the 21 games this season, 60 (57%) have been made by freshmen and 75 (71%) have been made by newcomers overall (Hicks + freshmen).

Career Check:
·       Tom Norton has hit 181 career three-pointers, putting him 6^th all-time at Truman. He trails Andy Guethle (1996-2000; 186) for 5^th.
·       Norton's career FT percentage of .862 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:
Southwest Baptist (14-9, 7-7 MIAA) has found a different gear with the turn of the calendar, having gone 7-2 in 2012 with a New Years Eve victory to add for an 8-2 mark during the team's last ten games. The Bearcats currently have won three straight, with road wins at Lincoln and Pittsburg State sandwiched around an 86-74 home win against Missouri Southern last Saturday night.

Four players average double-figures offensively for SBU, lead by Ryan Dougherty's 16.0 ppg mark. His 61 triples ranks second behind Kyle Sloan's 62 (12.7 ppg overall), while Preston Guiot – despite missing each of the past two games – has added 58 three-pointers and a 13.4 ppg mark.

While the team relied heavily on the three-ball early in the year, the Bearcats have been more balanced recently, relying on Robson Menmon (11.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) inside. On the season, SBU is scoring 80.5 points per game while giving up 74.2.

The Bearcats are 9-4 at home this season, including a 4-3 mark in MIAA games.

Jeff Guiot is in his eighth season at the helm of the SBU program.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs have just one game next week but will log a handful of miles to play it, as the purple and white head to Fort Hays (Kan.) State University on Wednesday (Feb. 8) night for a 7:30 battle with the Tigers. FHSU defeated Truman 63-58 in Kirksville on Jan. 2.

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