Men's Basketball Heads to Hoosier State for Weekend

Truman Men's Basketball Game Notes (February 13-15, 2014)
Full Notes (PDF) | 2013-14 Schedule | 2013-14 Statistics

Game #22: Truman (17-4, 10-3 GLVC) at #5 Indianapolis (19-2, 11-2 GLVC)

Date: Thursday, February 13, 2014 (6:45 PM CDT)
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. || Nicoson Hall

Series Record: First Meeting.
Woodley vs. UIndy: 0-0

Game #23: Truman at Saint Joseph's (4-19, 1-12 GLVC)

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2014 (3:00 PM CDT)
Location: Rensselaer, Ind. || Scharf Fieldhouse

Series Record: Saint Joseph's leads, 1-0.
Last Meeting: SJC won, 91-87, on Dec. 2, 1994 (Rolla, Mo.)
Woodley vs. SJC: 0-0

Live Stat Links: THURS Regular/Mobile || SAT Regular/Mobile
Live Audio: 104.7 FM KRES (Moberly, Mo.); Brad Boyer (PBP), Hank Janssen (Color)
Live Video Links: THURS || Saturday Unavailable
Social Media: @TrumanAthletics || @TSUBulldogHoops || #TSUGameDay || #GLVCmbb

Projected Starters:

Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG	Extra
G	#2	Seth Jackson	6'3"	200	JR	13.7	4.3	1.5	52% FG
G	#4	Reed Mells	5'11"	165	JR	11.9	3.8	5.4	3.77 Ast/TO Ratio
F	#5	Mike Carlson	6'9"	200	SR	20.7	7.0	1.8	24 blocks; 39 3FG
G	#11	Cole Myers	6'3"	190	SO	5.9	2.1	1.7	45% 3-pt
C	#21	Marek Bush	6'6"	245	SR	4.2	3.7	0.6	73% FG, 20 O-Reb

Off the Bench:

Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG	Extra
G	#3	Isaac Gardner	6'4"	205	SR	5.3	0.8	0.0	6 GP; 7 3FG
G	#12	Cory Myers	6'3"	190	SO	6.3	1.8	1.5	4 GP; 4 steals
G	#20	Dominic Kacich	6'3"	180	JR	2.7	1.1	0.8	46% FG; 4 stl
G	#22	Kyle Kanaskie	5'11"	170	FR	6.2	2.9	2.2	15 steals; 87% FT
C	#24	Kiefer Starbird	6'10"	200	r-FR	0.7	1.0	0.0	60% FG; 3 stl
G	#30	Andrew Vander Zwaag	6'3"	185	r-SO	9.1	1.7	1.4	48 3FG; 12 stl
F	#32	Connor Erickson	6'8"	190	r-FR	2.8	2.0	0.8	48% FG; 6 blocks
C	#35	Patrick Burmester	6'9"	235	JR	1.5	1.9	0.5	9 Off. Rebs
F	#40	Billy Daniel	6'6"	200	FR	2.9	1.4	0.6	51% FG; 8 blocks

2013-14 Redshirts:

Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG	Extra
G	#10	Hank Mathews	6'2"	185	FR
F	#25	Connor Lusso	6'6"	210	FR

Staff:
Head Coach: Matt Woodley
Career Record: 35-41 || .461 || 3^rd season (all at Truman)
GLVC Record: 10-3 || .769 || 1^st season

Associate Head Coach: Chris Foster (1^st season)
Assistant Coach: Mike Annese (1^st season)
Athletic Trainer: Nicole Buck (1^st season)

Opening Tip:
The final two cross-division contests on the 2013-14 regular season schedule are on tap for the Truman men's basketball team this weekend, as the Bulldogs take a trip east to the Hoosier state for games against nationally-ranked Indianapolis and Saint Joseph's this Thursday and Saturday.

The Bulldogs (17-4, 10-3 GLVC) close out a four-game stretch against teams ranked or receiving votes on Thursday night when they take on No. 5 Indianapolis at 6:45 (CDT) p.m. Then, on Saturday afternoon, the 'Dogs cap the trip with a trek to northwest Indiana for a 3 p.m. bout with the SJC Pumas.

Truman is coming off a heart-pounding weekend that resulted in two wins against East division perennial powers Southern Indiana and Bellarmine. On Feb. 6, the Bulldogs went to overtime for the second straight Thursday night, earning a 71-68 win against then-No. 15 USI. Then, on Saturday, Reed Mells hit last-second baskets to close out each half, including the game-winner with 1.0 to play in a 92-90 regulation victory against BU. The Knights were once No. 2 in the national poll and had been the first team out of the top-25 entering last week's action.

Head coach Matt Woodley is in his third season at the helm of the Bulldog program, having posted a 35-41 record during his time in Kirksville. The team's 17 wins this season have already surpassed win totals from each of Woodley's first two years at the helm.

K-9 Checkup:

The Bulldogs are averaging 80.8 points per game on the season, while allowing just 68.9 on the defensive end for a +11.9 scoring margin. Truman holds the GLVC's No. 2 scoring defense and fifth-best scoring margin.
Truman is shooting 48.9% from the floor as a team, including a 37.7% mark from three-point range. In addition, the Bulldogs have a top-third free throw shooting mark in the GLVC, connecting at a 4^th-best 75.9%.
The Bulldogs have taken care of the ball to a nationally-recognized tune this season, as the Bulldogs rank sixth out of 291 Div. II teams with just 9.5 turnovers per game. The Bulldogs also continue to lead the GLVC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73-to-1) while also sitting third in turnover margin (+3.0).
Truman is averaging 8.4 three-pointers per contest this season, good for third-most in the GLVC.
This year's squad has put up five of the top-12 field goal percentage nights in program history this season, including most recently the top overall mark in the Jan. 30 109-105 OT win against Missouri S&T. The Bulldogs shot 64.4% in that game, surpassing the previous program high of 64.1%, set on March 1, 1975 against Northwest Missouri. Other top-10 performances this season came against Lincoln Christian (8^th; 58.6%), Rockhurst (t-9^th); 57.6%) and Faith Baptist (t-9^th; 57.6%).
The 15 three-pointers Truman made against Iowa Wesleyan on Dec. 16 marked the second-most in program history, tying three other games with that total. The all-time record is 16, set on Jan. 7, 2002 at Central Missouri.
The Bulldogs have also put three new single-game free throw marks in the record book this season, including an 11-for-11 (100%) line against UMSL on Jan. 16 – matching two other perfect marks in program history (last: 2007). Truman also has a .964 (27-for-28) effort (UIS; Jan. 9) that is fourth-best all-time, while Mike Carlson's 19-of-20 effort that night also set a new Pershing Arena single-game best and marked the second-most by an individual in both columns in Truman history.
The Bulldogs earned win No. 1,100 in program history with its 91-60 victory against McKendree on Jan. 11. Truman is just the 60^th Div. II program to reach that milestone, sitting in the top-25% of all Div. II programs in total victories.

Top 'Dogs:

Through games of February 10, the Bulldogs are the nation's No. 4-ranked team in assist-to-turnover ratio. Truman also sits amongst the Div. II top-10% in free throw percentage (24^th), scoring margin (25^th), win-loss percentage (27^th), and assists per game (29^th).
On an individual level, junior guard Reed Mells fell to No. 2 nationally this week in assist-to-turnover ratio, having actually increased his numbers to 3.77-to-1. The Missouri Western transfer also ranks 33^rd nationally in assists per game.
Senior forward Mike Carlson sits 30^th in Div. II points per game (20.7) and 67^th in field goal percentage (55.8%). He also is in the GLVC top-10 in scoring (3^rd), blocked shots (8^th), and free throw percentage (8^th), while ranking 12^th in rebounding.
Sophomore guard Cole Myers is the 8^th-best three-point shooter by percentage in the GLVC, checking in at 44.9% on the season. Fellow sophomore Andrew Vander Zwaag is tied for ninth in the GLVC in three-pointers made per game at 2.3, while sitting 14^th in three-point percentage (41.4%).

Bulldogs Receive National Poll Recognition:
For the second time this season, the Bulldog men's basketball team received votes towards the NABC top-25 coaches' poll. Truman earned seven votes, landing five spots outside of the top-25 as one of six GLVC teams to receive votes from coaches nationwide.

The Midwest region is well-represented in the top-25 and beyond, as the GLVC's Drury (No. 2), Indianapolis (No. 5), UW-Parkside (No. 16), Lewis (No. 19), and Southern Indiana (No. 22) all earned top-25 slots alongside GLIAC programs Lake Superior State (No. 20) and Walsh (No. 23).

GLIAC schools Findlay and Michigan Tech join the Bulldogs as others receiving votes this week.

The Bulldogs received one vote earlier this year in the Dec. 17 poll but have not cracked the top-25 since late in the 2005-2006 season.

Mells Named GLVC Athlete of the Week:
Junior Reed Mells became Truman's second Great Lakes Valley Conference men's basketball player of the week in a four-week span on Monday, as the Des Moines, Iowa-native averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game, as the Bulldogs picked up two wins last weekend.

He opened the week by playing 38 (of 45) minutes against then-No. 15 USI, scoring 11 points and adding seven assists alongside four rebounds. Mells scored four of Truman's eight overtime points (including two free throws after his own steal with seven seconds left to make it a two-possession game) and added one of his game-high seven assists in the extra session.

Mells then saved his primary heroics for Saturday's affair, hitting two last-second baskets (one in each half, including the game-winner) against BU. He scored a career-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting (7-for-7 FT) to go with five assists, three rebounds and a steal in 36 minutes of work. It was his fourth 20+ point performance of the season.

After closing the first-half with an assist, steal, and jumper in the final seven seconds, Mells had a hand in 10 of Truman's final 12 points of regulation – including a 17-footer with one second to play that put Truman ahead for good.

Mells joins teammate Mike Carlson as Truman's second GLVC Athlete of the Week in men's basketball this season. Carlson earned the honor on January 20.

Nearing Program Top-10:
Mike Carlson is inching ever closer to the Truman men's basketball all-time top-10 in career scoring, as he enters the week 12^th all-time in school history with 1,185 career points. He trails Dan Storck (1984-88) by 27 points for 11^th and is just 41 points back of Brian Brown's four-year total (1997-2001) of 1,226 – currently good for 10^th all-time.

No one since Brown has reached the top-10, and only three players since 2000 have cracked the top-10. A pair of 2000 graduates – Cory Parker (No. 1) and Jason Reinberg (No. 5) – join Brown as the only 21^st century Bulldogs to have entered the all-time program top-10.

Counting the five remaining regular season games and one guaranteed GLVC post-season tournament game, Carlson is on pace to score 1,309 points for his career, which would be good for 8^th-most all-time in school history.

Speaking of Milestones…:
Junior guard Seth Jackson is moving up the career scoring charts as well, as the St. Louis-native needs just 76 more points to become the 27^th member of Truman's 1,000-point club. He has a career scoring average of 12.5 ppg and is a career 46% shooter from the floor.

Knocking Down Freebies:
For the year, the Bulldogs are hitting 75.9% of their free throw chances and are on pace to smash the current single-season program record. The top placeholder at the moment is 73.4%, set by the 1999-00 squad.

The team's top-six scorers (Carlson, Jackson, Mells, Vander Zwaag, Kyle Kanaskie, and Cole Myers) are a collective 77.7% (268-for-345).

Letting It Fly:
This year's Bulldog team has made 177 three-pointers through its first 21 games, putting it on pace to make a significant climb in the all-time single-season top-10 chart. Truman needs just two more triples to reach the top-10 and is on the outside range of reaching the top single-season mark of 246.

The first two seasons under Woodley have resulted in 205 made (2011-12) and 201 made (2012-13) three-pointers.

The Bulldogs have also made at least one three-pointer in every game since Feb. 12, 2003, a stretch of 300 consecutive games.

GLVC Tournament Outlook:
Six passes have already been punched to the 2013-14 Deaconess GLVC men's basketball tournament, with one of those coming to Kirksville as a result of Truman's 10-3 record in conference play. Drury (12-1), UW-Parkside (12-1), UIndy (11-2), Lewis (10-3), and USI (9-4) have also wrapped up at least a top-12 spot heading into this week's action.

The top-12 teams – regardless of division – qualify for the postseason tournament, with the overall winner earning the league's automatic berth into the 2014 NCAA Div. II Midwest regional. The top-4 seeds (each division winner plus the next two teams via win percentage) earn first-round byes and automatically advance to Evansville, Ind., for quarterfinal play at the Ford Center, while seeds 5-8 host a first-round game on Sunday, March 2 against seeds 9-12.

Truman currently sits in a tie for fourth in the league with Lewis, with that tandem trailing 3^rd-place UIndy by one game. The Bulldogs have a 4½ game lead on the current No. 9 seed – Maryville – with just five games to play, meaning that Truman is close to locking in (at minimum) a top-8 seed and a first-round home game.

As a reminder, the Bulldogs were picked to finish fifth in the GLVC West division in the preseason coaches' poll.

Scouting the Greyhounds (19-2, 11-2 GLVC):
Winners of seven straight, UIndy returns home for two games this weekend following a pair of easy wins in St. Louis this past weekend. The 'Hounds are a perfect 9-0 at home this year, having most recently dispatched nationally-ranked Lewis and UWP on Jan. 30 & Feb. 1.

UIndy is the GLVC's top team in scoring margin (+15.9), steals per game (9.4), and turnover margin (+5.0), and are led offensively by Joe Lawson (15.7 ppg) and Reece Cheatham (15.4 ppg). Brennan McElroy is shooting a GLVC 2^nd-best 70.1% from the floor and adds 1.8 steals per game.

Stan Gouard is in his sixth season at the helm of the UIndy program, having compiled a 99-63 record at the school.

Scouting the Pumas (4-19, 1-12 GLVC):
Saint Joseph's comes into the weekend having lost 11 straight contests dating back to a 94-87 road win at Missouri S&T on January 5. The Pumas were most recently trounced by 36 points at UMSL on Feb. 6 before coming up just short at Maryville (72-68) on Feb. 8. On the year, SJC is 2-6 at home but is in search of its first GLVC home victory of the year. The Pumas welcome Quincy on Thursday night prior to Truman's Saturday afternoon arrival.

SJC boasts two dynamic scorers as part of an offense that averages 83.3 points per night, as Cameron Vines leads the GLVC with a 23.3 ppg average. He's joined by teammate Jon Smith, who checks in at 16.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Tom Church is in his first season at the helm of the Saint Joseph's program.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will have just three games remaining in the 2013-14 regular season following this weekend's trip and will knock two off the ledger next Thursday and Saturday in a pair of rematches. Truman will host Maryville on Feb. 20 before traveling to Missouri – St. Louis for a Feb. 22 matinee.

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