Men's Basketball 2/25/2014 4:14:00 PM Tyler Madsen, AMR Assistant Director

Bulldog Men Close Regular Season by Hosting Hawks

Truman Men's Basketball Game Notes (February 26, 2014)
Full Notes (PDF) | 2013-14 Schedule | 2013-14 Statistics

Game #26: Quincy (10-17, 5-12 GLVC) at Truman (19-6, 12-5 GLVC)

Date: Thursday, February 27, 2014 (7:30 PM CDT)
Location: Kirksville, Mo. || Pershing Arena

Series Streak: Truman W-2
Woodley vs. Quincy: 2-2

Record in Kirksville: Truman leads, 36-23.
Last Truman Win in Kirksville: Nov. 18, 2008 – Truman 66, QU 62 (QU W-2)

Live Stat Links: Regular/Mobile || Media
Live Audio: 104.7 FM KRES (Moberly, Mo.); Brad Boyer (PBP), Hank Janssen (Color)
Live Video Link: THURS
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	14.6	4.4	1.5	19.0 ppg (last 5)
G	#4	Reed Mells	5'11"	165	JR	11.8	4.0	5.3	35.5 Min/gm GLVC
F	#5	Mike Carlson	6'9"	200	SR	20.7	7.1	1.7	28 blocks; 48 3FG
G	#11	Cole Myers	6'3"	190	SO	5.9	1.9	1.7	42% 3-pt; 27 stl
C	#21	Marek Bush	6'6"	245	SR	3.7	3.7	0.6	70% FG, 26 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	2.3	1.0	0.7	13 GP \| 46% 3FG
G	#22	Kyle Kanaskie	5'11"	170	FR	6.1	2.8	2.1	17 steals; 88% FT
C	#24	Kiefer Starbird	6'10"	200	r-FR	0.6	0.8	0.0	12 GP \| 60% FG
G	#30	Andrew Vander Zwaag	6'3"	185	r-SO	9.3	1.7	1.3	60 3FG; 13 stl
F	#32	Connor Erickson	6'8"	190	r-FR	2.2	1.7	0.7	15 GP \| 48% FG
C	#35	Patrick Burmester	6'9"	235	JR	1.5	2.1	0.5	17 GP \| 10 O-Reb
F	#40	Billy Daniel	6'6"	200	FR	2.4	1.3	0.5	49% FG; 9 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: 37-43 || .463 || 3^rd season (all at Truman)
GLVC Record: 12-5 || .706 || 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:
Conference tournament and NCAA regional seedings are both at stake in the 2013-14 regular season finale for the Truman men's basketball program this Thursday night, as the Bulldogs cap the Great Lakes Valley Conference slate at 7:30 p.m. against long-time rival Quincy (Ill.). Prior to tipoff, the Bulldogs will recognize seniors Mike Carlson and Marek Bush during the program's Senior Night festivities.

The Bulldogs (19-6, 12-5 GLVC) split a pair of games last Thursday and Saturday, picking up a season sweep of Maryville at home on Feb. 20 with a 76-51 win before falling at Missouri-St. Louis on Feb. 22 by an 80-65 score. Truman is in search of its fourth straight winning month and can pick up win No. 5 in February with a victory on Thursday evening.

More importantly, however, is Truman's standing in both the GLVC and NCAA Midwest region with the conference tournament set to begin with first-round action at campus sites on Sunday (March 2). The Bulldogs enter Thursday night's game locked in a three-way tie for fifth-place with Southern Indiana and Bellarmine at 12-5 in conference play. Truman could move into a tie for fourth-place with a victory and a Lewis loss at UW-Parkside, but all scenarios appear to point at Lewis winning every tiebreak possibility against the 'Dogs, relegating Truman into a "play-in" home game on March 2 in Pershing Arena. A full detail of possible outcomes for GLVC tournament seeding is available later in this set of game notes.

Meanwhile, the newest regional poll is set to be unveiled on Wednesday afternoon – one week after the Bulldogs were ranked seventh in the initial listings. The top eight teams from a three conference grouping (GLVC, GLIAC, GMAC) will qualify for the NCAA Div. II Midwest regional – set to begin on March 15 at the top seed. One more poll will be announced prior to next weekend's GLVC tournament in Evansville, Ind., with the selection show set for the evening of March 9.

Truman's Thursday night opponent – the Quincy Hawks – check into the contest with an overall record of 10-17 (5-12 GLVC). The Hawks have their season on the line on Thursday night, as the team sits precariously on the cut line in the No. 12 slot of the league ledger. With a victory against Truman, QU clinches the No. 12 seed in the GLVC tournament, while a loss leaves their fate in the hands of Illinois Springfield, who hosts McKendree on Thursday night. QU most recently fell at home 75-58 to Maryville on Saturday, two days after the Hawks rose up to defeat UMSL by a two-point margin.

Head coach Matt Woodley is in his third season at the helm of the Bulldog program, having posted a 37-43 record during his time in Kirksville. The team's 19 wins this season have surpassed the combined win total from Woodley's first two seasons.

Looking for 20 … and 13:
This year's Bulldog team is trying to become the first to win 20 games since the 2005-06 team capped its season with a 20-9 record. That squad was also the last Truman team to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Only five previous Bulldog teams – 1946-47 (30-2), 1947-48 (29-2), 1978-79 (20-9), 1998-99 (26-7), 2005-06 (20-9) – have reached the 20-win mark in a season.

Also, the Bulldogs' 12 conference wins this season is the most since the 1998-99 squad also won 12 during its NCAA tournament campaign. Only one other Bulldog team reached the dozen win mark during its conference slate, meaning a win on Thursday night would set a new program-high for this year's squad.

K-9 Checkup:

Truman is averaging 79.8 points per game on the season (9^th in GLVC) and is allowing just 69.1 on the defensive end (3^rd in GLVC) for a +10.7 scoring margin (3^rd in GLVC). In GLVC-only games, the Bulldogs have a +4.5 scoring margin (77.4 – 72.9), ranking seventh-best in the league.
The Bulldogs are shooting 49.1% from the floor as a team, including a 38.0% mark from three-point range. In addition, the Bulldogs rank fifth in the GLVC in free throw shooting, checking in at 74.8% on the year.
Truman has taken care of the basketball to a nationally-recognized tune this season, ranking 12^th out of 291 Div. II teams with a mere 10.0 turnovers per game. The Bulldogs ranks second in the GLVC and eighth in Div. II with a 1.60 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Bulldogs have had two GLVC Players of the Week this season, with Mike Carlson earning the nod on January 20 and Reed Mells picking up league honors on February 10. Only UW-Parkside and Bellarmine – three each – have had more individuals recognized than Truman.

Top 'Dogs:

Through games of February 25, the Bulldogs sit amongst the Div. II top-10% in assist-to-turnover ratio (8^th), turnover per game (10^th), fouls per game (24^th), scoring margin (26^th), and field goal percentage (29^th).
On an individual level, senior forward Mike Carlson ranks 27^th nationally in points per game (20.7) and 84^th in the country in field goal percentage (53.9%). He also ranks in the GLVC's top-10 in scoring (3^rd), free throw percentage (7^th), blocked shots (9^th), and rebounding (10^th).
Junior guard Reed Mells is No. 35 in the nation in both assists per game (5.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.71-to-1). He ranks third in the GLVC in assists, fourth in steals (1.8/game), and sixth in minutes played (33.2).
Junior forward Seth Jackson ranks No. 76 overall in Div. II in field goal percentage, checking in at 54.7%. He also is 21^st in the GLVC in scoring at 14.6 per game.
Sophomore guard Cole Myers is the 10^th-best three-point shooter by percentage in the GLVC, checking in at 42.4% on the season. Fellow sophomore Andrew Vander Zwaag is fifth in the GLVC in three-pointers made per game at 2.4, while sitting 7^th in three-point percentage (42.9%).

GLVC Tournament Outlook:
The 12 bids to the GLVC tournament have nearly all been handed out, as 11 of the 12 squads advancing to the postseason have been decided. The West Division will land at least six teams in the field of 12, while the East Division has secured five to this point.

At this juncture, Drury (15-2) has earned the No. 1 overall seed and West Division title, while both Indianapolis (14-3) and UW-Parkside (14-3) have earned first-round byes and are co-leading the GLVC East Division. All forecasted models also appear to show Lewis (13-4) having already locked up the No. 4 overall seed and final first-round bye.

From there, Truman (12-5), Southern Indiana (12-5), and Bellarmine (12-5), are set to do battle for the Nos. 5 through 7 seeds. Thursday night scenarios include:

If Truman wins, and USI beats BU - #5 Truman, #6 USI, #7 Bellarmine
If Truman wins, and BU beats USI - #5 Bellarmine, #6 Truman, #7 USI
If Truman loses, and BU beats USI - #5 Bellarmine, #6 Truman, #7 USI
If Truman loses, and USI beats BU - #5 USI, #6 Bellarmine, #7 Truman

Seeds eight through 11 will consist – in some order – of Missouri-St. Louis, Maryville, William Jewell and Missouri S&T, while the final seed will be either Quincy or Illinois Springfield.

The top-four seeds will await the four advancing teams (12 at 5, 11 at 6, 10 at 7, 9 at 8) for quarterfinal play that begins on Friday, March 7 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

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

Carlson Amongst GLVC's Elite:
In addition to Mike Carlson's aforementioned season-long statistics in previous sections, the Wisconsin-native has been one of the conference's best in GLVC-only contests this season. With one conference game to play, Carlson ranks second in scoring at 21.6 per game, sixth in rebounding at 7.6 per game and 10^th in three-pointers made at 2.06 per game.

Bulldogs Poised to Crack Single-Season Top-10s:
Mike Carlson, Seth Jackson, and Reed Mells will each have the opportunity to either crack into or move up along various single-season top-10 charts with at least two games left to play this season.

Carlson's 517 points is tied for the 8^th-most in a single-season with Jason Reinberg (1998-99), and he is just 17 away from moving all the way up to third place. Dan Storck, currently 2^nd, scored 555 points in the 1987-88 season, while Johnnie Wesley's 1981-82 total of 617 is the program's single-season high. Carlson is also currently 7^th in scoring average and is four blocks away from moving into the top-10 for the second time in single-season blocks.

Jackson, meanwhile, is currently shooting at the 9^th-highest clip in single-season history (54.7%), while Mells is just 10 assists away from reaching the single-season top-10 in that category. Twenty more assists would propel him all the way to fourth place.

Other team single-season and individual career record chases are available on page four of the full game notes (PDF version).

Mr. 1,000 (x 27):
Seth Jackson is also making a move up the career scoring charts, as the St. Louis-native became just the 27^th member of Truman's 1,000-point club during the team's game at UMSL last Saturday night. Next in his sights are Ethan Freeman (1,008; 2007-11), Steve Liford (1,017; 1985-88), and Alex Henderson (1,031; 2007-11) to move into the top-25.

He has a career scoring average of 12.8 ppg and is a career 47% shooter from the floor. This season, he is averaging 14.3 ppg (15.9 in GLVC-only games) and is shooting 55% overall.

Knocking Down Freebies:
For the year, the Bulldogs are hitting 74.8% of their free throw chances and are on pace to topple the current single-season program record. The top placeholder at the moment is 73.4%, set by the 1999-00 squad.

Letting It Fly:
This year's Bulldog team has made 213 three-pointers through 25 games, putting it on pace to make a significant climb in the all-time single-season chart. The 2014 edition of Truman basketball already is up to fourth-most in a single season and needs just seven more to move into second-place. The single-season best was accumulated in 2001-02 with 246 makes.

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 304 consecutive games.

Scouting the Hawks:
Quincy comes to Pershing Arena on Thursday night with much on the line and will do so having earned a pair of splits each of the past two weekends. On the season, QU is just 2-9 in games away from its home Pepsi Center but has played to within a ten point spread in each of its eight conference road games to this point (2-6 record).

The Hawks are the GLVC's top free throw shooting team at 75.9% and also rank in the GLVC's top third in blocks, three-point defense, rebounding margin, and field goal defense. Chris Babbitt is the team's offensive leader at 16.3 ppg, good for 12^th in the GLVC.

Earlier this season, the Bulldogs outscored QU 44-30 in the second half to earn a 79-68 win at QU on Dec. 7. Mike Carlson scored what was then a career-high 37 points on 13-of-16 shooting, while Seth Jackson added 17 points and Reed Mells chipped in nine assists. The Bulldogs held Babbitt to an 0-for-8 shooting night, but behind 12 free throws, he still led three Hawks in double-figures.

Marty Bell is in his 11^th season at the helm of the QU program, having compiled a 183-135 record at the school.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs appear poised to host a first-round game on Sunday, March 2. Due to the Truman women also hosting a first-round game on that day, the Bulldog men will tip off at 3 p.m. against a team to be determined.

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