Wednesday, January 22, 2020 7:00 p.m.
Gentile Arena, Chicago, Ill.
There's a good argument about which MVC team is playing the highest above expectations so far in the rapidly-developing season-- Southern Illinois, Valparaiso, or Indiana State. Most prognosticators picked all three to be playing on Thursday night in St. Louis at Arch Madness. There's a good case for each, but my vote for most surprising showing goes to Indiana State.
The overall record at 10-7 might not make the case, but considering the Sycamores started the season 0-4 and are 10-3 in their last 13 games, it's impressive. ISU won a true road game at Horizon League leader Wright State, beat Air Force at a neutral site, and played competitively against Drake on the road and rising A-10 power Duquesne at a neutral site. They kicked off the season with a wild 86-81 shootout against Dayton, a team whose only two losses came in overtime to Kansas and Colorado. Compare that impressive record to a predicted 6th place finish in the MVC Preseason poll, and Ramblermania's 9th place prediction.
A good part of Indiana State's impressive play comes from their three-point marksmanship. ISU ranks 4th in the nation in team three-point percentage at 39.7%. And ISU takes care of the ball-- they rank 17th in fewest steals by opponents. The other part of the team's improvement can be credited to better sharing of the ball and shot attempts.
Coach Greg Lansing's starting five includes 5'10" senior guard Jordan Barnes, 6'4" sophomore guard Cooper Neese, 6'2" junior guard Tyreke Key, 6'8" freshman guard/forward Jake LaRavia and 6'7" freshman center Tre Williams. Key leads the team with 18.1 ppg and 5.4 rebounds per game--he leads the league on made free throws (94) while shooting 85.5% from the line. Barnes has scaled back his shot attempts and now facilitates other players more aggressively; he averages 12.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Neese is the third starting backcourt member and averages 9.2 points per game. All three starting ISU guards average 40% or better from behind the arc, and they shoot with frequency-- between the three of them, they have 102 made threes. By contrast, the entire Loyola team has 103 made three pointers, and not one Loyola player has more threes than the least of the ISU starting guards.
In the front court, LaRavia starts as a small forward, shooting 53.3% from the field while averaging 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds. LaRavia is especially dangerous as an offensive rebounder. Tre Williams, the wide-bodied center, averages 58.8% from the field and scores an average of 4.2 points per game and leads in blocks with 23. Christian Williams (a 6'6" senior guard), 6'7" center Bronson Kessinger, and 6'3" guard Cam Bacote play double-digit minutes off the bench.
The Sycamores have a peppy offense that spreads the floor, with a really good inside/outside game powered by several players who drive to the basket or shoot from distance. The Sycamores' well above average offense (73rd in offensive efficiency according to KenPom.com) is supported by an average-plus defense.
The Ramblers have won three in a row against Indiana State, but the last loss to the Sycamores was during the Final Four year when ISU shocked the Ramblers at home with a 61-57 win.
Loyola game notes: https://loyolaramblers.com/documents/20 ... _22_20.pdfIndiana State game notes: https://gosycamores.com/documents/2020/ ... _Notes.pdfTV/Streaming video: ESPN+
https://www.espn.com/watch?id=3dda19bc- ... yola-US-ENRadio/Streaming audio: https://loyolaramblers.com/watch/?Live=21&type=LiveLive stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=280008Vegas odds: Loyola by 6.5
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