The following “Starting Five” points offer a quick look inside GLVC men’s basketball action this week:
GLVC SPORTS NETWORK (GLVCSN): All GLVC home games are available for free on GLVCSN.com, the GLVCSN iOS and Android mobile apps, and GLVCSN OTT apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV.
[1 // time to get back to glvc play]
The start of a new year means resuming a full slate of the conference schedule in GLVC men's basketball. Seven league contests are on the docket for both Thursday and Saturday, with all 14 games being streamed on GLVCSN. Thursday's games are headlined by both divisional and cross-divisional matchups involving teams that have already jumped out to great start in league action. Bellarmine (11-0, 2-0 GLVC) and Maryville (10-2, 2-1) will meet in Louisville in a battle of East and Central Division preseason favorites, respectively. The Knights have won all 11 games this year, and the last 50 at home, while the Saints are winners of their last seven. Southern Indiana (11-3, 2-0) and Missouri-St. Louis (7-5, 2-1) will do battle in Evansville as teams currently tied atop the East and Central Divisions. Elsewhere, William Jewell (12-1, 2-1) and Rockhurst (8-4, 2-1) will square off in Kansas City, featuring two of the West's tri-leaders. Drury (9-2, 2-1), the other leader in the West, is idle on Thursday but will welcome USI on Saturday. The weekend's top matchup pits Bellarmine on the road at William Jewell -- two teams that have been ranked in the top 25 this season and enter the week with a combined 23-1 overall mark. For a complete look at this week’s action,
click here.
[2 // since we last talked]
GLVC squads closed out 2017
with an 11-4 record over the holiday break, highlighted by Southern Indiana’s 94-77 upset over then-No. 9 Lake Superior State on Dec. 30. On Dec. 28, Lewis defeated Robert Morris-Peoria 110-57, which marked the most points for the Flyers since scored since a 111-61 win over Salem International on Dec. 18, 2016. Cristen Wilson scored 27 points and added 10 rebounds, while going 10-for-10 from the floor and 7-for-9 from the foul line in the win against RMU-Peoria. The following night, McKendree topped RMU-Peoria 109-76 with five players scoring in double figures, led by junior guard Nate Michael with 22 points, including 15 in the first half. GLVC teams picked up seven wins in eight contests on Dec. 30, including USI’s upset win in which the Screaming Eagles made 44-of-47 free throws in the victory. The 44 makes were the most by a GLVC team since McKendree netted 44-of-51 attempts against Missouri S&T on Feb. 8, 2014. Elsewhere, No. 3 Bellarmine scored a 90-42 win over Martin Methodist College, Drury earned a 101-83 result over Saint Mary, Lewis topped Northwood 89-72, Maryville dropped Eureka 88-65, Rockhurst edged Newman 84-80, and Truman State bested Iowa Wesleyan, 107-52. GLVC men's basketball closed out 2017 going 2-2 on New Year's Eve, with wins coming from Southern Indiana and Quincy.
[3 // bellarmine remains third in top 25 poll; two teams receiving votes outside nabc poll]
Bellarmine continues to be ranked as the nation's No. 3 team, while two GLVC squads are receiving votes outside the top 25 in the latest NABC NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Poll,
it was announced Tuesday. Bellarmine (11-0, 2-0 GLVC) stayed at No. 3 after extending the longest home winning streak in men's college basketball to 50 games with a 90-42 win over Martin Methodist College. William Jewell (12-1, 2-1 GLVC) and Southern Indiana (11-3, 2-0 GLVC) are receiving votes outside the top 25.
[4 // usi’s stein tabbed player of the week]
Southern Indiana junior guard Alex Stein
was named Monday as the GLVC Player of the Week, after averaging 27.5 points on 16-of-26 shooting (.615), 4.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in two wins over the holiday break. He posted 31 points on 7-of-12 shooting (.583), including a USI record 14-of-14 at the free-throw line, in a 94-77 upset win over No. 9 Lake Superior State on Dec. 30. He returned on New Year’s Eve to add 24 points and six assists in a 95-69 result over Ohio Valley. Over the week he established a new school record with 49 consecutive free throws made. Stein, who earned his only other weekly honor on Nov. 14, 2016, is the first Screaming Eagle standout to be recognized since Jeril Taylor on Jan. 16, 2017.
[5 // among the nation’s best]
In the recent statistical report published by the NCAA, several GLVC teams and individuals rank among the nation’s top 10 in select categories. Four GLVC programs rank in the top 10 in scoring margin, including McKendree (19.7) and Bellarmine (19.1) in fourth and fifth, William Jewell (18.2) is eighth, and Drury (17.6) is 10th. Conference squads have also been strong in shooting the 3 as Drury (44.7), Bellarmine (43.7) and UIndy (43.4) rank third, sixth and seventh in three-point field goal percentage. Bellarmine (54.0) is second and Drury is fourth (51.9) in field goal percentage, while the Knights are third in scoring defense (60.8) and eighth in assists per game (19.5). The Panthers are fifth in three-pointers per game (12.6) and eighth in assist-turnover ratio (1.67). McKendree (10.8) and Maryville (10.7) are eighth and ninth in rebounding margin, while the Saints are third nationally in defensive rebounds per game (32.42). William Jewell is eighth in scoring offense (93.1). Individually, UIndy’s Eric Davidson is first in the country in free-throw percentage (97.1), followed by USI’s Alex Stein in fourth (96.4). UW-Parkside’s Adam Bonk (54.1) is fifth and Bellarmine’s Ben Weyer is seventh (52.8) in three-point field-goal percentage, while Truman’s Zach Fischer is seventh in field-goal percentage (69.8). Maryville’s Jimmy Barton (3.87) and McKendree’s Gianni Otto (3.58) are ninth and 10th, respectively, in assist-turnover ratio. William Jewell’s Pharroh Gordon ranks fourth in defensive rebounds per game (9.15) and eighth in total rebounds (139).