The following “Starting Five” points offer a quick look inside GLVC men’s basketball action this week:
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[1 // it’s a points game from here]
The final week of the GLVC men's basketball regular season is here! Bellarmine, Indianapolis, Drury, Truman State, Southern Indiana, Maryville, Lewis and William Jewell are currently ranked in the GLVC Point Rating System (PRS) top eight, but Missouri-St. Louis and Rockhurst are on the projected bubble and could move their way into the field with key wins this week. Thursday's featured matchup is PRS #2 Indianapolis at PRS #1 Bellarmine. Another PRS top-eight matchup tips in Kirksville as PRS #4 Truman State hosts PRS #8 William Jewell. With PRS #3 Drury currently at a .750 conference winning percentage, a Rockhurst win over the Panthers could ultimately net the Hawks six or seven points, which could launch them into the tourney field, especially if Truman tops Jewell. The Cardinals host Drury in another PRS top-eight matchup on Saturday, while bubble team UMSL squares off against PRS #6 Maryville. The other wildcard to consider will be the teams hovering around particular conference winning percentages that could fluctuate point totals should they meet or fall below that level. Drury (.750), UMSL (.500), UW-Parkside (.438), Quincy (.250) and McKendree (.188) could sway point ratings for every team this week, given the .250/.500/.750 percentage point levels. For a complete look at this week’s action,
click here.
[2 // bellarmine improves to sixth in nabc top 25 poll]
No. 6 Bellarmine remains the lone GLVC program ranked in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Poll,
it was announced Tuesday. The Knights (24-2, 15-2 GLVC) improved one position from last week after an 87-64 win at Rockhurst last Thursday and an 82-70 win at Truman State on Saturday. This week Bellarmine closes out the regular season with a home contest against Indianapolis on Thursday.
[3 // four teams ranked in first installment of ncaa regional rankings]
Four GLVC teams have been ranked among the top 10 teams in the Midwest Region, according to the first of three NCAA Regional Rankings
released last week. Bellarmine leads the GLVC contingent at No. 3, followed by No. 5 Southern Indiana, No. 7 Drury and No. 10 Indianapolis. Ferris State (GLIAC) and Findlay (G-MAC) own the top two positions, while No. 4 Lake Superior State (GLIAC), No. 6 Hillsdale (G-MAC), No. 8 Malone (G-MAC) and No. 9 Walsh (G-MAC) are the other teams found in the first rankings. The top eight teams in each of the eight regions will qualify for the 2018 NCAA Division II Tournament. The annual Selection Show will air Sunday, March 4 at 10:30 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
[4 // bellarmine’s eberhard remains in contention for bevo francis award]
Bellarmine junior forward Adam Eberhard made the cut to 50 on the Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award, the organization Small College Basketball
announced this past Thursday. According to the SCB website, the Bevo Francis Award is "presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball," which spans NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA. Eberhard also was among the Top 50 finalists last season and made the cut to 25. The Bevo Francis Award Watch List will dwindle to 25 on March 15. The finalists will be announced on March 31 and the winner will be announced on April 2. Currently, Eberhard averages 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists for No. 6 Bellarmine.
[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. Bellarmine is second field-goal percentage (53.2) and scoring defense (61.0), third in scoring margin (18.1), sixth in total assists (494) and assists per game (19.0), and 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.60). Drury (43.0), UIndy (42.7), and Bellarmine (41.6) rate second, fifth and seventh, respectively, in three-point field goal percentage, while Drury is sixth in three-point field goals per game (12.1). William Jewell is fifth in free-throw percentage (78.5) and Maryville is ninth in rebounding margin (9.0), as well as fourth in fewest fouls (350). Individually, USI’s Alex Stein is first in the country in free-throw percentage (96.2), followed by UIndy’s Eric Davidson in seventh (92.1). UW-Parkside’s Adam Bonk is second in three-point field-goal percentage (51.2), UIndy’s Ajay Lawton is sixth in steals per game (2.50), and Truman’s Zach Fischer ranks ninth in field-goal percentage (64.3).