Bradley coach Jim Molinari talked Tuesday about “energy” and the role it can play in breaking up the four-team logjam atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
With a dozen days left in the regular season, one-half game separates Creighton at 10-4 from Bradley, Illinois State and Indiana State, all tied at 9-4. Molinari’s Braves can take over the Valley lead Wednesday night if they upset Creighton in Omaha, where the Blue Jays have an 11-0 home record this season.
“Home-court fans give the home team energy,” Molinari said. “Three-point baskets give energy and confidence to any team that hits them. Teams get energy and feed off their top players.”
Each of the four contenders has stars who can energize their teams enough to finish first and earn the top seed in the MVC postseason tournament March 2-5 in St. Louis.
For example, the Bradley-Creighton showdown could be decided by a game within the game–a long-range shootout between the Blue Jays’ Kyle Korver and Bradley’s Jerome Robinson, conference leaders with 69 and 67 three-point baskets, respectively.
Bradley has its destiny in its own hands. The next three games are against the other three contenders. The Braves play host to Indiana State on Saturday and to Illinois State on Feb. 21 at Carver Arena, where the Braves have won their last 16 MVC games.
Bradley also leads the league in attendance with average crowds of 9,423 fans per game this season.
“We have great parity in this league. That’s why it’s so hard to win on the road,” Molinari said. “This parity makes our league strong. It’s why we deserve at least two teams in the NCAA tournament.”
The MVC had two teams in the NCAAs last year and three in 1999 but only one team in five of the last 10 years. Creighton coach Dana Altman said the RPI ratings do not put enough emphasis on where the games are played.
“A big school can `buy’ wins (play lesser teams for guarantees) and not have to go on the road,” Altman said. “It can play 10 of 12 non-conference games at home instead of six and six or seven and five. College basketball is a home-court sport.”
The four contenders for the MVC title have records of 24-2 at home and 13-14 on the road in conference play. Creighton is 7-0, 3-4; Bradley 6-0, 3-4; Illinois State 5-1, 4-3 and Indiana State 6-1, 3-3.
Illinois State is the only team in the Valley to have a winning conference record on the road. Coach Tom Richardson’s Redbirds improved to 4-3 Monday night when Tarise Bryson scored 37 points, Shedrick Ford added 24 and Randy Rice contributed 13 assists and no turnovers in a 94-87 double overtime victory at Evansville.
“Last year we did not win a conference game on the road,” Richardson said. “There’s no magic formula, but we have tough-minded kids. We’re poised. We’re together. We’re tough.
“Those three things help win on the road.”
Illinois State, like Bradley, plays three of its remaining five games at home. Creighton plays two at home and two on the road. Indiana State plays three of five on the road.
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Matt Renn and Kelyn Block of Indiana State, fourth and fifth in conference scoring with averages of 16.8 and 15.1 points, meet Molinari’s definition of stars capable of energizing their team. So does Illinois State’s Shawn Jeppson, who ranks among MVC leaders in field goal, free throw and three-point shooting percentage.
The MVC regular season ends Feb. 26 when all four contenders play at home: Bradley against Drake; Wichita State at Illinois State; Southwest Missouri at Creighton; and Southern Illinois at Indiana State.
Here’s the breakdown of contenders’ remaining games.
Creighton (18-6, 10-4): Games left, four. At home, two: Wednesday Bradley, Feb. 26 Southwest Missouri. Away, two: Feb. 21 at Northern Iowa, Feb. 24 at Drake.
Indiana State (17-7, 9-4): Games left, five. Home, two: Feb. 21 Evansville, Feb. 26 Southern Illinois. Away, three: Thursday at Drake, Saturday at Bradley, Feb. 24 Southwest Missouri.
Bradley (14-8, 9-4): Games left, five. At home, three: Saturday Indiana State, Feb. 21 Illinois State, Feb. 26 Drake. Away, two: Wednesday at Creighton, Feb. 24 at Wichita.
Illinois State (16-5, 9-4): Games left, five. At home, three: Thursday Southern Illinois, Sunday Drake, Feb. 26 Wichita. Away, two: Feb. 21 at Bradley, Feb. 24 at Northern Iowa.