Men's Basketball 1/5/2012 10:10:00 AM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: at Northwest Missouri

TRUMAN (4-9, 2-4 MIAA)
@ Northwest Missouri State (11-1, 5-1 MIAA)

Saturday, Jan. 7, 3:30 pm
Bearcat Arena; Maryville, Mo.

Audio: 104.7 FM – KRES (Moberly, Mo.); Also streamed online at CentralMOInfo.com
Video: http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=295
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=2856

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
The Truman men's basketball team will kick off a three-game road trip on Saturday afternoon when it travels to MIAA-leading Northwest Missouri State for a 3:30 pm tipoff in Maryville, Mo.

The Bulldogs (4-9, 2-4 MIAA) are out to snap a three-game skid, which includes a 63-58 loss on Monday to then-9^th-ranked Fort Hays State. Truman trailed by just one with six minutes to play but could not take the lead before the Tigers iced the game from the free throw line.

Northwest Missouri (11-1, 5-1 MIAA), meanwhile, comes in having won two straight road games since the Christmas holiday, downing Lincoln 80-62 on Dec. 30 before handing rival Missouri Western a 64-53 setback on Wednesday night. The Bearcats are perfect at home this year, running to a 6-0 record inside Bearcat Arena.

The Bulldogs and Bearcats are two of the MIAA's three remaining charter members since the league's inception 100 years ago in 1912, leading to one of the longest all-time series histories in the conference. Saturday afternoon will be the 191^st meeting between the purple and green, with Northwest holding a 99-91 advantage dating back to the first meeting on Feb. 3, 1920.

Last season, the two teams split with each winning on its home court. Truman picked up a 73-58 win in Pershing Arena on Jan. 8 before the Bearcats jumped out quickly at home and cruised to an 89-46 win in Maryville on Feb. 16. Then-senior Alex Henderson was the only Bulldog to score in double-figures in both games, while senior Vesko Filchev scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds in Truman's home victory.

Truman's last win in Maryville came on Feb. 1, 2006, as the Bulldogs picked up a 76-71 victory. Austin Kirby led all Bulldogs with 24 points behind seven three-pointers, while Derek Lindsey (14), Nick Certa (11) and Andy Calmes (10) also finished in double-figures. Calmes also reeled in a game-high 12 rebounds.

Three to Watch:
1.     TSU three-point shooting vs. NWMSU three-point defending. The Bulldogs rank 3^rd in the MIAA with seven three-pointers made per game, while the Bearcats are the MIAA's best at defending the arc – holding opponents to just 29%.
2.     Battle of the Glass. One of Truman's strengths this season has been its defensive rebounding, ranking fourth in the MIAA. Meanwhile, one of Northwest's top deficiencies is in its inability to produce second-chance opportunities, as the Bearcats are last in the league in offensive rebounds.
3.     Getting Out Quickly. Northwest Missouri has led at the half in all but two games this season – trailing only against Washburn and Fort Hays. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have led or been tied at the half seven times, including each of its four victories.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Junior guard Tom Norton is the team's leading scorer at 11.6 ppg, headlining four players in double-figures. He has made 31 triples this season and is 34-for-42 (81%) from the free throw line.
·       Freshman Seth Jackson, at 11.2 ppg overall, is the team's leading scorer in conference games, averaging 12.8 ppg through the first six MIAA games. He is averaging 23.2 minutes per game and is 40-for-49 (82%) from the line with two 20+-point games this year.
·       Redshirt freshman Mike Carlson is averaging 10.8 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds per game. He has started all 13 games and co-leads the squad with nine blocks.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 10.1 ppg and is the team's assist leader (32).
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 30 triples and is averaging 8.3 points per game.
·       Freshman Patrick Burmester has started all 13 games and is averaging 4.8 ppg and 4.1 rpg. He co-leads the squad with nine blocks and is shooting 52% from the floor.
·       Freshmen Andrew Vander Zwaag (4.5 ppg, ten three-pointers) and Tyler Anderson (2.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) have missed just three combined games this season.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has played in 12 of the team's 13 games and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (19).
·       Senior Vesko Filchev has played in five games overall and in each of the past two, averaging 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in nearly 10 minutes per game.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 4-9 (2-4 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 43.2% from the field as a team, including a 35.8% (91-for-254) mark from three-point range.
·       The Bulldogs are connecting at a 70.1% (195-for-278) mark from the free throw line.
·       The Bulldogs have had six different players lead them in scoring this season.
·       Truman has had six 20-point scoring outings this season, led by Tom Norton's 27 at Grand View and Seth Jackson's 25 against Central Christian. Jackson is the only player this year to top 20 points in a game twice.
·       The Bulldogs continue to rank amongst the MIAA's elite in three-pointers (7.0/gm, 3^rd in MIAA) and defensive rebounding (25.0/gm, 4^th in MIAA).
·       Of 65 total starts in the 13 games this season, 43 (66.2%) have been made by freshmen and 50 (76.9%) have been made by newcomers overall (Hicks + freshmen).
·       Isaac Gardner became only the third player in program history to post a 1.000% mark with six (or more) three-point attempts in a single-game with his 6-for-6 night against SBU on Dec. 7.

Scouting the Bearcats:
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats (11-1, 5-1 MIAA) return home for the first time in nearly a month on Saturday afternoon, having played three straight road games surrounding the holiday season.

Most recently, the Bearcats earned a 64-53 win at Missouri Western on Wednesday (Jan. 4) night behind 21 points from junior DeShaun Cooper and 20 points from senior Kyle Haake. Northwest normally starts two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore.

Cooper (14.8 ppg) is the team's offensive leader, with three others averaging nearly double-figures. The Bearcats, however, have relied on their defense this season, holding opponents to just 58.4 points per game and just 39% shooting from the floor.

Ben McCollum is in his third season at NWMSU, having posted a mark of 33-32 at the school.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs get back into a regular routine next week with the start of classes on campus on Monday before hitting the road for back-to-back road games at Missouri Western on Wednesday, Jan. 11, and Lincoln on Saturday, Jan. 14.

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