Men's Basketball 2/23/2012 3:08:00 PM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: at Central Missouri

TRUMAN (8-19, 5-14 MIAA)
@ Central Missouri (18-7, 14-5 MIAA)

Saturday, Feb. 25; 3:30 pm
Multipurpose Building; Warrensburg, 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://www.sidearmstats.com/truman/mbball/scoreboard.aspx
PDF Notes

Game Preview:
After 27 games spanning more than three months, it all comes down to a one-game season this Saturday for the Truman men's basketball team with a “win-and-in” shot for the MIAA tournament's No. 8 seed. The Bulldogs will face one of the MIAA's co-leaders, Central Missouri, at 3:30 pm in Warrensburg.

Both teams will have a lot on the line, as Truman controls its own destiny for the 8^th-seed. With a win, the Bulldogs (8-19, 5-14 MIAA) would secure any possible tiebreaker against Emporia State – the squad currently tied with Truman for the No. 8 spot – due to Truman's one-point win against now-surging Southwest Baptist on Dec. 7. However, with a loss, the Bulldogs could not win a decisive tiebreaker with the Hornets due to an ESU victory against UCM earlier this season, leaving the Bulldogs one spot out.

Meanwhile, Central Missouri (18-7, 14-5 MIAA) sits as one of four teams atop of the MIAA with one game to play, as the Mules can finish anywhere from co-champions and a No. 1 seed in the MIAA tournament to one game out and a No. 4 seed next weekend in Kansas City.

The Bulldogs will be out to snap a 14-game losing streak against the Mules that dates back to a 77-69 win on Jan. 4, 2006 in Warrensburg. Earlier this season, the Bulldogs trailed by just two at halftime and crept to within four with 48 seconds to go, but the Mules sealed the game at the foul line for a 78-73 win in Pershing Arena on Jan. 18. UCM got to the line 39 times and put five players in double-figures, while Truman was paced offensively by 22 points from freshman Seth Jackson and 15 points by junior EJ Hicks.

The two charter members of the MIAA will be meeting for the 191^st time overall, with UCM holding a 124-66 lead in the all-time series. Central Missouri has a 59-19 lead in games played in Warrensburg, including five straight dating back to the 2006 Truman win.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Junior Tom Norton is the Truman offensive leader, averaging 12.1 points per game with four 20+ point games. He has made 71 three-pointers at a 37% clip and is 81% (66-for-82) from the free throw line.
·       Freshman Seth Jackson – see below.
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 68 triples, including a 10 three-pointer effort against HLG on Feb. 13 to set a program single-game record. He is averaging 9.5 ppg on the season and entered last week as the nation's 7^th-best three-point shooter.
·       Sophomore Mike Carlson is averaging 9.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He has started 22 games and leads the squad with 25 blocks.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 8.7 ppg and is the team's assist leader (79) with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.30. He became the first Bulldog since 2007 to hand out 11 assists in a game (HLG; 2/13/12).
·       Freshman Andrew Vander Zwaag has played in all but two games this season, averaging 4.4 points per game. He is third on the squad with 23 triples.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush is the team-leader on the offensive glass with 44 boards. He ranks second on the team in rebounds at 4.6 per game.
·       Freshman Tyler Anderson has played in all but one game and is averaging 3.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
·       Senior Vesko Filchev is averaging 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. He is shooting 57% from the floor.

Jackson Makes Push for MIAA Freshman of the Year:
Guard Seth Jackson continues to make his case to become Truman's first MIAA freshman of the year since Grant Agbo in 2004, as the St. Louis-native is averaging 11.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs this season. He is the team leader in MIAA-only games at 12.2 points per game and has upped his rebounds to 4.7 per game.

Jackson has three 20+ point games this season and has led the Bulldogs in scoring 10 times with 16 double-figure outings. He has gotten to the free throw line 154 times – 10^th-most in the Truman single-season modern era – and his 129 FT attempts in MIAA play are the second-most in the league.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       Truman is shooting 41.8% from the field as a team, including a 35.2% mark from three-point range.
·       The 'Dogs are getting to the free throw line nearly 23 times per game but are connecting at just a 66.0% mark on the year.
·       Truman now possesses three of the MIAA's four best single-game three-point shooting performances by an individual, with Gardner's 10 (vs. HLG) and Norton's two different eight triple performances (MSSU; NWMSU) sitting atop the conference list.
·       Against HLG on Feb. 13, EJ Hicks handed out 11 assists, the most since Banks Estridge in 2007. Ethan Freeman was the last Bulldog to reach double-figure assists in a game (Jan. 8, 2011).
·       Against ESU on Jan. 28, the Bulldogs hit 34 free throws (5^th most in school history; most since 1/18/88 vs. QU; 36) and took 48 attempts (4^th most in school history; most since 2/22/97 vs. Lincoln; 49).
·       The Bulldogs have had six different players lead them in scoring this season, led by Jackson's team-high 10 times.
·       Truman has had 11 20-point scoring outings this season. Tom Norton and Seth Jackson are the only players to surpass 20 points in a game at least three times.

Norton Career Check:
·       Tom Norton has hit 200 career three-pointers, putting him fourth all-time. He trails Boyd Printy (1989-1992) by just one for 3^rd on Truman's all-time list. Should he pass those, Brian Basich (238; 1992-96) will be on the list at No. 2 for next season.
·       Norton's career FT percentage of .847 has him amongst the program leaders, as he trails Scott Matthews (1993-94) and Mike Peterson (1987-89) by .001 for the all-time top spot.

Scouting the Mules:
Central Missouri welcomes Truman on Saturday having won back-to-back road games, including a 76-63 win at Northwest Missouri last Saturday (Feb. 18), and, most recently, a 74-68 win at Missouri Western on Wednesday (Feb. 22) night.

The Mules are scoring nearly 77 points per game on the season (74 ppg-MIAA) and are led offensively by Dominique Long (12.6 ppg), Widgett Washington (12.2 ppg) and Boo Hunter (11.9 ppg). UCM is holding oppnents to just 41% overall from the floor, including a 31% mark from long-range.

Central Missouri has dominated statistically at the free throw line, making more free throws than its opponents have attempted. UCM (454-for-614; 74%) is getting nearly 18 points per game from the charity stripe while its opponents (308-for-423; 73%) are shooting just 17 foul shots per game.

Kim Anderson is in his 10^th season at the helm in Warrensburg and has a career record of 221-81.

Up Next:
Depending on Saturday's result, the Bulldog season will either extend for its first MIAA tournament appearance since the 2006-2007 season or will be complete. Should Truman qualify for the MIAA tournament, it would play the 12:00 pm game on Friday, March 2 in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium against the No. 1 seed.

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