GAMES 16 AND 17: TRUMAN VS. #10 SOUTHERN INDIANA | TRUMAN VS. #9 BELLARMINE
	Truman Bulldogs 2016-17 Record: 12-3, 4-1 GLVC Head Coach: Chris Foster, Third season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	#10 So. Indiana Screaming Eagles 2016-17 Record: 14-0, 4-0 GLVC Head Coach: Rodney Watson, Eighth season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	#9 Bellarmine Knights 2016-17 Record: 12-2, 4-0 GLVC Head Coach: Scott Davenport, 12th season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	#8 Creighton Bluejays (Exhibition) 2016-17 Record: 15-1, 3-1 Big East Head Coach: Greg McDermott, Seventh season Roster | Schedule | Statistics Buy Tickets HERE
	Game Information When? January 12, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. January 13, 2017 | 6:30 p.m. January 14, 2017 | 12 p.m. Where? Kirksville, Mo. | Pershing Arena (3,000) Omaha, Neb. | CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) Follow Along Live Stats: Southern Indiana | Bellarmine | Creighton Live Video: Southern Indiana | Bellarmine | Creighton (FS2) Radio: Southern Indiana | Bellarmine | Creighton Twitter Truman Athletics | #BewareOfDog Truman Men's Basketball

Truman Game Notes (.PDF)
Southern Indiana Game Notes (.PDF)
Bellarmine Game Notes (.PDF)
Creighton Game Notes (.PDF)

Kirksville, Mo. - For the second time in as many seasons, the Truman men's basketball team enters the Southern Indiana/Bellarmine week with an overall record of 12-3 and a GLVC mark of 4-1. Also just like this year, the Bulldogs rolled past their opponent in the game before by a score of 95-79. The Knights had the same ranking of No. 9, but the Screaming Eagles weren't in the top 25.

Since dropping two of three against the likes of Quincy on Dec. 10 and Kentucky Wesleyan on Dec. 17, the Purple and White have rattled off three in a row to get nine games above .500. With that being said, these next two games will be their toughest of the season and Truman is playing back-to-back games against a ranked opponent for the first time since Feb. 1 and 6 of 2014.

The Bulldogs have proven to be quite the road warriors as they have played 11 of their first 15 games away from Pershing Arena and have a record of 8-3 in those contests. The second half of the 2016-17 season will be a different story when it comes to scenery as the Purple and White will play nine of their next 14 games inside the friendly confines.

Truman will put its third-best scoring offense in the GLVC (88.1 points per game) on the line as it has scored 90+ points seven times this year (6-1). Leading the way is sophomore, Jake Velky, with 17.6 points per game (fifth in the league).

Scouting the Screaming Eagles
Dating back to the end of last season, Southern Indiana has won 17 of its last 18 games with that one loss coming against Bellarmine in the GLVC Tournament on March 4 by a score of 76-73. This year, No. eight under head coach, Rodney Watson, the Screaming Eagles have climbed up to the 10th spot in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll, their highest level in the national rankings since December of 2012. Thursday's showdown between Southern Indiana and Truman will be just the third true road contest of the year for the Screaming Eagles and first since Dec. 3.

Southern Indiana boasts the best scoring offense in the league and it isn't even close. The Screaming Eagles' 96.4 points per game are more than eight better than the next-best team and are good for sixth in all of Division II. On average, Southern Indiana is beating teams by over 27 points per contest, which is the best scoring margin in the country. Among the nation's best, USI is also third in field goal percentage (52.6), third in rebounding margin (+12.6), fourth in free throw percentage (79.5), and sixth in three point field goal percentage (43.6). Not to mention, on defense, the Screaming Eagles are giving up less than 70 points per game.

When we get into the individual numbers, Southern Indiana has four scorers averaging at least 10 points a night including Jeril Taylor (19.2), Alex Stein (18.2), Julius Rajala (12.7), and Bobo Drummond (11.0). Right now, Taylor is the best scorer in the conference while Stein is two spots behind him in third. Those two have combined to score 505 points, which is good for over 37 percent of the Screaming Eagles output this season.

Scouting the Knights
Big, bad Bellarmine was picked to win the GLVC East, to win the National Championship by DII Bulletin and No. three in the country by the NABC before the season started. Fast forward to now and the Knights have broken into the top 10 with an overall mark of 12-2 and a 4-0 league record. The Division II power has already played a pair of top-five teams in Saginaw Valley State on Nov. 11 and Alabama Huntsville on Nov. 18, not to mention a pair of exhibitions against nationally-ranked Division I teams in Indiana on Nov. 5 and Louisville on Nov. 7. Hired in April of 2005, head coach, Scott Davenport has the program setting its sights sky high once again. Bellarmine's two blemishes came in that contest against then-No. 4 Saginaw Valley State (68-66) and at Lincoln Memorial on New Year's Eve (74-60).

While the Knights scoring offense is only eighth in the GLVC at 82.1 points per game, the defensive end of the court is where they make their living. On average, Bellarmine is surrendering just 63.8 points per contest, which is not only the best mark in the league, but is good for 10th in all of Division II. This season, the Knights have given up 60 or less four times and 65 or less six times. Something has got to give on Friday night as Truman enters this week with the third-best scoring offense in the conference at 88.1 points per game.

Bellarmine has been led by a sophomore named Adam Eberhard who averages 17.8 points per contest and is the GLVC's defending Player of the Week. Behind him, but still averaging double figures are Al Davis (12.9) and Rusty Troutman (11.7).

Best of the Best
Since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, the Truman men's basketball program hasn't exactly fared well against ranked opponents. In that span, the Bulldogs have gone up against a team pegged in the top 25 14 times and own a record of 2-12 in those contests including eight-straight losses. Those two victories came against then-No. 10 Washburn (Kan.) on Jan. 16, 2013 (64-56) and then-No. 15 Southern Indiana on Feb. 6, 2014 (71-68/OT). That game against the Screaming Eagles was the only home win against a top 25 team during that stretch. Cory Myers was the only current Bulldog to play against Washburn while Kyle Kanaskie, Billy Daniel and Connor Erickson each got in against Southern Indiana.

Something's Got To Give
Right now, Truman's scoring offense is third in the GLVC with 88.1 points per game. The Bulldogs have proven they can score and they can score in bunches. They have scored at least 90 points in a game seven times this season and own a record of 6-1 in those contests. On the other side of things, Bellarmine and Southern Indiana are first and second, respectively, in the league in scoring defense at 63.8 and 69.2 points per game allowed. Both of those marks are among the top 50 in all of Division II and the Purple and White will definitely have their hands full. From behind the arc, Truman is making 45 percent of its attempts while the Knights and Screaming Eagles are allowing their opponents to make over 32 percent of those looks.

Around the GLVC
Three of the league's teams were ranked in the most recent NABC poll released on Tuesday and they are No. 9 Bellarmine, No. 10 Southern Indiana and No. 24 Quincy. That ranking for the Hawks is their first in the NABC Division II poll since they were No. 18 on Feb. 9, 2010, the last season they advanced to the NCAA Tournament. With only one matchup apiece with those first two teams, Truman will get another shot at Quincy in the regular season finale on Thursday, Feb. 23 in Pershing Arena. The Hawks will host both the Knights and Screaming Eagles this weekend as well, so it's a huge week of play early in the season for the GLVC as a whole

Up Next
Truman will make its second-to-last road trip of the regular season when it travels to Maryville and Missouri-St. Louis on Jan. 19 and 21, respectively. Thursday's game will tip at 7:30 p.m. while Saturday's contest is set to begin at 3 p.m.