GAMES 3, 4 & 5: TRUMAN VS. LINDENWOOD | TRUMAN VS. UPPER IOWA | TRUMAN AT #1 NWMSU
	Truman Bulldogs 2017-18 Record: 2-0 Coach: Chris Foster, Fourth season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	Lindenwood Lions 2017-18 Record: 2-0 Coach: Lance Randall, Third season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	Upper Iowa Peacocks 2017-18 Record: 3-2 Coach: Brooks McKowen, Fifth season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	#1 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats 2017-18 Record: 2-0 Coach: Ben McCollum, Ninth season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	Game Information When? November 15, 2017 | 7:00 p.m. November 17, 2017 | 5:00 p.m. November 18, 2017 | 3:00 p.m. Where? Kirksville, Mo. | Pershing Arena Maryville, Mo. | Bearcat Arena Follow Along Watch: Lindenwood | Upper Iowa | Northwest Listen: 104.7 KRES Track: Lindenwood | Upper Iowa | Northwest Twitter Truman Athletics | #BewareOfDog Truman Men's Basketball

Truman Game Notes (.PDF)

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Three games in four days is what awaits the Truman State University men's basketball team on week two of the 2017-18 season. Fresh off a 2-0 start with wins over Trevecca Nazarene (84-73) and Cedarville (75-65), the Bulldogs will now get set for Lindenwood, Upper Iowa and top-ranked Northwest Missouri State.

The Purple and White split their matchups with the Lions and Peacocks last season as Lindenwood won at its place, 94-83, and Truman beat Upper Iowa inside Pershing Arena, 87-76. As for Northwest Missouri State, it will be Truman's first meeting with the defending National Champions of the Chris Foster era. In the 97+ years of Truman basketball, the Bulldogs have faced no team more than Northwest Missouri State with 195 all-time meetings.

As for the team's top three scorers after two games, one you'd probably expect to be on top and the other two may come as a surprise. Jake Velky is the ringleader in scoring with 22.5 points per game while Zach Fischer is right behind him with 20 per contest. Then comes Taurin Hughes with 11.5 points per game. Velky was the team's leading scorer last year, but Fischer and Hughes both made their first career starts this past week.

Scouting Lindenwood
Lindenwood competed in the MIAA/NSIC Classic to begin the season on Nov. 10-11 in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. against the likes of Bemidji State (74-63) and Minnesota Duluth (69-61). In those two games, Chandler Diekvoss was the leader for the Lions with 20.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while Brad Newman also averaged double-figures with an even 10 per contest. Drew Moore and T.J. Crockett were right outside of double-digits with 9.5 and 9.0 points per game, respectively.

Lindenwood is in year No. 3 under head coach, Lance Randall, who has a record of 39-26 (.600 winning percentage) during his tenure in St. Charles. In his first season, Randall led the Lions to their first MIAA Tournament in program history before helping them to their most wins in the NCAA era in year two. In 2016-17, Randall had to replace nearly 85 percent of his offense from the previous year and still led Lindenwood to its first 20-win season since moving to the NCAA Division II level.

Scouting Upper Iowa
Upper Iowa comes in having already played five games which includes wins against California State-San Bernardino (92-88), Palm Beach Atlantic (79-76) and Humboldt State (60-55), all of which were played in Anaheim, Calif. as part of the Disney Tip-Off Classic. The Peacocks' two losses came in St. Joseph, Mo. as part of Missouri Western State's Hillyard Tip-Off Classic. There, Upper Iowa fell to No. 1 Northwest Missouri State, 89-65, and the host Griffons two days later, 77-65. A trio of Peacocks average at least 10 points per game including Carson Parker (17.2), Dennis Austin III (14.0) and Joe Smoldt (10.2).

Friday's meeting between the two teams marks the ninth in the all-time series, but third between a couple of Northern Iowa graduates in Chris Foster and Brooks McKowen. Foster got the best of McKowen and the Peacocks in their first two meetings, 84-80 in Fayette and 87-76 in Kirksville. Going back to the Cedar Falls days, Foster and McKowen were on a couple of Panther teams together including 2003-04 and 2004-05. Those two years, UNI was a combined 44-21 (.677 winning percentage) overall and 23-13 (.639) in the Missouri Valley Conference with an MVC Tournament title, an NCAA Tournament appearance and an NIT appearance.

Scouting Northwest Missouri State
The defending National Champions have won 13 games in a row dating back to last season and 54 of their last 56 going back to January of the 2015-16 campaign. This season, the ninth under the 2017 NABC and DII Bulletin Coach of the Year, Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State has stormed out to a 2-0 start. The Bearcats won their first game over Upper Iowa by 24 and the next one against Northern State by 11. Just like Truman and Upper Iowa, the Bearcats have three scorers averaging double-figures including Justin Pitts (26.0), Chris-Ebou Ndow (15.0) and Brett Dougherty (14.5).

Going back to McCollum, the Storm Lake, Iowa native owns a career record of 178-71 (.715 winning percentage) and a mark of 110-49 (.692) in MIAA play. McCollum has won five MIAA regular season titles, two MIAA Tournament titles, has a 13-4 (.765) NCAA playoff record, and is a four-time MIAA Coach of the Year honoree.

Revenge on the Mind
Last season when Truman won eight of its first nine games, the one loss came at Lindenwood on Nov. 16, 94-83. After the Bulldogs picked up win No. 8, a 98-67 beatdown of Central Methodist on Dec. 6, they had tied the program's best start since the 1960-61 campaign (9-1). In that game against Lindenwood, Truman headed into the locker room with a six-point lead, 47-41, and had shot nearly 60 percent from the field. However, it was a tale of two halves as the Lions got the better of the Bulldogs in the second period, 53-36. In that final 20 minutes, Lindenwood shot nearly 57 percent from the floor to just under 42 percent by Truman.

Rivalry Renewed
As mentioned above, no Truman series has seen more games than the 195 between the Purple and White and Northwest Missouri State. The Bearcats lead the Bulldogs by seven in that series, 101-94, but it will be the two teams' first meeting since the 2013-14 season.

Best of the Best
Saturday's showdown at Northwest Missouri State will mark Truman's first game against the No. 1 team in the country in over 18 years. 1998-99's Final Four team was the last Bulldog squad to play against the top-ranked team in the nation and it was vs. Pittsburg State on Feb. 15 in Pershing Arena. Truman won that game over the Gorillas by a score of 75-64. Four Bulldogs put up at least 10 points including Brian Brown (18), Mike Peterson (14), Jason Reinberg (13), and Cory Parker (13).

Earned Not Given
Redshirt-senior forward, Zach Fischer, was named GLVC Player of the Week on Monday after averaging a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds in Truman's first two games of the season. Fischer averaged that double-double to go with 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 77.8 percent (14-for-18) from the field and 80 percent (4-of-5) from behind the arc. The St. Louis native and Christian Brothers College High School product becomes the third Bulldog to receive the honor dating back to the beginning of last season (Cory Myers on Jan. 22 and Connor Erickson on Feb. 20). Read the full release HERE.

#BewareOfDog