WEEK 17: TRUMAN VS. INDIANAPOLIS, VS. LEWIS
	Truman Bulldogs 2018-19 Record: 14-12, 9-7 GLVC Coach: Jeff Horner, First season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	Indianapolis Greyhounds 2018-19 Record: 17-9, 10-6 GLVC Coach: Stan Gouard, 11th season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	Lewis Flyers 2018-19 Record: 21-4, 13-3 GLVC Coach: Scott Trost, 13th season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	Game Information When? February 28, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. March 2, 2019 | 3:00 p.m. Where? Kirksville, Mo. | Pershing Arena Follow Along Indianapolis: GLVCSN | 104.7 KRES (Brad & Hank) | Live Stats Lewis: GLVCSN | KWIX 1230 (Brad & Hank) | Live Stats Twitter Truman Athletics | #BewareOfDog | Truman Men's Basketball GLVC Men's Basketball Standings | Statistics | News

Truman Game Notes (PDF)

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - The final week of the regular season is here for the Truman State University men's basketball team and a spot in the GLVC Tournament is on the line. The Bulldogs will look to earn that shot at a league title with two of the Point Rating System's top four teams coming to Pershing Arena in the next three days. Fourth-ranked Indianapolis will be in town on Thursday followed by the PRS' top-ranked team and No. 19 team in the nation, Lewis, on Saturday.

Truman has been a part of every GLVC Tournament since joining the league prior to the 2013-14 season and has played in six consecutive conference tourneys dating back to the end of its MIAA tenure. The Bulldogs will look to keep that streak alive against a pair of teams it split the season's previous matchups with. Truman won at Lewis, 75-66, on Jan. 3 before falling at Indianapolis, 83-79, two days later.

If the season ended right now, Truman would qualify for the GLVC Tournament as the eighth seed with a quarterfinal matchup against Lewis on Thursday, March 7 at SIUE's Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Ill. The Bulldogs will look to make that a reality at home where they've picked up eight of their 14 overall wins and own a .667 winning percentage (8-4).

Scouting Indianapolis
Eleventh-year head coach, Stan Gouard, and Indianapolis enter this week as the fourth-ranked team in the GLVC Point Rating System as well as the sixth-ranked team according to the NCAA's first Midwest Region rankings released on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The Greyhounds have lost two games in a row, three of their last four and four of their last six coming into Thursday night's showdown against Truman. Prior to the two-game road losing streak Indianapolis is on now, it had won four straight away from home.

Indianapolis' fourth-ranked scoring offense in the GLVC features five scorers that average at least 10 points per game and six that put up at least seven per outing. Those five that score 10+ per contest represent the Greyhounds' projected starting lineup including Jesse Kempson (13.8 PPG/13th in GLVC), Trevor Lakes (13.5), CJ Hardaway (13.4), Jimmy King (12.3), and Marcus Latham (10.9).

Scouting Lewis
Lewis and its 13th-year head coach, Scott Trost, are the hottest team in the GLVC with nine-straight wins and victories in 11 of its last 12 games. The Flyers enter this week as the top-ranked team in the GLVC Point Rating System, the No. 19 team in the country and the second-ranked team according to the NCAA Midwest Region Rankings (new rankings to be released later today). Lewis has also won nine of its last 10 games away from home and owns a record of 9-1 outside of its friendly confines.

Not as much as Indianapolis, but Lewis' scoring is still pretty evenly distributed. Five Flyers average at least eight points per game and three of those five are up over 10 per contest. Those three include Kendale McCollum (15.8/eighth in GLVC), Delaney Blaylock (14.3/T11th in GLVC) and Adam Pischke (12.2). When Lewis scores at least 70 points, it has a record of 17-1. When held to less than 70 points, the Flyers are 5-3 and one of those three losses was to Truman back on Jan. 3 (75-66). This season, when the Bulldogs have held their opponent to less than 70 points, they're 10-2.

Last Time Out - Indianapolis
Truman trailed Indianapolis by 10, 43-33, at halftime and was down by as many as 18 before using a 24-8 run that lasted eight minutes to pull within two, 81-79. However, the Greyhounds' CJ Hardaway put the game on ice with a jumper three seconds later. The Bulldogs were led by a trio of scorers in double-figures including Brodric Thomas (26), Cade McKnight (22) and Nathan Messer (12).
 
Last Time Out - Lewis
Thanks to a 19-2 run late in the second half, Truman made it a 3-0 start to GLVC play in its first road league game of the season. Thomas led the way with 28 points, which was a season high at the time, to go with 10 rebounds (seventh career double-double), three assists, one block, and a steal. Nineteen of those 28 points came in the second half and Thomas converted all 13 of his free throw attempts just minutes from his hometown. Also reaching double-figures for Truman were Nathan Messer with 18 on six triples and Turner Scott with 14.
 
Welcome Back
Truman has only hosted Indianapolis twice, but lost both of those matchups including a 83-64 defeat in 2015, year one under Chris Foster, and a 94-86 loss in 2017. In fact, Truman has won just one of its six all-time meetings with Indianapolis and that came on the Greyhounds' court last season, 86-80. As for Lewis, the Bulldogs picked up their first-ever win over the Flyers last season in Pershing, 92-80, before dismantling them in the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals, 103-56.
 
Catching Fire
On the night of Jan. 24, Lewis had just lost to William Jewell to fall to 12-4 overall and 4-3 in GLVC play. The Flyers had been handed three of their four total losses in a span of three weeks, the first of which was to Truman in Romeoville on Jan. 3. Since that third loss at Drury (the league's second-hottest team), Lewis has reeled off nine-straight wins to give itself hope of much more than just a good seed in the GLVC Tournament.
 
Key to the Car
Jimmy King is the key that makes Indianapolis' car go. Among GLVC leaders, King is first in total assists (162), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6) and second in assists per game (6.2).
 
If I Can't Do It, No One Ken(dale McCollum)
Speaking of key to the car, Lewis' Kendale McCollum is at the center of it all for the Flyers and will be as strong a contender as any for GLVC Player of the Year come next week. McCollum leads the league in assists per game with 6.3 (he and King are only GLVC players averaging at least six per outing) and his 157 total dimes are good for second amongst his conference peers.
 
Hit the Glass
The one thing Indianapolis may do better than anything else is rebound. Indianapolis is first in the GLVC in total rebounds per game, tied for first with Southern Indiana for defensive boards per contest (26.8), second in offensive rebounds per game (11.0), and sixth in rebounding margin (3.0). In comparison, Truman is 10th in rebounding margin (-1.3) and 12th in total boards per game (32.0). This game will be won on the glass.
 
Take Care of It
When it comes to what Lewis does well, the Flyers' offense isn't as prolific in years past, but they take care of the ball about as well as anyone in the GLVC. Lewis is third in turnover margin at 2.6 and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.24. The Flyers also have the fifth-fewest turnovers in the league with 311 (12.4 per game) and are third in assists per game with 15.4.

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