KIRKSVILLE, Mo.—The Truman Men's Basketball team will conclude the regular season on the road as they take on Maryville and Missouri S&T; still vying for the top seed in the conference tournament. With two victories, the Bulldogs would secure at least a share of the best conference record in the GLVC; and their first regular season conference title since 1979.
However, with the top five teams in the conference being so close in terms of rating, the Bulldogs seeding in the conference tournament is still subject to fluctuation. Missouri-St. Louis is currently at the top with a 3.94 rating, followed by Truman at 3.92, Southern Indiana at 3.89 and Indianapolis at 3.83.
The Bulldogs got back on track with a 24 point win over Southwest Baptist on Senior Day. Brodric Thomas led the way for the Bulldogs with 19 points, seven assists and three blocked shots. He is currently tied for fourth with Nick Certa for fourth all-time with 82 blocked shots. His 1,372 career points are eighth all-time, just ten behind Terry Bussard for seventh. His 538 points so far this season are fifth best in a single season in Truman history, 17 behind Dan Storck's 555 in 1987-88.
Thomas remains second in the GLVC in scoring average with 20.7 points per game, 19.6 in conference play. He is the only player in the GLVC to be in the top ten in points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game in conference play. He is also one of two players (Yaakema Rose of UMSL) to be averaging over two steals per game.
The Bulldogs have the top scoring defense in the GLVC in conference games at 64.2 points per game, and are tied for sixth in scoring offense with 74.8 points scored per game. The 10.6 difference is the best mark in the conference.
The Opponents:
Maryville enters the game 5-20, and has dropped four straight games and 16 of their last 17 games; including their meeting with the Bulldogs in Kirksville in January. In that 65-48 win for the Bulldogs, Thomas led the team with 13 points, while Dylan Peeters reached double figures with 12. Alex McQuinn came one point short of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
UM is led by Parker Long, who is averaging 13.3 points per game and 4.2 assists per game. Jalen Gant is their top rebounder at 5.5 per game.
Missouri S&T enters the week at 5-19, and have dropped their last five games. Truman dispatched the Miners in Kirksville in January with a dominant 86-60 win, led by Hunter Strait's 18 points on a career high five made three pointers.
The Miners are led by Dulan Scott, who averages 15.7 points per game. CJ Hedgepeth leads with 2.8 assists per game and Chima Oduocha leads with 5.8 rebounds per game. Hedgepeth was the line Miner to reach double figures with ten in the loss at Truman earlier this season.
Up Next:
The regular season will be over, but the Bulldogs will play in the GLVC Tournament March 5-8 and then await their NCAA fate.
