Stuff from the MVC coaches conference call on Tuesday morning:
- MSU, as of around 11 a.m., was still in Springfield. Their pilot called in sick, and the Bears were awaiting a replacement to fly them to Wichita. Coach Barry Hinson assured us his team will make it for the 8 p.m. tip.
- Adam Emmenecker trivia for the day: His career high in high school in Saginaw, Mich., was 12 points. He averaged 4-5 points, according to Drake coach Keno Davis. Listen (it is usually up by Wednesday afternoon) to the conference call and you will realize it is Emmenecker’s world and the rest of the Valley is fortunate to share the same zip code.
- Hinson said the theme from M*A*S*H is the song for tonight’s game. MSU has eight healthy players. WSU has eight healthy scholarship players.
- Drake is No. 16, games sells out at the Knapp Center and the Bulldogs are the national story in the MVC. Davis has often said last season’s team lifted a huge burden off the program by finally recording a winning season. This season’s team doesn’t seem affected by the hype. “They’ve really handled it well,” Davis said. “The more we’ve won, we feel like we’ve already exceeded everybody’s expectations.”
- WSU has not finished last in the MVC since 1995-96, when it tied with SIU at 4-14. To avoid that fate, the Shockers need to beat Evansville in their two meetings (Feb. 6 and Feb. 26). To do that, WSU needs to guard Jason Holsinger. The Shockers might want to watch tape of the Aces game against Indiana State. Holsinger got only two shots off and did not score in that game. Next game, he scored 28 points in a win over Missouri State. “He had a different makeup about him as we entered the game,” Aces coach Marty Simmons said. “He was super aggressive.”
- Several teams are dealing with injuries. The most significant is Illinois State forward Anthony Slack, one of the Valley’s best big men. He bruised his shoulder against Bradley on Jan. 23 and did not play Sunday against Indiana State. As of Sunday, he was still in a sling and is considered day to day. The Redbirds are deep enough to cover his loss, but he is their best inside scorer, rebounder and defender. Evansville’s Shy Ely (ankle) is expected to play tonight at SIU. Indiana State’s Adam Arnold did not play Sunday and is day to day with sore ribs. Creighton’s Dane Watts broke his nose against SIU. He should play Wednesday at Drake.