WSU 68, ISU 55 – Final. WSU wraps up sole ownership of MVC title. Fifteen MVC wins is rarefied air.
WSU 66, ISU 55 (42 seconds) - Shockers on their way to the MVC undisputed title.
WSU 64, ISU 55 (3:45) - Turnovers limit ISU’s rallies, but the Redbirds are keeping it close. ISU with 5 team fouls, so WSU will likely need to make some 1 and 1s to seal it.
WSU 57, ISU 46 (7:46) - I bet Stutz has a good finish in him. It’s been a tough game so far. ISU has size to defend him.
WSU 57, ISU 40 (9:36) - Can’t make mistakes against WSU. Shockers on a Davidson-like blitz here. ISU fortunate the Murry layup was waved off. Looked like a no-call from my angle. Shocker bench agreed with me.
WSU 51, ISU 39 (11:24) - Kyles, as far as I can tell, playing good defense tonight. WSU put him on Brown when Murry let him going with two threes.
WSU 39, ISU 31 (15:26) - Redbirds with seven straight since falling behind by 15.
WSU 34, ISU 22 – Halftime. Williams leads WSU with 11 points, 4 of 4 from the field, 2 of 2 from three. Shockers 5-13 from three. Finished with nine turnovers after committing eight in the first 12 minutes or so. ISU 10 of 27 from the field. Carmichael has two points after playing four minutes due to foul trouble. WSU locked up Tyler Brown, who is 0 for 3 from the field.
WSU 29, ISU 22 (2:57) - WSU 5-11 from three. Neither team has made a free throw. WSU shot the only one of the half.
WSU 29, ISU 20 - Allen is a good player. Not that good. WSU rammed that airball back down his throat. Experience pays.
WSU 24, ISU 17 (7:03) - Shockers not getting stops now. ISU can score when it doesn’t turn the ball over. ISU 8-18 from the field with six turnovers. WSU 10-15 with eight turnovers, four by Stutz. WSU has had 12 or fewer in its past six games.
WSU 17, ISU 6 (11:43) - Not many open shots for the Redbirds. Fine defensive effort by WSU so far. White is in, continuing to get minutes while the game is in doubt in recent games. Carmichael’s two fouls could be a big problem for ISU.
WSU 10, ISU 4 (15:59) - WSU shoots ISU out of the zone.
WSU 10, ISU 2 (17:20) - WSU 4-4 from the field
WSU starters - Smith, Murry, Stutz, Ragland, Williams. ISU - Wilkins, Carmichael, Brown, Moore, Ekey.
Disappointing crowd, from my perspective, tonight. Lots of empty seats.
- All the intangibles appear to go against the Shockers tonight. Of course, the tangible is the fact WSU is the better team. Illinois State is playing at home, against a ranked opponent and it needs this game more than WSU. The Redbirds can finish anywhere from 3rd to 8th, and nobody wants to be 8th. They pushed WSU in the first meeting before losing 65-62, and will likely remember the fact they cut the lead to one point five times more than the fact they fell behind by 19 in the second half. The Shockers can wrap up the undisputed MVC title, but they also know they have a cushion. WSU is on a four-game roll at a high level, which is hard to sustain. It’s also been an emotional period, with a big win at Creighton, a satisfying win over Missouri State and a long trip to Davidson for a high-profile game. The Shockers moved into the national rankings along the way. Sometimes those factors can wear a team down, almost without the team noticing it. The Shocker seniors usually spit on that kind of talk and win with a cold, cruel efficiency. WSU is better equipped to handle those issues than most teams.
- WSU is playing the same two teams it played to end the 2006 season, in different order and place. In 2006, WSU beat Drake to clinch a tie for the MVC title in Des Moines. It cut down the nets against Illinois State at Koch Arena in the regular-season finale. This season, it’s at Illinois State (with a tie already in hand) in game No. 17 and Drake at home for No. 18.
- WSU freshman Evan Wessel dislocated the little finger on his left hand and didn’t participate in shootaround. James Anacreon remains sidelined with a groin injury.
- From the MVC publicity machine: WSU is 18-3 on the road since the start of the 2010-11 season, tied with BYU for the best winning percentage in that time. Kansas (15-3) and Murray State (20-4) are tied for third. Missouri State (15-12) is the only other MVC team above .500.