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JOE GAVAZZI
LOY-Chicago vs. Indiana St. (-1.5-) 9:30 ET
Scott Trade Center, St. Louis, MO
2* Game – Indiana St. (-1.5-)
LOY-Chicago, the No. 6 seed in the Missouri Valley Tournament, meet Indiana St., the No. 3 seed, in the last of 4 games that make up the Quarter Finals of this Conference Tournament, which is annually held in St. Louis, a central location for the 10 conference teams. The Missouri Valley is one of the oldest and most prestigious Conference Tournaments. Beside the basketball action, it is an annual event for the many alumni groups of the member schools who “meet and greet” for an annual reunion. Indiana St. is a long-standing member of the league, while LOY-Chicago is in only its second season. In the five games these teams have faced each other, Indiana St. has won all five times, four of them by 11 or more points, including a 75-62 victory in this event last year. This year’s meetings in the regular season saw Indiana St. emerge victorious with wins of 14 and 11 points.
LOY-Chicago is coached by 4th year HC Porter Moser. In the previous 3 seasons, his Ramblers recorded just 32 total wins. With 4 RS, this year’s 18-12 SU team is the best of the group. Nonetheless, at 8-10 SU, LOY is still a notch below the upper echelon of the MVC. The calling card for LOY is a defense that allows just 60 PPG on 44% shooting and 32% from the arc. But, their impotent offense averages just 62 PPG. They also have a negative rebounding margin. The Ramblers are making some nice strides, as they approach competitive level in this respected loop. But as recent scores attest, they are not in the class of Indiana St.
Indiana St. is coached by 5th year mentor, Greg Lansing. The Sycamores used the preseason play in November and December as a rebuilding tool. They entered league play at 4-8 SU, 4-7 ATS. After a 5-0 SU ATS Valley start, it was evident that Lansing has been “playing possum.” The Sycamores finish the year at 11-7 SU in league play. It was the “best of the rest,” behind league heavyweights Wichita St. and N. Iowa. This is a program that is built for success by Lansing with strong defensive tendencies and good fundamentals. They have the pedigree of making it to the final round of this event last year, before losing to Wichita St. With good scoring balance and solid fundamentals, Indiana St. is clearly the better team.
Well aware that LOY enters this event on a 8-2 ATS run with 5 consecutive road covers! But, the strong series history between these two, as well as the Indiana St. pedigree and offensive balance, point out the Sycs as the clear winner in this one.
LOY-Chicago vs. Indiana St. (-1.5-) 9:30 ET
Scott Trade Center, St. Louis, MO
2* Game – Indiana St. (-1.5-)
LOY-Chicago, the No. 6 seed in the Missouri Valley Tournament, meet Indiana St., the No. 3 seed, in the last of 4 games that make up the Quarter Finals of this Conference Tournament, which is annually held in St. Louis, a central location for the 10 conference teams. The Missouri Valley is one of the oldest and most prestigious Conference Tournaments. Beside the basketball action, it is an annual event for the many alumni groups of the member schools who “meet and greet” for an annual reunion. Indiana St. is a long-standing member of the league, while LOY-Chicago is in only its second season. In the five games these teams have faced each other, Indiana St. has won all five times, four of them by 11 or more points, including a 75-62 victory in this event last year. This year’s meetings in the regular season saw Indiana St. emerge victorious with wins of 14 and 11 points.
LOY-Chicago is coached by 4th year HC Porter Moser. In the previous 3 seasons, his Ramblers recorded just 32 total wins. With 4 RS, this year’s 18-12 SU team is the best of the group. Nonetheless, at 8-10 SU, LOY is still a notch below the upper echelon of the MVC. The calling card for LOY is a defense that allows just 60 PPG on 44% shooting and 32% from the arc. But, their impotent offense averages just 62 PPG. They also have a negative rebounding margin. The Ramblers are making some nice strides, as they approach competitive level in this respected loop. But as recent scores attest, they are not in the class of Indiana St.
Indiana St. is coached by 5th year mentor, Greg Lansing. The Sycamores used the preseason play in November and December as a rebuilding tool. They entered league play at 4-8 SU, 4-7 ATS. After a 5-0 SU ATS Valley start, it was evident that Lansing has been “playing possum.” The Sycamores finish the year at 11-7 SU in league play. It was the “best of the rest,” behind league heavyweights Wichita St. and N. Iowa. This is a program that is built for success by Lansing with strong defensive tendencies and good fundamentals. They have the pedigree of making it to the final round of this event last year, before losing to Wichita St. With good scoring balance and solid fundamentals, Indiana St. is clearly the better team.
Well aware that LOY enters this event on a 8-2 ATS run with 5 consecutive road covers! But, the strong series history between these two, as well as the Indiana St. pedigree and offensive balance, point out the Sycs as the clear winner in this one.
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