For the first time, Missouri State (11-19) will be the No. 10 seed in the State Farm MVC Tournament, March 5-8 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The Bears open the tournament on Thursday at 8:35 p.m. against the No. 7 seeded Wichita State Shockers (15-15).

The Bears have played in the tournament's opening round just twice previously, winning as the No. 8 seed in 2001 and the No. 7 seed last season. In their previous 18 years in the league, the Bears have compiled a 23-17 record in the MVC Tournament, reaching the semifinals 13 times, the championship game seven times, and winning the tournament once (1992).

The complete 2009 State Farm MVC Tournament schedule is as follows:

Thursday, March 5
First Round
Game 1, 6:05 p.m. - (8) Drake vs. (9) Indiana State (no TV)
Game 2, 8:35 p.m. - (7) Wichita State vs. (10) Missouri State (no TV)

Friday, March 6
Quarterfinals
Game 3, 12:05 p.m. - (1) UNI vs. Drake/Indiana State winner (FS Midwest)
Game 4, 2:35 p.m. - (4) Bradley vs. (5) Southern Illinois (FS Midwest)
Game 5, 6:05 p.m. - (2) Creighton vs. Missouri State/Wichita State winner (FS Midwest)
Game 6, 8:35 p.m. - (3) Illinois State vs. (6) Evansville (FS Midwest)

Saturday, March 7
Semifinals
Game 7, 1:35 p.m. - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (FS Midwest)
Game 8, 4:05 p.m. - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (FS Midwest)

Sunday, March 8
Championship
Game 9, 1:05 p.m. - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (CBS)

 

The Hangout - Missouri State fans can once again be a part of the official Hospitality Room for Bears fans at St. Louis Union Station at the Hangout.  Located on the lower level of St. Louis Union Station, near the 20th Street entrance (northwest corner), the Hangout will be open on Missouri State game days from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  A pep rally will take place at the Hangout two hours before every Bears game. Snacks, soft drinks and entertainment by the Pep Band, Cheer Squad and Sugar Bears will be part of the daily pep rally. Show your pride by purchasing Missouri State BearWear, also available at the Hangout!

Tickets - Tickets are available by calling the Missouri State Athletics Box Office at (417) 836-7678 or visit the Box Office at JQH Arena. Tickets may also be purchased through TicketMaster, and on-line at www.ArchMadness.com.

 

GAME NOTES:

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Bears Head to 33rd MVC Tournament - The Missouri State Bears, seeded 10th for the first time, will play No. 7 seeded Wichita State (15-15) Thursday at 8:35 p.m. in the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Scottrade Center (22,612) in St. Louis.

 The winner of the 7-10 game will advance to Friday’s 6:05 p.m. quarterfinal game against No. 2 seeded Creighton (25-6), followed by a 4:05 p.m. semifinal on Saturday against either No. 3 Illinois State (22-8) or No. 4 Bradley (17-13) for the right to play in Sunday’s 1 p.m. championship.

 The Bears enter the tournament on a two-game losing streak after squandering a halftime lead for the seventh time this season in Saturday’s 69-52 loss at Indiana State. The Bears led 32-31 at the intermission after a 60-percent shooting effort in the first half against the Sycamores, but surrendered 16 unanswered points after scoring the first basket of the second half and never recovered. Cardell McFarland (Fr., G, Evansville, Ind.) scored 12 points to lead the Bears in scoring for the fourth time this season, including a 4-for-4 effort at the free-throw line, while Chris Cooks (Sr., F, Idabel, Okla.) snagged a career-high 13 rebounds in the game.

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Bears in the MVC Tourney - The Bears have played in the tournament’s opening round just twice previously, winning as the No. 8 seed in 2001 and earning a 69-46 win over Evansville as the No. 7 seed last season.

 This is the first time MSU has been seeded 10th in the tournament. The school has been seeded in every other position on the bracket except No. 1 and No. 9, earning the No. 3 seed seven times as its most-frequent positioning.

 The Bears are 23-17 in 18 trips to the MVC tournament, including a 2-0 record all-time in the first round, 13-5 all-time in the quarterfinals, 7-6 in the semifinals, and 1-6 in the finals.

 The Bears have reached the semifinals 13 times, the championship game seven times, and have won the tournament once (1992).

 MSU is 4-0 in the tournament against Wichita State, 4-6 against Creighton, 1-4 against Illinois State, and 3-0 against Evansville. Against teams in the top half of the bracket, the Bears are 1-2 against UNI, 3-1 against Bradley, 3-4 against SIU, 1-0 against Drake, and 1-0 against Indiana State. 

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The Hangout - Missouri State fans can once again be a part of the official Hospitality Room for Bears fans at St. Louis Union Station at the Hangout. Located on the lower level of St. Louis Union Station, near the 20th Street entrance (northwest corner), the Hangout will be open on Missouri State game days from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A pep rally will take place at the Hangout two hours before every Bears game. Snacks, soft drinks and entertainment by the Pep Band, Cheer Squad and Sugar Bears will be part of the daily pep rally. Show your pride by purchasing Missouri State BearWear, also available at the Hangout, along with other Missouri State collectibles and souvenirs.

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Head Coach Cuonzo Martin - Cuonzo (CON-zoe) Martin (Purdue, 2000) is in his first season as a collegiate head coach after eight seasons as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Purdue (2000-08) where he was a standout performer for Coach Gene Keady from 1991-95. He became MSU’s 16th head basketball coach on April 1, 2008.

 He is 11-19 this season, including a 3-15 mark in MVC play, 2-11 record away from JQH Arena. Martin is 1-1 against Wichita State, the Bears’ first-round opponent. He is 0-2 against Creighton, 1-1 against Evansville and 0-2 against Illinois State. Against teams in the top half of the bracket, he is 0-2 against UNI, Bradley, SIU and Indiana State and 1-1 against Drake.

 Martin (37) played professional basketball for four years, including two stops with the Milwaukee Bucks and one with the Vancouver Grizzlies of the NBA. He spent most of his professional playing time in the Continental Basketball Association and in Europe, leading Grand Rapids in scoring three seasons and leading the Felize Scandone team in Avellino, Italy in 1997. Originally from East St. Louis, Ill., he scored 20 points against the Bears as a Purdue player on 12/22/92 and helped Purdue to a 4-0 mark against MSU as a player and coach.

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On Radio - All Missouri State Bears games can be heard on KTXR, Springfield (101.3 FM), the flagship station of the Missouri State Bears Basketball Radio Network. Play-by-play man Art Hains will provide the game description, while former Bears players Mike Keltner (1972-74) and Jeff Ford (1989-90) will provide color commentary throughout the season. Hains first began calling Bears’ action in 1977 and is in his second stint and 28th season overall as the Voice of the Bears. He called Bears games from 1977-81 and returned to that post in 1985. He has now announced 851 Bears’ basketball games in his career.

MSU basketball can also be heard on the 10-station, two-state Missouri State Bears Football Radio Network on the following affiliates: Ava - KKOZ (92.1 FM/1430 AM); El Dorado Springs - KESM (105.5 FM); Jefferson City - KJMO (97.5); Kansas City - KCWJ (1030 AM); Monett - KKBL (95.9 FM); Poplar Bluff - KLID (1340 AM); St. Louis - KSLG (1380 AM or 1490 AM); Sparta, Ill. - WHC) (1230 AM); Springfield - KTXR (101.3 FM) (flagship); Willow Springs - KUKU (100.3 FM).

 All games at the tournament can also be heard locally on KFNS (AM 590), St. Louis, and Sirius XM Channel 122. Westwood One radio will also air Sunday’s championship nationally.

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Podcasts - Missouri State now produces a weekly Podcast, available on the Missouri State Athletics web site -- www.MissouriStateBears.com -- by clicking on the Fan Central icon or the Podcast banner ad. The podcasts, also available at iTunesU, are released every Tuesday.

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Television - The MVC Tournament first-round games will not be televised, but all of the tournament quarterfinal and semifinal games will air live on FS Midwest. Sunday’s MVC Tournament championship game will air live nationally on CBS.

 The Bears appeared eight times this season on Mediacom Connections (Channel 14 locally) and the Missouri Sports Cable Network. The Bears were 2-6 on Mediacom.

 MSU has also played on two national ESPN telecasts at home -- Jan. 25 vs. UNI (ESPNU) and Feb. 7 vs. Southern Illinois (ESPN2). Likewise, the Bears were also 0-2 on FOX Sports Net this year -- Jan. 10 at UNI and Feb. 14 vs. Indiana State.

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Bears Live! - This season, Missouri State rolled out Bears Live, a new premium broadband video destination for exclusive live and on-demand Missouri State streaming video & audio content. This broadband video channel is the ultimate place for Bears fans on the web and can be accessed through www.MissouriStateBears.com, the official web site of Missouri State Athletics. Links to live game stats and the Missouri State Bears Basketball Radio Network free live audio stream can be found on the game notes page for this week’s game on the MSU Athletics Web page -- www.MissouriStateBears.com.

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Reset the Clock - All you need to know about the Bears for tonight’s game in 35 seconds or less . . .Kyle Weems (Fr., F, Topeka, Kan.) has scored 296 points this season and now ranks sixth on MSU’s freshman scoring list . . . Weems is the No. 3 freshman scorer and No. 2 freshman rebounder in the MVC . . . Chris Cooks (Sr., F, Idabel, Okla.) is one of three players in the Valley -- along with Bradley’s Theron Wilson and Illinois State’s Osiris Eldgredge -- to be ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring and rebounding . . . The Bears have led or been tied at halftime in seven of their last eight games, but are just 2-6 in that span . . . The Bears have not played a neutral-site game this season . . . MSU is 2-0 all-time in MVC Tournament first-round games and has reached the semifinals of the tournament 13 times in 18 years. . . Isaiah Rhine (Fr., C, Versailles, Mo.) will miss the rest of the season with a fractured left foot, suffered in Saturday’s game at Indiana State.

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Buzzer Beaters - Kyle Weems’ (Fr., G, Topeka, Kan.) buzzer-beating 13-footer to propel the Bears to a 79-77 road win over Tennessee-Martin on 2/21/09 in the ESPNU BracketBusters series was Missouri State’s fourth buzzer beater of the season, but first game-winner.

 The team got a near-halfcourt three by Spencer Laurie (Sr., G, Springfield, Mo.) going into the intermission at Central Michigan (11/17/08) in a 60-57 win. A last-second three-pointer by Will Creekmore (So., C, Tulsa, Okla.) at the end of the regulation forced overtime against Illinois State (12/28/08) at JQH Arena, a game the Bears eventually lost 72-69. MSU also got a three-pointer at the halftime horn against Evansville (2/4/09), by Justin Fuerhmeyer (Jr., G, St. Charles, Mo.), tying the game and eventually helping MSU to a 65-62 home win.

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Home Attendance Standard - In 2008-09, the Bears eclipsed 100,000 fans (121,502) for the 17th time in the last 24 seasons. The team’s final home avearge of 7,147 in 17 games at JQH Arena is the second-best home average for Missouri State this decade and 15th best all-time. This year’s net attendance ranks No. 6 all-time at MSU. The Bears also improved to fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in home attendance avarage this season after finishing sixth last season

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Poll Position - For the first time in their 19-year tenure in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Missouri State men were picked last in the 10-team conference. Since joining the league in 1990-91, the Bears have been picked in the league’s upper division 16 times in the previous 18 preseason polls.

 The only previous lower division preseason predictions for the Bears in the Valley poll were in 1995-96 and 2002-03 when Missouri State was picked eighth both times. In 1995-96, MSU finished 16-12 overall and 11-7 in the league, tying for fourth place. In 2002-03, the Bears completed a 17-12 season and tied for third (12-6) in the MVC.

 Creighton claimed 36 of the 39 first-place votes in this year’s preseason poll and was tabbed first with 386 points, followed by SIU (322), Illinois State (309), Drake (274), Bradley (219), UNI (186), Indiana State (137), Evansville (122), Wichita State (105), Missouri State (85).

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Court Captains - Seniors Spencer Laurie (G, Springfield, Mo.), Shane Laurie (G, Springfield, Mo.), Chris Cooks (F, Idabel, Okla.) and Wade Knapp (C, Wakeeney, Kan.) will share captain duties for the Bears this season. Spencer Laurie was a co-captain last season as well, making him one of 10 Bears to ever hold the honor of captain for more than one season. Previous multiple-year captains were: Finis Engleman (1914-15), Carl Fox (1927, 29), Gene Ruble (1949-50), Bill Thomas (1952-53), Max Oldham (1956-58), Danny Bolden (1966-67), Jimmy Dull (1977-78), Mark Lance (1981-82), and Danny Moore (1998-99).

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Bears Basketball Centennial - The 2008-09 season marks the 100th anniversary of Missouri State’s first basketball team in 1908-09. The University did not field teams in 1911-12, 1912-13, 1943-44 or 1944-45 due to World War I and II, making this the 97th season the Bears have hit the hardwood. MSU is the 27th winningest NCAA Division I program, having compiled a 1,500-834 (.643) all-time basketball record. Cuonzo Martin is Missouri State’s 16th head basketball coach. Over the previous 10 seasons, the Bears are 191-128 (.599), which ranks 65th among all NCAA Division I schools during that span and third among Missouri Valley Conference schools behind No. 19 Creighton (.710) and No. 26 Southern Illinois (.691).

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Shane Laurie Out for Remainder of Season - After suffering his second concussion of the season in Saturday’s game against Southern Illinois (2/7/09), the Missouri State medical staff has announced Shane Laurie (Sr., G, Springfield, Mo.) will be restricted from further participation at MSU due to general health concerns. He will conclude his four-year career with 447 points, 175 assists, 91 steals and 75 three-pointers in 105 games. The Bears were 62-43 in games Laurie played. His final basket as a Bear came in the SIU game on an assist from brother Spencer in the first half.

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Hobbs Leaves Team - On 12/11/08, freshman guard Derron Hobbs made the decision to end his playing career with the Bears and return to his home in St. Louis at the end of the first semester.

 Hobbs was hampered by an ankle sprain that forced him to miss the team’s first three regular season games before his return to action against Utah (11/28/08). He scored three points in the Utah game with a pair of rebounds and followed that performance with a five-point outing against Arkansas-Little Rock (12/3/08). He did not score in his only other game against Arkansas State (12/6/08).

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Bears in the Final NCAA RPI - Since 1994-95, the Bears have finished in the NCAA Division I upper division in the Final RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) all 14 seasons, including four finishes in the top 40, five finishes in the top 50 and eight stops in the top 100. The Bears own three of the five best RPI’s not selected for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth. MSU had the 21st-best RPI on Selection Sunday when it was snubbed for the Dance in 2005-06 as well as a Tourney exclusion after a No. 34 regular season placement in 1999-2000. The 2006-07 Bears were No. 36 in the NCAA’s power ratings on Selection Sunday, and the 1996-97 Bears were 25-7 in the regular season and ranked No. 42 in the RPI. All four teams played in the NIT and were a collective 3-4 in the postseason those years.

 The Bears have five 20-win seasons to their credit in the past 13 years and had seven consecutive winning campaigns prior to this season. In 2008-09, the Bears finished in the Missouri Valley’s lower division for just the fourth time in 19 years in the league.

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Debut of the "Q" - With a $30 million gift from Missouri State alumnus and Springfield-based hotel developer John Q. Hammons, the long-time dream of a new home for the Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears and an iconic tribute to MSU intercollegiate athletics has become a reality. JQH Arena features a seating capacity of 11,000, including 50 courtside seats, 24 suites, PRIME Overtime Club, Hall of Fame and Legacy of Competition exhibits, 114 loge seats, 1,363 reserved student bleacher seats and 9,637 chairback seats.

 The Bears defeated Arkansas, 62-57, before a sellout crowd of 10,881 on November 22, 2008 in the inaugural game at JQH Arena. The first opponent to beat MSU in the facility was Utah, 71-58, on November 26, 2008. MSU’s five-game home winning streak was snapped on December 22 by Middle Tennessee, 63-51, in the finals of the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tourney.

 MSU finished its inaugural campaign at JQH Arena with a 9-8 home record and an average home attendance of 7,147, the team’s second-best average this decade. MSU drew more than 100,000 fans (121,502) for the 17th time in 24 years.

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Injuries in Abundance - Missouri State players have collectively missed 58 games this season due to a variety of injuries. Most recently, the Bears will be without the services of Isaiah Rhine (fractured left foot at Indiana State), who will miss the remainder of the season.

 By player, the following are the number of games missed with injuries this season: Dominick Brumfield (stress fracture, 20 games), Shane Laurie (concussion #1, 11 / leg strain, 1 / concussion #2, 6), Justin Fuehrmeyer (ankle, 5), Chris Cooks (concussion, 3), Spencer Laurie (hand, 4), Cardell McFarland (ankle, 2), Ryan Jehle (shoulder, 4), Isaiah Rhine (foot, 0), Derron Hobbs (ankle, 3). Shane Laurie will miss the rest of the season.

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Schedule Taking Shape - The Bears’ 2009-10 schedule is starting to take shape with a number of non-conference games already contracted. Home games next season will include return games with Auburn, Tulsa and Tennessee-Martin as well as Air Force in the Mountain West/MVC Challenge (see below), and a potential home tournament. Tentative away games include Arkansas, Arkansas State, Arkansas-Little Rock and St. Louis.

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Bears Will Host Air Force in MWC/MVC Challenge - In October, The Missouri Valley Conference and the Mountain West Conference announced an agreement to the formation of an annual Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge for men’s basketball, potentially beginning in 2009-10. All 19 members of both leagues will participate in the Challenge, which will feature head-to-head competition between nine Mountain West and nine Missouri Valley teams annually. MSU will host Air Force on December 5, 2009 in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.

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Alumni Update - Missouri State alum Blake Ahearn (2003-07), the most accurate free throw shooter in NCAA Division I history, is again playing with the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League. In 26 games with the club, he is averaging a team-best 23.7 points (27.1 ppg in February) and 5.8 assists, and has made 169-of-177 (.955) free throws and 43.1-percent from three.

 He was one of three Wizards selected to play in the NBA D-League All-Star Game on Feb. 14 in Phoenix, where he was named the game’s Co-MVP (13 points, 13 assists) as well as winning the Three-Point Challenge. Ahearn scored a season-high 41 points against Bakersfield on 2/10/09 on a 15-for-24 shooting night with 5 treys.

 He was reacquired by the Wizards on Dec. 19 after being assigned Nov. 30 to the Austin Toros -- the San Antonio Spurs’ D-League affiliate -- where he averaged 19 points and 6 assists in 6 games.

 Ahearn signed with the NBA Spurs on November 16, and appeared in three games, averaging 2.7 points in 6.3 minutes in his second stint in the NBA. The Spurs were 6-2 with Ahearn.

 He was also in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ training camp this fall.

 Last season, Ahearn was named Rookie of the Year in the NBA Development League. In 41 games for the Dakota Wizards, he averaged 19.0 points, 3.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 29.4 minutes. He shot 49 percent (239-492) from the field, including 108-for-246 from three-point range, and 96 percent (191-199) from the line. On March 21, 2008, he was called up to the NBA’s Miami Heat, appearing in 12 games and scoring 70 total points and going 30-for-31 at the free throw line.

 Last season’s MSU Co-Player of the Year, Deven Mitchell is playing for the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions in the Austrian league and is averaging a team-best 23.9 points and 4.8 rebounds through 21 (of 22) games, including 39-point outputs on 12/5/08 and 1/25/09, and an amazing 43-point effort on 12/28/08. He is shooting 87.1 percent from the free throw line and 48 percent from three-point range.

 Drew Richards, also a 2007-08 standout, completed his degree at Missouri State in December and signed a contract on January 19 to play the next three months for the Erdgas squad in the German B League. In six games with the club, he is averaging 1.8 points, 5.0 rebounds.

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Looking Back - The Bears finished the 2007-08 season with a 17-16 mark and 8-10 (tie for seventh) record in the Missouri valley Conference. The Bears went 1-1 in the State Farm MVC Tournament before bowing out to Illinois State in the quarterfinals and did not reach the postseason (NIT or NCAA) for just the 12th time in their 26-years at the NCAA Division I level.

 Four seniors concluded their careers in 2007-08, including starters Dale Lamberth (14.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Deven Mitchell (14.3, 6.1) and Drew Richards (7.2, 4.5) along with reserve Dex Manswell (2.3, 3.1). Mitchell finished his career 19th on the Bears’ all-time scoring list (1,131) and became the 27th 1,000-point scorer. Lamberth collected 954 points in three seasons.

 Former head coach Barry Hinson (1999-08) finished his tenure with a 169-117 (.591) record overall and 95-67 (.586) mark in MVC play. He is currently serving on Bill Self’s staff at Kansas.

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Looking Ahead - On November 12, Missouri State announced the receipt of National Letters of Intent from two men’s basketball prospects for the 2009-10 season. High school seniors Jerome Jones (6-5, 201, F, St. Louis, Mo., Miller Career Academy) and Keith Pickens (6-4, 190, SG, St. Louis, Mo., Oakville High) have announced their intentions to play for the Bears next season.

 Jones had a 65-point outing in a five-overtime game on 1/9/09 and a 35-point game (2/3/09) on 12-of-14 shooting. He is averaging 24.6 points in 20 games this season at Miller Career Academy (14-10) in St. Louis with 41 three-pointers and .773 FT%. As a junior, he averaged 17.9 points and 5.3 rebounds and was an all-conference and second team all-state performer, earning Post-Dispatch All-Metro honorable mention. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.9 points and 8.1 rebounds and was invited to the Nike Top 100 Hoop Jamboree. Last game: 31 points in team’s 71-68 win over Soldan in the Class 4, District 5 championship. Next up: Wednesday vs. Jennings in Class 4 Sectional.

 Pickens scored a season-high 29 points on 1/19/09 against University City and is averaging team-bests 14.9 points and 9.2 rebounds through 28 games at Oakville High School (21-7) with a .543 shooting percentage and 98 blocks. In 2007-08, he averaged 13.0 points and 5.9 rebounds, with 2.3 blocks and 1.7 assists. As a sophomore, he scored 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest. Last game: 14 points, 4 rebounds and 5 blocked shots in 68-45 win over Mehlville in the Class 5, District 7 Championship game. Next up: Wednesday vs. Fort Zumwalt South in Class 5 Sectionals. 

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Just Charge It - MSU has drawn 44 charges in 30 games (1.47 per game) this season. MSU has also been called for 33 (1.1) charges. By player, here is the number of charges drawn this season: Chris Cooks 8, Justin Fuehrmeyer 8, Ryan Jehle 8, Will Creekmore 7, Spencer Laurie 5, Wade Knapp 3, Shane Laurie 2, Kyle Weems 2, Derron Hobbs 1.

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Back for More - Bears’ guard Spencer Laurie (Springfield, Mo.) is completing his fourth season with Missouri State this season after being granted an additional year of eligibility under the NCAA waiver. The NCAA ruled this fall that due to the injury and personal circumstances during and following his second season at the University of Missouri (2004-05), he would be eligible for a fourth season of college basketball. After playing in 21 games as a true freshman at Missouri in 2003-04, he was injured after just 7 games in 2004-05. The injury coincided with a family emergency, which ultimately led to his transfer to Missouri State in his hometown of Springfield. He spent the 2005-06 season in residence at MSU after the transfer and became eligible for the Bears in 2006-07.

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Dunk-O-Meter - Through 30 games, the Bears have 24 dunks to their credit as follows:

Wade Knapp 17

Kyle Weems  5

 MSU opponents have 34 dunks. Auburn had 5 dunks in the season opener, while Arkansas State had four slams against the Bears at JQH. Likewise, MSU opponents have outscored the Bears, 720-682, in the paint this season.

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Coors Players of the Week - The Missouri State Coors Player of the Week for the week of February 23-March 1 is Wade Knapp (6-8, 221, Sr., Wakeeney, Kan.).

 Knapp scored a team-best 19 points and shot .667 from the field while making six of his nine field goal attempts on the week. He also grabbed six rebounds last week with two steals and a blocked shot, while connecting on 7-of-11 free throws as the Bears dropped a pair of league games. He is one of two Bears, along with Kyle Weems, to have played in all 30 games this season.

 Previous MSU Coors Players of the Week this season are:

 November 10-16 - Chris Cooks (Sr., F, Idabel, Okla.)

 November 17-23 - Kyle Weems (Fr., F, Topeka, Kan.)

 November 24-30 - Spencer Laurie (Sr., G, Springfield, Mo.)

 December 1-6 - Ryan Jehle (So., F, Overland Park, Kan.)

 December 7-13 - Wade Knapp (Sr., F/C, Wakeeney, Kan.)

 December 14-20 - Chris Cooks (Sr., F, Idabel, Okla.)

 December 21-27 - Will Creekmore (So., C, Tulsa, Okla.)

 December 28-January 3 - Spencer Laurie (Sr., G, Springfield, Mo.)

 January 4-10 - Shane Laurie (Sr., G, Springfield, Mo.)

 January 11-17 - Chris Cooks (Sr., F, Idabel, Okla.)

 January 18-24 - Cardell McFarland (Fr., G, Evansville, Ind.)

 January 25-Feb. 1 - Cardell McFarland (Fr,. G, Evansville, Ind.)

 February 2-8 - Kyle Weems (Fr., F, Topeka, Kan.)

 February 9-15 - Kyle Weems (Fr., F, Topeka, Kan.)

 February 16-22 - Kyle Weems (Fr., F, Topeka, Kan.)

 February 23-March 1 - Wade Knapp (Sr., F/C, Wakeeney, Kan.)

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Waiting in the Wings - Missouri State will welcome two Division I transfers to the program this year with the addition of former Eastern Kentucky standout Adam Leonard (6-0, 188, G, Lee’s Summit, Mo.) and Colorado product Caleb Patterson (7-0, 230, C, Ringwood, Okla.). Both players will be ineligible during the 2008-09 season.

 Patterson,who will be eligible for three seasons with the Bears, played 14 games for the Buffaloes last season, gaining one start and scoring 20 total points.

 Leonard was a two-year starter for the Colonels and helped EKU to the 2007 NCAA Tournament after accounting for 104 three-pointers his freshman season. He averaged 12.5 and 11.9 points, respectively, in his two years at EKU, and will have 2 years at MSU.

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Statistical Battles Come Down to Wire - Three Bears are still in contention for the season assist title with at least two games to play. Justin Fuehrmeyer (71) and Spencer Laurie (70), and Chris Cooks (69) all have a shot at the team lead down the stretch. Laurie won the assist crown in 2006-07 with 141 assists, while Fuehrmeyer was the top assist man on the 2007-08 squad with 134. Since assists were first kept at Missouri State in 1971-72, the lowest season total to lead the squad is 78 by Randy Towe in 1976-77.

 Likewise, the team lead in steals is a four-man race with Fuehrmeyer (29), Kyle Weems (29), Cooks (28) and Laurie (27) all vying for the team title.

 Weems and Wade Knapp each have 24 blocked shots to lead the team.

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Let’s Skip the Intermission - After the Bears squandered a 32-31 halftime lead in Saturday’s road loss at Indiana State, Missouri State upped its season total to seven blown halftime leads, including five in the last seven games. MSU has lost six conference games and five home games in which they led at the intermission, and have been outscored 641 (35.6) to 553 (30.7) in the second half of MVC games. Missouri State has led or been tied at halftime in seven of its last eight games.

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Rhine on the Pine - Missouri State reserve Isaiah Rhine (Fr., C, Versailles, Mo.) will miss the remainder of the 2008-09 season after suffering a fractured left foot at Indiana State on 2/28/09. The backup center played in 22 games this season, starting four times, and scoring 30 points, including the first-ever dunk at JQH Arena (11/22/08). He snagged 52 rebounds in just 229 minutes of playing time, which translates to 9.1 rebounds per-40 minutes.

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