Missouri State Bears (12-2, 2-1) vs. Wichita State (13-2, 2-1)

Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010, 7:05 p.m.

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The Game: After playing two of their first three conference games on the road, the Bears return to JQH Arena Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. to do battle with the Wichita State Shockers in a Missouri Valley Conference showdown.

 The 12-2 Bears are unbeaten in eight home games in 2009-10 and have already surpassed their win total from last season when MSU was 11-20 in Cuonzo Martin's first season. MSU is coming off a narrow 84-76 loss on Sunday afternoon at Northern Iowa, the MVC preseason favorite. The Bears led the game by four points with just under eight minutes to go and fell victim to a 14-2 run by the Panthers late in the contest as UNI won its 11th straight, despite double-figure scoring by four MSU players.

 WSU has won 13 of its 15 games and is in a five-way tie for second place in the MVC, along with MSU. The Shockers have three players averaging double figures in scoring, including the nation's top FT shooter Clevin Hannah (10.8).

The Series: Overall, the Bears lead the all-time series, 28-23, and have won five of the last eight meetings between the two squads. The rivalry dates back to 1941. Missouri State has won the only previous meeting at JQH Arena, a 68-55 win on Jan. 14, 2009, in a game that featured 23 points and 11 rebounds by former Bear Chris Cooks.

The Coaches: Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin (Purdue, 2000) is 23-22 (.511) overall, 17-8 (.680) at JQH Arena in his second season at MSU and overall. He is 1-2 against Wichita State, 5-16 in MVC games, 3-7 in January, and 6-3 on Wednesdays.

 Martin spent 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 (38) 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.

 Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall (Randolph-Macon, 1985) is 41-39 (.513) in his fourth season with the Shockers and 235-122 (.658) in his 12th season as a head coach. He spent 9 seasons at Winthrop where he won six Big South titles with the Eagles and 7 Big South Conference Tournament crowns. He is 4-2 all-time against Missouri State, but is 0-2 all-time in Springfield and 0-1 at JQH Arena.

The Ten Count: Ten Missouri State quick facts relating to today's game:

• For the first time since Game 3, Missouri State has three players averaging double figures in scoring. Jermaine Mallett jumped to 10.0 points per game on the season with his 45-point outburst in his first three MVC games.
• More than half of Missouri State's scoring this season has come from its junior class. Through 14 games, 55.9 percent of the Bears' total points have come from Adam Leonard (13.2 ppg), Jermaine Mallett (10.0), Will Creekmore (6.9), Nafis Ricks (4.4) and Ryan Jehle (1.6).
• Justin Fuehrmeyer, will play his 100th career game tonight. He has accounted for 433 points, 85 steals and 173 rebounds in his career. The Bears are 53-46 in games Fury has played and 19-30 in his 49 career starts.
• Kyle Weems is the only MSU player to score in double figures all 14 games this season. He has posted double-figures in 15 straight games overall, dating back to last season, and 22 of the last 24 contests.
• Adam Leonard has hit at least one three-pointer in 34 straight games and multiple treys in 16 straight contests.
• The Bears have led or been tied at halftime in 29 of their last 43 games (21-8) and are 10-1 this season when tied (2-1) or leading (8-0) at the intermission. MSU has matched or outscored its foes in 21 of 26 halves in 2009-10.
• Wichita State is the nation's seventh-best free throw shooting team (.770) and boasts the nation's top free throw shooter in Clevin Hannah (.950). Hannah also ranks 45th nationally in assists (5.2).
• Despite losing at UNI, the Bears jumped to No. 29 in the RealtimeRPI.com rankings on Monday morning.
• Nafis Ricks snapped out of a four-game scoreless slump with an eight-point outburst Sunday at UNI.
• Kyle Weems, the all-time leading scorer at JQH Arena, needs just 16 points to eclipse 300 in his career at the Bears' home facility.

Dunk-O-Meter: Missouri State's season dunk total is now 20. 　

Last Outing: A 14-2 run by Northern Iowa late in the second half powered the homestanding Panthers to an 84-76 victory over Missouri State on Sunday afternoon in Missouri Valley Conference play.

 A driving layup by Justin Fuehrmeyer (Sr., G, St. Charles, Mo.) with 7:58 to play put the Bears (12-2, 2-1) up 61-57 in a game with 16 lead changes and 11 ties. But, UNI locked up its 11th straight win with a powerful run that included key three-point baskets by Ali Farokhmanesh and Johnny Moran during the 14-2 run that put the Panthers up 71-63 with 4:04 to play.

 MSU made a late run in the final two minutes, cutting a 76-65 deficit to 76-70 after a hook shot by Will Creekmore (Jr., C, Tulsa, Okla.) and three-pointer from the top of the key by Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.) with 1:45 to play in the game, but a charging call and solid free throw shooting down the stretch by UNI (12-1, 3-0) sealed the win.

 Jermaine Mallett (Jr., G/F, Jackson, Miss.) had 13 points to lead four Bears in double figures, while Creekmore and Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) each scored 12, and Weems notched 11 points and 9 rebounds.

On the Radio: All Missouri State 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.

 Hains first began calling Bears action in 1977 and is in his second stint and 29th season overall as the Voice of the Bears. He called MSU games from 1977 to 1981 and returned to the mic in 1985. The Wichita State game will be Art's 867th Missouri State basketball broadcast.

 Color commentary will be provided this season by former Bears Mike Keltner (1970-74) and Drew Richards (2004-08). The Bears are 9-1 with Keltner providing color and 3-1 with Richards.

 MSU basketball can also be heard on the nine-station MSU Bears Basketball Radio Network (see sidebar), in addition to live audio streaming on www.RadioSpringfield.com.

MVC Newcomer of the Week: Jermaine Mallett (Jr., F, Jackson, Miss.) is this week's Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, the league announced Monday. He is the second Bears' player to win the MVC Newcomer of the Week award this season, along with Adam Leonard who claimed the honor on Nov. 30. Only three other MSU players have earned the weekly award since the Valley began recognizing newcomers in 2003-04: Blake Ahearn (12/23/03 and 1/12/04), Shane Laurie (1/30/06) and Spencer Laurie (1/8/07).

National & Conference Leaders: In this week's NCAA statistical rankings, Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) ranks 42nd nationally in three-point field goals per game (2.9), 48th in three-point field goal percentage (.421), and 74th in free-throw percentage (.841). Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.) ranks 91st in field goal percentage (.510), 116th in three-pointers per game (2.4) and 214th in scoring average (15.1), and Jermaine Mallett (Jr., F, Jackson, Miss.) ranks 131st in free throw percentage (.814).

 In this week's MVC statistics, the Bears lead the Valley in three-point field goal percentage (.406), turnover margin (+3.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.3). Among individuals ranking in the top 10 in the league statistics, Kyle Weems ranks 1st in three-point percentage (.485), 5th in scoring (15.1), 7th in rebounding (5.8), 9th in field goal percentage (.510), 7th in steals (1.5), 5th in 3-pt FG (2.4), 10th in blocked shots (0.8), and 3rd in defensive rebounds (4.9). Jermaine Mallett is 11th in rebounding (5.4), 10th in asssits (2.8), 8th in offensive rebounding (1.8), and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4), while Adam Leonard is 10th in scoring (13.2), 7th in FT percentage (.841), 7th in three-point percentage (.421), 2nd in three-pointers per game (2.9), 9th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5) and 4th in minutes per game (32.9). Caleb Patterson (So., C, Ames, Okla.) is 4th in FG Pct. (.541), and 10th in blocks (0.8).

Milestones: Justin Fuehrmeyer (Sr., G, St. Charles, Mo.) needs 1 game for 100 career, and 67 points for 500 ... Ryan Jehle (Jr., F, Overland Park, Kan.) needs 29 points for 200 career ... Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.) needs 17 rebounds for 250 career and 3 free throw attempts for 100 career ... Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) needs 57 points for 1,000 in his career, 15 points for 200 this season and 8 rebounds for 200 career ... Jermaine Mallett (Jr., F, Jackson, Miss.) needs 10 points for 150 this season ... Will Creekmore (Jr., C, Tulsa, Okla.) needs 3 points for 100 this season, 14 points for 300 career and 2 field goals for 100 career.

Coors Player of the Week: Jermaine Mallett (Jr., F, Jackson, Miss.) is this week's Coors Player of the Week after helping the Bears to a 2-1 MVC record, including their first road win in the Valley since 3/1/08. He had a game-high 17 points at Evansville with 5 assists, 3 steals and 5 rebounds. He followed that with a double-double against Illinois State (1/1/10) with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. For the week, Mallett notched 45 points (15.0), 19 rebounds (6.3), 5 threes and a .533 shooting percentage (16-for-30), including 11-of-16 (.688) from 2-point range.

Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge Series: The Missouri Valley Conference claimed the inaugural Mountain West-Missouri Valley Conference Challenge Series this fall, winning five games to four. The Bears were victorious over Air Force, 58-48, at JQH Arena on Dec. 5 in their series game. Other MVC winners in the series were: Indiana State, Wichita State, Illinois State, and Northern Iowa, while Evansville did not participate in the inaugural challenge.

 Overall, Missouri Valley teams completed the pre-Christmas non-conference season with an overall 75-32 record.

McFarland Dismissed on Dec. 26: Missouri State men's basketball coach Cuonzo Martin announced on Dec. 26 that sophomore guard Cardell McFarland, one of the team's three returning starters from last season, was dismissed from the squad due to an undisclosed violation of team conduct rules while in his hometown of Evansville, Ind., during the team's scheduled holiday break.

 McFarland played in five of the team's first 11 games this season, scoring 25 points with 7 rebounds and 8 assists. He missed three games with a knee contusion suffered in the Tulsa game on Nov. 28 and had been in uniform for the Bears' next three games, but did not play. As a freshman last season, he started 19 of the 29 games in which he appeared, averaging 6.9 points and 1.6 rebounds with a career-high 15 points at Tennessee-Martin on Feb. 21, 2009.

Spoonhour Headlines 2010 MSU Hall of Fame Class: Former Bears' head coach Charlie Spoonhour (1983-92) is one of six former Missouri State coaches and student-athletes to be inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame during ceremonies on campus, Feb. 5-6.

 Spoonhour posted a 197-81 (.709) record at Missouri State which included 20-win, postseason teams each of his final seven seasons. That stretch included Mid-Continent Conference regular season championships four years in a row from 1987 through 1990. The Bears' 1986 NIT club was Missouri State's first Division I postseason team and knocked off Pitt and Marquette before a one-point loss to Florida in the quarterfinals. The Bears reached the NCAA for the first time in 1987 and had a first-round win over Clemson before losing to Kansas. MSU returned to the NCAA meet in 1988, 1989 and 1990 from the Mid-Continent Conference, and in 1992 from the Missouri Valley Conference. The 1992 Bears won what remains the school's only men's MVC basketball championship. Spoonhour's 1987 team finished with a school record 28 wins and took a 15-game win streak into the NCAA second round vs. Kansas.

 The six new inductees will bring the total membership in the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame to 326.

 The rest of the shrine class features football player Jeremy Hoog (1994-1997), track and field athlete Verneta Lesforis (1997-1999), basketball player Roshonda Reed (1995-1999) and volleyball player Amy Russell McNew (1990-1993).

 The new inductees will go into the shrine at an induction ceremony to be held Feb. 6, in a 12 noon luncheon in the Plaster Student Union Ballroom. Inductees will also be recognized in halftime ceremonies in the first two of that weekend's Missouri State basketball games in JQH Arena. The Lady Bears will host Creighton University on Friday, Feb. 5, at 7:35 p.m., and the Bears will host Creighton Saturday, Feb. 6, at 7:05 p.m.

 The 2010 Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame induction lunch is open to the public and reservations may be made through Monday, Feb. 1, by calling Missouri State Athletics Development (417) 836-4143. Tickets are $25 per person.

Assistant Coach Kent Williams Will Join SIU Hall: Missouri State men's basketball assistant coach Kent Williams will join five other former Southern Illinois University athletics standouts to be inducted into the SIU Athletic Hall of Fame on January 8.

 The esteemed, six-person class features Williams and fellow basketball standout Jerry Jones, plus inductees Tom Koutsos (football), Al Levine (baseball), Dana Olden (volleyball) and Cheryl Venorsky (softball).

 Williams (1999-2003) helped rejuvenate the men's basketball program a decade ago. As a four-year starter, his teams were 88-42 during his career and advanced to two NCAA Tournaments (2002, 2003), including a Sweet 16 appearance, and one NIT bid (2000). Williams became just the second player in school history to surpass 2,000 career points. He was a two-time First-Team All-MVC selection (2002, 2003) and runner-up to Kyle Korver for MVC Player of the Year in 2003. He ranks among the school leaders in numerous career categories, including 3-pointers (2nd), free throws (2nd) assists (8th) and games started (1st).

 Williams came to Missouri State, along with head coach Cuonzo Martin, from Purdue in the spring of 2008.

Bracket Busting: After posting a 10-1 record in non-conference play this season, the Bears now await news of their 2010 BracketBusters opponent for their final non-MVC foe of the season. The 2010 BracketBusters pairings will be announced on Feb. 1. The Bears will be one of 49 home teams in this year's series.

 Missouri State is 3-3 all-time in the BracketBusters series and is 1-2 at home. This year's game will be the first-ever BracketBusters game at JQH Arena.

 On Dec. 9, the Bears defeated Tennessee-Martin, 79-51, in their BracketBusters return game from last season. MSU improved to 6-0 all-time in BracketBusters return games with the win.

Non-Conference? Non-Problem: The Bears finished non-conference play (save the BracketBusters game in February) with a 10-1 record and are now 18-5 overall under head coach Cuonzo Martin against non-MVC foes. MSU has assured itself of its seventh straight winning record in non-conference games and has matched its highest win total since the Bears were 11-4 in 1998-99.

Building the Program: On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin announced the receipt of National Letters of Intent from two high school prospects for the 2010-11 season. A third player committed to play for the Bears on Nov. 12.

 Committing to Missouri State were:

• Nathan Scheer (6-5, 200, F, Washington, Mo., St. Francis Borgia High)
• Corey Copeland (6-3, 180, G, Fort Smith, Ark., Northside High)
• Aaron Cooper (5-11, 170, G, Jacksonville, Ark., North Pulaski High)

 Scheer, a student with a 3.95 GPA, was a consensus Missouri Class 4 All-State pick last season. He helped lead coach Dave Neier's St. Francis Borgia High School to a 28-3 overall record and Missouri state title last season after averaging 15.9 points and 5.0 rebounds as a junior. He also led Borgia in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore with 17.1 points and 5.7 rebounds. He also added 41 three-pointers, 60 assists and 44 steals last season.

 Scheer scored a career-high 36 points on 12/9/09, including seven 3-pointers, to lead Borgia to a thrilling 78-75 victory over Whitfield. Through 9 games, he is averaging 24.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists, with 31 threes.

 Copeland helped his Fort Smith (Ark.) Northside squad to the Arkansas Class 7A quarterfinals last season, earning All-State honors and a spot on the All State Tournament Team. He averaged 15.2 points and led his team in field goal percentage. He holds a 3.4 GPA and is considered an athletic player with outstanding leaping and shooting abilities. Martin calls Copeland a slasher who can make shots and play three different positions.

 His Grizzlies are 6-5 so far this season, but statistics are not available at this time.

 Cooper averaged 18.0 points and 4.1 assists as a prep junior a year ago at North Pulaski (Ark.) High. He made 82-percent of his free throws and knocked down 53-percent of his three-pointers. He is a reputable defender who uses his quickness to create offense, and has a great instincts. Martin says Cooper has the potential to be a great on-ball defender and a scoring point guard. His father, Raymond, is also his high school and AAU coach.

 His Falcons are off to a 8-3 start this season. He is averaging 16.5 points per game with a .640 field goal percentage and 16-for-38 from three-point range.

Bears in the Pros: Earlier this fall, Blake Ahearn (2004-07) played in Spain for MMT Estudiantes Madrid. In 13 games with the club, he averaged 14.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 24.4 minutes per game. He was 36-for-87 (.414) from three-point range. The NCAA all-time free throw leader was 57-for-58 (.983) at the charity stripe. Ahearn spent the bulk of the 2008-09 season with the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League where he was co-MVP of the NBA D-League All-Star Game after claiming league's Rookie of the Year honors in 2007-08. Ahearn had stints with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat during the most recent two seasons.

 Deven Mitchell (2004-08) is playing for the CS Gaz Metan Medias squad in the Romanian League. He is averaging 13.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game through 14 games while making 55.6 percent of his field goal attempts.

 Shelton Colwell (2003-04) is active in Austria, averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds through the first 11 games of the season for the BSC Raiffeisen Fursten feld Panthers.

 Former Bear Rodney Perry (1991-93) is coaching the 4-0 Kansas City Stars of the American Basketball Association where Dale Lamberth (2006-08) is now a team member.

Preseason Valley Poll: The Bears were picked ninth in the MVC preseason poll, marking just the fourth time since the Bears joined the league in 1990-91 that they have been picked to finish in the lower division of the 10-team conference.

 Last season, the Bears were picked 10th in the league and finished 3-15 in the MVC.

Home Attendance: 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 average of 7,147 in 17 games at JQH Arena was the second-best home average for Missouri State this decade and 15th best all-time. The team's 2008-09 net attendance ranked No. 6 all-time at MSU.

 The Bears also improved to fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in home attendance average after finishing sixth in 2007-08, and were Division I basketball's 20th most-improved program in home attendance in 2008-09.

 The Bears have been ranked between 55th and 90th among Division I programs in home attendance in 16 of the last 22 seasons, including a national ranking of 75th in 2008-09.

 Through 8 of 17 home games, the Bears have drawn 52,137 fans and are averaging 6,517 fans per game.

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 became a reality last season. 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 is 8-0 at JQH Arena in 2009-10 and 17-8 all-time.

 MSU finished its inaugural campaign at JQH Arena with a 9-8 home record and an average home attendance of 7,147, ranking 75th among all Division I programs and 20th most-improved from the previous season.

The Program: Missouri State entered the 2009-10 season with the 28th-best all-time win total in NCAA Division I men's basketball and the 17th-best by winning percentage (.642). Currently, the Bears have an all-time record of 1512-837 (.644) in 97 seasons and are 527-320 (.622) since making the move to Division I in 1982-83.

 During its Division I era, MSU has made NCAA Tournament appearances in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, and 1999. With Tournament wins over Wisconsin and Tennessee, the 1999 Bears advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Bears have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament eight times -- 1986, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The 1986, 1993 and 2006 squads all reached the NIT quarterfinals.

 The Bears won NAIA national championship titles in 1952 and 1953, while making six NAIA national tournament appearances from 1939-1954. MSU also appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament 10 times, finishing as national runners-up on three occassions -- 1959, 1967, and 1969.

 Missouri State has won 23 conference titles, not including a 1992 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title.

Missouri State University: Missouri State University is a public, comprehensive university system with a mission in public affairs, whose purpose is to develop educated persons while achieving five goals: democratizing society, incubating new ideas, imagining Missouri's future, making Missouri's future, and modeling ethical and effective behavior.

 With a record enrollment of 22,938 in 2009-10, MSU is the second-largest institution for higher learning in Missouri, and its identity is distinguished by its statewide mission in public affairs. This mission requires a campus-wide commitment to foster competence and responsibility in the common vocation of citizenship. Missouri State University-Springfield is a selective admissions, graduate level teaching and research institution.

 Missouri State competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference with affiliate membership in the Mid-American Conference for field hockey and men's swimming and diving.

 Notable Missouri State alums include: Ryan Howard (2009 NLCS MVP, first baseman, Philadelphia Phillies), John Goodman (actor), Kathleen Turner (actress), David Glass (owner, Kansas City Royals), John Q. Hammons (businessman, hotel developer), Bob Holden (43rd governor of Missouri), Bill Mueller (2003 American League batting champ), Jackie Stiles (Division I career scoring leader), and Blake Ahearn (NBA D-League MVP and All-Star Game co-MVP).

Up Next: The Bears close out a two-game home stand Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. when they welcome the Bradley Braves to JQH Arena. The Bears lead the all-time series with the Braves, 25-16. MSU then takes to the road for a pair of MVC games Jan. 12 (7:05 p.m.) at Drake and Jan. 16 (2:05 p.m.) at Bradley. The Bears then close out the month of January with three out of four games at home.