Games 5-6 - Missouri State Bears (2-2) vs.  UTRGV Vaqueros (2-2) and LIU Sharks (3-1)
Date and Time	UTRGV - Saturday, Nov. 22 | 4:02 p.m. (Central) Long Island - Monday, Nov. 24 | 7:02 p.m. (Central)
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets	Tickets for UTRGV Game | Tickets for LIU Game (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office
Promos & Specials	Saturday - Teddy Bear Toss Game Monday - Healthcare Appreciation Night Promo Calendar
Fan Info	Flip Card | Gates open one hour before tipoff
Radio	KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, John Miller, Mike Keltner)| Listen Live |  Bears Radio Network | Varsity Network App for UTRGV | Varsity Network App for LIU
Television	ESPN+ for UTRGV Game (Don West, Mike McClure) | Watch ESPN+ for LIU Game (Tom Ladd, Jim Middleton) | Watch
Series	Missouri State leads UTRGV 3-0 First Meeting vs. LIU
Live Stats	UTRGV Game StatBroadcast LIU Game StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | UTRGV | LIU | CUSA Weekly Notebook | MSU Media Guide
Follow	Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #WeAreMoState | #ItAllCounts
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	Sunday, Nov. 30 vs. Northeastern (Okla.) State | 2:00 p.m. | Tickets

Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu. 

The Ten Count

• Missouri State kicks off a three-game home stand with contests against Texas Rio Grande Valley on Saturday (4 p.m.) and Long Island on Monday (7 p.m.) at Great Southern Bank Arena as part of a co-op MTE event with the University of Illinois. The Fighting Illini will play LIU on Saturday and UTRGV on Monday. 
• Saturday's game against UTRGV is MSU's annual Teddy Bear Toss game. Fans are encouraged to bring a new stuffed animal to toss onto the court at halftime with every bear going to local children in need this Thanksgiving season. 
• Monday's game against LIU is Healthcare Appreciation Night as Missouri State salutes the doctors, nurses, and medical professionals who keep our community healthy. This special night includes special ticket offers and recognitions on a night dedicated to our healthcare heroes!
• Bears forward Cameron Boone (Jr., East St. Louis, Ill.) made his Missouri State debut with a 10-minute appearance at UT Arlington (11/15/25), playing 11 minutes with a rebound and 5 blocked shots. He is the first Bear to reject five shots in a game since N.J. Benson did so vs. Indiana State in St. Louis (3/8/24).
• Missouri State ranks 45th nationally in rebounds per game (43.00) and 44th in defensive rebounds per game (29.75).
• UTRGV enters the weekend ranks 6th nationally in 3-point FG percentage (.457), while LIU ranks 17th (.426).                  
• KenPom ranks the Bears No. 7 in Division I in FTRate (57.5), a "Four Factor" metric that represents a team's ability to get to the line (=FTA/FGA). MSU is shooting 69.8 percent at the stripe this season, which ranks 6th in Conference USA.
• MSU head coach Cuonzo Martin is 53-20 (.726) all-time at Great Southern Bank Arena, and his teams are a combined 165-45 (.785) when his clubs score 70 or more points.
• Michael Osei-Bonsu (Sr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) ranks 27th nationally in FG percentage (.675), 27th in offensive rebounds per game (4.00) and 33rd in double-doubles (2). He also ranks 4th nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (11.3).
• Kobi Williams (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) Ranks 53rd nationally and 2nd in Conference USA in free throw percentage. Williams is 14-for-15 (.933) at the stripe this season.
• Monday's game against Long Island will mark coach Cuonzo Martin's 500th game as a head coach. Heading into the weekend, Martin is 275-223 (.552) in his 16th season as a head coach at Missouri State, Tennessee, Cal and Missouri.

Coach Cuonzo Martin

• After an extensive national search, Missouri State University announced Cuonzo Martin as its men's basketball head coach on March 27, 2024. The man who orchestrated Missouri State's only MVC regular-season championship run during his first tenure in Springfield originally coached at Missouri State from 2008 to 2011.
• Martin has a 275-223 (.552) career record in his 16th seasons as a Division I head coach with experience at MSU, Tennessee, California and Missouri. His teams have made 9 postseason appearances in that span, including 4 trips to the NCAA Tournament, 4 appearances in the NIT, and a CIT title with the Bears in 2010. 
• Coach Martin is 72-66 (.522) in his fifth season (and second stint) at Missouri State, including 53-19 at home, 14-40 on the road and 5-6 at neutral sites.
• Martin also  boasts 59 college graduates during his career with stints at MoState, Tennessee (2011-14), California (2014-17) and Missouri (2017-22).
• A native of East St. Louis, Ill., Martin was a star player at Purdue from 1991-95 for coach Gene Keady and then played four years professionally. He was on the coaching staff at Purdue for eight years under Keady and Matt Painter before accepting his first head coaching position at MSU on March 26, 2008.
• In Martin's first stint in Springfield (2008-11), he was named Missouri State's 16th head coach in time for the program's 100th anniversary season and its inaugural campaign at Great Southern Bank Arena. In his second season (2009-10), Martin guided MoState to a 24-12 overall ledger, a 19-2 home record, and an impressive run to the CIT Postseason Tournament title.
• His third season at MSU (2010-11) was one of the program's most memorable, as the Bears finished 26-9 overall on the way to its first-ever MVC regular-season title with a 15-3 league record. The Bears fell to Indiana State in the finals of the MVC Tournament in St. Louis and capped an unforgettable campaign by advancing to the second round of the NIT. Martin was named 2011 MVC Coach of the Year and recipient of the Ben Jobe Award as the nation's top minority head coach. Over Martin's last two years at MoState, the Bears were 35-3 at home and did not lose a non-conference home game.
• Martin's return to MoState in 2024-25 featured a roster packed with 15 newcomers for the Bears' final season in the Missouri Valley. MSU's 9-23 overall record was not a fair representation of the club's season performance which included 14 single-digit losses -- which was tied for the fourth-most in the nation.

The Series

• UTRGV: Missouri State is 3-0 all-time against the Vaqueros of UTRGV which is formerly known Texas-Pan American. All three previous meetings took place at Hammons Student Center with MSU averaging a 15.3-point margin of victory in those matchups.
  • In the most-recent meeting between the clubs (12/17/07), the Bears captured a 64-53 decision with Deven Mitchell scoring 14 points, Chris Cooks adding 13, Drew Richards pitching in 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Spencer Laure adding 12 points. It was UTPA's second trip to Hammons Student Center in a month.
  • On 11/27/04, the Bears made 9-of-15 threes to score an 88-63 win. Tamaar Maclin led MSU with 17 points, while Deke Thompson scored 14 behind four triples. The home club also forced 22 turnovers.
  • The first-ever meeting between the teams (11/25/95) was also Steve Alford's debut as Missouri State's head coach. Ben Kandlbinder scored 19 points with four treys in the opener. The Bears led 14-1 early in an 83-71 win.
• Long Island: This will be the first-ever meeting between the Bears and Sharks.