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Missouri State

Team Huddle

Bears Begin CUSA Road Swing at WKU

January 12, 2026

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 17  - Missouri State Bears (10-6, 4-1 CUSA) at WKU Hilltoppers (10-6, 3-2 CUSA)
Date and Time Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. (Central)
Location E.A. Diddle Arena (7,523) | Bowling Green, Ky.
Tickets Tickets
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | Listen Live | Bears Radio Network | Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ (Tyler Eaton, Craig McCormick) | Watch
Series Missouri State leads 2-0 | Last Meeting:  MSU 84, WKU 78 (12/5/18) | Box Score
Live Stats StatBroadcast
Game Notes Missouri State | WKU | 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 Saturday, Jan. 17 | 5:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | Tickets
    
The Ten Count
  • With four wins in their first five games in Conference USA, the Missouri State Bears return to action on Wednesday evening with a 6:30 p.m. contest at Western Kentucky (ESPN+). MoState begins the week tied for second place in the 12-team league, one game behind first-place Liberty (5-0) and tied with Middle Tenn. (4-1).  
  • The Bears are embarking on their first four-game conference road swing since the 1984-85 season (AMCU). 
  • Forward Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J.) has scored in double figures in 15-of-16 games this season and is coming off his 7th 20-point game of the year. He leads CUSA in FG attempts (221) and ranks 68th nationally (3rd in CUSA) in defensive rebounds per game (5.69). He is the only CUSA player to rank in the top 10 in the league in scoring (5th, 17.5), rebounding (8th, 7.1) and assists (10th, 3.5). 
  • During its first five CUSA games, the Bears (4-1) have held the lead for 171 of a possible 200 minutes (85.5 percent). Likewise, MSU's 4-1 start in conference play is its best since 2022-23.
  • In league games, the Bears rank 3rd in scoring offense (77.60) and scoring defense (68.20) to lead CUSA in scoring margin (+9.40). Similarly, MoState is averaging 81.8 points per game over the last 4 conference contests.
  • KenPom ranks the Bears No. 7 nationally in FTRate (48.1), a "Four Factor" metric that represents a team's ability to get to the line (=FTA/FGA). The Bears also rank 46th nationally (3rd in CUSA) in FT attempts per game (24.9) and have attempted more free throws than their opponents in 12-of-16 games.
  • Palek's 22-point effort vs. FIU marked the 20th career 20-point game and his 75th career double-figure scoring game (104 games). He needs 84 points to reach the 1,500-point scoring milestone. 
  • Forward Michael Osei-Bonsu (Sr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) leads CUSA in FG percentage (.596), which ranks 30th nationally (min. 5 FG per game). He is also 54th nationally (3rd in CUSA) in offensive rebounds per game (3.15). 
  • Under Cuonzo Martin, the Bears are 59-13 (9-2 this season) when shooting a higher FG% than their opponents.
  • Antwan Burnett (Sr., Montgomery, Ala.) needs 1 assist for 100 in his career (71 games). He made 4-of-5 3-point attempts at Kennesaw State last week and earned his first MSU start in the home win over FIU.
  • Kobi Williams (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) needs 3 points to reach 1,00 for his career (74 games). He ranks 3rd in CUSA in FT% (.844) and 4th in minutes played per game (34.0), which ranks 70th in Division I. Likewise, his .377 3-point FG percentage ranks 5th in CUSA (87th nationally).
Series
  • Missouri State leads 2-0
  • First Meeting: MSU 85, WKU 80 (11/7/17) | Box Score
  • Last Meeting:  MSU 84, WKU 78 (12/5/18) | Box Score
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 283-227 (.555) 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 80-70 (.533) in his fifth season (and second stint) at Missouri State, including 60-21 at home, 15-43 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.
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