The Game: After a one-game road expedition and 75-62 win at Arkansas-Little Rock on Wednesday, Missouri State returns home Saturday to play the United States Air Force Academy as part of the inaugural Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge Series.

 The series includes nine games this season, involving all members of the MWC and all MVC schools, except Evansville. So far, the Mountain West holds the upper hand in the series, winning two of the first three games. Thus far, the home team has won all three games.

 Missouri State has won its first five home games in 2009-10 which matches the team's record for consecutive wins at JQH Arena. The Bears have four players averaging 9.5 points per game or better, including reserves Caleb Patterson (6-11, So., C, Ames, Okla.) and Michael Porter (6-6, Fr., F, Sikeston, Mo.), while super sophomore Kyle Weems holds or shares the team lead in scoring (14.3) and rebounding (5.2).

The Series: The two teams have never played in men's basketball. This will also be MSU's first game against a U.S. service academy. The Bears are 9-10 all-time against current members of the Mountain West Conference.

The Coaches: Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin (Purdue, 2000) is 17-20 (.459) overall, 14-8 (.619) at JQH Arena in his second season at MSU and overall. He is 0-0 against Air Force, 0-1 against Mountain West opponents (Utah), 6-4 in December, and 7-5 on Saturdays.

 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.

 Martin (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.

  Air Force head coach Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensoboro, 1978) is 30-36 (.455) in his third season at Air Force and is 112-70 (.615) in seven seasons overall. He has also served as head coach at Wingate (1997-2000) and North Carolina Wesleyan (1985-86). The 53-year-old coach had been an assistant with the Falcons from 2005-07 with additional assistant coaching stints at Tulane, UNC-Wilmington, Wintrhop, Randolph-Macon, and James Madison.

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

• MSU's 6-game winning streak is tied for the 9th best in Division I. Miami (Fla.) has a national-best 8-game streak.
• As of Thursday, the Bears rank No. 9 on www.RealTimeRPI.com with the 48th-best strength of schedule.
• The Bears are one of 29 Division I teams with an unbeaten record.
• Kyle Weems is the only MSU player to score in double figures all six games this season. He has posted double-figures in seven straight games overall, dating back to last season, and 14 of the last 16 contests.
• Adam Leonard notched a career-best 24 points and his ninth career 20-point game in last Saturday's 83-75 win over previously-unbeaten Tulsa to earn MVC Newcomer of the Week honors.
• Missouri State has reached 70 or more points six times already this year, doubling last year's season total (3).
• The Bears are shooting better from three-point range this season (.417) than they did from the field overall in 2008-09 (.401). This year, the Bears have a league-best .495 field goal percentage.
• The Bears have led or been tied at halftime in 24 of their last 36 games (17-7) and are 6-0 this season when tied (1-0) or leading (5-0) at the intermission.
• Cuonzo Martin's team ranks among the nation's top 50 squads in six statistical categories, including tied for 1st in win-loss percentage and 20th in three-point field goal percentage. MSU is also 31st in assist-to-turnover ratio and 35th in turnovers per game.
• The inaugural Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge Series started November 13 and concludes December 23. So far, the MWC leads the series, 2-1. This is the only game in the series this weekend, with Wichita State hosting TCU on December 12 in the next contest in the nine-game challenge series.

Dunk-O-Meter: Missouri State's season dunk total is now 10.  

Last Outing: Missouri State improved to 6-0 with a 75-62 win at Arkansas-Little Rock (3-5) on Wednesday in Little Rock. The Bears were led by Michael Porter (Fr., F, Sikeston, Mo.) with 16 points, while Caleb Patterson (So., C, Ames, Okla.) scored 14, both off the bench.

 The Bears trailed 12-9 in the early going on a three-pointer by Mike Smith at the 12:52 mark of the first half before MSU gained the lead on a basket by Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.) two minutes later. That started a 10-0 run by Missouri State to lead 24-14 with just over five minutes remaining in the first stanza. Baskets by Patterson, Porter and Keith Pickens (Fr., G/F, St. Louis, Mo.) over the next 90 seconds extended the Bears lead to 31-16 before ultimately holding a 33-22 lead at the intermission.

 The second half started with six quick points in the first minute by MSU on a jumper by Pickens and power dunks by both Weems and Pickens to build a 39-22 advantage. Missouri State held a double-figure lead until the 1:34 mark as the Bears held the Trojans without a field goal for nearly a five-minute stretch late in the half.

 Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) added 12 for the Bears, while Pickens and Weems scored 10 apiece. MSU shot 56.6 percent and outrebounded UALR by a 30-23 margin.

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 Air Force game will be Art's 859th Missouri State basketball broadcasts.

 Color commentary will be provided this season by former Bears Mike Keltner (1970-74) and Drew Richards (2004-08). The Bears are 5-0 with Keltner providing color and 1-0 with Richards.

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

National & Conference Leaders: Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) ranks 12th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.560) and 66th in three-pointers per game (2.8). As a team, MSU ranks among the nation's top 50 teams in six categories (see graph above). ... In the MVC, the Bears lead the Valley in field goal percentage (.495) and assist/turnover ratio (1.3). Individually, Kyle Weems is 8th in scoring (14.3), Adam Leonard is 4th in 3-point field goals (2.7) and 5th in 3-point pct. (.516), while Jermaine Mallett is 4th in assists (3.5), and Caleb Patterson is 2nd in field goal percentage (.644).

Milestones: Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.) needs 14 points for 100 this season ... Weems needs 14 field goals for 150 career ... Weems needs 17 rebounds for 200 career ... Justin Fuehrmeyer (Sr., G, St. Charles, Mo.) needs 2 points for 400 career ... Fuehrmeyer also needs 10 assists for 250 career ... Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) needs 6 steals for 100 career (including Eastern Ky.) ... Leonard needs 5 three-pointers for 200 in his career ... Leonard needs 7 assists for 200 for his career ... Isaiah Rhine (So., C, Versailles, Mo.) needs 5 points for 50 in his career ... Ryan Jehle (Jr., F, Overland Park, Kan.) needs 31 points for 200 career.

Following the Game On-Line: MissouriStateBears.com will provide fans around the world with a number of opportunities to view today's game. The "Fan Central" link on the site has links for Live Stats, On-Demand Video (Bears Live!), and the GameDay Guide. Final Stats are available on the Men's Basketball page on the www.MissouriStateBears.com site by going to the Schedule/Results link.

 Links for tickets, game notes, and the GameDay Guide can also be found in this area.

 The Missouri State Twitter page can be found at www.Twitter.com/MissouriStBears, and live audio on-line at www.RadioSpringfield.com.

Up Next: The Bears host UT Martin next Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. in a return game from last year's ESPNU BracketBusters series. MSU then closes out the calendar year with four straight road games before returning home on January 1 to play Illinois State in their first home conference game of the 2009-10 campaign.

 The four-game road swing begins with Arkansas State on Dec. 12 (7:05 p.m.), and continues at Saint Louis on Dec. 19 (7:05 p.m.), at Arkansas on Dec. 22 (7:05 p.m.) and concludes at Evansville in the MVC opener on Dec. 29 (7:05 p.m.)

Reunited: Saturday's game will feature a reunion of more than 70 former Missouri State men's basketball players. Participants received two game tickets and two tickets to the pregame buffet in the PRIME Overtime Club, along with access to the Missouri State shoot-around, pregame meal, and special recognition at halftime.

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 grade-point average, 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 per game as a prep junior. He also led Borgia in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore with a 17.1 scoring average to go with 5.7 rebounds. An inside/outside threat, he showed good range with 41 three-pointers last season, while posting 60 assists and 44 steals and making good on 53-percent of his field goal attempts.

 Copeland helped his Fort Smith (Ark.) Northside squad to the Arkansas Class 7A quarterfinals last season, earning All-State honors and earning a spot on the State All-Tournament Team. He averaged 15.2 points per game and led his team in field goal percentage. He holds a 3.4 grade-point average 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.

 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-point field goal attempts. He is a reputable defender who uses his quickness to create offense, and has a great instinct for the game. Martin says Cooper has the potential to be a great on-ball defender which complements his skills as a scoring point guard. His father, Raymond, is also Cooper's high school and AAU coach.

Where Are They Now?: Blake Ahearn (2004-07) is playing in Spain for MMT Estudiantes Madrid. Through 10 games with the club, he is averaging 15.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 25.1 minutes per game. He is 30-for-69 (.435) from three-point range. The NCAA all-time free throw leader is 51-for-52 (.981) 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 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game through 11 games while making 55.1 percent of his field goal attempts.

 Shelton Colwell (2003-04) is active in Austria, averaging 18.0 points and 6.3 rebounds through the first 6 games of the season for the BSC Raiffeisen Fursten feld Panthers.

 Other former MSU players active in Europe last season were: Dale Lamberth (2006-08) who played five games in 2008-09 with UU-Korihait Uusikaupunki in Finland, averaring 6.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in limited playing time; Drew Richards (2005-08) who saw 15 games playing for Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule in Germany with 3.9 scoring and 6.7 rebounding averages. Other players will be added and updated in future game notes throughout the season.

 Former Bear Rodney Perry (1991-93) is coaching the Kansas City Stars of the American Basketball Association where Lamberth 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.

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 5 of 17 home games, the Bears have drawn 29,461 fans and are averaging 5,892 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 5-0 at JQH Arena in 2009-10 and 14-8 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 enters 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 1506-835 (.643) in 97 seasons and are 522-318 (.621) 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 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).

Court Captains: Holding down captain duties for the Bears this winter have been Kyle Weems (So., F, Topeka, Kan.), Adam Leonard (Jr., G, Lee's Summit, Mo.) and Justin Fuehrmeyer (Sr., G, St. Charles, Mo.).