INDIANAPOLIS —
When Indiana State and Butler’s men’s basketball teams meet today in an ESPN BracketBusters-forced renewal of their interrupted long-time rivalry, the emotional heart-strings will be pulled. But it’s not emotion alone that makes today’s 2 p.m. matchup at Hinkle Fieldhouse important for the Sycamores.
ISU’s game against Butler could affect Missouri Valley Conference Tournament scenarios. Yes, a game against Butler — a non-league member — could help determine ISU’s MVC fate.
Starting with the 2011 season, the MVC changed its tiebreaker standard. Non-conference strength-of-schedule is the second tiebreaker used in head-to-head and multi-team tiebreaking scenarios. The MVC scrapped an in-conference point system it formally used to break ties.
With six MVC teams with records ranging from 9-7 to 7-9 — representing third-to-eighth place — there are myriad scenarios for which two of those six teams will drop into the dreaded Thursday play-in round.
ISU (16-11, 7-9) is currently tied with Northern Iowa for seventh place and would be playing Thursday if the season ended today.
ISU needs the strength-of-schedule boost. As of Friday, ISU’s non-conference strength of schedule is a woeful 294th, according to the MVC’s standard as set by College Basketball News.
ISU has been victimized by poor seasons from Ball State (picked to win the MAC West), Boise State, Texas Tech and Fairfield. All were expected to boost, or at least stabilize, ISU’s strength-of-schedule number.
Expected bad seasons from Louisiana-Monroe and Eastern Illinois have materialized and ISU’s strength of schedule number has flagged.
However, Illinois State — the team ISU defeated 83-77 in overtime on Tuesday — has a rank of 298th. It is possible that ISU could be involved in a tiebreaker with the Redbirds, who are currently 8-8 in the MVC.
Butler’s RPI rank is currently 118th. Merely playing Butler will help ISU’s strength-of-schedule number, but beating Butler would do a world of good for ISU as the non-conference strength-of-schedule will remain fluid through the end of the regular season.
“There’s a lot of great things about playing this game. It’s a state school that’s experienced a lot of success. It’s like a postseason game in that you don’t see them a lot and it’s a new team to get ready for,” ISU coach Greg Lansing. “As talented and well-coached as [Butler] is, it’s like a conference game and it’ll get us ready for our last two [MVC games].”
ISU will have swingman Dwayne Lathan back. The senior missed Tuesday’s game with food poisoning.
“It was rough. They felt that if I played [Tuesday], I’d have trouble getting my strength back. J.O. [Jake Odum] stepped up and had one of the best games of his career,” said Lathan on Thursday, referring to Odum’s 34-point effort against Illinois State.
Butler (16-12) has fallen off from its Final Four form of the last two years, but the Bulldogs have won three in a row. Senior guard Ronald Nored is one holdover from the two-time national runner-ups and is a dogged defender. Center Andrew Smith (10.6), forward Khyle Marshall (9.3) and guard Chrishawn Hopkins (8.2) provide the scoring.
n Postseason — ISU’s Tuesday win over Illinois State clinched the Sycamores‚ third non-losing season in a row. ISU’s worst possible overall record coming out of the MVC Tournament is 16-15.
Thus, ISU is eligible for postseason tournaments such as the College Basketball Invitational and CollegeInsider.com Tournament. If ISU were to win its remaining regular season games and win a few more in St. Louis, the National Invitation Tournament is an outside possibility as well.
Lansing said he is keen to have ISU participate in any of the above postseason tournaments.
“All of those other tournaments have reached out to us. This is a program that’s about playing in the postseason, we always want to be excited about that after playing the regular season,” Lansing said.
College
MoValley implications at Butler?
It's true for ISU: Outcome will determine fate in St. Louis
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Major Clay takes fourth straight MVC high jump title
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The competition was conducted at Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University. -
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Metro roundup: ISU’s Lucas honored by Missouri Valley again
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Sycamores top Shockers in 10 innings in MVC series opener
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ISU starting pitchers in rhythm heading into Wichita State series
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ISU goes to well too many times
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ISU baseball living on the edge
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PREP ROUNDUP: North Central baseball improves to 10-2
North Central lost a 7-1 game to Vincennes Rivet, and then Nolan Kinnett pitched the Thunderbirds to victory, adding a double and three RBIs against Riverton Parke in a pair of high school baseball games on Saturday.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Jenkins, Goatee win inaugural Rush the Punter 5K
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Providing perspective: ISU’s vets have 2009 as window into 2012
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Missouri State wins MVC golf championship as expected
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Uphill Battle: ISU 23 strokes back of MVC leader No. Iowa
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Enter Cummings, exit McWhorter
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TH golf community steps up for ISU
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ISU blue after football scrimmage
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As the 12-minute running clock ticked down — one of the concessions made by the football staff to speed the scrimmage up and get players off the field unscathed — it appeared ISU would make it through its spring game more-or-less unscathed.
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Hosting Missouri Valley Conference meet, ISU golf heading in right direction under Towne
It’s been a loooooong time in the making.
When the Indiana State women’s golf program was resurrected in 2005, it had already been on a 28-year hiatus. Since then, the Sycamores have enjoyed modest success, but have not hosted a golf match or invitational.
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