Craig Pearson
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE — After a 77-58 loss on Thursday at Drake, the Indiana State women’s basketball team will be playing Thursday at St. Charles (Mo.) Family Arena in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
It’s the first time since the 2001-02 season that ISU has finished so low. ISU was the No. 8 seed in 01-02 when only eight teams qualified for the postseason.
Here’s how it breaks down for the Sycamores heading into Saturday’s game at Creighton:
n If sixth-place Wichita State loses to Northern Iowa on Saturday and the Sycamores upset second-place Creighton, the Sycamores would tie the Shockers with an 8-10 Missouri Valley Conference record.
n ISU would also need Drake to lose at home to regular-season champion Illinois State, which is obviously very possible.
n But even then, Wichita State blows ISU away in the power point tiebreaker, mostly because of the Shockers’ season sweep of Missouri State, who is currently tied with Creighton for second place. ISU was swept by the Bears.
Still, today’s game has big implications. As the seventh seed, ISU would play Evansville and a play-in round victory would set up a matchup with the No. 2 seed rather than top-seeded Illinois State. The Redbirds have been dominant this season, losing only twice to Creighton this season.
