THE VALLEY (The Missouri Valley Conference) THREAD

Wichita St. rebounds from 1st regular-season loss since March 2013

In the aftermath of Wichita State's first regular-season loss in 21 months, coach Gregg Marshall decided against extended court time Thursday or Friday.

Instead, he had his team watch video from the setback at Utah, and the No. 8 Shockers put together a solid response on Saturday.

Ron Baker scored 18 points to lead Wichita State to an 81-52 victory over Saint Louis.

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No. 11 Wichita State beats Seton Hall, 77-68

Every time Wichita State's Ron Baker picked the pocket of his player, or cruised to the basket for an easy layup, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard stood in front of his bench and cringed.

He found it hard to believe that Baker was once a walk-on.

"I might go back and start looking for some guys in my gym. My rec gym," Willard said with a sly grin. "He's a special guy, fun to watch."

Baker scored 22 points, Fred VanVleet added 18 points and eight assists, and the No. 11 Shockers beat the Pirates 77-68 on Tuesday night.

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Tuttle helps No. 23 Northern Iowa to 65- 55 win over Denver

Seth Tuttle didn't mean to state the obvious when he responded: "We were making our shots."

Sometimes, though, the obvious is just that obvious.

Tuttle finished with 12 points and Deon Mitchell scored nine of his 11 in a first half where No. 23 Northern Iowa missed just two shots from the floor, helping the Panthers cruise past Denver 65-55 on Wednesday night and move to 9-0 for the third time in school history.

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No. 11 Wichita State thwarts Alabama as Darius Carter stars

Trailing Alabama by 11 points with 5:50 remaining, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall called his team together to prepare them for a final push.

"He brings us into the huddle and was completely positive, trying to fuel our fire even more," said Shockers guard Ron Baker. "That's the kind of coach you want to play for, and we responded to it."

No. 11 Wichita State scored 13 of the game's final 14 points to hold off Alabama for a 53-52 victory. The Shockers (8-1) took the final lead on Darius Carter's slam with 11.9 seconds remaining, part of his game-high 16 points.

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Carter leads No. 11 Wichita State over LMU, 80-53

A trip to Hawaii had been like a working vacation for No. 11 Wichita State -- a little practice mixed with some fun in the island sun. And then coach Gregg Marshall had them watch video of the Shockers' most recent game, when they rallied from an 11-point deficit late to squeak by Alabama.

"That video slapped them in the face," Marshall said.

The Shockers took nothing for granted against outmanned and overmatched Loyola Marymount on Monday night. Behind the dominant inside play of Darius Carter and a swarming defense that limited the Lions to only 38 shots, the Shockers rolled to an 80-53 victory in the quarterfinals of the Diamond Head Classic.

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No. 11 Wichita State holds on in OT to get past Hawaii

Down to its last shot to avoid an upset, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall drew up the same play he used in the Shockers' other overtime game this year.

Thanks to Rashard Kelly, this time it worked.

Kelly battled for a tough rebound and put back a short bank shot with 3.8 seconds remaining Tuesday night to give No. 11 Wichita State a 80-79 overtime win over Hawaii and reach the final of the Diamond Head Classic.

Read more Down to its last shot to avoid an upset, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall drew up the same play he used in the Shockers' other overtime game this year.

Thanks to Rashard Kelly, this time it worked.

Kelly battled for a tough rebound and put back a short bank shot with 3.8 seconds remaining Tuesday night to give No. 11 Wichita State a 80-79 overtime win over Hawaii and reach the final of the Diamond Head Classic.

 

No. 23 Northern Iowa beats SDSU 74-63

Northern Iowa's reserves outscored its starters yet again, and that's a good sign for the Panthers with Missouri Valley Conference play on the horizon.

Nate Buss scored 14 points off the bench and 23rd-ranked Northern Iowa closed out non-conference play with a 74-63 Sunday win over South Dakota State.

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No. 16 Wichita St beats Drake 66-58 in MVC opener

Wichita State might still be the favorite in the Missouri Valley Conference. But its conference opener showed the league probably won't be nearly as easy to win as it was for the Shockers last season.

Ron Baker scored 23 points, including 13 straight down the stretch, and 16th-ranked Wichita State beat Drake 66-58 on Wednesday.

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Evansville rallies from 16 down to upset No. 23 Northern Iowa

- Even on a night when Evansville struggled to make shots, the Purple Aces were able to erase a 16-point deficit against a ranked team.

D.J. Balentine scored 17 points and Evansville came all the way back to beat No. 23 Northern Iowa 52-49 on Thursday.

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No. 16 Wichita State's veterans made the big plays again.

Ron Baker scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and the Shockers held off Illinois State 70-62 on Sunday.

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Northern Iowa is off to a 12-2 start in large part because of its standout bench.

But the Panthers leaned on starters such as Jeremy Morgan to hold off upstart Loyola on Sunday.

Morgan scored a career-high 18 points and No. 23 Northern Iowa beat Loyola of Illinois 67-58 for its third win in four games.

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No. 15 Wichita State was facing a tough challenge from Loyola of Chicago, and then the second half started.

Tekele Cotton scored all but two of his 16 points and hit four 3-pointers over the final 20 minutes, and the Shockers pulled away for a 67-53 victory over Loyola of Chicago on Sunday.

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Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson liked what he saw early in his team's 63-53 win over Missouri Valley Conference foe Bradley Tuesday night.

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The only thing that stopped Darius Carter was a stray forearm.

Carter scored a career-high 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting, leading No. 13 Wichita State past Southern Illinois 67-55 on Wednesday night.

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Wichita State senior Tekele Cotton has produced his share of highlight-reel dunks. On Saturday, Cotton showed he also has the endurance of a distance runner.

Cotton and the No. 13 Shockers forced Evansville into its worst offensive game of the season in a 61-41 Wichita State victory.

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Northern Iowa is off to a 16-2 start in large part because it's among the deepest teams in the country.

But the Panthers also have a bona fide star in Seth Tuttle, who showed Sunday why he's among the nation's most underrated big men.

Tuttle scored 22 points with 10 rebounds and No. 23 Northern Iowa cruised past Missouri State 60-46 on Sunday for its fifth straight win.

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Northern Iowa spent the past two weeks cruising through the Missouri Valley Conference.

Indiana State pushed the Panthers until the final seconds.

Matt Bohannon hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points, Seth Tuttle had 12 of his 16 points in the second half, and 20th-ranked Northern Iowa held off Indiana State 66-60 on Wednesday night for its sixth straight victory.

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Wichita State's three-guard tandem was too much for Missouri State to handle.

Ron Baker made five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points to lead the 14th-ranked Shockers to a 76-53 victory Wednesday night.

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After losing to Illinois State earlier this month, Drake coach Ray Giacoletti said those Redbirds were "as athletic as any team in our league."

He didn't think much of it. His opponent Sunday, No. 14 Wichita State, certainly did.

The Shockers took it out on Drake with a 74-40 romp, their 26th straight win against Missouri Valley Conference opponents.

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Nate Buss probably wasn't the first Northern Iowa player that Illinois State expected to take the deciding shot.

But Buss was more than ready.

Buss hit a 3-pointer from the right wing with 5.1 seconds left and No. 20 Northern Iowa edged Illinois State 54-53 on Sunday.

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