Hello from Nashville

Allan Lewis – Alestle Sports Editor

For the past two days I have seen a lot in Nashville, Tenn., thinking towards the future and what is in store for SIUE at future Ohio Valley Conference Tournaments.

Three of the four semi-finals yesterday were close, Eastern Illinois and Austin Peay closed out their opponents in the second half to advance on the women’s side, while EIU gave Murray State the fight of their life in men’s basketball. Morehead State had no trouble whatsoever with Tennessee Tech, in a game where the off-the-court action was much more entertaining than the game itself.

I’ll break down that story for you. The Morehead State student section was located behind the baseline to my left. Right behind me, was a drunk (and when I mean drunk I mean HAMMERED NOT EVEN FUNNY DRUNK) Tennessee Tech fan. You can imagine this being pretty entertaining during the latter portion of a 30 point blow-out.

Morehead State is known nationally as sort of a laughingstock due to its name. Everyone acts 12 years old when they hear Morehead. Now what makes this even better is their students have the same dirty minds as the rest of us.

Take a look at this video I took.

It’s one thing to be like “Go Morehead” but “WE WANT…MORE HEAD!” is a little different.

Anyways, drunk TTSU fan was getting verbally destroyed by the Morehead fans and eventually started screaming I LOVE MORE HEAD! I WANT MORE HEAD! He had a little dance-off with Beaker.

Makes me wonder how I personally put up with SIUE blowouts, 30 points doesn’t seem like all that much when we play, but last night felt like a complete bloodbath.

The Murray State/Eastern Illinois game was one of the best basketball games I have ever seen. EIU came out with a purpose and nothing to lose, while Murray on the other hand, with their No. 303 strength of schedule, RPI over 60 and no eye-catching wins basically has to win this thing to get to the dance. Eastern, of course had to do the exact same thing, because at 19-12 there is no way in hell towards getting an automatic bid, but for Murray it was a little different. After the type of season they have had so far, they are the team EXPECTED to be in the NCAA tournament. The NIT resembles failure.

The crowd was 90 percent Murray fans, 5 percent neutral fans and 5 percent Eastern fans. It’s a little bit of a drive from Charleston, so its understandable.

The Panthers fought for 40 minutes. They were down by one at half-time and kept the game close throughout. They even led in the second half. The later the game moved along, the more and more I thought EIU would be able to pull the upset. It did not happen, but they have nowhere to hang their heads but high after the effort they gave against a really good ball-club.

The bracket’s are set, right now the pep bands are rocking and Austin Peay and Eastern Illinois’ women’s teams are on the court about ready to get this thing started. The EIU men’s team just walked into the gym as well and took a seat in the student section. That is really nice to see.

Tonight comes the epic showdown everyone has been anticipating since the beginning of the season. Morehead State and Murray State. the Eagles took down the Racers for their first OVC loss this season Feb. 25. Morehead, at 23-9 is essentially the only team in this conference capable of beating them on ANY given night. Last night, it was Maze Stallworth scoring 24 points and Kenneth Faried, quite possibly one of the best mid-major players on the planet with 10 points and nine rebounds to oust Tennessee Tech. Tonight they will be essential to getting Morehead State back to the dance. Remember, they were a 16 seed a year ago and have more tournament experience than this current group from Murray State. No doubt coach Donnie Tyndall will have them fired up for this one. I’m excited, are you excited?

ESPN2. 7:00.

So, Nashville is a pretty great town and all the people are nice. There is a certain southern twang in almost every locals voice, and that’s kind of disturbing, but other than that I am enjoying myself.

I came down a day early to catch the Predators game right here at Bridgestone Arena. While waiting in line for a ticket, a guy came up to me and asked if I just needed one, and I did. I ended up scoring a free ticket five rows from the ice. Beer was half-price too for ‘college night,’ so I took advantage of that.

Later on in the night, I went to a bar with a great live band. Seriously, if you are ever in Nashville there are some awesome cover bands. The one Thursday at a place called “The Stage” on Broadway played everything from Journey to Love and Theft. Today for lunch, I went to a place right across the street from the arena with a 3-piece cover band playing, the lead singer was actually originally from St. Louis, which was fun to note. A beer, a water a fish sandwich and off to right now.

So, about the truck stops…I didn’t want to get a hotel and spend $80 bucks to sleep for 2 nights. So, instead I enjoyed a two night stay in the luxurious Saturn Suite at the Pilot Hyatt, or so I like to call it. The one thing that sucks about truck stops is the weather. Here in Nashville, the days have been nice, but the nights have been chilly. I swore I was going to get hypothermia and by the time I woke up I was drenched in sweat because the sun was beating down on me. I came out alive, and hookers? just an urban legend.

Here is a photo from my pre-game shoot-around at Bridgestone Arena, I’m out for now, Women’s championship about to tip-off

The Wednesday Word 3/3/10

By Allan Lewis/Alestle Sports Editor

Allan Lewis, Alestle Sports Editor

Good morning Cougar nation! Welcome to today’s Word.

Working on no sleep today should get interesting, especially with Ashley Bey’s senior night over at the VC later on, but we should be able to make it through. Five hour energy rules.

Anyways, I am excited for tomorrow’s paper, the sports section is going to be HUGE with lots of variety. We even have tennis and golf in the mix!

Tomorrow is also exciting, because I will be heading down to Nashville to cover the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the online side of the Alestle. Looking forward to sleeping at truck stops and breathing college basketball for 48 hours. There may be a little bit of hockey mixed in as well, I am going to try to get down in time for the Predators game tomorrow to sit in the nosebleeds and talk to random people about hockey in the South, all the while wearing a St. Louis Blues hat. Hopefully they understand, not like we’re playing them.

What can you expect on alestlelive.com/the alestle sports blog/and twitter.com/allanjlewis?

Good question.

I will be writing recaps for all four games Friday, as well as the tournament finals Saturday on the main page, blogging about my experiences on the blog and tweeting scores and random tidbits on the old Twitter.

So, if you are so inclined, and want to read about basketball and give me a reason for driving 700 miles I would appreciate it! In all seriousness though, it should be fun.

The pairings for the neutral-court games in Nashville were decided last night, with all eight opening round games in the OVC taking place. (4 women, 4 men)

Here is a link to the men’s bracket.

Here is a link to the women’s bracket.

Here are the semi-final match-ups if you do not like clicking links.

OVC Women’s Semifinals

• No. 1 Eastern Illinois vs. No. 4 UT Martin (12:00)
• No. 3 Austin Peay vs. No. 2 Morehead State (2:00)

OVC Men’s Semifinals

• No. 1 Murray State vs. No. 4 Eastern Illinois (6:00 ESPNU)
• No. 6 Tennessee Tech vs. No. 2 Morehead State (8:00 ESPNU)

So, as far as the women go, the seeds stood up, and on the men’s side Tennessee Tech pulled the 68-65 upset over Austin Peay, while  Murray (84-51 over Tennessee State) and Morehead (87-54 over Jacksonville St.) won their quarterfinal match-ups handily, which was expected.

The women’s side is intriguing, mainly due to the fact that the league is flat out terrible. Whoever wins this thing is going to the NCAA tournament, regardless of what Eastern Illinois did in the regular season (it really wasn’t much.) The Panthers ended their season 22-9 (16-2 OVC) and are currently projected as a a No. 16 seed by ESPN women’s Bracketologist Charlie Creme. Undoubtedly, whoever wins this tournament will have to deal with the likes of UCONN, Tennessee, Nebraska, North Carolina or Stanford and get crushed. What a prize it is.

For Murray State on the men’s side, they really have no other choice but to win. The Racers were perfect in the OVC until Morehead edged them by three on Feb. 25. Murray comes in to the OVC tournament with what many “experts” are considering to be a less than qualified resume for an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament.

Here is what the selection committee will see two Sunday’s from now if Murray fails to take home the OVC crown.

• RPI: 69
• Strength of Schedule: 278 (what you get playing SIUE twice, sad, but true)
• Big Wins: None.
• Bad losses: 83-72 (Western Kentucky)
• Notable losses 70-75 (California)

Murray has not gotten any attention on the bubble, but earned two votes in the last coaches poll, and could go on to win 29 games while potentially missing out on the dance. If that happens, Murray could become one of the poster-children for a potential 96 team tournament expansion, which in my mind works to use mid-majors against their will. Teams like Murray should be opposed to expansion, because it would allow in more crappy big schools with .500 records to go along with them, but an appearance could save a coaching job down the line.

It has a good side and a bad side. It would be a shame if Murray missed out, but Morehead is tough and has been there before.

Keeping with the OVC theme, next year’s tournament format will be changed to give the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds a bye into the semi-finals (like the Horizon League and West Coast Conference do. Seriously, why try letting anyone beat Butler or Gonzaga? It aint’ happening.

Under the new format, the three and four seeds are placed in the semifinals, and the remaining qualifiers duke it out in an opening round.

Sure makes for a looooooooong road to the NCAA’s for the underdog, but it prevents those pesky 13-17 teams from making the dance and making Selection Sunday hell.

The new tournament is going to be at the Municipal Auditorium, rather than it’s current home, Bridgestone Arena (the Sommet Center randomly decided to change it’s name.)

For SIUE, men’s basketball season is over. It’s a faded memory. It’s incredibly sad. I don’t like this.

Following the Cougar’s final game at the VC, a sloppy 10 point win over an NAIA school, Lennox Forrester, Aamir McCleary, Stephen Jones and Mark Yelovich addressed the media in a very emotional press conference.

It was the most honest I have seen this team all season, and I applaud them for that. I know they worked hard and I know the transition is rough. We have a young team, perfection was not even a question with this group of guys, they just gave us something to talk about.

The first words out of Yelovich’s mouth were somewhere along the lines of: “We weren’t very good,” and his sentiment is one that was obvious, but something that made me think.

Transitioning to Division I is damn hard.

These guys go out, play the most unbalanced schedule in the country, against a number of over-matched teams and NEVER have the opportunity to play what is a meaningful game in the immediate picture we see.

They talked about motivation, they talked about traveling from Edwardsville to North Dakota to Minneapolis to Los Angeles to Fullerton to Fort friggin Wayne and back to Edwardsville. That is a 5,700 mile trip and some serious jet lag.

It is hard to stay focused on the main goal: which in SIUE’s case is to compete, or attempt to compete while trying to build towards a future they will not see as players. It is about pride and about the FOUNDATION.

I have seen the word ‘foundation’ tossed around all the time with this team, and it is defiantly relevant. We are building to the future. The wins/losses are not going to steer potential recruits away at this point. SIUE is in a decent place right now as far as moving forward with its current plan, and really, we are ahead of many past transitional schools.

Right now the record means nothing. We can’t do anything with it, so who cares. Winning is great, but right now SIUE just needs to compete and focus on the bigger picture, so we are capable of doing some damage down the road.

Just think about it in comparison to SIUC.

The Salukis were in the Sweet 16, then made a few more NCAA tournaments and tanked. Enrollment in Carbondale is down, as is the basketball team. I would even go as far to consider Evansville rebuilding with Marty Simmons to be a situation in the Missouri Valley with more upside.

Now look at SIUE. The trends in sports are going to start to mirror enrollment, and education. With St. Louis next door and the media attention the Cougars will receive (albeit as the fourth most popular D-I school in the market, which is BS considering Mizzou and U of I are like 3 hours a pop away) along with newer facilities and this ‘foundational vision,’ we have hope.

The recruits look good, and Forrester said we should be a little better next season.

Now, we have no idea how Mike Messer, Gerald Jones and super-human-playa Alex Brown will do fresh out of high school, but anything is possible.

Think about the wonders the weight room could do for LeShaun Murphy’s game.

I still HATE the word “transition” and still expect wins, but really, there are bigger and better things ahead than what we are seeing now.

As far as next year, Forrester divulged some schedule information, so I will share.

SIUE will play in the Las Vegas Invitational: opening with road games at two college hoops powers, in Indiana and Northern Iowa. From there, SIUE will go to Vegas for a few neutral court contests.

Other eye-opening road games include Iowa, Illinois State, Murray State and Morehead State.

The Cougars will host Murray and Morehead as well.

Time for some congratulations.

• Ashley Bey. The senior plays her final game tonight when the Cougars host Cal-State Bakersfield at the Vadalabene Center. Bey, one of the best basketball thief’s in the nation and an SIUE record-holder deserves your support, as does the entire team ending a long, winding season.
• Ben Bishop. The guy who throws heavy things went to nationals and placed 10th. Good job.
• SIUE wrestling. Eight guys are going to Nationals. That’s awesome.

And a head-scratcher.

• SIUE golf coach Kyle Viehl resigned. What makes this even worse is the timing. The golf team resumes with the spring portion of its schedule March 8.

That’ll do it, hope to get some feedback while I’m in Nashville!

This video may come in handy….

Preview: SIUE Women vs. Milwaukee

Women’s basketball started off their season with a bang Friday, beating the preseason OVC favorites Morehead State 67-64.

SIUE (1-0) will look to build upon their early season success against Milwaukee (1-0) at noon on Sunday at the Vadalabene Center. The Panthers come off a 77-68 victory on the road against Evansville on Friday.

Milwaukee is a much different team than Morehead State. While the Eagles were almost solely a perimeter team, Milwaukee has much more size in the paint and plays physically inside. Voted fifth in the Horizon League preseason standings, Milwaukee is looking to rebound from their 15-18 last year.

The Panthers lost five players — three starters — from last year, but it didn’t seem to show in their first win. Lindsay Laur led the team with 19 points and 13 rebounds against Evansville, and averaged a double-double in their first two exhibition games. She is a threat from everywhere on the floor — she shot 2-3 from beyond the arc in the first game as well.

The key to SIUE winning Sunday will depend on how they can defend the paint. Raven Berry and Whitney Champlin looked good Friday, but they will need to continue to play at a high level. Head Coach Amanda Levens said Champlin is coming off a shin injury, so hopefully she will continue to improve as the season progresses.

A couple of things SIUE needs to improve on — following their shot. Too often the ball will bounce back but they have already drifted backwards. They need to play with a consistent amount of energy as well. There are times if they start to fall behind, it takes a while to get back into it. The end of the first half, the Cougars just played flat.

Bey might have a harder time crashing the paint with Milwaukee’s added size. But Bey can still be effective if she can collapse the defense add allow Melia Duncan, Madison Meade, and Kate Affourtit to have open looks outside. The team needs to improve on their outside shooting — they were 3-16 from behind the arc against Morehead State.

Another spot to improve is getting back on defense quickly. Too often SIUE was caught on their heels as the Eagles moved the ball up the floor.

Don’t mistake my critiquing. This team can be very good, but they are young and the season is young. Mistakes will be made, improvements will be made.

There are times where, in the words of Levens, the team has “glimpses” of how good they can be. They have an good understanding of the fundamentals — the prime example is Duncan taking the charge. She has four in the last two games, and has a great job limiting the other team’s possessions. Bey knows how to draw the foul and get to the free throw line. Her 10 free throws were the difference Friday between winning and losing.

SIUE should receive a huge boost from the crowd Sunday. Nicely placed before the men’s home opener against Illinois State, there will be a much bigger crowd for Milwaukee than for Morehead.

The Cougars play the next five games on the road after Milwaukee, so getting a second win at home on Sunday should give the Cougars a great deal of energy and momentum.

SIUE Women get first victory, knock off Morehead State

This time, it counts.

Coming off of a 12-point exhibition win over UMSL, SIUE’s women’s basketball team rode the momentum into Friday’s game against Morehead State and knocked off the Eagles, 67-64.

The Cougars held off the Eagles after MSU came within one with 31 seconds left in the game. A huge contributing factor to the Cougars late hold was Ashley Bey. She led the way for the Cougars, netting 18 points and 5 steals. Bey also made 10-12 free throws and held strong in the clutch  – scoring three in the last 25 seconds of the game.

After an 11-2 run by MSU to end the first, the Cougars were down 30-35 entering the second half. A lay-up by Whitney Champlin put them up 38-37, they never trailed again.

Raven Berry followed up her impressive exhibition performance, scoring 15 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Berry was aggressive in the paint and drew several fouls. Even after coming down hard, which she needed to come out of the game, Berry fought through the pain and helped the Cougars back on track late in the second.

Bey and Berry really carried the team in the second half. Both came out of the locker room with a ton of intensity and helped right the ship for the Cougars. Bey had two steals and a couple of fast breaks to get the Cougars back in the game early in the second. She closed out the game, not only with the free throws, but forcing the Eagles to turn the ball over twice.

Bey never gives up on a play either. There was a play late in the second where MSU had a fast break and about to turn the tide of the game. MSU had a steal and four players ahead of the Cougars down the floor. The MSU player tried to lob it over Bey, but Bey stole it and turned the play around, preserving SIUE’s lead.

Melia Duncan carried the Cougars in the first half, scoring all of her 12 points. Whitney Champlin, who Levens said is coming off of a shin injury, scored six points, grabbed eight rebounds, and four blocks in 25 minutes. She and Berry helped the Cougars to a 34-20 point margin in the paint. They closed of lanes to opposing players driving the lane. When the Eagles weren’t shooting a three-pointer, they only converted 30 percent of their shots.

This was a big win. To start out well, and against a team supposed to be good is promising for this team. They have ton of scoring options as well. Bey, Duncan, Meade, and Berry have all scored in double figures so far, and Champlin has a chance to join that group as well once she is healthy. Having the option of scoring inside with Berry and Champlin brings a dimension the Cougars did not have last year.

Winning against UMSL was a confidence booster, this win puts SIUE on a whole other level. Sunday brings another test in UW-Milwaukee, but hopefully having a big crowd can be another boost to completing a 2-0 start. I’ll have a breakdown of the game Saturday on the site, so keep checking back.

So far, it looks to be an exciting year for women’s basketball. Come out and support them at noon Sunday.

Box Score

LIVE BLOG LINKS

Please click on the links below during the games to view our live blog of the action. You will be able to post your own feedback throughout the contest and interact with the Alestle Sports team on Friday.

SIUE men’s basketball at Illinois

SIUE women’s basketball vs. Morehead State