As the search is underway for a new Missouri State men’s basketball coach, three Springfield college basketball teams are still going strong.
The third-seeded Missouri State Lady Bears (21-8) play their first game at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Moline, Illinois, at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 15. The quarterfinal opponent will be either Murray State or Bradley. Those two face off in the opening round on Thursday.
While Missouri State has beaten Bradley twice already, Murray State handed the Lady Bears their lone home court defeat this season.
“We had a really tough game at their place and were able to come away with a win in a really tough grind-it-out type of game,” Coach Beth Cunningham said. “Then they gave us our only home loss of the season in what was a possession-by-possession game.
“We’ll be prepared either way,” Cunningham said of the possible opponent. “But everybody is starting with a clean slate going into the tournament. Certainly our kids are excited to play and we are happy that we got a first-round bye and hopefully we can use that to our advantage.”
The Lady Bears lost to Drake in the semifinal a year ago, wound up settling for a WNIT bid and lost at Nebraska in the first round. That broke a streak of three straight NCAA appearances for Missouri State’s tradition-rich program (not including the 2020 COVID-canceled tourney).
Only the Valley tournament winner will advance to the NCAA Tournament as NET rankings for Valley teams are too low for at-large consideration. Regular-season champion Drake is at No. 67; Missouri State is at No. 114.
Lady Bears' tournament hopes start with Lacy Stokes
Cunningham, during a teleconference with reporters earlier this week said it’s important to have quality perimeter and post play, along with depth, to achieve success to make a successful three-day run. Leading the way is Lacy Stokes, the presumed Valley Newcomer of the Year after winning the weekly award nine times this season.
As good as Stokes has been on offense, leading the team with 11.9 points and 4.5 assists per game, she’s just as important defensively. Stokes has become one of the league’s top defenders, fourth in the Valley with 2.4 steals per game.
“She really leads the way for us on both ends of the floor,” Cunningham said. “Offensively, her stats speak for themselves. She runs our team on that end of the floor, but you look at defensively and for her to play that many minutes, and never take a possession off is amazing.
“She’s a hawk on the ball — has been a tremendous defender all year long. She has set the tone for us on both ends of the floor.”
The 5-foot-4 junior from Mount Vernon, a transfer from Division II Missouri Southern, also plays a team-high average of 32 minutes per game.
“What she has been able to do for us has been outstanding. I feel like I can’t take her off the floor,” Cunningham said.
Missouri State’s road to a conference championship likely would find No. 2 Belmont in the semifinals on Saturday, March 16 and Drake the following day. The Lady Bears split with Belmont and lost at Drake in the only meeting between the teams this season.
Missouri State is not the only Springfield-based college team still playing this weekend:
Drury Lady Panthers in DII Regional
The assignment is a difficult one for the Drury Lady Panthers (25-6) at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional in Allendale, Michigan. They will challenge the nationally top-ranked team, Ashland (30-1) at 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 15.
Semifinals in the eight-team regional are on March 16, with the title game on March 18.
The Lady Panthers are in the NCAA-II Tournament for the 11th consecutive season, in addition to making their 21st trip in 24 seasons. Drury has won five NCAA-II regional championships, advanced to three Final Fours and has been the national runner-up twice.
Drury head coach Kaci Bailey guided the Lady Panthers to their latest national tournament appearance in her first season, taking over a team with no returning starters and just six players back from the 2022-2023 team.
One one those returning players blossomed this season. Sophomore forward Reese Schaaf, the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, averages 16.8 points and 10 rebounds per game.
This will be the fifth time the Eagles and Panthers have met in the NCAA regionals, with each winning twice. Ashland defeated Drury in the 2022-23 regular season, 68-67 in overtime at Drury.
Evangel men to NAIA National tourney
The Evangel men’s basketball team returns to the 64-team NAIA National Tournament for the third straight season under Coach Bert Capel. The Valor received an at-large bid and is the No. 15 seed in its 16-team region and is set to face No. 2 seed Florida Memorial at 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 15 in Waxahachie, Texas.
Evangel (18-10) is one of four teams from the Kansas Collegiate Athletics Conference to make the NAIA field along with No. 2 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan, No. 5 Kansas Wesleyan and No. 8 Southwestern.
The Evangel-Florida Memorial winner will face the winner of No. 7 seed Southwestern Assemblies of God and No. 10 Baker for a spot in the round of 16 in Kansas City.
John Pritchett, a graduate student from Rolla, leads Evangel’s offense with a 16-point scoring average. The Valor is an offense-oriented team, averaging 81.7 points but allowing 77.5.
