OPINION |
We’ve reached the portion of February where college basketball coaches and players — especially those on losing streaks — like to bust out the old cliche, “There’s still a lot of basketball left to be played.”
Well, not exactly. To paraphrase a line from the late philosopher Yogi Berra, “It’s starting to get late early.”
The clock is ticking and there are no timeouts or do-overs for lost opportunities. The Missouri State Bears are a perfect example. Only five regular-season games remain before Arch Madness in St. Louis, March 7-10.
Bears need a miracle to earn No. 4 seed in Missouri Valley Conference
Riding a rollercoaster with more lows than highs, the Bears’ season would need a miracle to earn the No. 4 seed and avoid having to play in the opening round. Missouri State has a 1% chance of finishing fourth, according to seeding percentage guru Matt Hackman.
Missouri State (14-12 overall, 6-9 Missouri Valley Conference) plays host to last place Valparaiso at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. The remaining games are at home on Feb. 21 against third-place Bradley, Feb. 24 at Belmont and Feb. 28 at Illinois State (both mid-pack teams), and March 3 at home against 11th-place Illinois Chicago.
Going 2-3 or worse the rest of the way probably assures the Bears of the worst possible scenario — a seed of No. 8 or 9. That is a likely toss-up game at noon on day one. Lose it and you’re done and the tournament has barely started. Win and face the No. 1 seed 24 hours later.
Neither is desirable. Nor has been the Bears’ play of late. Missouri State has lost three in a row after a four-game winning streak seemed a lifeboat of hope. That, of course, came after losing five of six to begin January. Old nemesis Northern Iowa started both downturns.
Matthew Lee steps up as flu-like symptoms plague roster
The first thing the Bears need at this point is some decent health. Flu-like symptoms have run through the team over the last week, with Donovan Clay and Alston Mason affected noticeably in the Feb. 14 loss at Murray State. Clay only played 14 minutes and his normally outstanding defense was missed as Murray State crushed the Bears with their post offense, a key to making 21 of 28 field goal attempts in the second half.
The Bears had another poor night from 3-point range, going 7 of 25 which is right on target for their 3-point inaccuracy during the three-game losing streak (17 of 60, 28.3%).
About the only bright spot was the play of Matthew Lee, with 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Lee also had seven assists and three turnovers (all in the final eight minutes) in his best game since November.
The Bears, 11th in the Valley in 3-point shooting at 31.5%, have yet to have Lee, Clay, Mason and Chance Moore play well in the same game against a Valley opponent. Time, which remains undefeated, is running out for that to happen.
Brighter outlooks for Lady Bears, Lady Panthers and Valor men
Things look more promising for the Missouri State Lady Bears. They bounced back from a home-court upset loss to Murray State by winning at Indiana State 59-51 Feb. 15. The Lady Bears (16-6 overall, 10-3 MVC) will be heavily favored to win on Feb. 17 at Evansville.
Two other local college teams also are going in the right direction. The Drury Lady Panthers have won 11 in a row after their 89-68 victory Feb. 15 over Missouri St. Louis. Drury plays host to McKendree on Feb. 17 with a 1 p.m. tipoff at O’Reilly Family Events Center.
Meanwhile, the Evangel men continued their turnaround with a seven-game winning streak heading into a 5 p.m. home game Feb. 17 against Sterling. The Valor has improved to 15-9 overall and 13-6 in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Basketball is not the only big thing happening in Springfield this weekend, however.
You’re looking live, at Enterprise Park Lanes
One has to be of a certain age to remember the glory days of professional bowling, when the PBA Tour was must-see TV on Saturday afternoons with Chris Schenkel and Nelson “Bo” Burton Jr. behind the microphones.
Names like Mark Roth, Earl Anthony and Dick Weber were heroes to millions who dialed up ABC telecasts in the head-to-head, step-ladder finals. Of course, that was an era with three channels and before the days of cable — let alone today with hundreds of thousands of viewing options when streaming is factored in.
Nevertheless, the PBA Tour is making a solid comeback this decade with its national-tour finals on Fox Sports and — in the case of the PBA Dick Weber Missouri Classic finals on Sunday, Feb. 18 — FS1.
The five finalists for the nationally televised show from Enterprise Park Lanes go after the $25,000 first prize starting at noon.
After the week began with 64 bowlers, Bill O’Neill led the 24 remaining pros after 30 games of qualifying concluded on Feb. 15. Two local bowlers — Springfield’s Spencer Robarge and Nixa’s David “Boog” Krol — were 20th and 21st as action continued on Feb. 16. The field is to be whittled to the five finalists after the final six games of qualifying, at 6 p.m. on Feb. 16.
Find the up-to-date scores and standings on PBA.com.
The last roll of a legend
The tourney is named after Missouri native Pete Weber, who has won 37 career PBA Tour titles including 10 majors. Weber, 61, received a special exemption to compete this week but did not make the 18-game cut.
Weber threw his final shot on the PBA Tour on Thursday and received a standing ovation from fans and players on hand. He will still compete on the PBA50 Senior Tour.
While he didn’t bowl particularly well, he entertained the fans throughout the week, including at the Pro-Am on Feb. 12.
“It’s been an honor and privilege for 44 years to be a part of the Professional Bowlers Association,” Weber said. “I will continue to bowl on the senior tour, but you will never see me throw another ball on this kids' tour. At the Tournament of Champions, the U.S. Open or the Masters — you will never see me throw another ball.”
“I appreciate all the support that you guys have given me throughout my years,” the PBA Hall of Famer said. “I love you all so much.”
Weber will present the trophy to the winner of the championship match on Feb. 18. Tickets to attend the nationally televised finals are available at PBA.com.
