MVC Saturday...

ILSTU   Pick

WSU   -7.5

Stay away from everything else in the Valley today.

northern iowa is HOTTT

i like wsu though

Northern Iowa at Illinois State, ESPN2 3 PM Central

UNI has definately proven to be the better team this season. HOWEVER, ISU was 0-3 against them last year, including 3 close games, a double OT loss and another OT loss in the Valley championship game in St. Louis. The team is pissed off about the way the season ended and UNI is to blame. ISU's point guard who has been on a tear the past 3 games was quoted in the paper this week...

“I don’t know about everyone else, but my fire has been burning for
them since we left St. Louis,” said Phillips. “We can’t wait. Don’t
worry – I’ll have the whole team ready for this one. If I see
someone not ready, we might have to fight.”

UNI has 2 solid big men in Adam Koch and Jordan Egsleder are solid big men. At closer look this season they won a bunch of relatively close games in which they oversized thier opponents. ISU has two studs named Dinma Odiakosa and Jackie Charmichael (freshman). Jackie is on a tear the last few games, both will butt heads with UNI's slow tempo and will pose serious problems for UNI on offense on defense. On the perimeter ISU has a pissed off point guard senior (see quote above) who had two career nights in the past 3 games and preseason POY Osiris Eldridge, by far the best player on the team who almost single handedly won the game for ISU last year against UNI in St. Louis.

Bottom line, I am not a big believer in retaliation games or momentum but this team has had this game circled since the first weekend last March when UNI stole their chance at dancing in OT. I'll admit UNI is the best team in the Valley (ISU is top 3) but there is no way ISU loses this game at home on national TV after what happened last year.

Both lines have moved...

ISU -2

WSU -8.5

Northern Iowa at Illinois State, ESPN2 3 PM Central

UNI has definately proven to be the better team this season. HOWEVER, ISU was 0-3 against them last year, including 3 close games, a double OT loss and another OT loss in the Valley championship game in St. Louis. The team is pissed off about the way the season ended and UNI is to blame. ISU's point guard who has been on a tear the past 3 games was quoted in the paper this week...

“I don’t know about everyone else, but my fire has been burning for
them since we left St. Louis,” said Phillips. “We can’t wait. Don’t
worry – I’ll have the whole team ready for this one. If I see
someone not ready, we might have to fight.”

UNI has 2 solid big men in Adam Koch and Jordan Egsleder are solid big men. At closer look this season they won a bunch of relatively close games in which they oversized thier opponents. ISU has two studs named Dinma Odiakosa and Jackie Charmichael (freshman). Jackie is on a tear the last few games, both will butt heads with UNI's slow tempo and will pose serious problems for UNI on offense on defense. On the perimeter ISU has a pissed off point guard senior (see quote above) who had two career nights in the past 3 games and preseason POY Osiris Eldridge, by far the best player on the team who almost single handedly won the game for ISU last year against UNI in St. Louis.

Bottom line, I am not a big believer in retaliation games or momentum but this team has had this game circled since the first weekend last March when UNI stole their chance at dancing in OT. I'll admit UNI is the best team in the Valley (ISU is top 3) but there is no way ISU loses this game at home on national TV after what happened last year.