Men's Basketball Returns to Action for Games This Weekend at Grand Valley State and Davenport
McKendree University men's basketball closes out the 2022 calendar year this coming weekend by playing back-to-back non-conference games in Grand Rapids, Mich., against Grand Valley State University and Davenport University.
The two-game road trip begins with 2 p.m. Eastern game on Sunday, Dec. 18 against Grand Valley State, before playing a 6 p.m. Eastern game on Monday, Dec. 19 against Davenport University. Both Grand Valley State and Davenport are members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
Both Grand Valley State and Davenport will offer live stats and live video of each game, but the live video of each game will be available on FloHoops.com for a cost. Fans wishing to watch either or both of the games, will need to sign up for an account on FloHoops.com before watching the live video stream.
McKendree enters this weekend's final two games of 2022 sporting a 4-4 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Bearcats, though, haven't played since suffering a 79-66 home loss on Dec. 3 to then 17th-ranked Southwest Baptist. In fact, McKendree has dropped two of their last three games overall with the lone win being a 73-62 home victory on Dec. 1 over Rockhurst University in its GLVC home opener.
The Bearcats, who opened the season with back-to-back losses to Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover in Hougthon, Mich., have won four of six games since that 0-2 start to the season. The Bearcats are 2-3 away from home this season, including being 2-2 on opponents' home courts.
On the season, McKendree is fifth in the GLVC in scoring as they are averaging 73.8 points per game, but have been held under 70 points in three of its last five games, including scoring a season low 55 points in a 77-55 setback at William Jewell on Nov. 28. In addition, the Bearcats are fourth in the league in field goal percentage as they are shooting 46.9 percent from the field and are also shooting 36.6 percent from the 3-point line, but is second in the league and 12th nationally in Division II in made 3-pointers per game as they average 10.8 per game. The Bearcats have made double-digit treys in five of eight games and have made at least eight 3-pointers in all its games on the season.
The Bearcats are also second in the league in assists as they are averaging 15.1 per game and lead the GLVC in both three-point shot attempts per game (29.4) and blocked shots per game as they average 3.6 per game. Sophomore forward Caleb Zurliene (Aviston, Ill./Purdue Northwest) leading the GLVC in both total blocks (17) and blocks per game (2.1).
Defensively, McKendree is allowing 73.3 points per game and has allowed over 75 points in four games, including a season high 100 points to Northern Michigan in the season opener. McKendree's opponents are shooting 43 percent from the field, 34 percent from the 3-point line and 74.6 percent from the free throw line.
Three Bearcats are averaging in double figures on the season as senior guard Eric Powell II (Lexington, Ky./Asbury University) leads the way in scoring as he is averaging 15.8 points per game and is shooting 47 percent from the field and 45 percent from the 3-point. He leads the league in made treys per game at 3.4 and his 27 made 3-pointers is tops on the team and sixth most in the GLVC. Powell has scored in double figures in seven of eight games and has tallied 20 or more points in two games, including a season-best 23 points last time out against Southwest Baptist.
The No. 2 scorer on the season for McKendree is senior guard Bryson Bultman (Nashville, Ill./Nashville), who is averaging 15.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and a GLVC-leading 6.0 assists per game and is shooting 49 percent from the field, 36 percent from the 3-point line and 77 percent from the free throw line. Bultman, who is four points shy of becoming the 37th player in the school history to score 1,200 career points, has scored in double figures in five consecutive games and seven times on the season. He has also recorded two double-doubles (11 points and 12 rebounds at Union and 16 points and 10 rebounds against Rockhurst), which are tied for fourth most in the league.
Junior forward Milos Vicentic (Belgrade, Serbia/OKK Belgrade) is the No. 3 scorer on the season as he is averaging 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 54 percent from the field, but has struggled from the 3-point line as he is shooting just 28 percent from downtown and 89 percent at the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in two straight games and six times overall, including a McKendree season high of 25 points in the season opener against Northern Michigan.
SCOUTING GRAND VALLEY STATE
Sunday's opponent, Grand Valley State, comes into the contest sporting a 5-6 overall record and is 1-2 in the GLIAC following its 87-73 home won on Sunday against Davenport. The Lakers have reeled off two straight wins and three of its five overall after opening the season with 2-4 record. Sunday's game with McKendree will be the sixth game this season for GVSU against a school from the GLVC as the Lakers are just 1-4 in those previous five games with the lone win coming at Quincy (63-59) on Dec. 6. GVSU has lost this season to Southwest Baptist (85-82), UIndy (72-66), UMSL (78-66) and Maryville (81-75), but this will be their first home game against a team from the GLVC.
Grand Valley State, who was tabbed to finish sixth in the Preseason GLIAC Coaches' Poll, comes into play averaging 76.2 points per game and allowing 73.5 points per game. The Lakers are shooting 47 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 72 percent from the free throw line. GVSU has scored over 70 points in seven games, including a high of 101 points against Michigan-Dearborn. GVSU is outrebounding their foes by 2.5 boards per game, are averaging 7.3 steals and 3.5 blocks per game, and is forcing 13.5 turnovers per game. GVSU's foes are shooting 46 percent from the field and 35 percent from the 3-point line.
Leading the way offensively for Grand Valley State through 11 games is junior forward Marius Grazulis, who is averaging 11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, is shooting 53 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free throw line, and has blocked 15 shots. He has scored in double figures in two straight games and seven times overall on the season.
The second Laker player to average in double figures is graduate forward Chinedu Kingsley Okanu, who is a transfer from Northern Illinois and was named a Preseason Second-Team All-GLIAC selection. Okanu is averaging 10.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, is shooting 48 percent from the field, and has blocked 12 shots in eight games. He has scored in double figures in five of eight games on the year.
Grand Valley State is coached by Cornell Mann, who is in his first season with the Lakers, after spending the 2017-21 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri. Mann has also been an assistant at the Division I level at Oakland University, Iowa State, Dayton, Western Michigan and Central Michigan.
Sunday's meeting will be just the second-ever meeting on the hardwood between the two schools as Grand Valley picked up a 94-65 win over the Bearcats at the Subway Invitational in Quincy, Ill., on Dec. 15, 2018.
In that game, McKendree shot just 33 percent from the field and 28 percent from the 3-point line as Alijah Thomas led three Bearcats in double figures with 19 points, while Logan Kohrmann added 13 points and Nate Michael had 12 points. GVSU shot 59 percent from the field and 60 percent from the 3-point line in the win. Five Lakers scored in double figures led by Ben Lubitz, who had 23 points, while Jake Van Tubbergen added a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds.
SCOUTING DAVENPORT
Meanwhile, Davenport, who hosts Aquinas on Friday before facing McKendree on Monday, comes into play sporting a 2-7 overall record and an 0-3 mark in the GLIAC following its 87-73 loss on Sunday at Grand Valley State. The loss to Grand Valley followed a 91-78 home win for the Panthers over Great Lake Christian. Davenport's other win this season came against Tampa, 64-58, at Eckerd College's Thanksgiving Classic in St. Petersburg, Fla. Prior to the win over Tampa, Davenport opened the season by losing its four games, including back-to-back losses to open the season against GLVC foes – William Jewell (90-76) and Rockhurst (83-72).
Davenport, who was tabbed to finish fifth in the Preseason GLIAC Coaches' Poll after capturing the GLIAC Tournament title and earning the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament bid last season, is averaging 68.8 points per game and are allowing 80.6 point per game. The Panthers are shooting 43 percent from the field, 33 percent from the 3-point line and 68 percent from the free throw line on the season. The Panthers have scored over 70 points in just five games and is 1-4 in those five games with the lone win coming against Great Lake Christian.
Davenport is getting outrebounded by 6.2 boards per game and are committing 15.4 turnovers per game and are allowing their foes to shoot 46 percent from the field, 38 percent from the 3-point line and 71 percent from the free throw line.
Two Davenport players are averaging in double figures on the season as redshirt freshman guard Marcedus Leech is averaging 17.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and is shooting 39 percent from the field, 31 percent from the 3-point line and 90 percent at the free throw line. Leech, who was named a Preseason First-Team All-GLIAC performer, has scored in double figures in all nine games and has had three games of scoring 20 or more points.
The second double-digit scorer for Davenport is redshirt junior forward Jakub Dombek, who is averaging 14.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 54 percent from the field and has blocked nine shots and has had 15 assists. Dombek has also scored in double figures in nine straight games, including a high of 22 points against Rockhurst.
Burt Paddock, who is in his 15th season with the Panthers and has compiled a 329-140 record and has led the program to 10 plus-win seasons, coaches Davenport, including winning 27 games and claiming the regular season GLIAC title in 2018-19. He has won 17 or more games three times at Davenport since the team joined the Division II ranks in 2017.
Monday's game with Davenport will mark the first meeting between the two schools in basketball. The two teams were scheduled to play each other last December at Quincy's Hansen-Spear Funeral Home Classic, but McKendree was forced to cancel the game due to non-CoVID illnesses in the program.
Following this weekend's action, the Bearcats will take 14 days off for the Christmas holidays before returning to action on Monday, Jan. 2 against Baptist Bible College. Tip-off for McKendree's final non-conference game of the 2022-23 season is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon.
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