Southern Illinois News

Men's Basketball Welcomes S&T, Drury to Close Out Home Slate

McKendree University men's basketball (12-11, 8-8 GLVC) closes out its home slate for the 2022-23 season this week as it hosts Missouri S&T and Drury at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. The Bearcats will face off against the Miners on February 16 at 7:30PM and then will welcome the Panthers to MPCC on February 18 at 3:00PM. McKendree currently sits tied for seventh in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, looking to make a jump in the final two weeks.

THIS SEASON (12-11, 8-8 GLVC)
The Bearcats are winners in three of their last four, going 2-0 at home against William Jewell and Truman State, while splitting the road trip last weekend in a win over Rockhurst but dropping to SBU. Home court has been a dominant place for the Bearcats as they sit at 8-2 this season, winning their last five outings at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. 

Senior guard Bryson Bultman and junior forward Milos Vicentic lead the offense for McKendree with 16.6 ppg for Bultman (2nd in GLVC) and 15.9 ppg for Vicentic (4th in GLVC). The pair is two of four Bearcats averaging double-figures this year as senior guard Eric Powell II owns 12.3 ppg and sophomore guard Caleb Zurliene sits at 10.7 ppg. Bultman has been a major factor in more than just scoring as he ranks highly in five separate categories in the league, including PPG (16.6 / 2nd), RPG (6.4 / 6th), APG (5.09 / 2nd), Assist-to-Turnover Ratio (1.30 / 10th), and SPG (1.35 / t-9th). 

As a team, the Bearcats average 73.2 points per game while seven individuals score 4.0-plus points per game. McKendree ranks third in the league in field goal percentage at .478 and fourth in three-point percentage at .365 with 9.22 makes per game from beyond the arc (3rd in GLVC). They own 14.3 assists per game to rank fourth in the GLVC while sitting second in blocked shots with 3.65 per game (84 total). McKendree leads the conference in defensive boards per game with 27.35.

Historically speaking... McKendree dropped its last two contests against Missouri S&T, 94-77 and 75-70 OT, while it has dropped four-straight against Drury with its last win over the Panthers coming in 2019-20. 

Series vs. Missouri S&T
4-7, Streak: L2
Last Time Out: L, 94-77

Series vs. Drury 
2-9, Streak: L4
Last Time Out: L, 75-73


SCOUTING MISSOURI S&T
The Miners enter the Thursday night battle with a 14-10 overall record but sit tied for seventh in the GLVC at 8-8. S&T leads the league in scoring with 81.1 ppg behind three individuals firing 15.0-plus points per game as Julien Smith leads at 15.8. The Miners total four double-figure scorers on average this season. 

S&T boasts a tough defense with three players ranking in the top-seven in the GLVC in steals per game as Kaden Froebe, Lovell Williams, and Smith all own over 1.4 per contest.

The Miners have split their last three weekends at 3-3 but won their last game on February 9 against UMSL, 76-75. While thriving on their home court, like the Bearcats, Missouri S&T has struggled on the road, going 3-5 so far on the year.

The last time out in Lebanon (2/13/21), the Bearcats bested the Miners with a 77-68 win. 

SCOUTING DRURY
Drury begins its week with an 8-16 overall record and a 4-12 GLVC mark. The Panthers won their latest outing with a 69-58 victory against UMSL but fell in five-straight contests prior to the matchup with the Tritons. Drury scores 70.6 ppg on the year with two double-digit scorers in Logan Applegate (13.2 ppg) and Adam Moore (10.0 ppg). Moore leads the team in rebounding at 5.5 per game.

The Panthers sit second in the conference in three-pointers per game with 9.38 while ranking sixth in both assists (13.96 per game) and steals (6.54 per game). Drury sits last in the league in scoring margin at -4.2, allowing 74.8 points per game to opposing teams. 

Drury heads to Indianapolis on Thursday night before making the trip back to the STL metro. 

McKendree's last win over the Panthers came in Lebanon on January 4, 2020, when the Bearcats claimed an 80-70 victory. 

UP NEXT
McKendree men's basketball hosts Missouri S&T on Thursday, February 16 at 7:30PM, and then Drury on Saturday, February 18 at 3PM to conclude its home slate. February 18 will be senior day for the Bearcats. 

Original source can be found here