Indiana Statesman

January 10th, 2007

GAMETIME! 1-10-07 ISU v. Wichita St.

By Ben Corn on January 10th, 2007

Welcome,
This is the first live sports blog at the Indiana Statesman. I will be posting pre-game, halftime and post-game reports from most ISU basketball games for the remainder of the season.

Well, hopefully there is a sizeable crowd tonight after all the efforts by the media relations department by selling tickets for half price, by the Statesman for insisting upon people coming and all the work the people at the Tribune-Star did to boost attendance.

This is an interesting match up. On one hand, Wichita State (10-5) is struggling and has not done well in conference play. On the other hand, they are desperate for a good performance tonight.

As head coach Royce Waltman told me, they are a very competitive team, so he does not expect them to roll over and play dead, and neither do I.

I think home court is a big advantage this game, Wichita State lost its last game on the road against Southern Illinois. Also, Missouri Valley teams are very tough at home, especially the Sycamores, who are 8-0 at home.

The front court for the Shockers will be the key for a road win, but if the ISU big men can impose their will in the paint, it should come out as a victory for the Sycamores.

Wichita State started the season 9-0 with wins over George Mason, LSU and Syracuse on the road. The team got as high as No. 8 in the AP Poll. It all started going wrong when the Shockers lost to New Mexico on Dec. 22 by a score of 71-68.

These are two teams that are at different ends of the Valley right now. The Sycamores are on a five-game winning streak and are tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with Southern Illinois. Wichita State is currently eighth in the conference with an MVC record of 1-3.

See you at halftime,
Ben Corn

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