LEBANON, Ill. - The men's basketball team will continue to stay home at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Illinois this week for the inaugural McKendree DII Classic that will be presented by State Farm. They will host fellow GLVC-foe the University of Missouri-St. Louis along with nationally ranked programs in No.23 University of Alabama in Huntsville and No.22 Lake Superior State University.
The event will take place on Thursday, November 21st, and will end on Friday, November 22nd with all games being played at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center inside the Melvin Price Convocation Center. Thursday matchups will start with Missouri-St. Louis against Lake Superior State at 5:30 PM CT and will be followed by McKendree hosting Alabama-Huntsville at 7:30 PM CT. The next day, on Friday, The Tritons will take on the Chargers at 5:30 PM CT and the Bearcats will end things with an evening game against the Lakers at 7:30 PM CT.
The McKendree University athletic department thanks State Farm for presenting the inaugural McKendree DII Classic for this men's basketball season. The Bearcat family recognizes Jake Brandmeyer State Farm (Nashville, Ill. and Belleville, Ill.), Scott Huels State Farm (O'Fallon, Ill.), Bobby Simpson State Farm (Collinsville, Ill.), and Keith Wolf State Farm (Swansea, Ill.) for their partnership and support in making this event possible.
BEARCATS CURRENTLY
McKendree is coming off a split last week at home with dominating in-state opponent Blackburn College 88-42 on Wednesday and was followed by dropping their first game of the season to No. 25 Ferris State University. The program's 3-0 start was their best since beginning 4-0 in the 2021-22 season.
Two newcomers via junior college for the Bearcats in junior guard Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.) and sophomore guard Justin King (Mascoutah, Ill.) had career outings in the win against the Beavers. Woods shot all his field goals from three-point range, going a very efficient 5-7 from that area coming off the bench. King on the other hand did not attempt a single shot from distance and went a good 7-9 from the floor while swiping away a couple of steals in the process. Both 17 and 16 points respectively were their NCAA Division II career highs. Senior guard Kevin Stein (Chester, N.Y.) was one of the better constants in both games for McKendree, totaling 20 points, going 8-20 from the field while tallying 11 assists (a career-high six against Blackburn), five rebounds, and a steal in that span.
Stein is quietly climbing the national ranks, particularly in the passing game as he is number 50 in assist/turnover ratio with a value of 3.33. He also is within the top 60 in total assists (54th) with 20 and assists-per-game (58th) with 5.0. On the defensive end, senior guard Joey Niesman (Oswego, Ill.) leads the GLVC in total steals with nine, which is good for 83rd in Division II, and is top 100 in steals per game with 2.25. Fellow senior guard Destin Whitaker (Romeoville, Ill.) has been an efficient shooter from deep, being placed in the top 150 in three-point attempts, made, percentage, and per-game.
As a team, defense is the name of the game for McKendree, allowing 62.5 points scored by the opposition, which is good for 23rd in the nation. They also take good care of the ball, only turning it over 10.5 times a contest. The Bearcats outscore their opponents by an average of 13.0 points per game.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
No. 23 University of Alabama in Huntsville | Thursday, November 21st, 7:30 PM CT
Last Matchup: N/A
McKendree's first matchup in the classic will be none other than No.23 Alabama-Huntsville. The Chargers are looking to have a record season after recently being picked first in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) preseason poll. They are currently 2-1 with back-to-back convincing wins over Barry University and Point University after losing in overtime in a high-scoring affair in the season opener against reigning NCAA Division II runner-up Nova Southeastern University 104-105.
Alabama-Huntsville has two 20+ point scorers in senior guards, Luke Burnett and Tommy Murr. Burnett is a distance shooter, averaging 5.3 three-pointers a contest on 48.5% shooting. Murr, who was a high school sensation, while at the time of his graduation was the Alabama High School Athletic Association's all-time leading scorer with 5,716 points. That ranked second all-time nationally, according to the NFHS online record book. Only four players in history have ever surpassed 5,000 points in the high school ranks. The team has one other double-digit scorer in graduate guard Blake Campbell, who drops 14.7 points a contest.
No.22 Lake Superior State University | Friday, November 22nd, 7:30 PM CT
Last Matchup: N/A
In the second day of the event, the Bearcats will face an opponent with a little more game experience in No.22 Lake Superior State. The Lakers thus far are 4-1, which includes going 2-0 in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic over Carson-Newman University and then-nationally No.7-ranked Gannon University. They split at the annual GLIAC/G-MAC Crossover, 1-1 with most recently eking out a 96-94 win in overtime against GLVC-foe, the University of Indianapolis.
All five of Lake Superior State's projected starters are averaging double-figures in scoring, with senior guard Tyson Edmondson leading the way with a team-high 23.6 points a contest and is connecting on 4.1 three-pointers a game on a 52.0% success rate. Fellow senior forward Kingsley Perkins tops the program in rebounding, grabbing 8.6 a match.
TUNE IN-FO
TEAM ROSTERS: [McKendree] [Missouri-St. Louis] [Alabama-Huntsville] [Lake Superior State]
TEAM SCHEDULES: [McKendree] [Missouri-St. Louis] [Alabama-Huntsville] [Lake Superior State]
TEAM STATISTICS: [McKendree] [Missouri-St. Louis] [Alabama-Huntsville] [Lake Superior State]
Missouri-St. Louis vs No.22 Lake Superior State
WATCH: Click HERE ($ – GLVC Sports Network)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
McKendree vs N.23 Alabama-Huntsville
WATCH: Click HERE ($ – GLVC Sports Network)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
Missouri-St. Louis vs No.23 Alabama-Huntsville
WATCH: Click HERE ($ – GLVC Sports Network)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
McKendree vs No.22 Lake Superior State
WATCH: Click HERE ($ – GLVC Sports Network)
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
HISTORY: Click HERE
ABOUT STATE FARM
State Farm Insurance is a group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1922, it is the largest property, casualty, and auto insurance provider in the United States.
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