2017–18 Missouri State Bears basketball team

The 2017–18 Missouri State Bears basketball team represented Missouri State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bears, led by seventh-year head coach Paul Lusk, played their home games at JQH Arena in Springfield, Missouri as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. Despite being the preseason favorite in the MVC, the Bears finished the season 18–15, 7–11 in MVC play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place. As the No. 7 seed in the MVC Tournament, they beat Valparaiso in the first round before losing to Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals.

2017–18 Missouri State Bears basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
2017–18 record18–15 (7–11 MVC)
Head coachPaul Lusk (7th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Corey Gipson
  • Matt Sligh
  • Keith Pickens
Home arenaJQH Arena
2017–18 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Loyola–Chicago153 .833  326  .842
Southern Illinois117 .611  2013  .606
Illinois State108 .556  1815  .545
Drake108 .556  1717  .500
Bradley99 .500  2013  .606
Indiana State810 .444  1318  .419
Missouri State711 .389  1815  .545
Evansville711 .389  1715  .531
Northern Iowa711 .389  1616  .500
Valparaiso612 .333  1517  .469
2018 MVC Tournament winner

On March 3, 2018, the school announced that head coach Paul Lusk had been fired.[1][2] He finished at Missouri State with a seven-year record of 106–121. The school announced that former Tennessee State head coach Dana Ford had been named head coach of the Bears on March 21.[3]

Previous season

The Bears finished the 2016–17 season 17–16, 7–11 in MVC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the MVC Tournament, they defeated Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals before losing to Wichita State in the semifinals.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Jordan Martin0F6'8"235SeniorSt. Louis, MOGraduated
Robin Thompson1F6'6"224RS SophomoreSt. Louis, MOTransferred to Maryville
Dequon Miller4G5'10"176SeniorCharleston, WVGraduated
Austin Ruder15G6'3"199SeniorNixa, MOGraduated
Chris Kendrix33F6'5"185JuniorWillard, MOGraduate transferred to Minnesota State
Tyler McCullough50C6'11"252SeniorFayettteville, ARGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Abdul-Hakim Fofana0F6'7"220JuniorBobo Dioulasso, Burkina FasoJunior college transferred from Dakota College at Bottineau
Reggie Scurry2F6'7"220JuniorAtlanta, GAJunior college transferred from Northern Oklahoma College
James Miller23G6'4"185RS SeniorClinton, NCTransferred from Howard. Will be eligible to play immediately since Miller graduated from Howard.
Tanveer Bhullar34C7'2"285RS SeniorToronto, ONTransferred from New Mexico. Will be eligible to play immediately since Bhullar graduated from New Mexico State.

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jared Ridder
SF
Springfield, MO Kickapoo High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jun 8, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 81
Darian Scott
#67 C
Las Vegas, NV Centennial High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Oct 4, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 68
Mustafa Lawrence
PG
Las Vegas, NV Forest Hills High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Oct 22, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NA
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-11-03.

    Preseason

    In the conference's preseason poll, the Bears were picked to win the MVC, receiving 30 of 40 first place votes.[4] Senior forward Alize Johnson was named the preseason MVC Player of the Year.[4]

    Roster

    2017–18 Missouri State Bears men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    F 0 Abdul Fofana 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)207 lb (94 kg) JrSaint Exupery French Secondary School
    Dakota College
    Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
    G 1 Mustafa Lawrence 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)186 lb (84 kg) FrEssex County Vocational Newark, NJ
    F 2 Reggie Scurry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)213 lb (97 kg) JrNorth Clayton
    Northern Oklahoma College
    Atlanta, GA
    G 3 James Byrd (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrPark Hill South
    Penn Valley CC
    Kansas City, MO
    F 5 Onediah Church 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrSpringfield Springfield, IL
    G 11 Jarred Dixon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)171 lb (78 kg) JrLee's Summit West Kansas City, MO
    G 13 Greg Williams 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS FrHome School Houston, TX
    G 14 Ronnie Rousseau III 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)163 lb (74 kg) SrWinton Woods
    State Fair CC
    Cincinnati, OH
    F 15 Jarrid Rhodes 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrPalmetto
    Northern Oklahoma College
    Palmetto, FL
    G 20 Ryan Kreklow 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)186 lb (84 kg) JrRock Bridge Columbia, MO
    G 21 Ross Owens (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)191 lb (87 kg) SoWoodlawn Woodlawn, IL
    G 23 J. T. Miller 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS SrMt. Zion
    Howard
    Clinton, NC
    F 24 Alize Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)212 lb (96 kg) SrSt. John Neumann
    Frank Phillips College
    Williamsport, PA
    C 25 Darian Scott 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrCentennial Las Vegas, NV
    C 34 Tanveer Bhullar 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)278 lb (126 kg) RS SrFather Henry Carr Catholic Secondary
    New Mexico State
    Etobicoke, ON
    F 35 Jared Ridder (W)  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrKickapoo
    Xavier
    Springfield, MO
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Oct 21, 2017*
    12:00 pm
    at Kansas State L 62–78 
    Bramlage Coliseum 
    Manhattan, KS
    Nov 1, 2017*
    7:00 pm
    Southwest Baptist W 83–56 
    JQH Arena (3,926)
    Springfield, MO
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 10, 2017*
    7:00 pm
    at Western Kentucky W 85–80  1–0
    E. A. Diddle Arena (5,241)
    Bowling Green, KY
    Nov 15, 2017*
    5:30 pm, ESPN3
    Southern W 86–58  2–0
    JQH Arena (4,876)
    Springfield, MO
    Nov 17, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    North Dakota State L 54–57  2–1
    JQH Arena (4,703)
    Springfield, MO
    Nov 20, 2017*
    12:30 pm
    vs. Georgia Southern
    Gulf Coast Showcase quarterfinals
    L 73–74  2–2
    Germain Arena (823)
    Estero, FL
    Nov 21, 2017*
    10:00 am
    vs. Manhattan
    Gulf Coast Showcase consolation round
    W 69–65  3–2
    Germain Arena (841)
    Estero, FL
    Nov 22, 2017*
    12:30 pm
    at Florida Atlantic
    Gulf Coast Showcase 5th place game
    W 71–60  4–2
    Germain Arena (868)
    Estero, FL
    Nov 24, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Evangel W 80–48  5–2
    JQH Arena (3,485)
    Springfield, MO
    Nov 28, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Colorado State
    MV–MVC Challenge
    W 77–67  6–2
    JQH Arena (4,895)
    Springfield, MO
    Dec 2, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at South Dakota State W 73–53  7–2
    Frost Arena (2,001)
    Sioux Falls, SD
    Dec 2, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at North Dakota State W 71–58  8–2
    Scheels Arena (1,704)
    Fargo, ND
    Dec 8, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Hampton W 88–75  9–2
    JQH Arena (4,612)
    Springfield, MO
    Dec 10, 2017*
    3:00 pm
    at Oral Roberts L 66–73  9–3
    Mabee Center (2,331)
    Tulsa, OK
    Dec 19, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Wright State W 66–50  10–3
    JQH Arena (3,123)
    Springfield, MO
    Missouri Valley regular season
    Dec 22, 2017
    8:00 pm, FSMW
    at Loyola–Chicago W 64–59  11–3
    (1–0)
    JQH Arena (4583)
    Springfield, MO
    Dec 31, 2017
    3:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Valparaiso W 67–50  12–3
    (2–0)
    Athletics–Recreation Center (2,440)
    Valparaiso, IN
    Jan 4, 2018
    8:00 pm, CBSSN
    Northern Iowa W 62–55  13–3
    (3–0)
    JQH Arena (4,934)
    Springfield, MO
    Jan 7, 2018
    1:00 pm, CBSSN
    at Illinois State L 68–72  13–4
    (3–1)
    Redbird Arena (4,344)
    Normal, IL
    Jan 10, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Evansville L 55–64  13–5
    (3–2)
    Ford Center (3,237)
    Evansville, IN
    Jan 14, 2018
    2:00 pm, ESPN3
    Indiana State W 76–73  14–5
    (4–2)
    JQH Arena (4,137)
    Springfield, MO
    Jan 17, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Valparaiso W 64–57  15–5
    (5–2)
    JQH Arena (4,876)
    Springfield, MO
    Jan 20, 2018
    3:00 pm, FSMW
    at Drake L 58–61  15–6
    (5–3)
    Knapp Center (3,647)
    Des Moines, IA
    Jan 23, 2018
    7:00 pm
    at Bradley L 52–72  15–7
    (5–4)
    Carver Arena (5,041)
    Peoria, IL
    Jan 27, 2018
    5:00 pm, ESPNU
    Southern Illinois L 77–79  15–8
    (5–5)
    JQH Arena (6,724)
    Springfield, MO
    Jan 30, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Illinois State L 60–76  15–9
    (5–6)
    JQH Arena (4,545)
    Springfield, MO
    Feb 3, 2018
    1:00 pm, CBSSN
    at Loyola–Chicago L 75–97  15–10
    (5–7)
    Joseph J. Gentile Arena 
    Chicago, IL
    Feb 6, 2018
    6:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Indiana State W 81–62  16–10
    (6–7)
    Hulman Center (4,040)
    Terre Haute, IN
    Feb 10, 2018
    2:00 pm, ESPN3
    Evansville W 72–55  17–10
    (7–7)
    JQH Arena (3,358)
    Springfield, MO
    Feb 14, 2018
    7:00 pm, FSMW
    at Southern Illinois L 80–81 OT 17–11
    (7–8)
    SIU Arena (4,285)
    Carbondale, IL
    Feb 18, 2018
    3:00 pm, ESPNU
    Drake L 63–67  17–12
    (7–9)
    JQH Arena (4,859)
    Springfield, MO
    Feb 21, 2018
    7:00 pm, FSMW
    Bradley L 78–82  17–13
    (7–10)
    JQH Arena (4,054)
    Springfield, MO
    Feb 24, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    at Northern Iowa L 56–71  17–14
    (7–11)
    McLeod Center (4,834)
    Cedar Falls, IA
    Missouri Valley Tournament
    Mar 1, 2018
    8:30 pm, ESPN3
    (7) vs. (10) Valparaiso
    First round
    W 83–79  18–14
    Scottrade Center (4,852)
    St. Louis, MO
    Mar 2, 2018
    6:00 pm, ESPN3
    (7) vs. (2) Southern Illinois
    Quarterfinals
    L 63–67  18–15
    Scottrade Center (7,077)
    St. Louis, MO
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Central Time.

    Source[5][6]

    References

    1. Rothstein, Jon (March 3, 2018). "Missouri State fires Paul Lusk". fanragsports.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
    2. "Sources: Missouri State parts ways with Lusk". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
    3. Goodman, Jeff; Borzello, Jeff (March 21, 2018). "Missouri State hiring Dana Ford of Tennessee State". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
    4. "Missouri State Picked to Win MVC Men's Basketball". Retrieved 2017-10-24.
    5. "Missouri State Bears Basketball 2017-18 Schedule - Bears Home and Away - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
    6. "Missouri State University Official Athletic Site". www.missouristatebears.com. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
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