Game Notes (PDF)

Date: February 27, 2021
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Kirksville, MO

Bolivar, Mo. - The 2020-21 regular season comes to a close Saturday afternoon as SBU (15-5) travels to Kirksville, MO to take on the #3 ranked Truman State Bulldogs (17-1). This will be the first matchup between the teams this year.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
The Bearcats are riding a 4 game winning streak, defeating the Quincy Hawks 81-69 on Thursday. On the season, SBU is 15-5, tying the second most conference wins in a season. Their defense continues to be their strong suit, ranking first in field goal % defense (40.3%), second in the conference in scoring defense (68.4 ppg), scoring margin (+8.7), 3-point field goal % (32.7%), rebounding defense (28.9), rebounding margin (+6.9), and defensive rebounds (26.9). Quinn Nelson and Brady Smith are 12th and 13th in scoring at 15.6 and 15.1 ppg respectively. Nelson is now at 187 three pointers made in his career, just two behind the second most in school history. He is shooting 52.0% from the field and 42.6% from deep., both 12th in the GLVC. Leading the team in field goal % and 4th in the GLVC is Mitch Ganote making 56.5% of his shots. Ganote also leads SBU in assists with 4.15 per game, 6th in the conference. On the glass, Brady Smith and Mitch Ganote both average 5+ rebounds per contest, and Smith has 17 blocks on the season.

The Bearcats are coming off their best season in program history since 2009-10. Last year, the Bearcats finished 20-9 (13-7 GLVC). In the regular season rankings, the Bearcats finished fourth out of the sixteen GLVC teams. They upset #12 Southern Indiana and #1 Bellarmine both on the road, and defeated Drury at home for the first time in eight years. Eight players return from last year's roster. Second team All-GLVC honoree Brady Smith returns for his senior campaign. Two other starters from last season also return in juniors Quinn Nelson and Joe Miller. Sophomore Mitch Ganote was SBU's sixth man last season, and will play quite a bit during the 2020-21 season. The Bearcats will see several other new faces make an impact as well.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The Truman State Bulldogs (Kirksville, Mo.) sit at the top of the GLVC point rating system and carry a #3 national ranking with their 17-1 record on the year. They began the season with 5 straight wins before falling to Maryville on December 31. Since then, the Bulldogs have won 12 in a row, squeezing out a few close games in that span. Their past 4 competitions have been decided by 6 points or less. Most recently, TSU escaped Rockhurst with an 81-76 win on Thursday. The team leads several GLVC categories, including scoring defense (68.1 ppg), scoring margin (+10.5), field goal % (49.8%), and rebounding defense (28.6). They rank 2nd in scoring offense (78.6 ppg) and free throw % (78.8%). However, the team is allowing 35.5% shooting to opposing three point shots has a turnover margin of -0.94. Five Bulldogs are averaging double digits, led by junior forward Cade McKnight with 17.4 ppg. The 6'8" sophomore in Dylan Peeters leads the team and conference with 9.6 rebounds per game, and has 16 blocks on the season. Turner Scott leads the GLVC in assists, dishing 106 on the season for an average of 5.89 per game.

THE COACHES
SBU head coach Clark Sheehy begins his seventh season on the SBU bench after compiling an 82-92 (45-73 conf.) record while at SBU. Coach Sheehy holds a career coaching record of 264-198 across fifteen seasons while coaching six different All-Americans and over 40 athletes that have moved on to play professional basketball.

Jeff Horner is in his 3rd season as the leader of the Bulldogs, previously spending 4 seasons with the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. As a player, Horner attended the University of Iowa, playing point guard for the Hawkeyes.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Bearcats lead the all-time series 30-20, dating all the way back to the 1972-73 season. The Bulldogs have won the past 2 meetings, including last year's matchup that ended with a 59-83 final. Quinn Nelson went 3-5 from deep in that contest, grabbing 4 rebounds as well. Mitch Ganote added 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists off the bench.