2017–18 Missouri State Bears basketball team

American college basketball season

2017–18 Missouri State Bears basketball

Conference| Missouri Valley Conference
Record| 18–15 (7–11 MVC)
Head coach|

* Paul Lusk (7th season)

Assistant coaches|

* Corey Gipson
* Matt Sligh
* Keith Pickens

Home arena| JQH Arena

Seasons

<- 2016–17

2018–19 ->

2017–18 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | PCT |  |  | W |  | L |  | PCT
Loyola Chicago † | 15 | - | 3 |  | .833 |  |  | 32 | - | 6  |  | .842
Southern Illinois | 11 | - | 7 |  | .611 |  |  | 20 | - | 13  |  | .606
Illinois State | 10 | - | 8 |  | .556 |  |  | 18 | - | 15  |  | .545
Drake | 10 | - | 8 |  | .556 |  |  | 17 | - | 17  |  | .500
Bradley | 9 | - | 9 |  | .500 |  |  | 20 | - | 13  |  | .606
Indiana State | 8 | - | 10 |  | .444 |  |  | 13 | - | 18  |  | .419
Missouri State | 7 | - | 11 |  | .389 |  |  | 18 | - | 15  |  | .545
Evansville | 7 | - | 11 |  | .389 |  |  | 17 | - | 15  |  | .531
Northern Iowa | 7 | - | 11 |  | .389 |  |  | 16 | - | 16  |  | .500
Valparaiso | 6 | - | 12 |  | .333 |  |  | 15 | - | 17  |  | .469
† 2018 MVC tournament winner

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.

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[edit]

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[edit]

### Departures[edit]

Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure

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Jordan Martin | 0 | F | 6'8" | 235 | Senior | St. Louis, MO | Graduated
Robin Thompson | 1 | F | 6'6" | 224 | RS Sophomore | St. Louis, MO | Transferred to Maryville
Dequon Miller | 4 | G | 5'10" | 176 | Senior | Charleston, WV | Graduated
Austin Ruder | 15 | G | 6'3" | 199 | Senior | Nixa, MO | Graduated
Chris Kendrix | 33 | F | 6'5" | 185 | Junior | Willard, MO | Graduate transferred to Minnesota State
Tyler McCullough | 50 | C | 6'11" | 252 | Senior | Fayetteville, AR | Graduated

### Incoming transfers[edit]

Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School

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Abdul-Hakim Fofana | 0 | F | 6'7" | 220 | Junior | Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso | Junior college transferred from Dakota College at Bottineau
Reggie Scurry | 2 | F | 6'7" | 220 | Junior | Atlanta, GA | Junior college transferred from Northern Oklahoma College
James Miller | 23 | G | 6'4" | 185 | RS Senior | Clinton, NC | Transferred from Howard. Will be eligible to play immediately since Miller graduated from Howard.
Tanveer Bhullar | 34 | C | 7'2" | 285 | RS Senior | Toronto, ON | Transferred from New Mexico. Will be eligible to play immediately since Bhullar graduated from New Mexico State.

### 2017 recruiting class[edit]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes  Name  | Hometown  | High school / college  | Height  | Weight  | Commit date

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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 November 3, 2017.

## Preseason[edit]

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[edit]

2017–18 Missouri State Bears men's basketball team

Players | Coaches
| Pos. | # | Name | Height | Weight | Year | Previous school | Hometown

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F | 0  | Abdul Fofana | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | Jr | Saint 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) | Fr | Essex County Vocational | Newark, NJ
F | 2  | Reggie Scurry | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | Jr | North Clayton
Northern Oklahoma College | Atlanta, GA
G | 3  | James Byrd (W) | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jr | Park Hill South
Penn Valley CC | Kansas City, MO
F | 5  | Onediah Church | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Jr | Springfield | Springfield, IL
G | 11  | Jarred Dixon | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 171 lb (78 kg) | Jr | Lee's Summit West | Kansas City, MO
G | 13  | Greg Williams | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | RS Fr | Home School  | Houston, TX
G | 14  | Ronnie Rousseau III | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 163 lb (74 kg) | Sr | Winton Woods
State Fair CC | Cincinnati, OH
F | 15  | Jarrid Rhodes | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sr | Palmetto
Northern Oklahoma College | Palmetto, FL
G | 20  | Ryan Kreklow | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | Jr | Rock Bridge | Columbia, MO
G | 21  | Ross Owens (W) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | So | Woodlawn | Woodlawn, IL
G | 23  | J. T. Miller | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | RS Sr | Mt. Zion
Howard | Clinton, NC
F | 24  | Alize Johnson | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | Sr | St. John Neumann
Frank Phillips College | Williamsport, PA
C | 25  | Darian Scott | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Fr | Centennial | Las Vegas, NV
C | 34  | Tanveer Bhullar | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) | 278 lb (126 kg) | RS Sr | Father 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) | Fr | Kickapoo
Xavier | Springfield, MO

Head coach

* Paul Lusk (Southern Illinois)

Assistant coach(es)

* Corey Gipson (Austin Peay)
* Matt Sligh (Covenant College)
* Keith Pickens (Missouri State)

* * *

Legend

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

* Injured
* Current redshirt

* * *

Roster

## Schedule and results[edit]

Date
time, TV  | Rank# | Opponent# | Result  | Record  | Site
city, state

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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[edit]

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 March 12, 2018.
3. ^ Goodman, Jeff; Borzello, Jeff (March 21, 2018). "Missouri State hiring Dana Ford of Tennessee State". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
4. ^ a b "Missouri State Picked to Win MVC Men's Basketball". Retrieved October 24, 2017.
5. ^ "Missouri State Bears Basketball 2017-18 Schedule - Bears Home and Away - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
6. ^ "Missouri State University Official Athletic Site". www.missouristatebears.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.

* v
* t
* e

Missouri State Bears basketball

Venues|

* Hammons Student Center (1976–2008)
* Great Southern Bank Arena (2008–present)

People|

* Head coaches
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

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NAIA national championships in bold
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[PCT]: Winning percentage