Conference play is just getting started in college basketball as CSN+ will have a Missouri Valley Conference doubleheader on Wednesday night.
In the first of two live matchups, Wichita State will travel to face Indiana State in a 6 p.m. tip that will mark the conference opener for both teams. In the second game of the doubleheader, Missouri State will head to Northern Iowa for an 8 p.m. tip. Both games can be found on CSN+.
The Shockers (10-3) are moving on without graduated seniors Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet but they're still a top-flight program thanks to some solid recruiting from head coach Gregg Marshall. Wichita State is led by balanced effort that includes double-figure point production from junior forward Darral Willis Jr (11.5 ppg)., sophomore forward Markis McDuffie (11.3 ppg) and junior forward Zach Brown (10.0 ppg). With 10 players averaging at least 13.4 minutes per game, Wichita State should be one of the deepest teams in the Valley this season.
Indiana State (6-6) has been inconsistent this season. The Sycamores own an impressive win over No. 16 Butler earlier this season but they've also lost to teams like Northern Illinois and Quinnipiac. Junior guard Brenton Scott is one of the conference's best scorers as he's pumping in 19.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game so far this season.
The second game of the doubleheader is also the conference opener for both teams.
Missouri State (9-4) is coming off of a solid showing in the Las Vegas Classic as they fell to No. 23 USC before beating DePaul by double-digits. Junior forward Alize Johnson (13.2 points, 9.2 rebounds per game) is off to a good start while junior guard Ronnie Rousseau III (12.8 points, 2.8 assists per game) helps lead the offense.
Northern Iowa (5-6) has dropped back-to-back games to Iowa and No. 8 North Carolina as they're trying to figure things out for conference play. Senior guard Jeremy Morgan is having a stellar season for the Panthers as he leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Morgan is averaging 16.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game so far this season.