Print edition: 
It's all supposed to even out
The Missouri Valley Conference plays an 18-game round-robin schedule which, in theory, should be fair for all 10 teams.
It is, over the long haul. Now that we're down to six MVC games remaining, some teams are in better shape than others for a run to the final standings. Wichita State is, by a large measure, in the best shape. The Shockers survived the toughest part of their schedule. The question is: Is it too late?
All six of WSU's remaining MVC games are against teams .500 or below in the conference, including two against last-place Evansville. No other team plays more than four.
It gets better.
WSU plays four of its final six at home. No other team plays more than three at home.
On the opposite side is Southern Illinois, which is already struggling to avoid the play-in round. SIU plays four teams with .500 or better conference records, including road trips to Northern Iowa and WSU. It faces four road games to finish MVC play.
Drake is the other team with the wind at its back. The Bulldogs play four teams who entered Wednesday's games below it in the MVC standings. Its six games are split evenly home and road.
As for lowly Evansville, things get worse. The Aces lost to Indiana State at home on Sunday, which put the prospects of finishing 0-18 in the realm of possibility. Evansville's final six games include trips to SIU, WSU and Drake. Its home games are against Bradley, WSU and UNI.
Fast breaks
* Most MVC coaches jumped on board with expanding the NCAA Tournament. Reports say the NCAA is considering bumping the field from 65 to 96 teams as part of a new TV deal. "After we got four teams into the tournament in 2006, there was a considerable outcry from the BCS schools,'' Bradley coach Jim Les said. "The result is that the so-called mid-major programs are getting shortchanged.'' Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson and Illinois State's Tim Jankovich expressed reservations. "Our job is to get our team into the tournament, and that's what we're ultimately judged on these days,'' Jacobson said. "Would it be better to have another 31 spots available? Sure, it would be. But I don't know if you expanded that you would have the same excitement that you do now, from that first game all the way through to the title game. My personal feelings are that I like it where it's at. It's difficult to make the field, but that's what makes it the best sport event of the entire year.''
* Bradley could use a good month and it has history on its side. The Braves defeated Drake 67-65 on Tuesday to improve coach Les' record to 22-6 in February home games. Bradley plays four of its final seven games at home, including a date with WSU on Feb. 24.
* Drake guard Josh Young scored 19 points Tuesday to move into third place on the school's career list. He needs 15 to surpass Red Murrell (1,657 points) for the top spot.
* Creighton junior P'Allen Stinnett remains suspended. He has not played since a Jan. 24 win over Missouri State in which he received a technical foul. One day later, coach Dana Altman suspended him for conduct unacceptable to the team.
What to watch
Drake at Illinois State, 7:05 p.m. Saturday — One team will take a step toward claiming third place. The Bulldogs embarrassed the Redbirds in Des Moines.
Keep an eye on
Drake freshman center Seth VanDeest is ahead of schedule as a developing big man. He scored 20 points in Saturday's win over Creighton and blocked four shots. In conference play, he leads the MVC with an average of 1.9 blocks a game. "He's got a chance to be one of the best inside players in our league," Drake coach Mark Phelps said. "He's still not the most physical guy out there, but he's got an element of toughness. We feel very confident throwing the ball into him."
In their words
"This has been a very resilient group. This lack of success has been a learning process for all of us. The guys still continue to try their very best. I believe we're getting better, although we haven't been able to get over the hump and made enough plays to win games."
_ Evansville coach Marty Simmons
