Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils
SWAC (21-12, 17-1)
Mississippi Valley State only won one game before the New Year. It was not until that game that the Delta Devils played at home. Such is life for a team in the SWAC. MVSU played at places like Notre Dame, North Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida, Wisconsin and Iowa State before finally coming home to Itta Bena. Once they got home and into conference play, it became quite apparent that this is the best team in the SWAC.
Big Wins: 11/25 vs Tennessee State (90-89), 1/23 at Texas Southern (77-69), 2/13 at Southern (58-53)
Bad Losses: 11/14 at DePaul (70-80), 11/26 vs Cal Poly (55-72), 3/1 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (67-78)
Coach: Sean Woods (4 seasons at Mississippi Valley State)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Delta Devils have plenty of experience against quality opponents, but they did not win any of those games. However, they did come close to knocking off South Carolina and Iowa State. In order for them to have any chance of beating a high caliber team, Terrence Joyner will need to have a great game. Joyner is Coach Sean Woods’ main perimeter threat. He is a prolific shooter from long range, but will also use his 6-3 frame to get to the basket. Joyner is a capable ball handler, but the emergence of Kevin Burwell as an adept point guard has allowed Joyner to spend more time off of the ball. Burwell is not a great shooter, but he can hit the long ball. Burwell tends to force a few too many three-pointers, but when he is hitting them, it does open up the offense. Cor-J Cox is a great rebounding guard and another major scoring threat for the Delta Devils. The senior will usually come in off of the bench and he can spark the offense with his ability to score and the defense with his ability to hit the glass. With Burwell, Joyner and Cox all suiting up for their senior seasons, this is a very experienced backcourt. Freshman Brent Arrington has improved throughout the season and has seen his role increase as the season has progressed.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Unfortunately for Mississippi Valley State, the main reason Arrington is playing more is because forward Falando Jones got injured in late January. The 6-4 small forward was a good shooter and had to provide the depth in an already thin frontcourt. Without Jones, MVSU has just two post players. If a team only has two forwards and centers that see any playing time, Paul Crosby and Amos Studivant are two good ones to have. Crosby is the best center in the SWAC and is a nightmare to guard. At 6-8 and 245 pounds he has good size for a center in the SWAC, but he has also had some good games against some of the nation’s best big men. What makes Crosby tough to stop is his ability to step outside and knock down the three-pointer. Studivant is not much of a scorer, but he will do the dirty work in the paint and help out on the glass. However, the complete lack of frontcourt depth will make it tough for MVSU to knock off a more talented team.
Probable Starters:
Kevin Burwell, Senior, Guard, 9.2 ppg, 4.6 apg
Brent Arrington, Freshman, Guard, 6.7 ppg, 1.0 apg
Terrence Joyner, Senior, Guard, 13.2 ppg, 2.5 apg
Amos Studivant, Senior, Forward, 4.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Paul Crosby, Senior, Center, 13.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Cor-J Cox, Senior, Guard, 11.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg
Luka Pajkovic, Freshman, Guard, 2.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69 (150th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.8 (247, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 40.1 (309, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.5 (188, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.7 (56, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.5 (201, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 64.9 (287, 5)
Rebound Margin: 0.1 (183, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.4 (121, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.9 (267, 3)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Mississippi Valley State 2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to UCLA
Mississippi Valley State 2007 NIT First Round loss to Mississippi State
Mississippi Valley State 1996 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Georgetown
Mississippi Valley State 1992 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Ohio State
Mississippi Valley State 1986 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Duke
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
