THE SECOND SEASON: After finishing the regular season non-conference schedule last week, Seattle University begins Western Athletic Conference play with the annual Midwest road trip, first taking on Missouri-Kansas City Thursday night before a Saturday afternoon contest at Chicago State. This is the first of three two-game road trips for the Redhawks, who played all but one non-conference game within the Pacific time zone.
SCOUTING MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY: The Kangaroos enter Thursday’s game with a 7-8 overall record. Although Missouri-Kansas City is on a four-game losing streak, that includes losses at Louisville and at Oklahoma State. Also, the ‘Roos are a perfect 6-0 at home, including a 72-67 victory over Mississippi State on Dec. 12. UMKC is scoring 67.5 points per game and allowing 72.3 points per contest. As a team, the Kangaroos are shooting 43.4 percent from the field, including 35.6 percent from behind the three-point line, and 66.7 percent from the free throw line. Martez Harrison, last season’s WAC Player of the Year, leads UMKC with 14.6 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Lavell Boyd has made a team-high 37 three-pointers as he is averaging 13.1 points per game, and Darius Austin leads the team in total rebounds with 66 so far this season.
SERIES HISTORY: Seattle U and Missouri-Kansas City are meeting for the sixth time in history, with the Kangaroos holding a 3-2 series edge. In 2013-14, UMKC swept the season series, winning 95-84 at KeyArena Jan. 4, 2014, and 82-73 in Kansas City March 6, 2014. Last season, the ‘Roos won the first meeting in Kansas City, 75-55, on Jan. 24. Seattle U finally broke through with a 74-56 win at KeyArena on Feb. 18 behind 17 points and six rebounds from William Powell. In the semifinals of the WAC Tournament March 13 at the Orleans Arena, Isiah Umipig hit eight three-pointers as the Redhawks raced out to a 19-point first half lead and then held on to defeat the ‘Roos, 69-63.
SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE: The Cougars enter Saturday’s game with a 4-12 overall record, but they are 4-1 at home, including a 77-70 victory over Western Illinois on Dec. 19, the team’s only win within its last 12 games. Chicago State has played a tough schedule, including Illinois, DePaul, Valparaiso, Northwestern, Minnesota, and Marquette. Chicago State is scoring 72.3 points per game and allowing 77.8 points per contest. As a team, the Cougars are shooting 40.2 percent from the field, including 32.7 percent from behind the three-point line, and 69.1 percent from the free throw line. Clemmye Owens V has played in each of the last five games, averaging 13.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Trayvon Palmer leads the team with 8.4 rebounds per game.
SERIES HISTORY: This will also be the sixth time that Seattle U has faced Chicago State, with the Redhawks holding the 3-2 series edge. In 2013-14, the Cougars swept the season series, winning in triple overtime at KeyArena on Feb. 27, 2014, 84-77, followed by a 67-53 win just nine days later in Chicago. Last season, Seattle U defeated Chicago State 75-67 in Chicago on Jan. 22 and 57-31 at KeyArena Feb. 21. In the first round of the WAC Tournament, Chicago State was ahead by eight with five minutes left, but the Redhawks scored the final 12 points of the game to pull out a 49-45 victory over the Cougars.