Wichita State and Northern Iowa easily are the class of the Missouri Valley Conference. Both have 15-1 Missouri Valley Conference records, tied for first place in the league. The teams are ranked 10th and 11th in the country in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.




Guess what? Wichita State hosts Northern Iowa in a nationally televised game Saturday.




Before that epic encounter, though, is this matchup and potential ambush of Wichita State. Indiana State is in third place in the Missouri Valley with a 10-6 conference mark. The Sycamores are home, have revenge and catch Wichita State in an obvious huge look-ahead spot with its game of the year on deck.




So the situation certainly works for the Sycamores. But are they good enough to stay within double-digits of the Shockers?




I believe so given the circumstances, home-court and perimeter game they possess. Indiana State leads the Missouri Valley in scoring and 3-pointers made per game shooting 41.4 percent from beyond the arc in conference action.




The Sycamores have a balanced attack so they aren't sunk if one guy is cold. The Sycamores' top eight scorers all have made at least a dozen shots from 3-point range.




Indiana State is 8-2-1 ATS the past 11 times playing an opponent with a winning record.

(Editor's note: Long-time pro Stephen Nover continues his hot roll going 2-0 on Tuesday. Stephen is 10-3 on his last 13 college basketball plays and 16-9 on his last 25 NBA plays. Stephen has his CBB Chalk Play of the Month heading up his basketball card today.)