College Hoops Top 50

The latest best roster Dana Ford has assembled in Springfield may actually be his best team, also. 

It’s been six years since Ford took over as head coach at Missouri State, and in that time there have been some very good players to suit up for the Bears. Keandre Cook was twice named All-Missouri Valley; Isiaih Mosley averaged 20+ points over two star-making seasons, and Gaige Prim posted 1,300+ points and grabbed 600+ rebounds in his three seasons. Unfortunately, those great individual performances haven’t quite been enough to push the Bears into the NCAA Tournament. 

This year, things are looking different. More balanced. Better. Missouri State is off to a strong 6-1 start, led by a rotation which features just two seniors. Though some early dings have forced Ford to experiment with lineups, he’s finding that this group has skill and can play a couple of different ways. These Bears are rising towards the top of a strong conference already, and are out to prove that they’ve got both the staying power and untapped ability to take Bears fans on a longer March holiday than they’ve enjoyed since before the 2000’s began. 

On a team with some important younger faces this year, State’s most recognizable star has been holdover forward Donovan Clay. A preseason All-MVC First Team selection, Clay is a two-time All-Defense pick who plays as complete a game as anyone in the league. Clay, a 6’8″ forward who can score inside and out, can also guard pretty much any non-pivot, and has taken a turn against every type of offensive player the Valley has been able to throw at him over the past four-plus seasons. Not merely a guy who makes life difficult on opposing scorers, Clay actively takes possessions away from the opposing team and manufactures buckets for his side. Clay has racked up 91 career steals already, and averages more than a block per game for his career, having proven capable of swatting attempts in the lane or out on the wing. 

The versatile former Valparaiso star can lead in any situation, because there he simply does everything at a high level. Though his jumper beyond the three point arc is streaky, Clay is off to a great start from the land of trey this winter, hitting 44.4% of his tries so far. Meanwhile, he’s made an excellent 71% on attempts near the rim over the past two years, per Bart Torvik, utilizing his agility and toughness on slashes to the rim to score among larger players. As slick a scorer as he can be, Clay is every bit as much a playmaker. He’s handed out 312 career assists, and averages nearly three helpers per game since first donning a Missouri State uniform. Clay is highly productive on the glass as well, with plenty of wiry strength and a combination of effort and bounce which makes him a particular problem. Clay has 99 offensive rebounds over the previous two seasons – and he does an even better job cleaning up on the defensive glass and then moving up the floor to initiate the Bears’ offense. 

More and more, former Saint Peter’s point guard Matthew Lee has been helping Clay to distribute the rock, and Missouri State is all the more dangerous for that combination. The MVC’s reigning Player of the Week, Lee has been a major addition to the Bears after his first attempt was almost immediately derailed. Last year, Lee’s debut in Springfield ended in just the Bears’ second contest, as the veteran guard tore his ACL with about 10 minutes left in the second half against BYU. Now healthy, confident, and dangerously quick once more, Lee is stepping up as a key pillar of this group. After playing the role of floor general for the Peacocks – he was the team’s starter during their Elite Eight run under Shaheen Holloway – Lee has also grown into a much more prominent role as a scorer for the Bears. The most obvious reason why? Lee has been in attack-mode since the start of his do-over senior year, and is absolutely feasting at the charity stripe. Always a solid dribble-drive option who can create on the fly and distribute as well as score for himself, Lee’s assertive play has gotten him to the line almost eight times per game so far, where he’s cashing in a strong 79.2% of his attempts. Now, as conference play gets rolling, Ford will need Lee to tighten up his ballhandling. Though he leads the Valley in assists, Lee has also committed the league’s most turnovers thus far, and State doesn’t quite have the firepower to feel good about that continuing. An occasionally dangerous deep threat, Ford would also love to see Lee finish the season by shooting 40+% from the floor for the first time since his rookie year. 

Shooting the rock from deep is what leading scorer Alston Mason does best, and he’s been as big a threat as just about anyone in the Valley through the first few weeks. A playmaking guard who provides Ford with a third creative player who can make things happen for the Bears’ offense, Mason first stepped into a big role last year when Lee was lost. Now, the former Oklahoma transfer is living his best life as a ball-mover who can pick and choose the best times to let fly from the outside. Though he finished third on the team in 3FG makes last year, Mason hit just 30.5% of his attempts. This year, Mason is splashing 47.1% of his triple tries, and has hit three or more from distance in four of the Bears’ first six games, establishing himself as a guy who needs to be covered anytime he’s on the floor. When Chance Moore, one of the balanced Bears’ other leading scorers, couldn’t return against Oral Roberts a few games back, Mason took the lead. “We all knew that we had to step up and fill in that role of scoring,” Mason declared postgame after he tossed in 28 points against ORU. “My approach was to stay aggressive and do what we can do to try to get the win.” 

Fortunately for the Bears, Moore was back to score 28 of his own last night as the Bears opened MVC play by hammering previously-unbeaten Evansville, 90-78. A former Top 100 recruit who transferred in from Arkansas, Moore made an immediate impact on last year’s team, finishing second on the Bears in scoring average despite starting only three games. Now, Moore has earned a highly prominent role on the wing, and as a part of Ford’s four-headed scoring beast. A highly athletic player who can cause mismatches, Moore has also been a big part of the Bears’ improved perimeter barrage. He’s making 42.9% from downtown to begin this campaign, and with every made deep ball, Moore’s talent for attacking the rack becomes a bigger threat. “Chance is a 20-point-a-game guy,” Ford has said, and Moore’s potential and versatility will continue to see him with prime opportunities to show all of those skills. Alongside Clay as rangy wings who can help inside and out, Moore also helps to extend the Bears’ shot blocking out to the perimeter; Missouri State ranks 67th nationally in blocks per game so far, helping to offset the fact that the Bears don’t come up with many steals as a group. 

The best rim protector on this team is NJ Benson, a talented sophomore who is stepping into a highly visible role as half of Ford’s improving duo in the paint. In fact, Benson may be developing into a singular star if efforts like his big double-double against Evansville become a usual thing. Against the Purple Aces, Benson posted 16 points, grabbed 13 boards, and swatted a pair of shots. It was the second time in the past three contests that he’s done so; Benson erupted for 17, 16, and 3 rejections against Abilene Christian just a week ago. Though Ford has been fine with trotting out four guards along with Clay at times, the Bears have their highest potential with the mobile, long-armed Benson making an impact inside. The sophomore is shooting an excellent 74.2% around the rim so far, buoyed by 12 dunks – and seven of his 27 field goals have come on putbacks, per Hoop-Math. As a genuine option to finish good looks from his smooth-operating teammates and earn extra points with his effort on the glass, Benson is starting to provide the Bears with a whole new level when he’s in the game. 

Cesare Edwards is Benson’s more experienced co-big man. After two years at Xavier, Edwards headed to Springfield for a chance at more minutes, and he’s been helpful in a larger role already. Though he’s not the rim protector that Benson is, Edwards has the ability to face up and make jump shots. He can even hit from the three point line, and has splashed a half dozen deep balls already in just seven games as a Bear. Unfortunately, like his younger counterpart, Edwards must improve his foul shooting. Having two post players that he can rely on gives Ford options for MVC play, and the contrast between Benson and Edwards will no doubt prove handy as the Bears look to contend. After seeing the floor for 17 starts and more than 20 minutes per game out of necessity as a freshman, Damien Mayo, Jr is back and playing an important role again as a sophomore. A strongly-built guard who rebounds and defends at a high level, Mayo reliably brings energy and a physical approach to the perimeter. He’s taking steps as a shooter, and fits as a solid presence who produces without needing the ball in his hands. Veteran wing Raphe Ayres and intriguing young forward Tyler Bey round out the rotation, and have largely played their significant minutes when other guys have been missing time. Ayres helps out enthusiastically on the glass and will mix it up a bit inside, while Bey’s length, shooting ability, and easy gait make him a potentially exciting developmental scorer on the perimeterat his size. 

Missouri State has had some tough near-misses despite boasting talented, experienced teams before. The Valley rarely gets more than two bids, and there have been a couple of very strong Drake and Bradley outfits ahead of the Bears in recent years. 

That hasn’t changed – but Missouri State seems to have. With four different players proving that they’re capable of going for 20 points on a given night, multiple playmakers, and improved outside shooting, Ford appears to have more than a few of the things that squads looking to succeed in March like to feature. If these Bears can stay healthy, limit turnovers, and keep getting contributions in the paint, they will remain dangerous all conference season. Another big test awaits this weekend, as they travel to Des Moines. That’s life in the Valley, though. Since they Bears are building a growing resumé to go pair with their versatile stars, Missouri State is on track to challenge for their first NCAA Tournament bid in more than two decades.