Missouri State men's basketball team will host Jacksonville State on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in their first game as Conference USA opponents. The Bears aim to continue their strong form with key players like Michael Osei-Bonsu leading the charge. Fans are encouraged to participate in a White Out promotion.
Missouri State concludes a two-game home stand against Jacksonville State at Great Southern Bank Arena. This marks the first meeting between the teams as league foes in Conference USA. The series is tied 1-1, with the last encounter resulting in a 91-65 Missouri State victory on November 13, 2016.
Several Bears players have been performing well recently. Michael Osei-Bonsu, named Conference USA Co-Player of the Week, averaged 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals over two road wins, shooting 63.6% from the field. He scored the game-winning layup at UTEP with 12 seconds left and posted 21 points at New Mexico State, his sixth 20-point game this season. Against Sam Houston on Wednesday, he matched a season-high 22 points. Osei-Bonsu leads Conference USA in field-goal percentage at 59.8%, ranking 32nd nationally, and is 63rd in offensive rebounds with 3.00 per game. He has scored 20 or more points in three of his last four games.
Keith Palek III has scored in double figures in 19 of 21 games, ranking fourth in Conference USA scoring (17.9 ppg), eighth in rebounding (7.0 rpg), and ninth in assists (3.6 apg). He reached 1,500 career points in his 109th game against Sam Houston. Antwan Burnett, returning to the starting lineup versus Sam Houston, recorded 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Trey Williams Jr. has 175 points this season (8.3 ppg) and 34 three-pointers, needing 28 points to enter Missouri State's top 20 for freshman scoring.
Kobi Williams has scored in double figures seven times in his last eight games, averaging 17.4 points and 3.6 threes per game in that span. He has multiple three-pointers in 11 straight games, ranks fifth in Conference USA in threes per game (2.65) and three-point percentage (37.3%), and needs 16 points for 300 in the third straight year. Zaxton King contributed 8 points against Sam Houston, going 2-for-2 from three-point range.
The Bears rank seventh nationally in free-throw rate (46.0) per KenPom and 47th in free-throw attempts per game (24.4), fourth in Conference USA. They have attempted more free throws than opponents in 15 of 21 games and are 11-2 this season when shooting a higher field-goal percentage than their foes.
Head coach Cuonzo Martin, hired on March 27, 2024, returns for his second stint at Missouri State. He has a 285-230 career record over 16 Division I seasons, with nine postseason appearances. In his first tenure from 2008-2011, Martin led the Bears to a CIT title in 2010 and the program's first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title in 2011.
