Game Notes
Kentucky Wesleyan has a chance to improve to 10-0 with a win against Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday, but you likely won't see any Panther players let it get to their head.
Despite the No. 9 Panthers' strong start, coach Todd Lee has instilled a mindset in his players to make sure they stay focused on the game at hand and not think too far down the road.
"I think you always worry about that as a coach," Lee said. "I was worried about it going into (Thursday's) game. It's human nature — toughest thing to coach against. Guys are going to think we're pretty good. But the veterans know in this league you can play really well one night and the next night someone can make you look really bad."
"One of the things we do is we treat every game, whether it's the first game of the season or the last, the same as the others," Lee added later.
Those veterans are used to handling success. The Panthers started off the season 14-0 before losing to Southern Indiana on the road.
Lee also feels comfortable with his team staying humble because his players truly act as a team.
One of the things he said he's most pleased about with his team, perhaps more so than the record, is the team's unselfishness.
"We have a bunch of guys that care about the team," Lee said. "Guys that could start don't care if they start. The guys, they care about the team. The chemistry is good. The guys get pulled from and they cheer on their teammates on the bench. We emphasize that and we talk about that and we have to do that to be good. It's engrained in these guys."
As for KWC's opponent on Saturday, UMSL (7-3, 0-2 Great Lakes Valley Conference) comes in to the Sportscenter on the heels of a 66-54 loss at USI on Thursday night.
With just one day to prepare, Lee said his team had a really good, energetic practice on Friday and was pleased with the way his team prepared.
Lee said UMSL is very talented, particularly in the backcourt.
"They're very quick," he said. "They have four perimeter players that are all skilled and very quick. That causes concern. They play really good half court defense. They're very well-coached.
"They play really hard and run a four-out, dribble-drive offense and they're very good at it. They have four guys thart can penetrate."
Saturday's game will mark the second game back for senior guards Kreig Oxley and Cornbread Walker, who returned Thursday after missing nearly a month due to injuries.
Oxley has been practicing all week, but Thursday was the first day that Walker has had any serious activity since returning from his injury.
Lee said he feels comfortable with how they're feeling right now after their first game back.
"They're fine to play," Lee said. "They're not 100 percent but the practiced (Friday). They're getting better every day. They did practice and got after it. I'm hoping they feel alright (Saturday)."
