Jan 14, 2020 at 5:52 PM
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — It all looked so promising in the preseason for Missouri State.
Second-year men’s basketball coach Dana Ford had assembled an all-star team in Springfield. So it was no surprise when the Bears became an overwhelming choice to win the Missouri Valley Conference, receiving 29 of 40 first-place votes.
Not only was MSU returning first-team all-MVC forward Tulio Da Silva, 13-point scorer Keandre Cook and sixth man Kabir Mohammed, but a host of highly touted newcomers were joining the squad.
West Virginia’s top scorer last season, 6-foot-8 Lamont West, was now a Bear.