Picked by the Heart of America Athletic Conference to finish in last place in conference, the Culver Stockton Men’s Basketball team has proven “the experts” wrong. After a demoralizing 2022-2023 season where they were only able to get five conference wins, a new head coach at the helm of their program was just what they needed.
As of right now, the team is sitting at 5th place in the conference and have qualified for playoffs after their last game on Saturday, February 17th. This was something they had not been able to do since the 2018-2019 season, breaking a 5-year drought of not making the playoffs.
This season started quite slow for them, something that was expected considering the addition of their new coach and numerous new players. Things started to click for the Wildcats after their first conference win against Central Methodist University, a team that currently sits in 2nd place in the conference. The Eagles were expected to win fairly easily, yet, Culver-Stockton was able to defy the odds.
Seth Larson, the game’s leading scorer, had a double-double, meaning he scored double digit points and got double digit rebounds. In total, he scored 24 points and 15 rebounds combined with 2 assists. Right behind him in the scoring mark was Robert Fry II as he finished the night with 23 points, shooting 50% from the field combining that with 2 assists, and 1 steal. This duo has been lethal for the Wildcats and a nightmare for every opponent all season long.
The Wildcat’s second milestone win came over winter break when they faced Peru State. The Bobcats swept Culver-Stockton last season and finished second in the conference standings. This year, however, the Wildcats were able to get their first road win against them in dominant fashion by a score of 71-63. This win gave the team the reassurance that they can win road games no matter the opponent.
Currently, the Wildcats have won 7 of their last 9 games, losing to Peru State University and Grand View University on the road. Culver was extremely close to edging out both teams losing by only 2 and 5 points respectively.
Their most impressive performance came on Senior Night. On Saturday, February 17th, the Wildcats faced Baker University, a team that was sitting second in the conference standings and was receiving votes to be nationally ranked. After the Wildcats trailed by 1 at the end of the first half, I agree this is important information, but it needs to be worded differently, Coach Dorian Hobbs made some adjustments and the players responded perfectly.
With only 19 seconds left of play, Culver Stockton was down by 1. Robert Fry II gave the Wildcats the lead from the free throw line by knocking down both of his shots. With 6 seconds remaining and Baker trailing by 1, they were then able to get a 2-pointer off, but it was no good word this differently.
A defensive rebound by Seth Larson and a foul by Baker, sent Larson to the line where he would go 1-2 and give Culver-Stockton a 2-point lead. Baker missed a shot in the last four seconds, causing a major upset. This helped Culver-Stockton clinch a conference tournament spot.
If they want to make a run at the conference tournament, the Wildcats will need to pull off big upsets like this one on the road. With the tournament coming up and the Wildcats finding themselves on a hot run, it will be exciting to see how far Culver Stockton Men’s Basketball team can make it this season.
With the tournament set to begin on Tuesday, February 27th, Culver Stockton will travel to Lamoni, Iowa to face off against Graceland University, a team they are yet to beat this season. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time and the Wildcats will hope for a favorable ride back to Canton, Missouri by getting a much needed win to extend their season.
