Indiana Hoosiers v. Mississippi State Delta Devils (preview): Hoosiers seek 3-0 start.

Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils
Current record: 0-1
2009-10 record:
2009-10 RPI:
2009-10 Sagarin:
2009-10 Pomeroy: 326
Pomeroy scouting report
Series:  First meeting
TV: 7 p.m. tonight, Big Ten Network
Blog: n/a

After a win over respectable mid-major Wright State, the Hoosiers head back to the shallow end of the pool for another matchup against a sub-300 team.  The Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State are 0-1, but should not be taken lightly.  The Devils' only game to date was a two-point loss at Georgia.  MVSU was 9-23 last year and 7-26 in 2008-09.  Still, MVSU isn't exactly a desitute program.  The Devils were in the NCAA Tournament as recently as IU, losing in the first round to UCLA in 2008 (a 70-29 bloodbath).  MVSU Sean Woods, who is in his second season, played basketball and is the answer to a trivia question: according to his bio, Woods hit the shot that gave Kentucky its final lead of the 1992 East Regional final, the lead that Christian Laettner famously erased with his buzzer beater. 

Shannon Behling, a 6-7 transfer from TCU, is the Devils' only returning scorer of any import.   It's not clear why, but Behling did not play against Georgia.   D'Angelo Jackson, Darian Donald, Kevin Burwell, and Terrence Joyner were the leading scorers for the Devils in that game.  Joyner is a junior college transfer and newcomer to the roster.

In 2009-10, MVSU rebounded from a 1-12 nonconference start to finish 8-10 in the SWAC.  Like IU, the Devils have struggled with turnovers, and so with any luck or improvement the Hoosiers could end up in the black in this category.  In short, MVSU appears to be moving in the right direction under its new coach, but hopefully their progress will be delayed for a game.