[wpbvideo id=’303626′]
SPRINGFIELD — The Missouri State basketball season ended nearly four weeks ago, but there will be a splash of maroon at the center of the college basketball world this weekend.
The team managers, often the unsung heroes of any athletic program, get the spotlight on Friday before the Final Four.
MSU is one of eight teams that will compete in the second Manger Games at the NCAA Fan Fest at the Phoenix Convention Center.
“Throughout the season, we played six games with different teams,” senior Collin Dimitroff said. “KPI Sports created computer-based rankings off that, so the top 64 teams made their national tournament.”
The games that the MSU managers could conceivably play during the regular season were based on the Bears’ schedule. SEMO and Oral Roberts were among their opponents.
Once the bracket was formed, most of the matchups were too far for the squads to travel to. The formula to advance then included the presumed score of each based on a team’s regular season mixed with an online fan vote.
That’s where the Bears sprung into action.
“All our guys were doing a crazy amount, walking around campus, having people pull out their phones and vote.”
Their campaign took a turn when they handed the Illinois State managers their first loss (ever) to win the “Manager Madness” Championship in St. Louis. That helped their odds of earning favor in score predictions, and after wins over Marshall and Virginia, a tight showdown with Pittsburgh loomed.
“When we got to the Sweet 16, we really got together and thought: hey, let’s try to make a push and get to the final four,” said senior Luke Bixler.
Naturally, they got a boost from the guys on scholarship and earned just shy of 10 thousand votes between their three rounds.
Missouri state can go vote for my brothers again! It take a sec to vote let’s get it done for them! https://t.co/A8V0bGVu00
— Dequon Miller (@DMiller__4) March 20, 2017
These guys took care of business on the court so we need to help them get to the final four! @MOStateManagers https://t.co/xlqMJdo404
— Tyler McCullough (@Big_T_McC) March 18, 2017
MSU earned the narrow win, and once the final eight were decided, managers from Texas contacted the rest of the field could start actual play a round earlier than last year.
Everyone agreed, and thus fundraising began to get the Bears to the desert. They amassed $850 on their Go Fund Me page and, mixed with other donations, paid their way to Arizona.
MSU represents one of the smaller schools in the field with Western Kentucky and Dayton. They join Power Conference opponents Texas, Michigan, Georgia, and the Bears’ first opponent: Missouri.
“Ever since they released those billboards, the rivalry has been kind of intense,” said junior Jordan Scott. “It’ll be fun and we’re excited.”
Despite the aforementioned advertisement making the rounds throughout the MSU Athletic Department, at their core, the guys are excited to meet their counterparts from across the state and beyond.
Unlike an actual Division I matchup, it’s virtually impossible to scout a manager squad other than the occasional social media clip. That has done little to dampen the Bears’ confidence.
“We’ve got a big guy, we’ve got someone to run the point, people who can drive, people who can play defense… everybody can do a job.”
They echoed that even a first-round exit would leave them with a memory worth the journey.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity for some of us,” said Bixler. “Just to get to go, we’re overjoyed and overwhelmed.”
The quarterfinals will be held from 2-4 p.m. CST on Friday with the final four and championships to follow from 6-8 p.m.
