Mississippi Valley State coach Sean Woods doesn't mean to sound cocky, but he isn't surprised at how well his team is playing.
At the halfway point in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, MVSU is undefeated at 9-0 and holds a two-game lead over second-place Southern (7-2). And the Delta Devils have done it in dominating fashion, outscoring league foes by an average of 14.4 points a contest.
The closest Valley has come to a league loss came Jan. 23 in road overtime win at Texas Southern.
"I felt like we had a chance to be the best team in the league when the season started so I wouldn't say I am surprised at being 9-0," Woods said.
The Delta Devils have done it with a fast-paced offense that relies heavily on the 3-point shot and in-your-face pressure defense. The team has also been dominating on the boards.
Valley leads the conference in scoring (76.3 points a game) and assists-to-turnover ratio while averaging a league-high eight 3-pointers a contest. MVSU is outrebounding opponents by 10.9 per game.
This is the philosophy Woods promised when hired four years ago - a style he learned as the point guard at Kentucky under Rick Pitino.
"Our main thing is really getting after people defensively and making them uncomfortable in what they want to do," said the fourth-year Valley coach. "We like to play fast and think slow. You have got to have the right guys to fit our system, and you have to work real hard on the conditioning side."
Valley (10-11) will try to keep its undefeated SWAC run alive Saturday when it hosts Alabama State. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. in Itta Bena at the HPER Complex.
The Hornets come in at 8-13 overall and tied for fourth in the league at 5-4. They are coming off a 66-59 home overtime win over a tough Texas Southern team.
That win snapped a three-game losing skid for Alabama State, which lost at home to Valley, 67-60, on Jan. 7.
• Cox honored: Senior Cor-J Cox has been named the SWAC Player of the Week.
The 6-foot-5 Washington, N.C., native averaged 13 points and 9.5 rebounds per game last week in wins over Jackson State and Grambling State. He shot 61 percent from the field in the two victories.
• Devilettes: The MVSU women's basketball team enters Saturday's game against Alabama State tied for first in the SWAC with Southern at 7-2. Alcorn State is third at 6-3.
The Devilettes have won three straight since losing 61-56 at Prairie View.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at HPER Complex in Itta Bena.
Valley forward Lenise Stallings has been named the SWAC Player of the Week after averaging 15.5 points, three rebounds, 1.5 assists and two steals last week.
In the two games, Stallings shot 52 percent (11-for-21) from the field, including .667 (8-for-12) from long range.
• Contact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
