It’s Time For Some Roundball!

2022-23 Saluki Insider Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Preview

It is that time again for the Saluki Insider basketball preview. We are riding high after being pretty much the only prognosticators not to pick Loyola to win the league last season. Much has changed. Exit the fighting sister Jean’s and enter Belmont, Murray State and Illinois-Chicago. Two of the schools seem like good additions with a solid basketball history. The other one has a good television market in Chicago and at least has a fan website. Hopefully things settle down and the Valley will stand as-is without any additional moves in the near future. Rumors of Missouri State going FBS in football and jumping to the Sun Belt still linger though and seems possible, however, not likely. 

The NIL era has started and will only cause things to get worse. The transfer portal is out of control and mid-major teams are becoming feeder programs for P5 teams. Hopefully, the NCAA can figure out a way to reign in an out-of-control system but it is not likely. Teams that can somehow hang on to their stars will become less and less likely. Cinderella will nearly as vanish from the tournament and Power 5 conference coffers will fill even larger. The networks love it and non-P5 fans loathe it.  The sport is on a bad path that will eventually result in the power 5 breaking away. For now, though, let’s dive in to 2022-23 Valley Basketball!

The Missouri Valley is not as good as it was last year. There is a lot of youth around the conference.  If the young guys can be retained, then the future looks pretty bright for the Valley.  Here is how we see things shaping up this season.

#1 Drake

The Drake is good. In fact, they are very good, well coached, talented and experienced. Depth is a concern for the ugly dawgs, and any substantial injuries could be tough on them. We see Drake as a top-20 caliber team and a heavy favorite. Don’t be surprised to see Drake compete for a spot in the Sweet 16 come March.

#2 Southern Illinois

The Salukis are probably the deepest team in the league with veteran leadership and at least two all-conference caliber players.  SIU is a well-coached, defensive minded team that makes you work for everything.  If things go right for the Salukis, then they could challenge Drake. Remember the name Foster Wonders. He is instant offense.

#3 Bradley

The Gargoyles are athletic and talented. Depth is a question as their best player has suffered a knee injury. Without Nate Mast the non-conference schedule could be a struggle. As usual, Bradley will be tough at Arch Madness. 

#4 Northern Iowa

The top three is pretty clear in our mind.  Things get a bit murky as spots four through ten can go in many directions. We are going with the solid and experienced coaching of Ben Jacobson and giving the Panthers the nod.  Depth is again a question and they have not handled injuries well in the past several years. You can’t ever count them out with Ben running the ship. 

#5 Missouri State

The Bears loaded up through the transfer portal. The silliness of anybody saying the team is better without Prim and Mosley is just that…silly. Missouri State has some talent. However, Dana Ford did not win last year with a better team. 

#6 Indiana State

The Trees are well coached and play hard. That being said…Division 2 stars are not going to get them to the top of the Valley. The Trees want to play a fast, up-tempo game and they can score. They could surprise some nights but look very middling. 

#7 Belmont

The Bruins are very young and it will take a while to develop enough to challenge at the top levels of the MVC. They won’t have much of a home court advantage due to their historically low attendance. The system Casey Alexander runs at Belmont is solid and should give them enough to finish in this range. 

#8 Murray State

The Racers have virtually an entirely new roster, a new coach and a new conference. Murray State has optimism for the future with Prohm. He failed at Iowa State and we all saw how well the last fired Big 12 coach did coming back to the Valley. We don’t expect Murray to fall to Evansville depths, but it will be an early struggle.

#9 Illinois State

The Redbirds are dealing with a new coach, a new system and new players. Ryan Pedon seems like a solid hire. The Redbirds should improve going forward but year one will be a rough one in Normal. 

#10 Valpo

Another year and another bottom half finish seems likely for the Beacons. Valpo has a proud tradition that is rapidly fading. Changing their name to the Beacons is still baffling.

#11 Evansville

David Ragland will turn it around in Evansville. Avoiding the basement seems like an accomplishment here though. Aces fans should be thankful for the UIC add to give them hope of not finishing last. 

#12 Illinois-Chicago

Unfortunately, the Flames are a bad team joining us from a bad conference. Things were starting to look up in Chicago before it fell apart thanks to the transfer portal. A bad team just got worse. They have the numbers of a large Chicago television market and they will give the Chicago-based alumni of other Valley schools a chance to see their team play in Chicago annually.

The Annual Hot Seat

#1 – Matt Lottich

That is pretty much it. That’s the list. We do not see him surviving another lackluster year.

Warming

#1 – Dana Ford

If the Bears disappoint again then heat will turn up quickly. 

#2 – Bryan Mullins

Mullins is in no current danger. The Salukis need to compete for the top this year or the buzzing will start. Bryan is a good coach and a better person. Most Saluki fans support him but patience only last so long. 

#3 – Brian Wardle

The luster of those Arch Madness wins is quickly fading. While there are no whispers yet, Bradley fans are not at all patient. Any more defections or arrests will quickly ignite the fire. Wardle is safe for this year though barring a complete collapse. 

#4 – Luke Yaklich

We do not disagree with Yak deciding not to release a kid who decided he did not want to be there after the school year started. However, if he does not quell this controversy, their recruiting will suffer and it could be a short stint.

The Last Word

Good luck to all the Valley teams in non-conference play. Except for one anyway, but I will keep which one to myself.  Hopefully the bottom is not as bad as it looks and the teams with completely new rosters figure it out quickly. As always, Go Salukis!