Here it is the first ever Saluki-Insider Missouri Valley Conference basketball preview. I apologize for the delay. The whole adding Belmont and Murray State thing slowed us a bit. We will get into that a little later.
This season has potential to be the best Valley in a long time. Almost all the of the top seniors from last year are returning. This very well could be a three-to-four bid league. Here is our best guess at the final standings.
- Drake: The national media sees Yesufu leaving. You see Drake nowhere in any top-25 ranking. He was a very good player but before the injuries he was option three. He is being replaced by a top 100 four-star recruit in do it all wing Tucker Devries. They were a tournament team last despite the injuries. This is a very good top-25 team.
- Missouri State: Gaige Prim may be the best player in the conference. The Bears are athletic and know how to get him the ball. While it is fair to question Ford’s coaching ability, he has put together a very talented team. We see the Bears as a possible NCAA at-large team.
- Loyola: A very experienced, talented basketball team. They very well could win the conference. No Krutwig and No Porter gives us a pause though. I have little doubt Drew Valentine is a good coach who will be fine. Not having Krutwig is a different story. They will always bring the defense. The entire offense ran through Krutwig. It is going to take some time to gel. The Ramblers play in Battle 4 Atlantis early. If the offense is not ready, the trip could be rough. I would not want to play this team at Arch Madness if they knew they needed it.
- Northern Iowa: AJ Green is back. There are reports he is in better shape than ever and has gained seven inches on his vertical. Without Green, UNI was very average. We do question just how much better Green can make them. If he is truly 100%, then they very well could win the conference.
- Southern Illinois: The Salukis will be much better this year. Injuries to Marcus Domask and JD Muila derailed last season. The Salukis will bring it every night this year. Domask and Mulla are healthy. The Salukis added a solid recruiting class with two more bigs to help with depth. The Salukis will be in nearly every game and are a serious dark horse. They will be another tough out at Arch Madness. Remember the name Foster Wonders.
- Valparaiso: Another year and half the team transferred. They were replaced by probably better transfers. As usual Valpo will start slow and be the team that scares everybody in the tournament.
The Beacons? Really?
- Evansville: The Aces will be improved. Todd Lickliter is a very good coach. This team will be smart and very disciplined. They won’t beat themselves and will pull a couple surprises.
- Indiana State: New coach, new system. It is going to be a process. Josh Schertz was a good Division II coach. Tyreke Key returns. That was the good news for the Trees. Schertz wants to run a super up-tempo offense. We do not feel they have the talent to even try this yet. This system may work when he gets the talent. They are going to take some lumps this year.
- Illinois State: Not much to see here. The Redbirds are young, and it is probably going to get pretty ugly. The bright side of this for Redbird fans is that they only have one more year after this of Muller ball.
- Bradley: They are probably better than the Trees or the Redbirds, but it’s Bradley so here they are. They have some talent and will win some games. They are the odds-on favorite to lead the league in player suspensions though.
Coaching Hot Seat Status
Darian Devries: safer than safe. The only risk here is a good run by Drake. The big boys may come calling.
Dana Ford: Ford is safe and the most likely to leave for a better opportunity.
Drew Valentine: A first-year coach is always safe. If Loyola stumbles this year, then the grumbles could start.
Bryan Mullins. Very safe and not likely to move up yet. Budget cuts are a bit concerning though.
Ben Jacobson: He will retire at UNI.
Matt Lottich: Probably safe for now but another mass exodus might be trouble.
Todd Lickliter: He will be at UE until he retires
Dan Muller: Dead man walking but likely will be there through next year due to the high cost of firing him.
Brian Wardle: Safe for now but another Thursday finish and his seat will heat quickly.
News broke last week that Belmont was moving to the Missouri Valley. Matt Jones who broke that story is now reporting Murray State will join them. These are both traditionally very solid basketball programs. They should improve the conference. We would like to welcome them and wish them good luck. We look forward to seeing them at Arch Madness.
Instead of going through a list of more possible additions. We are going to look at current conference teams and their stability.
Drake: Not likely going anywhere.
Missouri State: The school is doing an economic study of a move to FBS football. If it is feasible then the Bears are as good as gone.
Loyola: If Loyola continues its recent success on the court, then they could get a call. That’s a big if and is the A10 really a step up at this point?
UNI: Not likely to go anywhere.
SIU: Not going anywhere. Budget cuts and enrollment are a concern though.
Valpo: Not likely going anywhere.
Evansville: Whispers of dropping to Division II still surface occasionally. It is not likely but just a thought.
Indiana state: Not likely going anywhere.
Illinois State: Always whispers of going FBS. Not going anywhere.
Bradley: Unfortunately, they probably are not going away.
Thank you all for your continued support and hope to see you all at Arch Madness! As always GO SALUKIS!!
This will be up in article form as soon as the person who actually knows what they are doing gets a chance 😁
1. Drake Bulldogs
Drake returns their entire team minus Joe Yesufu and adds the likely MVC Freshman of the Year in Tucker DeVries.
5'11 Senior Roman Penn has been so fun to watch the last few seasons and it was awful that he didn't get to play down the stretch and in the NCAA Tournament because of injuries. 6'6 Senior Tank Hemphill is an explosive player that's going to put Drake on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays a few times this season. Hemphill is another player that suffered an injury late in the season and while he played in the NCAA Tournament, he wasn't his usual self.
Drake played a weaker non-conference schedule last winter but took care of their competition in style covering the spread 13 times in a row to start their season. They proved they weren't a fluke by rolling to a 2nd place finish in the Valley despite injuries and beating Wichita State in the play-in game of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs are playing a much more fitting schedule this year in non-conference with a game at home against Richmond, a neutral site game against Belmont, a neutral site game against Saint Louis, and a road game at Clemson.
Best Case Scenario:
Drake proves last year isn't a fluke and cruises to at least another NCAA Tournament birth and potentially a deep run in March.
Worst Case Scenario:
Drake really misses Joe Yesufu and takes a step back this year either via regression or more injuries.
2. Loyola Chicago Ramblers
Porter Moser left in the offseason but the Ramblers brought back their entire team minus Cam Krutwig. Now Krutwig is obviously a huge loss but the loss of Krutwig could bring huge opportunities for others including Jacob Hutson who really impressed me at the end of last year. Hutson is a 6'11 Sophomore that can shoot and he was playing some big minutes for Loyola down the stretch including a 13 point game against SIU at Arch Madness.
Loyola brings in a duo of Ivy League transfers in 6'7 Senior Dartmouth transfer Chris Knight and 6'6 Senior Princeton transfer Ryan Schwieger to add to their already deep lineup. They also bring in a good Freshman class with Ben Schwieger, Ty Johnson, and Saint Thomas who were all highly regarded recruits.
Loyola's non-conference schedule includes a trip to Atlantis to play a game against Michigan State and either Auburn or UConn. They also get road games at DePaul, Vanderbilt, and Davidson.
The Ramblers have arguably the best and deepest roster in the Valley, the only thing keeping me from placing them #1 is uncertainty without Krutwig and Moser.
Best Case Scenario:
Team doesn't miss a beat with Drew Valentine and makes it to back to the Tournament and continues to out-recruit the Valley.
Worst Case Scenario:
Loyola underachieves without Moser and Krutwig like they've done in year's past.
3. Missouri State Bears
Arguably 2 of the 3 best players in the Missouri Valley will be playing home games in Springfield, Missouri in 2021-22. 6'8 Senior Gaige Prim was a JUCO superstar at South Plains College before transferring to Missouri State where he's been one of the best players in the Valley for the last 2 seasons. I feel like Cameron Krutwig being such an amazing freak for a big man has made Prim go a little under the radar for some fans but he's been one of the most fun players to watch in the Valley and we'll get to see him one last season. 6'5 Junior Isiaih Mosley is likely to be one of the best scorers in all of college basketball this season. He can put up 20+ points with regularity.
And if Prim and Mosley weren't enough, the Bears added 2 impact transfers in the offseason in 6'7 Junior Valpo transfer Donovan Clay and 6'1 Senior IUPUI transfer Jaylen Minnett. Minnett finished his 4 year stint at IUPUI as the school's all time 3 point leader.
The Bears head to Naples, FL in non-conference and get to play Long Beach State and hopefully a showdown with Murray State. They also bring in BYU to Springfield as well as last year's Cinderella Oral Roberts. The Bears also get a road game at perennial WCC contender Saint Mary's.
Best Case Scenario:
The combo of Prim and Mosley lead the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999 and with a combo like that, there's potential for a March run there.
Worst Case Scenario:
The Bears underachieve once again like they've done most of the last 20 years and there starts to be questions about Dana Ford's ability to coach. Ford can recruit and get top mid-major talent to Springfield but can he ever win with that talent?
4. Northern Iowa Panthers
The Panthers return their entire team from 2021-22 to Cedar Falls but no player is more important than 6'4 Senior AJ Green who missed the majority of last season with a serious hip(s) injury(s). There's no denying the talent here, if healthy Green is the most talented player in the Missouri Valley. So far the reports from Cedar Falls have been encouraging but it's really hard for me to trust a guy with 2 surgically repaired hips to hit that potential again and that's why I have Northern Iowa 4th in the 4-team tier.
Last year without Green, Northern Iowa disappointed but there were some bright spots including 5'11 Sophomore Bowen Born who took over for AJ Green and won MVC Freshman of the Year.
Northern Iowa's non-conference schedule is going to test this team off the bat as they have road games at Arkansas and at St. Bonaventure. They also have a home game against Richmond and a road game at Marshall. We'll likely know early on what this team is and how healthy AJ Green is.
Best Case Scenario
AJ Green is healthy and back to the player he was before last year and a veteran team that brought back 99% of it's minutes from last season makes the NCAA Tournament and AJ Green becomes a household name in March when he knocks out a Big Ten team.
Worst Case Scenario
AJ Green's hips aren't healthy and Northern Iowa has another disappointing season finishing below the tier 1 in the Valley.
5. Southern Illinois Salukis
The Salukis started 2019-20 with a perfect 7-0 record and ended Butler's 59 non-conference home winning streak at Hinkle Fieldhouse. That win at Butler was a huge cause for celebration at the time but it turns out that it was the beginning of the end for their season. Marcus Domask broke his foot at Hinkle Fieldhouse, played 2 games after, and then missed the last 16 games of the season effectively ending SIU's season.
With Domask out, 6'1 Junior Lance Jones was forced into a bigger role and he rode it to a Third team All-MVC selection. Jones showed a much more improved 3 point shot last year finishing 89th in the country in 3 point percentage and if he can improve his inside shot, this could be an even bigger season for Jones.
Last year was really disappointing on the defensive end for a Bryan Mullins coached team. In Mullins' first season, SIU was right behind Loyola for best defensive team in the conference. In 2020-21, SIU dropped to the bottom of the MVC in defense. The addition of 6'8 JUCO transfer JD Muila (sat out last year to injury) and 6'7 Senior Little Rock transfer Ben Coupet Jr. should help this. The Salukis return everyone except Jakolby Long and Eric Butler who were non-factors last year so there's a lot of continuity here and they bring in a pretty impressive Freshman class headlined by Foster Wonders.
SIU's non-conference schedule might be the worst in the Valley with a neutral site game against Colorado in the US Virgin Islands and road games at Tulsa and at San Francisco. If SIU doesn't get off to a strong start this season, they might be in some trouble.
Best Case Scenario:
SIU becomes this year's Drake or at least somewhere close to the surprise Drake was last season. Marcus Domask stays healthy, a bunch of their young players develop and the Salukis fight for a Tournament bid with a ton of hope directed at next year when the Valley loses a lot of the super-seniors that returned and SIU doesn't lose much at all.
Worst Case Scenario:
SIU struggles out of the gate in their weak non-conference season and it carries over to Valley play where they're non-competitive against the four Tier 1 teams of the Valley. It then carries over into the offseason where they don't see the same kind of player retention they saw this offseason and suddenly 2022-23 doesn't look as sunny and the momentum the program was riding in Mullins' first year is all but gone.
6. Valparaiso Beacons
Beacons' head coach Matt Lottich has been able to recruit and get guys to Valparaiso and I think he's far from the worst coach ever, his problem has been player retention and it continues to plague Valpo every offseason.
The good news is, when Valpo loses good players, they continue to bring in other good players. This was the case again this offseason and I don't think there's a tougher team in the Valley to predict than this year's Valpo squad. It's usually big news when a Valley school brings in one Big Ten transfer in an offseason, Valpo brought in 4.
6'4 Senior Wisconsin transfer Kobe King was a 3 star recruit and 2017 Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin that was a major disappointment in Madison tussling with coaches before announcing his intent to leave in the middle of the season. Initially King committed to Nebraska but backed out and instead landed at Valpo. 6'2 Senior Wisconsin transfer Trevor Anderson was also a 3 star recruit that was a role player for the Badgers, he could benefit from a step-down in competition. 6'8 Senior Michigan State transfer Thomas Kithier was a 3 star recruit that was a role player for the Spartans. 7'0 Junior Wisconsin transfer Joe Hedstrom was a bench warmer for the Badgers. On top of the Big Ten transfers, 6'9 Junior Ben Krikke returns after averaging 12.3 PPG in 2020-21.
Like SIU, not an impressive non-conference for the Beacons. They get a home game against MAC contender Toledo and a road game at Stanford. Other than this, not too much going here. Like SIU, they also have 2 non-D1 regular season games including one against some university called East-West University. Was Bishop Sycamore not available?
Best Case Scenario:
A change of scenery helps all the Big Ten transfers and Valpo is competitive against the Tier-1 teams in the Valley and makes some noise in Arch Madness like they did two seasons ago.
Worst Case Scenario:
Same as every season for Valpo. They have a decent season with impressive talent on the court but they suffer mass defections again in the offseason and have to start all over again.
7. Bradley Braves
Brian Wardle and the Braves went back-to-back at Arch Madness only to have the Tournament canceled because of COVID before their second try at March. And then in 2020-21 s*** hit the fan from injuries to COVID to off the court issues. This season already seems to be starting off the same way for them as 6'4 Junior Ville Tahvanainen has already suffered an injury in practice and there's no timetable for his return.
Despite all the problems and a good amount of turnover from last year, this Bradley team could be sneaky good this year. I'm a fan of 6'9 Sophomore Rienk Mast who constantly torched Southern Illinois last year from inside and outside. He had 24 points in the Arch Madness loss to SIU and was really the only reason they had a chance in that game with so many players out to suspension and injury.
Wardle has built this Braves team with height and athletes and they have a good shot of giving MVC teams fits this year. 6'10 JUCO transfer Malevy Leons is a player to watch on this team. Leons was the JUCO Player of the Year last season averaging 18.7 PPG and 9.5 RPG. Should be interesting to see how he fits into the Valley.
Bradley's non-conference schedule includes a road game at South Dakota State, a neutral site game against Colorado State, and a game at Toledo.
Best Case Scenario:
Last season was a blip on the radar and Bradley is competitive once again. The magic that showed up at Arch Madness in 2019 and 2020 shows up again.
Worst Case Scenario:
Bradley struggles yet again and it appears more and more like their runs in 2019 and 2020 were more Darrell Brown than Brian Wardle.
8. Evansville Purple Aces
The most surprising team in the Valley last season outside of Drake had to be Evansville. In 2019-20, Evansville went 0-19 in the Valley after head coach Walter McCarty resigned due to off the court issues. In comes Todd Lickliter and Evansville was able to finish with a 7-11 conference record in 2020-21 despite losing DeAndre Williams to Memphis.
Unfortunately for Evansville, they lost another key player this offseason in Samari Curtis to Bowling Green. The good news is, Evansville has a veteran team and I think Todd Lickliter is too good of a coach to have this team finish at the very bottom of the Valley. 5'10 Senior Shamar Givance and 6'3 Senior Jawuan Newton are one of the better scoring guard duos in the Valley, each averaging 13 PPG last year. 6'4 Senior Noah Frederking and 6'8 Senior Evan Kuhlman can fill up the stat sheet as well. The Aces have a good starting lineup and a lot of veteran leadership, the problem they're going to face is not having enough depth.
Evansville's non-conference schedule includes games at Cincinnati, at Belmont, and at SMU. The Purple Aces have an interesting home game on November 20th against UCF.
Best Case Scenario:
Todd Lickliter and Evansville surprise again with a Senior-laden team and finish near the top of the second tier of teams in the Valley and hopefully builds momentum into recruiting.
Worst Case Scenario:
Evansville reverts to the Evansville from 2019-20 and finishes dead last in the Valley.
9. Indiana State Sycamores
Out is Greg Lansing after 11 seasons as Sycamores Head Coach and in comes Josh Schertz from D2 powerhouse Lincoln Memorial. Schertz ran one of the fastest-paced offenses in D2 which got him 7 Coach of the Year awards and 3 D2 Final Four appearances. It'll be very intriguing to see if a fast-paced offense can work in the slow tempo Missouri Valley. If it does, Schertz will be a game-changer.
Not only is Schertz coming from Lincoln Memorial but he brought 3 of his players with him. Lansing being fired wasn't a big surprise at all but returning 6'3 Senior Tyreke Key for one last season in Terre Haute was a huge surprise. Key was one of the best players in the Valley last season and should be a shoo-in for Preseason All-MVC First Team and he's really the only reason Indiana State is staying out of the basement in the Valley for me.
The Sycamores non-conference schedule includes games at Purdue and at North Dakota State as well as a neutral site game against Old Dominion with the possibility of playing Oklahoma in Myrtle Beach.
Best Case Scenario:
Schertz's fast-paced offense combined with Tyreke Key catches everyone in the Valley off guard and the Sycamores are competitive in every game with a ton of hope going forward.
Worst Case Scenario:
Schertz's fast-paced offense doesn't work in the Valley at all and his team doesn't have much outside of Tyreke Key to keep them out of the basement in the Valley.
10. Illinois State Redbirds
It was just four years ago when Illinois State was battling with Wichita State on Sunday at Arch Madness and saw their bubble burst on Selection Sunday. Since that point, everything has gone downhill for the Redbirds. They went from a 17-1 team in the Valley in 2017 to a middle of the pack team in the Valley in 2018 and 2019 to a basement dweller in 2020 and 2021 and with more player retention problems, I don't see them getting out of the basement this season.
Despite the 10th place prediction, the Redbirds do have some interesting players including one of the more intriguing transfers in the Valley this offseason. 5'10 Junior Tennessee State transfer Mark Freeman averaged 17.1 PPG last year as a Sophomore and was named to the Second Team All-OVC last year. 6'4 Junior Antonio Reeves flirted with the NBA in the offseason but he's back for another season after averaging 12.4 PPG last year. But with the loss of DJ Horne to Arizona State, I don't think Illinois State has enough depth to avoid 10th place.
The Redbirds non-conference schedule includes a home game against Murray State, a neutral site game in Mexico against Saint Louis, and a road game at Wisconsin.
Best Case Scenario:
The Redbirds aren't totally awful this year and are able to retain their players and build some momentum for next year.
Worst Case Scenario:
The Redbirds finish in 10th place again and the calls to fire Dan Muller will only grow louder but the school still can't afford to pay his buyout leading to another basement in the Valley projection in 2022.
MVC Player of the Year:
Gaige Prim, Missouri State (Could also go to his teammate Mosley)
MVC Coach of the Year:
Bryan Mullins, Southern Illinois (I'm optimistic about this team potentially taking an unexpected step)
MVC Newcomer of the Year:
Malevy Leons, Bradley (Could go different routes here but I think Leons will be given a chance to put up stats and potentially be a Gaige Prim impact transfer)
MVC Freshman of the Year:
Tucker DeVries, Drake (This one is pretty easy but there's also a lot of competition there)
All MVC First Team:
G Isaiah Mosley, Missouri State
G Roman Penn, Drake
G Tyreke Key, Indiana State
G AJ Green, Northern Iowa
F Gaige Prim, Missouri State
Show off 🤣
Well done reviews!
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
James Madison
Show off 🤣
I was extremely bored last night 🤣
Always enjoy reading these. My stab at the picks:
1. Drake - Ultra-veteran, athletic, quality point guard play and extremely well-coached ... not a bad combo. If the coach's son is all that as a new ingredient, agree they could be in the top 25 mix. The Samake summer ACL tear, though, is one concern, as they don't have reliable big-man depth behind Brodie.
2. Loyola - Like Drake, Loyola is likely to be Exhibit B of what an "old" team with talent can accomplish. Their defense will keep them in every game, and with all that depth, they're bound to find some offensive combos that click. If Kennedy takes another step forward offensively, look out.
3. Missouri State - Probably the most high-end talent in the league. Obviously Prim and Mosley are handfuls, but I also really like Sharp as an underrated PG who can help get them organized, and they have ample firepower and athleticism to win the league (and win in the NCAA, if they get there). Ford, though, has to prove he can get the most out of what will be his most talented squad to date.
4. Northern Iowa - With a healthy Green, this would be one helluva fourth-place squad. If Green is back to being great, that takes a bunch of pressure off guys like Berhow, Phyfe and Born to click as secondary scoring threats. Another team with excellent depth and loads of experience.
5. SIU - Agree with the comment in the Three Man Weave prediction that most years, this is a roster that would be picked in the top three, but the league is just stacked. The recipe for the Salukis to exceed expectations and hang with the big boys is Domask to play his best ball yet, Jones to be more efficient and one or two of the other guys making a bigger impact than is expected (Muila? Banks? Wonders?) Plus, Southern absolutely has to tighten the screws on defense.
6. Bradley - I'm higher on Bradley than some. The frontcourt is going to be pretty darn good with Mast, Boya and the touted JUCO newcomer, and I like Ja'Shon Henry as a rugged senior leader on the wing. So, it'll come down to guardplay - if one or two of the newcomers there are solid right away, like the JUCO from Florida that Southern was recruiting, they will not be a fun team to deal with. Would also help if Tahvanainen rediscovers his shooting stroke.
7. Valpo - Interesting roster for sure with all the transfers on top of holdovers like Krikke and Edwards. Valpo has just been a hard program to trust under Lottich, and they don't have the homecourt edge most teams in the league do, which matters in college hoops. Still, it'll be interesting to see how they do or don't gel, especially once King becomes eligible.
8. Indiana State - I'm actually pretty intrigued by this team. Sometimes teams with first-year coaches have some mojo/good energy right out of the gate, and the return of Key and Neese provide legit veteran scoring punch. Kailex Stephens (hurt last year) sounds like a nice piece as well, but it'll come down to how much they get out of the newcomers, including the three kids who came with the new coach from Lincoln Memorial.
9. Evansville - Veteran squad with pretty decent guardplay and proven shooting, but interior athleticism and overall team defense remain large question marks, and it's not a good year in the MVC to have roster holes. I'm not as big a Lickliter fan as some, especially when it comes to recruiting, which is more than half the battle.
10. Illinois State - As last-place teams go, they could be decent. They'll be pretty athletic and capable in the backcourt and on the wings, but like Evansville, don't have many promising options in the paint, relative to most Valley teams. And the halfcourt offense in the Muller era has often been tough to watch.
First Team All-MVC
Penn (Drake)
Mosley (Mo State)
Green (UNI)
Williamson (Loyola)
Prim (Mo State)
Second Team All-MVC
Jones (SIU)
Key (Indiana State)
King (Valpo)
Domask (SIU)
Phyfe (UNI)
Third Team All-MVC
Norris (Loyola)
Freeman (Illinois State)
Sharp (Mo State)
Hemphill (Drake)
Brodie (Drake)
Freshman of the year: DeVries (Drake)
Newcomer of the year: Leons (Bradley)
Coach of the year: DeVries (any team that wins the MVC this year probably deserves it)
"MVC Freshman of the Year:
Tucker DeVries, Drake (This one is pretty easy but there's also a lot of competition there)"
Have you not heard of Foster Wonders ?? : )~
CBS Sports is releasing their college basketball rankings. They're up to #201 and Illinois State, Valpo, and Evansville have shown up:
210. Valparaiso: Valpo's been in the Missouri Valley for four seasons and is yet to finish above .500 in league play. Good shot to break that streak this season. Oh, we have a moniker change, and it's laughably awful. Valpo used to be the Crusaders. Now they are the Beacons. I'm not kidding. Beacons. WHY.
219. Evansville: Jawaun Newton and Shamar Givance coming back for Todd Lickliter's team means it's likely the Purple Aces will be able to pick off a foe here or there in the top half of the Missouri Valley. One of the toughest scouts in the league.
255. Illinois State: Critical year ahead for the biggest Chicago Bears fan that's a head coach in college hoops. (As a Bears fan, I've gotta mention it.) Dan Muller's Redbirds are trying to avoid a third straight sub-.500 season for the first time in program history.
Here's 200-69 and the MVC schools included:
187. Indiana State: After 11 seasons, the Greg Lansing era is over and now Josh Schertz -- who comes via Division II Lincoln Memorial, where he won 85% of his games in 13 seasons -- steps in and has an archetypal point guard (Tyreke Key) to run the show.
163. Southern Illinois: Bryan Mullins' four-guard offense will return to form, as Marcus Domask is back after a stress reaction in his left foot. The Salukis stumbled without the dynamic wing, going 5-13 in league play. Lance Jones also can ball a bit.
147. Bradley: Not quite experienced enough as a group to truly qualify as a Missouri Valley dark horse. The Braves were one of the abysmal teams at drawing fouls last season, so expect a huge change in behavior -- because Brian Wardle's teams are normally not contact-averse or 3-point-reliant.
114. Missouri State: The coaches in the Valley know that Missouri State -- again -- has the talent to do something that rattles every team's cage. The question is if Dana Ford can keep his team together from November through March. With Gaige Prim and Isiaih Mosley back from a 17-7 club, this team should get four or five more wins than last season.
111. Northern Iowa: The Panthers have wonderful news in that A.J. Green -- who might be the best player in the Valley when he's at 100% -- is indeed at 100% after suffering a hip injury in December 2020. The Valley should have a compelling top half, with UNI trotting as a dark horse.
72. Drake: There was a push for the Bulldogs to earn an at-large bid following a 25-4 season; the committee rewarded Darian DeVries' team. Drake gets Roman Penn and Tank Hemphill back -- that's enough for me to slot this Valley fan fave into the No. 2 hole in the conference. DeVries' son, Tucker, a freshman, was the best high school player in Iowa last year.
This leaves Loyola in the top 68
Bonus: (This leaves Belmont in the top 68)
126. Murray State: Expect a bounce-back season for the Racers, who limped along to a 13-13 campaign. Coach Matt McMahon has a deep group that has two first team all-OVC studs in K.J. Williams (15.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Tevin Brown (14.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg). A four-game losing streak to Belmont is a thorn in this team's side.
The top 68:
28. Loyola Chicago: The best mid-major team of 2021 (finished top-20 in most predictive metrics) will again be in the mix to win an NCAA Tournament game or two. The Ramblers made the Sweet 16 as an underseeded No. 8 and the only people they lost of consequence are coach Porter Moser and team MVP Cameron Krutwig. Those are huge losses, natch, but the school promoted from within, giving 30-year-old Drew Valentine a job he's naturally built for. Valentine managed to retain the rest of the roster, led by Lucas Williamson, who personifies how disciplined and dogged this defensive unit is. Williamson will have Marquise Kennedy, Keith Clemons and Aher Uguak flanking him. Braden Norris could be the best shooter in the MVC. LUC is a near-lock to boast a fifth straight season of at least 20 wins.
38. Belmont: The legendary Rick Byrd is rightfully going into the College Basketball Hall of Fame next month. Byrd took Belmont from NAIA status, transitioned it to Division I, got Belmont into the Atlantic Sun, then the OVC, and positioned the program to be alluring enough to join the Missouri Valley. (That's happening next year.) That's happening next year. Why am I bringing all this up? Because there have been some great Bruins teams over the past 15 years, but none have entered a season with as much potential as this year's roster under Casey Alexander. Belmont has 97% of its points back from a 26-4 ensemble that was idiotically snubbed from the NIT. Grayson Murphy (10.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 5.8 apg) is a dark horse All-American candidate. Center Nick Muszynski should be an efficient terror for the four-out offense that will lord atop the OVC.
Their list is terrible. It seems they just guess at non P5 teams. Please feel free to show me 111 teams better than Mo State. Drake at 72 is an insult. And don’t even get me started on Bradley and the Trees
Their list is terrible. It seems they just guess at non P5 teams. Please feel free to show me 111 teams better than Mo State. Drake at 72 is an insult. And don’t even get me started on Bradley and the Trees
I agree. Seems like throwing shit at a wall more than anything else. I'd be very disappointed if we only have 2 top 100 teams, and 1 top 50 team.
I honestly think it is realistic to expect Drake, Loyola, Missouri State and UNI to be in the top 50. I also think SIU can be top 100, or better. The bottom teams should be Illinois State, Evansville and Bradley. Illinois State could very possibly be the only sub 200 team in the valley this year.
