Be a tough game for the SYCs - lost to TCU there by 20 earlier . Since then though they picked up a couple of transfers.
current RPIs and NETs:
Drake 31 - 100
Indiana St 35 - 112
Loyola 148 - 121
SIU 117 - 127
If you love the Salukis, Merry Christmas!!!! If you don't, may your mistletoe be moldy!!!
Love The Dawgs! Don't love the place SIU's administration has put them in or the university as a whole....
Merry Christmas!!
Composite rankings through 12/24/2018
TCU 83 Indiana St 69
TCU has way too much talent to lose to Indiana St. Still, 2nd place in the Diamondhead Classic is a nice accomplishment for the Sycs. TCU would win the MVC easily.
Thanks for the link OBD.
This mirrors Saluki-insiders/SalukiTalkers observations.
Southern Illinois had everyone back, and to its credit, the Salukis scheduled up, but that matters not if you can't win games and SIU hasn't got the job done...
Overall, the MVC is ranked 12th in Kenpom among conferences and is barely clinging to that ranking just percentage points ahead of, gulp, the Ivy League. At-large bids? No need to get your mid-major lather up on Selection Sunday. It's not going to be a part the MVC conversation this year. It's St. Louis or bust for everyone.
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This has to be about as bad as the mvc has been in the 2000s right?
This has to be about as bad as the mvc has been in the 2000s right?
I can’t remember many years where there so clearly isn’t a single team worthy of playing in the NCAAs. When Drake with a first-year coach is carrying the banner in non-conference, ouch.
The bottom of the league this year is maybe a bit stronger than usual, but there is no legitimate cream of the crop, with the four Illinois schools largely to blame.
Who would everyone on here say is the favorite? Loyola, Drake, SIU?? Haven't seen anyone but SIU play. I assume Loyola will be very good in the Valley despite losing some key players.
I think the Composite listing posted by Saluki 69 on the 24th looks like it might be right. The way we have been playing I think 4th might be where we end up. Based on non-con Drake and ISU Blue would look like the favorites going into the conference schedule. There certainly isn't any one favorite team though. Could be interesting but we are most certainly a one bid conference.
It's undoubtedly best for the conference if Drake or Indiana State wins the conference....and probably the conference tournament for that matter.
Drake and Indiana State are suprises but if you look at their nonconference, it isn’t much in the way of fluff.
Who would everyone on here say is the favorite? Loyola, Drake, SIU?? Haven't seen anyone but SIU play. I assume Loyola will be very good in the Valley despite losing some key players.
If we can get Fletcher back I still think SIU is the favorite; I've seen just about every team in the conference play, and I think SIU should come out on top, but I think Loyola and Drake are right up there as well.
UNI loses at home to Stony Brook.
Here is a reminder of what the preseason poll looked like:
- Loyola
- Illinois State
- SIU
- Bradley
- UNI
- Indiana State
- Valpo
- Missouri State
- Drake
- Evansville
