Missouri Valley Conference Preview
by Barkeep 1967
Here it is, the first ever Saluki-Insider Missouri Valley Conference basketball preview. I apologize for the delay. The whole adding Belmont and possibly 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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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?
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
League Membership
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!!