Missouri Valley Conference Notebook
by Neal Heston
The conference season is finally here, and highly-anticipated competition can now begin in the Missouri Valley Conference. All 10 Valley squads will head into league play with .500 marks or better for the first time in more than 20 seasons.
Full MVC play begins on Wednesday, but one thrilling contest was already put in the books last week after the surprising Indiana State slipped by Illinois State in overtime. Indiana State is just one MVC team that has pleasantly surprised the college basketball world. Based on non-conference competition, let’s look at the verdict for each squad to see if a team is playing good enough to reach the NCAA, NIT or isn’t quite there for a postseason bid. (Yes, four teams are good enough to make it in the NCAA Tourney – and it was hard not to send a fifth.)
Indiana State Sycamores (8-0, 1-0)
Indiana State has already surpassed a lot of expectations this winter. The Sycamores’ defense was stellar heading into this season, so everyone knew a sparked offense would spell nothing but trouble. Done and done. During the 8-0 start, INS has averaged 72.2 points per game – fourth-best in the Valley and 11.2 points higher than the offense from last season that managed a mere 61 points each contest. Five players on the Sycamore lineup sink at least nine points per game.
The defense has also stood its ground – as expected – to yield 5-of-8 opponents to 60 points or less. The Sycamores’ non-conference play says a team that lost so many close games in the MVC last season won’t lose as many this winter thanks to a revived offense.
Verdict: NCAA
Northern Iowa Panthers (10-1, 0-0)
During its best start since joining Division I, UNI has logged some impressive wins. And the Panthers are just one bad run (at Iowa State) from being 11-0 heading into league play. Shooting, especially from 3-point land, was rough in the early going but has been better since the contest with Iowa in early December. Senior guard Ben Jacobson found his touch from behind the arc in the victory over the Hawkeyes, and all other Panthers followed suit. The Panthers nailed a home-record 14 treys the next game in an 87-64 drubbing of UMKC and another 11 in a 76-53 win over Florida A&M.
Strong wins include a 16-point triumph over Loyola-Chicago, an overtime win over then-No. 12 Iowa, a sneak past LSU and a seven-point victory over Dayton in Las Vegas. The scoring balance is what makes this team so dangerous heading into the Valley. Jacobson leads the squad with 13.9 points per game, followed by 11.8 from sophomore Eric Coleman and 10.7 apiece from senior Erik Crawford and junior forward Grant Stout.
Verdict: NCAA
Wichita State (9-2, 0-0)
Expectations outside Kansas weren’t as high as last season, but production from Wichita State hasn’t gone down. The Shockers nearly knocked down Big Ten power Illinois, losing by one, and WSU has etched wins over Providence, Miami (Ohio) and Southland Conference-leader Northwestern State. The only other defeat was to another Big Ten power, Michigan State. WSU hasn’t slowed down after the blows suffered to the starting lineup thanks to graduation, and the results from this type of non-conference schedule say this 9-2 record isn’t a fluke.
Verdict: NIT
Missouri State (7-1, 0-0)
A short fall at Arkansas is the only blemish on the Bears’ season so far, and MSU has made its seven wins appear easy, winning by an average of 25 points. Victories thus far probably don’t seem eye-popping to the typical fan as far as toughness of schedule, but the Bears have knocked over a few quality opponents, which includes Oral Roberts (88-78) and Detroit (85-69).
MSU has certainly been tested and should be ready for Valley play, but the schedule won’t be kind to start. The first three league contests will be at Creighton, at home against Indiana State and at Drake. However, with 89 points scored per game, the Bears are certainly one team that could survive that run and jump out to a 3-0 MVC start.
Verdict: NCAA
Creighton (6-2, 0-0)
The Bluejays have been overlooked this non-conference season and lost some ground after tripping at Chatanooga, but the ‘Jays have taken down Dayton, Nebraska and Xavier. One noticeable thing about Creighton’s record is the quality of opponents. The six wins have been logged against opposition with a combined record of 29-14. Creighton is notching wins against the better teams, and that will play to its advantage beginning Wednesday.
Verdict: NCAA
Bradley (6-2, 0-0)
During a 6-2 start, the Braves have recorded strong victories over Western Kentucky and Southern Mississippi. Marcellus Sommerville, the fifth-leading scorer in the Valley, leads the team with 16.3 points per game. He is joined with a nice supporting cast composed of Lawrence Wright, Tony Bennett and Zach Andrews. The three have combined for 33.2 points per contest, and Andrews has made his presence inside known by leading the conference with 8.1 boards per game.
Bradley draws probably the most difficult schedule throughout its first six MVC contests (UNI, at Wichita State, Creighton, at Drake, at Southern Illinois and vs. Wichita State). Those six contests may provide a deep hole to dig out of come late January.
Verdict: No postseason
Southern Illinois (6-3, 0-0)
Tough to say with a 6-3 mark, but one of the most disappointing teams in the league so far this season is Southern Illinois. All arrows pointed to a slight dropoff this preseason, but nobody expected losses to Monmouth, Alaska-Anchorage and Saint Louis. Outside of Jamaal Tatum’s 19.3 points per game, SIU doesn’t have the major threats that it’s used to. Matt Shaw is the squad’s next leading scorer with 8.9 points per contest. The Salukis could be in trouble with their first three conference games (Drake, Wichita State and Indiana State). At least two of the three are at SIU Arena.
Verdict: No postseason
Drake (7-4, 0-0)
These dogs will bite, and sooner or later, they’re going to finish an attack. Four defeats have come to very tough competition: Boston College, Iowa State, Montana and Iowa. Two losses were by five points or less (Boston College and Iowa), and another went to overtime (Montana). Even with Klayton Korver sidelined, the Bulldogs have several weapons to throw at opponents. Eleven players are averaging at least 10 minutes of playing time, and Chris Bryant is capable of scoring a lot more than the 7.8 points per game he is currently sinking. Newcomer Ajay Calvin has been a nice addition to the ‘Dogs with 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. He is one reason why Drake will finish in the MVC’s top five.
Verdict: NIT
Evansville (4-4, 0-0)
Evansville’s non-conference season has provided a nice look into its future this season in the MVC. To begin, the Aces defeated Marshall, 91-81. Eight days later it was Marshall who won by three. The Aces won’t be a doormat in the Valley, but they will probably be limited to four or five MVC victories.
Verdict: No postseason
Illinois State (5-4, 0-1)
During the next two weeks, the Redbirds will run into several dangerous animals: the Bluejays (more ferocious than they sound), the Bears and the Panthers. Five of ILS’ next six games will be against Creighton, Missouri State and Northern Iowa. The other contest is against who other but Wichita State. Unless home court advantage is used, the Redbirds could very possibly be staring at an 0-7 start in league play.
Verdict: No postseason
Naughty or nice? It would be very naughty to miss these Valley games this week
- Wednesday: Missouri State at Creighton – Not fair that one of these teams will be forced to begin MVC play at 0-1.
- Wednesday: Indiana State at Wichita State – wo teams who were picked by league media to finish in the middle of the pack currently sit at No. 1 and 3 in the conference.
- Friday: Indiana State at Missouri State – MSU is averaging 89 points a game; INS isn’t too shabby either with 72.3. How could anyone refuse to watch this one?
