Missouri Valley Conference Notebook
by Neal Heston
Round 2 to Salukis
Northern Iowa was nearly perfect from behind the arc against Southern Illinois Tuesday, but the one that mattered was just off the mark in a 56-54 defeat that sent the Salukis past the Panthers for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The would-be buzzer-beater looked good when Northern Iowa’s Travis Brown released it, but the shot rimmed out, giving Southern Illinois the win in the second battle for first place between these squads. The Panthers won the first meeting in Cedar Falls, but Southern Illinois’ victory Tuesday sent the Salukis to 7-3 in league play, a half game ahead of Northern Iowa and Creighton.
Northern Iowa appeared poised to stay atop the mountain after jumping out to 7-0 and 16-6 advantages, but Southern Illinois rebounded to win its 10th consecutive home game vs. the Panthers. An uncharacteristic 23 turnovers by the Panthers allowed the Salukis to climb back into the contest and eventually take the lead for good midway through the second half. Northern Iowa couldn’t dig out of that hole despite shooting 50 percent from the field.
Northern Iowa’s Brooks McKowen led all scorers with 17 points, but foul trouble limited the senior guard’s playing time in the second half. Sophomore Travis Brown joined McKowen in double figures with 12 points, and senior Grant Stout added 11 points and 13 rebounds. The Panthers hit 11-of-15 three-pointers on the night.
Bryan Mullins led Southern Illinois with 16 points, and the Salukis got another 13 from Randal Falker. Now the Salukis, invincible at home, look poised to run away toward another conference crown with two home games against Illinois State and Indiana State on the schedule before a road trip to Wichita State.
Northern Iowa, which several analysts say can’t afford many more losses because of a now-weakening non-conference schedule, must go on the road to face a dangerous Drake team and then return home to face hit-or-miss Wichita State.
It’s Halftime!
Trying to predict this conference race was challenging, but here are how my preseason picks are faring halfway through the Missouri Valley Conference season.
1. Southern Illinois: picked third. Odds of finishing third: Not good. Look for no lower than second.
2. Creighton: picked first. Odds of finishing first: High, currently tied. But Southern Illinois won’t make the race easy.
3. Northern Iowa: picked fifth. Odds of finishing fifth: Even. But most likely no lower than fourth as long as the Panthers can gain a few road victories.
4. Bradley: picked ninth. Odds of finishing ninth: Zero. This writer is blushing about this preseason pick.
5. Missouri State: picked fourth. Odds of finishing fourth: Nearly perfect.
6. Evansville: picked seventh. Odds of finishing seventh: High. Don’t count the Aces out of the postseason just yet.
7. Indiana State: picked eighth. Odds of finishing eighth: Low. Wichita State and Drake are now struggling at the bottom of the league.
8. Wichita State: picked second. Odds of finishing second: Zero. The Shockers already have six league losses, usually barely good enough for third or fourth.
9. Illinois State: picked 10th. Odds of finishing 10th: Still likley. But the Redbirds are much stronger than most believed.
10. Drake: picked sixth. Odds of finishing sixth: Still nearly even. The Bulldogs are only two and a half games back of sixth and are talented enough to make that run.
Checking the brackets
Dancing: Southern Illinois, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Creighton
Work to do: Indiana State, Bradley
Hoopville’s Player of the Week: Randal Falker, Southern Illinois
Falker was a huge reason why the Salukis are in first place after knocking down heavyweights Creighton and Northern Iowa. The forward averaged 17 points during the victories.
Still above water
It’s been quite a while since a Valley team has sunk below the .500-mark, during the first two weeks of the regular season to be exact. But that possibility faces Illinois State and Drake. Both teams have struggled lately and sit at 11-10 overall, the closest any team in the conference is to a losing record. Drake faces the toughest road because it draws Northern Iowa and Missouri State in the next two contests. Illinois State faces just as tough a test against Southern Illinois and then will try to stay afloat against Evansville.
All eyes on Iowa: Teams who face a critical week
Northern Iowa: How could a team that sits in third place face a must-win scenario? The Panthers played a tough non-conference schedule, but those foes aren’t holding up their end of the bargain, and the Panthers’ non-conference slate might hurt them come tourney time. Simply put, third place — fourth at the lowest — might be the cutoff for Northern Iowa, which likely means that the team can only pile up two or three more MVC losses. And this week: a trip to Des Moines against Drake, where Northern Iowa has barely survived or has stumbled in the last several visits. Then the Panthers get a home game against Wichita State.
Wichita State: Here they are again with a chance to even their conference record. Nobody ever imagined that the team once ranked eighth in the nation would be in this position, but the Shockers basically face a must-win for the remainder of the season. Wichita State sits at 4-6 in league play. Winning out would likely get the defending champs to third place, at best. But accomplishing that would take a lot of pressure off the Shockers heading into the conference tournament. Victories at Evansville and Northern Iowa are a must.
Drake: Any hopes of a postseason berth hinge on an MVC Tournament title now, but a second-half surge would certainly help the Bulldogs head into St. Louis confident. Wins against Northern Iowa and Missouri State would be an excellent start. A double dose of defeat would keep the ball rolling toward a worse collapse than last season’s.
