Southern Illinois 79, Drake 72: The Salukis keep pace among the leaders by winning on the road, which Northern Iowa also did, for their fifth straight win, getting 28 points from Marcus Domask.
Loyola-Chicago 62, Bradley 51: These two were tied at 6-3 coming in, and it’s the Ramblers who move into a tie for second by pulling away from the Braves.The Other Top 25: San Diego State is the new number one, Rhode Island surges and Harvard falls--Mid-Major Madness
The Other Top 25: Week 14
| Rank | School | Record | Change | Our reasoning | This week's games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Northern Iowa | 19-3 | — | Here's how the Panthers responded to their loss against Southern Illinois: Overtime win against Loyola, 29-point win over Missouri State and a 12-point win over a desperate Evansville team. And, more impressively, the Panthers won at Evansville while MVC Player of the Year candidate AJ Green had an off-night. | @ Valparaiso (2/5), vs. Drake (2/8) |
| 22 | Loyola University Chicago | 15-8 | 2 | Believe it or not, last Saturday's 62-51 win over Bradley was the Ramblers' first win over a top-100 KenPom team. | @ Indiana State (2/5), vs. Valparaiso (2/9) |
Phyfe helps guide Northern Iowa to 80-68 win over Evansville--Associated PressCinderellas
1. Northern Iowa. The Panthers have lived through the highs (Farokhmanesh) and lows (Texas A&M) of the NCAA Tournament. It looks like they will have a chance to make some more memories. They are 19-3 with a win at Colorado, and they are ranked No. 43 in the NET. So even if they don’t win Arch Madness, they’ve still got a great chance to get an at-large bid.
Best wins
3. Evansville 67, Kentucky 64. The Purple Aces were picked in the preseason to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference, but they went into Rupp Arena in their second game of the season and stunned the No. 1-ranked Wildcats.
Hidden gems
1. Cameron Krutwig, 6-9 junior center, Loyola. Krutwig was a freshman starter on the Ramblers’ 2018 Final Four team, and he has grown into one of the most versatile players in mid-major basketball. He ranks in the top five of the Missouri Valley Conference in points (15.3), rebounds (8.2), assists (4.4), steals (1.4), field goal percentage (58.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73). He had a triple-double (22 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) in the Ramblers’ win over Vanderbilt on Dec. 18.
4. A.J. Green, 6-4 sophomore guard, Northern Iowa. Green is the point guard who makes the Panthers click. He leads the team in scoring at 19.4 points per game on 40 percent 3-point shooting, and he ranks ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference in assists at 3.0 per game.
This week’s AP ballot
For several weeks now, I’ve been looking for a way to shoehorn Northern Iowa onto my ballot. I’ve watched quite a few of the Panthers’ games, and they really pass the eye test. While a bunch of ranked teams have played their way off my ballot (sorry, Rutgers, it hurt me way more than it hurt you), the Panthers keep on winning and are now 19-3 (8-2 Missouri Valley). That includes a win at Colorado on Dec. 10.
Key helps Indiana St. unlock 10-point win over Missouri St.--Associated Press
Domask scores 28, hot start leads Salukis past Drake 79-72--Associated Press
Krikke leads Valparaiso over Illinois St. 80-70--Associated Press
Krutwig's 19 pts spark Loyola of Chicago past Bradley, 62-51--Associated Press
Women’s Basketball Falls At SIU--bradleybraves.com
Drake blows past Loyola Chicago for 15th win--Des Moines Register
Women’s Basketball Leads Wire-to-Wire over Loyola, 80-52--godrakebulldogs.com
Week 14 Power Rankings: Iowa Caucuses--Eville-Ways
MVC notebook: Coaches not focusing on St. Louis just yet--The Pantagraph
Fisher III Named MVC Newcomer of the Week--goredbirds.com
Hy-Vee to Host Illinois State Basketball Coaches Shows Tonight--goredbirds.com
Here is the summary of Sunday's Illinois State women's basketball game--The Pantagraph
Lexi Wallen's 25 points not enough as Illinois State women lose to No. 24 Missouri State--The Pantagraph
Here is your College Report from Monday: Illinois State's JuJu Redmond repeats as MVC Newcomer of the Week--The Pantagraph
Redbirds back in the loss column with 87-74 loss to Missouri State--Vidette Online
Crompton Sets Career High, ‘Birds Fall at No. 21/24 Missouri State--goredbirds.com
Women’s Basketball “Pack the Arena” Game Set for Friday--goredbirds.com
Redmond Repeats as MVC Newcomer of the Week--goredbirds.com
Down In The Valley: Missouri State road musings--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Indiana State defeats conference foes, Drake and Missouri State--Indiana Statesman
Indiana State men’s basketball to face-off against Loyola-Chicago--Indiana Statesman
What is Mamba Mentality?--Indiana Statesman
ISU Snaps Skid, Defeats Evansville at Home--Indiana Statesman
Ramblers Get Back On The Road Wednesday, Visit Indiana State--loyolaramblers.com
Ramblers Drop Weekend Finale At Drake, 80-52--loyolaramblers.com
Wheeler: Calling Missouri State basketball's season a 'disappointment' feels like an understatement--Springfield News-Leader
Bears Look to Bounce Back with Visit from Illinois State--missouristatebears.com
Lady Bears stay unbeaten at home with win over Illinois State--Springfield News-Leader
Lady Bears remain undefeated at home, top Illinois State--The Standard
Lady Bears Stay Perfect at Home, Top Redbirds 87-74--missouristatebears.com
Calip Collects MVC Player of the Week Honors--missouristatebears.com
Basketball’s Top Analysts Rank National Player of the Year Candidates--The Stadium
Hoops HD Staff Bracket Projections: David Griggs, Puppet Genius--Hoops HD
14) A.J. Green, 6-4, 175, G, So., UNI – 4 points
Previous ranking: NR
Stats: 19.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 40% 3-pointers
NOTES ON THE BRACKET FROM DAVID
-East Tennessee State and Northern Iowa are both inside the bubble. Here is something else that may not be obvious, but so is New Mexico State. That last selection may be surprising and I’m almost certain it is something the committee will not do. Here is my argument for it. When they are at full strength, they are unbeaten. Not only that, but with a full strength roster, I think they would beat all four of my First Four teams on a neutral floor. I know it’s not fair to factor in last season, but a 29 win team that nearly beat a Final Four team (Auburn) in the Round of 64 who returns basically all of their top players and who is unbeaten when they are healthy is NOT a team that a #4 or a #3 seed wants to see in the Round of 64. I did it partially because I think they deserve at least a #12, but also because I don’t want to screw over a protected seed. That really wouldn’t be protecting them, would it?
I don’t think the committee will like East Tennessee State or Northern Iowa as much as I do either, but they do have some nice quad 1 wins, and I am personally more impressed with teams from outside the power conferences who get quad 1 wins despite having limited opportunities than I am with teams who play half their schedule against Top 50 NET teams, and lose the vast majority of them, but pick up a couple. To me that’s more reflective of having more chances than it is of them being better. I mean…a baseball player who goes 4-for-19 isn’t necessary better than someone else who goes 3-for-9, so the fact that other teams who I’ve either left out or have seeded below them have more wins is not necessarily because they’re better.
This Week in Mid-Major: For Murray State, life after Ja Morant is going just fine--The Athletic
Panthers defeat Bears, Aces--Northern IowanThe Mid-Major Top 10
6. Northern Iowa (19-3, 8-2 Missouri Valley): The Panthers blitzed Missouri State, 95-66, on Wednesday, scoring 1.36 points per possession and drilling 17 3-pointers. They followed that up by cruising past Evansville on Saturday. Ben Jacobson’s club is ranked fourth nationally in effective field goal percentage (56.5) and sixth in 3-point shooting (39.5). UNI could be a handful in the NCAA Tournament with that kind of offensive attack. LW: 4
SIU @ UNI Moved to ESPNU--unipanthers.com
UNI women weather storm--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Panthers Hold Off Valparaiso 77-70--unipanthers.com
Salukis' game at Northern Iowa Feb. 23 picked up by ESPNU--The Southern Illinoisan
Salukis' McGill named MVC player of the week--The Southern Illinoisan
Saluki Basketball 5@5: Williams still day-to-day, Domask's big day at Drake, and SIU gets a vote--The Southern Illinoisan
Eric McGill named MVC Player of the Week--siusalukis.com
Silvey's 3 straight triples lead SIU past Bradley--The Southern Illinoisan
Southern upsets No. 1 Bradley at Banterra Center--Daily Egyptian
Salukis knock off first-place Braves, 64-50--siusalukis.com
VU men’s basketball notes: Freshman Ben Krikke posts a career game as the Crusaders down Illinois State--Post-Tribune
Valpo Hosts MVC-Leading UNI on Wednesday--valpoathletics.com
SPORTS DIGEST: Valpo women can't overcome slow start at Northern Iowa--NWI Times
Women’s Basketball Rally Falls Just Shy at UNI Sunday--valpoathletics.com
MVC Announces Wildcard Selections for Feb. 23--The Missouri Valley
MVC MBB Weekly Notes (F3)--The Missouri ValleyThe Arch Madness MVP Bracket Challenge Begins--The Missouri Valley
Women's Basketball Player/Newcomer of the Week (Feb. 3)--The Missouri Valley
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