2016
Left out: Florida (19-14), Monmouth (27-7), St. Bonaventure (22-8), Saint Mary’s (27-5), San Diego State (25-9), South Carolina (24-8), Valparaiso (26-6)
Multi-bid conferences: 9
First four out: St. Bonaventure, South Carolina, Monmouth, Valparaiso
Author’s Selection Sunday morning projection & analysis
Author’s post-selections analysis
Besides that, Valparaiso also was a miss by the committee from this view. The Crusaders won on the road convincingly at an Oregon State team that somehow was viewed as good enough for a 7 seed with a whole 18-12 record. Some would argue against based on the initial numbers (1-1 vs. the top 50, 4-2 against the top 100, four sub-100 losses), but Valpo also won 12 true road games and dominated the Horizon League, beating opponents by an average of more than 15 points per game. Valparaiso lost by six points at an Oregon team that was deemed a 1 seed in the NCAAs. It won at Oregon State. Its six losses included differentials of 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, and by 7 in overtime. If one watched the Crusaders, they looked fully capable of winning in the postseason, something they would show in advancing to the NIT final. Valpo also attempted to schedule tougher (seven non-league road games) only to see teams like Iona and Rhode Island slump some due to injuries. Again, the question has to be asked: how much more is expected of a team like this?
2017
Left out: Akron (26-8), BYU (21-10), California (21-12), Georgia (19-14), Illinois State (27-6), Iowa (18-14), Monmouth (27-6), Syracuse (18-14), Texas-Arlington (25-8)
Multi-bid conferences: 9
First four out: Syracuse, California, Illinois State, Iowa
Author’s Selection Sunday morning projection & analysis
Author’s post-selections analysis
Illinois State was easily the biggest miss from this view. The Redbirds tied Wichita State for the Missouri Valley regular season title, won 26 games and had far and away the best RPI (33) of any team missing the field. Injuries, not playing the margin of victory game to pump up those metrics and bad luck scheduling hurt ISU, which was 1-2 against the top 50 and 2-4 vs. the top 100, with a boatload (13) of RPI 101-200 wins and almost as many sub-200 (10). At full strength, the Redbirds lost twice all season, but they also were hurt by their schedule as games against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams Hawaii, Saint Joseph’s and Tulsa wound up well outside the top 100 and in the case of the first two teams, outside the top 200.
Coming of age: Deeper Valley field elevates tourney--Quad Cities Times
Hoops in the Heartland fan guide--Quad Cities Times
Five things to watch at Hoops in the Heartland--Quad Cities Times
Bradley Men's Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule--College Sports Madness
What seed will Bradley get in the NCAA tournament? Early reports say a No. 14--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley to host NCAA watch party Sunday at Renaissance--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley basketball fans react to the NCAA fan ban--Peoria Journal Star
NCAA Tournament with no fans: Bradley suspends ticket requests--Bradley Scout
Braves to Host NCAA Selection Show Party Sunday at Renaissance Coliseum--bradleybraves.com
Elijah Childs Named COUNTRY Financial Scholar-Athlete Of The Week--bradleybraves.com
NCAA Tourney Ticket Requests Suspended--bradleybraves.com
Trio Of Braves Named To MVC First-Team--bradleybraves.com
Women’s Basketball Faces Valpo Friday In MVC Quarterfinals--bradleybraves.com
Drake's Becca Hittner and Sara Rhine earn first-team all-Missouri Valley honors--Des Moines Register
Hittner and Rhine Named to All-MVC First Team--godrakebulldogs.com
Abby Feit hauls in MVC Awards--gopurpleaces.com
Postseason begins Thursday for Aces--gopurpleaces.com
Junior college power forward Alex Kotov announces he will sign with Illinois State--The Pantagraph
Illinois State's Maggett, Wallen named first team all-Missouri Valley Conference--The Pantagraph
Missouri Valley Conference hopeful of having three women's teams earn NCAA Tournament bids--The Pantagraph
Coronavirus: Illinois State University athletics working on plan after spring break is extended--The Pantagraph
Four Redbirds Featured on All-Missouri Valley Conference Teams--goredbirds.com
ISU women still slated to face Loyola in MVC tourney Thursday--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Del’Janae Williams Named to MVC All-Freshman Team--gosycamores.com
Sycamores Ready to Face Loyola at Hoops in the Heartland--gosycamores.com
Loyola Men’s Basketball Was Bounced Early at Arch Madness. So What’s Next?--Loyola Phoenix
Wild Weekend Puts the ‘Madness’ in Arch Madness--Loyola Phoenix
Loyola Women’s Basketball Prepares for Hoops in the Heartland--Loyola Phoenix
Trio Of Ramblers Land On Women’s Basketball All-MVC Teams--loyolaramblers.com
No MSU Lady Bears made the preseason All-MVC team. Three made the postseason one that matters.--Springfield News-Leader
'It is pretty scary': MSU Lady Bears' Coach Mox comments on coronavirus, how it can impact NCAA Tournament--Springfield News-Leader
Three Lady Bears Named to All-MVC First Team--missouristatebears.com
Lady Bears MVC Tournament Central--missouristatebears.com
Bubble Watch: The mad scramble all comes down to this--The Athletic
Others
If you were looking for unlikely bid thievery this week, San Francisco very nearly gave you a twist. Nothing would have been more devastating to the N.C. States of the world than the Dons somehow knocking off Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s or BYU to give the WCC four tournament bids. It would have been hilarious. Fortunately for the rest of the bubble, the Zags, as is their wont, snuffed that out with a four-point victory. The other WCC semifinal was even more dramatic, as Jordan Ford led an unusually inefficient Saint Mary’s on a scrappy second-half comeback, leading to him pulling up for one of the more wide-open game-winners you’ll ever see. The Gaels are officially a lock.
Anyway, last season, we added a new category to this section, to help readers better keep track of it all. Below you’ll find not only our locks, et al., but also teams that have clinched their league’s automatic bid. Useful! Meanwhile, there is also “waiting game,” reserved for those who remain on the bubble but, because of a loss or the schedule or both, have no more work available to do. (The category will be extended to the other conference sections as the week goes along.) The first entrant of the 2019-20 season is Northern Iowa, which would surely attest this is not a particularly happy place to be after getting bounced in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
Waiting game: Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa (23-6, 14-4; NET: 48, SOS: 115): And this is why you organize your conference tournament like the WCC, where the best teams get bye’d into the later rounds. This is why you don’t reward the team that proved itself to be your league’s very best across an entire conference season with a first-round bye and the 11 a.m. tip on the second day of the conference tournament. No one wants to play at that time. It’s awkward and unsettling. It might as well be upset happy hour! Such was the poisoned chalice Northern Iowa received for all of its good work in Valley play this season, and there’s a good chance UNI’s failure to prove itself again over a three-day period at the end of the campaign will cost this team its shot in the 2020 NCAA Tournament. The Panthers are still on the bubble, but they may not be in the field, and with no games left to play and other teams still with chances to improve their own lots, odds are Northern Iowa goes to the NIT. Shame.
UNI has regained its groove--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Rucker Named First-Team All-MVC--unipanthers.com
UNI Women's Hoops Opens MVC Tournament Friday vs Illinois State--unipanthers.com
Saluki signee Banks named first team all-state in Wisconsin--The Southern Illinoisan
Martin, Silvey named All-MVC honorable mention--The Southern Illinoisan
SIU Women's Basketball | Salukis try to restart at MVC Tournament--The Southern Illinoisan
Three Salukis earn All-MVC honors--siusalukis.com
Women's Basketball opens MVC Tournament Thursday against Evansville--siusalukis.com
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Clay returns home with Valpo--Edwardsville Intelligencer
Alton’s rising star--Advantage News
HappeningHoops.com CIT Bracketology Number 13 March 11th 2020--Happening Hoops
If you had not already heard the CBI cancelled its tournament for 2020 due to “the uncertainty about the corona virus and the impact it is having on college campuses across the country”.
The CIT released a statement this afternoon saying “At this time, the CollegeInsider Tournament (CIT) is still scheduled to be played starting next week.
CIT (32 teams)
Midwest
- Youngstown State (18-15 Horizon)
- Valpo (19-16 MVC)
- Ball State (18-13 MAC)
- Kansas City (16-14 WAC)
- Eastern Kentucky (16-17 OVC)
- Marshall (16-15 CUSA)
SPORTS DIGEST: Valparaiso's Grace Hales named to MVC all-Scholar Athlete team--NWI Times
Grace Hales helps lead Valparaiso back to success--NWI Times
Crusaders make historic run at Arch Madness--Valpo Torch
Hales, Weinman Earn MVC Postseason Accolades--valpoathletics.com
Women's Basketball Opens Hoops in the Heartland Friday--valpoathletics.com
AJ Green Named To USBWA All-District Team--The Missouri Valley
Rhine Named Finalist for Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award--The Missouri Valley
MVC Announces 2019-20 Women's Basketball All-conference Teams--The Missouri Valley
Hoops In the Heartland COVID-19 Update--The Missouri Valley
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