What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/21/2021

Bubble Watch: There’s 1 month until the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Let’s ride--The Athletic

Others
Should be in: Loyola Chicago
Work to do: San Diego State, BYU, VCU, Saint Louis, Drake, Boise State, St. Bonaventure, Colorado State, Utah State, Richmond, Western Kentucky

Loyola Chicago (17-4, 14-2; NET: 11, SOS: 151): Fun fact: This is now the top per-possession defense in all of Division I. Not Baylor. Not Tennessee. Not Alabama. Or Houston. Or Michigan. Loyola Chicago. So, yes, the Ramblers were a bit of a mess on the offensive end at the Gentile Center on Wednesday night, when they scored just 54 points in 56 trips against an 8-15 Valparaiso team. But, thanks to a truly elite defense — and not just elite relative to competition, but adjusted for competition; this team can just plain guard — Rambler Fever™ rolled on.
Drake (19-2, 12-2; NET: 34, SOS: 267): Speaking of rough scheduling breaks, Drake went on the road for a true away game to Kansas State, got an 80-70 win over a high-major team in a league stacked with top-25 NET numbers … and K-State ranks 232rd. Like, come on, guys. 232? You couldn’t even hover around 100? (In case you didn’t watch Kansas play Kansas State on Wednesday night, and you definitely shouldn’t have, trust us. K-State really is that bad.) Anyway, after the great split with the Ramblers last weekend, Loyola can probably afford another random loss in league play to stay an at-large, but Drake almost certainly can’t. It handled a game at UNI on Wednesday; it will play Evansville on its own floor Sunday and Monday.

Coach of the Year Finalists--Valley Hoops Insider

No. 25 Missouri State women holds off Bradley 62-56--Associated Press
No. 25 Missouri State women beat Bradley, win 11th straight--Associated Press
Valley tourney plans in Q-C proceeding--Quad Cities Times

11 memorable moments in the Bradley-Illinois State basketball rivalry--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley forward Ja'Shon Henry cleared from police investigation, university says--Peoria Journal Star
Fans are back in the stands, but Bradley basketball loses to rival Illinois State--Peoria Journal Star
'No excuses': How Bradley basketball moves forward after a tough week--Peoria Journal Star
Henry’s effort not enough, Braves swept by rival Illinois State--Bradley Scout
Strong second half propels Missouri State to series sweep--Bradley Scout
Second-Half Run Lifts Illinois State Past Bradley--bradleybraves.com

Bradley WBB confident ahead of Missouri State series--Bradley Scout
Bradley falls in close opener at Missouri State--Bradley Scout
#20/25 Missouri State Holds Off Braves 62-56--bradleybraves.com
Braves Drop Series Finale At #20/25 Missouri State--bradleybraves.com

DeVries Named to Naismith Coach Of The Year Watchlist--godrakebulldogs.com
Men’s Basketball Closes Home Schedule Against Evansville--godrakebulldogs.com

Hot shooting lifts Illinois State past Drake women--Des Moines Register
Women’s Basketball Falls at Illinois State, 76-68--godrakebulldogs.com
Illinois State Shoots Past Drake Women’s Basketball From Deep, 81-71--godrakebulldogs.com

Better defense will be key to Evansville snapping skid before MVC tournament--Evansville Courier & Press
Big Opportunity At Drake--Eville-Ways
Evansville heads to Des Moines to face Drake--gopurpleaces.com

Team effort key as Aces overwhelm Valpo, 57-43--gopurpleaces.com
Feit, Newman lead Aces as Evansville drops series finale to Valpo--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Illinois State never trails in beating Bradley for second time this season--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Illinois State wishes there were more games left with MVC season winding down--The Pantagraph
Driving long distance to games no problem for parents of Illinois State's DJ Horne--The Pantagraph
Redbirds take advantage of short-handed Bradley, sweep I-74 rivalry--Vidette Online
Redbirds Never Trail in Second Game of Series Sweep Against Bradley--goredbirds.com

Watch now: Illinois State women's basketball tries to get back on track against Drake--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Illinois State women's basketball holds off Drake surge for victory--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Illinois State women sweep nemesis Drake--The Pantagraph
Redbirds cruise past Drake at home 76-68--Vidette Online
'Birds battle to best Bulldogs again--Vidette Online
Illinois State Tops Drake, 76-68, in 11th Annual Play4Kay Game--goredbirds.com
Illinois State Completes Sweep of Drake, Wins 81-71 on Senior Day--goredbirds.com

Why Lansing Should Return--Valley Hoops Insider

For first time this month, ISU women in action--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Back from unexpected break, ISU women lose to Salukis--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Silvey sends Sycamores down to defeat--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Salukis Shoot Past Sycamores on Friday Night--gosycamores.com
Sycamores Fall Late to Southern Illinois--gosycamores.com

Bracketology 2021: A first look at the lock and bubble picture for 2021--Blogging The Bracket

No. 11s (Auto Bid): 42. Loyola Chicago* (13/17-4/5-4/1-2), 43. Boise State* (37/16-4/3-4/2-2)

A road win over BYU, split with Colorado State, and Wednesday win over Utah State mean Boise State could be in as an at-large, but being swept by Nevada hurts the Broncos’ cause. As for Loyola, the Ramblers’ NET ranking of 13th should be a shoo-in for selection. However, they don’t have a Quad 1 win other than Saturday’s blowout victory at Drake (Loyola then dropped the series finale the next day). Porter Moser’s squad has more of a chance than 10th-ranked Colgate, but they really need to win Arch Madness to be sure.

Under the Radar: February 17th--Hoops HD

From there we run through the other 21 UTR conferences and discuss the tight race in the Southland, the near upset of Loyola Chicago in the Missouri Valley

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Feb 18th--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES
-Loyola Chicago got a huge scare from Valpo, and it actually looked like Valpo had tied the game and forced overtime at the end of regulation, but a would-be rebound and put pack was waived off and a foul was called on the rebound. The Ramblers survived 54-52 and should hang on to their national ranking and stay inside the bubble.

Rauf 25: Florida State surges, Kansas re-enters latest college basketball power rankings--Heat Check CBB

25. LOYOLA-CHICAGO RAMBLERS (19-4)

Last week: 21
Games: Drake (51-50 L), Valparaiso (54-52 W)

Loyola’s loss to Drake came the day after they beat the Bulldogs by 27, and it came in overtime. The Ramblers then struggled against Valpo in what I’ll chalk up as a letdown game. But they still won! Now they need to close strong against Southern Illinois to finish their regular season.

No. 22 Loyola Men’s Basketball Edges Out Victory Over Valparaiso--Loyola Phoenix
Loyola Mourns The Passing Of Ed Maracich--loyolaramblers.com
Porter Moser Named To Naismith Coach Of The Year Late Season Watch List--loyolaramblers.com

Cold-Shooting Ramblers Fall To UNI, 78-51--loyolaramblers.com
Ramblers Edge UNI In Overtime Thriller, 66-64--loyolaramblers.com