Primarily a collection of news links about all 12 Missouri Valley League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
Loyola Chicago wasn’t able to win in Madison earlier this season, but the Ramblers haven’t gotten much wrong since.
Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
While the Big East is down to four teams in this
projection, we have a two-bid Missouri Valley for the first time. Loyola
Chicago enters the field as the last team in today, largely on the
strength of a 15-3 record and some impressive computer numbers. The
Ramblers are currently 13th in KenPom, thanks in no small part to a
fifth-ranked defense that suffocated Missouri State on Sunday and
Monday, and 14th in the NET, two spots lower than undefeated Drake. Set
reminders for February 13th and 14th, when the Valley’s two best teams
meet in Des Moines for the pair’s lone regular-season meetings.
-Loyola Chicago should be getting the selection committee’s
attention. I don’t know if they are or not, but they should be.
Missouri State has been a solid team this year, especially at home, and
Loyola just blew them out of the building. They’ve looked the part all
year, both at home and on the road, and deserve to at least be in the
discussion.
-Drake, the other Missouri Valley team that’s gotten noticed, remains
undefeated, but barely. They needed overtime yesterday to get by
Illinois State.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-ILLINOIS STATE AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). Drake had to sweat out
the win in overtime yesterday, but they remain unbeaten and I believe
they remain inside the bubble.
-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT MISSOURI STATE (Missouri Valley). This will be a
tough road test for Loyola Chicago, but if they can pull off the win
they’ll be in good shape for being in a position to get an at-large
bid. Or…they should be, at least.
Work to do: Drake, Loyola Chicago, Boise State, San
Diego State, St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, BYU, VCU, Colorado State,
Richmond, Toledo, Utah State, Winthrop
Drake (15-0, 8-0; NET: 13, SOS: 226): All hail the
masters of the NET … your 2020-21 Drake Bulldogs! The last time we
thought this much about Drake was probably high school, when our team
qualified for the mock trial state finals hosted at Drake’s law school.
This is a refreshing change of pace. No, the Bulldogs are not the
13th-best team in the country, as the NET somewhat mysteriously seems to
think, but Drake is a high-quality team in the Missouri Valley, one
that not only hasn’t lost but also one capable of beating Illinois
State, 95-60, as it did Monday night. (On Sunday, Drake beat Illinois
State in overtime, 78-76. Still a win!) Drake’s nonconference schedule
was bad. It still hasn’t beaten anyone we’d call “good.” But it is
unbeaten, and playing good basketball, and one of two potential at-large
teams in the Valley. That’s enough for us.
Loyola Chicago (13-3, 10-1; NET: 16, SOS: 253):
Rambler Fever™ returns! Rambler Fever 2: The Ramblering! It’s a spec
title. We’ll workshop it. Point is, Loyola Chicago is back in the Bubble
Watch, baby. It’s pretty exciting. It’s also the real deal: Unlike
Drake, which is 49th in adjusted efficiency, Loyola’s elite NET ranking
is backed up by its KenPom.com rank, which sits safely in the top 20.
This is a really good team, and even if its gambit of picking up a
sudden road trip to Wisconsin didn’t quite work out on Dec. 15, there’s
enough proof in its other performances to suggest Porter Moser’s latest
outfit deserves real at-large consideration. Can both Valley teams get
in the field?
Best Start Since: This is the best start in school history.
Highlight
So Far: Drake’s Missouri Valley Conference schedule includes several
back-to-backs — two games in two days against the same opponent. The
Bulldogs have fared just fine in the latter halves of those. After
beating Southern Illinois by 18 on Jan. 3, Drake came back the following
night and clobbered the Salukis 86-55.
Why
They’re Unbeaten: The Bulldogs have been efficient both inside the arc
and outside. They’re shooting 51.2% from the field and 39% from 3-point
range.
Upcoming Challenge: Drake hosts Loyola of Chicago on Feb. 13 and 14.
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