What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/17/2021

NCAA mid-major Top 25 rankings: San Francisco remains undefeated; Murray State racing--Heat Check CBB

24. Missouri State Bears (7-4)

The Bears fell off the radar a bit right out of the gates, losing their opener to Southeast Missouri State. Then, Missouri State added losses of varying quality to East Tennessee State (fine), Illinois State (bad) and BYU (totally acceptable). Since starting 4-4, Dana Ford‘s squad has reeled off three straight wins of increasing strength: Little Rock, Oral Roberts and South Dakota State. Isiaih Mosley and Gaige Prim are still a fantastic 1-2 punch, and Jaylen Minnett has been a sharpshooter off the bench for the Bears. Still, it’s tough to imagine this team grabbing an at-large bid at this point — even with a win on Dec. 22 over Saint Mary’s. -Andy Dieckhoff
3. Loyola Chicago Ramblers (9-2)

Loyola Chicago has picked up a pair of very solid road wins over DePaul and Vanderbilt in recent weeks. Perhaps its neutral-site victory over Arizona State is aging a bit better as well. Loyola Chicago could probably be a touch lower in these rankings based on resume, but this group passes the eye test with flying colors. Head coach Drew Valentine is leading an offensive giant, ranking second nationally in effective field-goal percentage. This team shoots it from deep, moves the ball offensively, and is extremely balanced. Combine that with a well-rounded defensive unit and they are right near in the conversation for best mid-majors nationwide. -LH

MVC Expansion Candidate Profiles--Missouri Valley Beat