What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 1/18/2022

The Other Top 25: Both Gaels slide into top 10--Mid-Major Madness

The Other Top 25: Jan. 17, 2022

Rank Team (First Place Votes) Record Points Previous

3 Loyola Chicago 13-2 68 3

Also receiving votes:

Oakland 7; UC Irvine 7; James Madison 5; Chattanooga 5; South Dakota State 5; Drake 2; Toledo 1; Dayton 1

Rank	Team (First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Previous
3	Loyola Chicago	13-2	68	3

Bracketology 2022: Auburn rises to the top after Baylor’s rough week--Blogging The Bracket

Other Conferences

Tuesday: (8) Loyola Chicago at Evansville, 8 p.m. (Bally Midwest/NBCS Chicago Plus/ESPN+ ($))
Wednesday: Northern Iowa at Valparaiso, 7 p.m. (ESPN+ ($)); Bradley at Drake, 8 p.m. (ESPN+ ($))
Don’t look now, but the Missouri Valley is threatening to be a multi-bid league, somehow. It may take a team other than Loyola winning Arch Madness, but UNI (5-1) and Drake (4-1) are both showing they can contend in conference play.

Explosive Performances by Stars of the Valleys--Valley Hoops Insider

Missouri Valley Conference

Missouri State’s Isiaih Mosley is on an historic tear. The 6’5 junior has topped the 30-point mark three straight times and has averaged 36 points per game over that span. He is the first Bear to accomplish the feat since 1978 and the ‘Player of the Week’ is the first Valley player to do so since 1989. Mosley is the reigning MVC scoring champion and currently is second to Illinois State’s Antonio Reeves (20.8 to 20.0).

Terry Roberts’ first season at Bradley has been filled with headlines. Monday he was named the Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Week‘. That marks the third time Roberts has received the award. He averaged over 20 points per game last week and his season average of 15.8 ppg leads all Valley newcomers. His 4.3 assists per game lead his team and are second in the league to fellow newcomer, Indiana State’s Xavier Bledson (4.8).

Bradley vs. ISU recap: Braves can't hold off charge in second half, drop rivalry game--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley Meets Drake Wednesday Night--bradleybraves.com

Drake men's basketball team wins at Southern Illinois--Des Moines Register
Drake Grinds Out Win at SIU--godrakebulldogs.com

Sycamores Clash with Salukis Wednesday Night in Carbondale--gosycamores.com

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Dec 18--Hoops HD

-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT EVANSVILLE (Missouri Valley). Loyola has finally cracked the rankings, and while they’ve struggled in their last couple of games they’ve still managed to win them. They shouldn’t have too much trouble knocking off an Evansville team that’s only managed four wins this season.

Bubble Watch: The march begins toward the 2022 NCAA Tournament, with 8 teams already locked--The Athletic

Others
Should be in: Loyola Chicago, BYU

Loyola Chicago (12-2, 4-0; NET: 22, SOS: 110): When Porter Moser left for Oklahoma last spring, you could have forgiven Loyola Chicago fans for ruefully accepting that their moment had passed — that their little Jesuit school’s thrilling dalliance with the upper echleon of men’s college hoops had officially reached its end. Instead, under first-time head coach Drew Valentine, Loyola Chicago returned almost all of its key players from last year’s devastating team — star center Cameron Krutwig left, but that’s it — and came back barely diminished in the slightest. This team doesn’t defend like last year’s did, but it is scoring the ball more efficiently. Missing out on a road trip to Davidson (which was canceled) hurt the schedule, but organizing a neutral court game with San Fransisco in a junior college gym in Utah was a total stroke of genius, and the win that resulted will hold Loyola Chicago in good stead if and when it slips up in the Valley.

Is the Big Ten the best conference? How has Mizzou rattled top teams? Is Tennessee under radar? 12 questions on women’s hoops--The Athletic

Reader questions:
12. Which mid-major team has the best shot of going far in the NCAA Tournament?

Other mid-major teams on my NCAA Tournament radar include No. 17 BYU and Missouri State.