What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/23/2022

The Valley (still) runs deep--Mid-Major Madness
Bracketology 2022: Building Off the Committee’s Sneak Peek--Blogging the Bracket

MVC (1)

Good weekend. New week. #DrakeALLIN #DSMHometownTeam pic.twitter.com/4rcc4qVrZd
— Drake Basketball (@DrakeBulldogsMB) February 20, 2022

Wednesday: Drake at Valparaiso, 7 p.m. (ESPN+ ($)) | Northern Iowa at Indiana State, 7 p.m. (Bally Midwest/NBCS Chicago/ESPN+ ($)) | Evansville at (11) Loyola Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBCS Chicago Plus/ESPN+ ($)) | Bradley at Missouri State, 8 p.m. (ESPN+ ($))

On Saturday, Loyola lost to Drake for a second time, falling 83-76 in Rogers Park. The Ramblers rebounded on Monday by winning at Illinois State to take the Valley’s auto bid back from Northern Iowa, who briefly held it over the weekend, following the Panthers 95-75 rout of Missouri State. Increasingly, the at-large chances for Drew Valentine’s team look dour, thanks to four conference losses and a mere single win over a team in this projected field, the hastily-arranged 79-74 win over San Francisco in Utah in early January. And given how rough and tumble the Ramblers have found it in the league, earning the auto bid isn’t a foregone conclusion.

March Madness bid tracker 2022: Conference tournament champions, automatic bids, more--heatcheck CBB

Conference No. 1 seed At-large contenders AQ or bust

MVC
Loyola Chicago Missouri State
UNI
Drake
Bradley
So. Illinois
Illinois State
Valparaiso
Indiana State
Evansville

Conference	No. 1 seed	At-large contenders	AQ or bust
MVC		Loyola Chicago	Missouri State UNI Drake Bradley So. Illinois Illinois State Valparaiso Indiana State Evansville

2/23/2022 MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring At The Floorboards

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First meeting between Missouri State and Bradley saw Roberts struggle with the versatile length of Clay, and Missouri State’s elite shot making held on down the stretch in a game they dominated far a large chunk in Peoria...

2/23 Women's Basketball Bracketology Breakdown--College Sports Madness

MVC: Southern Illinois*, Missouri State

Bradley Faces Missouri State in Top-Five Valley Matchup--bradleybraves.com

Is Drake men's basketball a second-half team? D.J. Wilkins and Roman Penn don't think so--Des Moines Register
Drake basketball plays Loyola--Times Delphic

Aces remain on the road to face Loyola on Wednesday--gopurpleaces.com

Aces head south to Missouri State for penultimate road game--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Three takeaways from Illinois State's loss to Loyola with SIU looming--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Close Road Campaign in Carbondale--goredbirds.com

Sycamores Host Northern Iowa Wednesday to Close 2021-22 Home Slate--gosycamores.com

Bracket Watch: Arkansas Makes Its Move; Michigan Enters Pivotal Stretch--Sports Illustrated

South Region

No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago

One story line closer to the bubble comes from the Missouri Valley, where Loyola Chicago has seen its margin for error grow thinner and thinner as conference play wears on. Saturday’s home loss to Drake gives Loyola four conference losses, including its first Q3 loss of the season. Bubble teams should be rooting for the Ramblers in the MVC tournament next weekend, though any more losses for Loyola would push it dangerously close to the bubble cut line if it doesn’t get the league’s automatic bid.

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 23--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-EVANSVILLE AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley). Loyola Chicago is also squarely on the bubble (at least according to our projections) and is in danger of falling off of it if they lose before the MVC Championship game.

Ramblers Struggle at ISU, Fight Back for Nine-Point Victory--Loyola Phoenix
A Look Beyond the Arc: The Importance of Three-Pointers in the MVC--Loyola Phoenix
Loyola Wraps Up Home Schedule Wednesday Night Versus Evansville--loyolaramblers.com

Ramblers Look To Keep Rolling, Take On Valparaiso In Road Finale Friday--loyolaramblers.com