What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 3/6/2022

March Madness bracket predictions 5.0: Projecting the Field of 68 for 2022 NCAA Tournament--Sporting News

NCAA tournament Field of 68 projections

No. 14 seeds

*Northern Iowa (18-10, 14-4 MVC)

Resume: Net: 97, KenPom: 91

Four on the bubble

Loyola-Chicago (22-7, 13-5 MVC)

Resume: Net: 31, KenPom: 29. The Ramblers are in a tricky spot with a 102-96 loss to Northern Iowa. Is there room for two MVC teams in the Big Dance?

Championship Week Video Notebook: Day 4--Hoops HD

NOW, ONTO THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS, WHICH THERE WERE A LOT OF:
We break down a busy night of conference tournaments with the ASun, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, and Horizon League all having their quarterfinal action tonight. The West Coast and Missouri Valley also got underway.

Bracket Watch: Lurking bid thieves and a potentially memorable March for mid-majors--The Athletic

Missouri Valley: Loyola Chicago is No. 31 in the NET and KenPom but is just the No. 4 seed in Arch Madness. The Ramblers, who open tourney play on Friday afternoon against Bradley, likely have to make the championship game to secure an at-large bid. But what if they lose in the title game? Then there’s a real possibility that the Valley puts two teams in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Bid thievery potential rating: 4 out of 4 fake robber emojis.
There’s a timeline in which we see Loyola Chicago, North Texas, Murray State and Davidson all get at-large bids, not to mention San Francisco, Saint Mary’s, Boise State and Wyoming. What a memorable event that would be.
(Photo of Loyola Chicago’s Lucas Williamson and Northern Iowa’s A.J. Green: Chris Kohley / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

First Four (Dayton)

Seed Team

16

Norfolk State*

16

Bryant*

12

Memphis

12

Loyola Chicago

16

Nicholls*

16

Alcorn State*

11

North Carolina

11

Wyoming

Midwest Region (Chicago)

Seed Team Site

1

Baylor*

16

Norfolk State*/Bryant*

Fort Worth

8

Michigan State

9

San Diego State

4

Providence*

13

Northern Iowa*

Buffalo

5

Saint Mary's

12

Loyola Chicago/Memphis

3

Purdue

14

Princeton*

Indianapolis

6

USC

11

Miami

2

Kentucky

15

Jacksonville State*

Indianapolis

7

Marquette

10

Michigan

Last 4 in

North Carolina

Memphis

Wyoming

Loyola Chicago

Multi-bid conferences

Missouri Valley

2

Seed	Team
16	Norfolk State*
16	Bryant*

12	Memphis
12	Loyola Chicago

16	Nicholls*
16	Alcorn State*

11	North Carolina
11	Wyoming

Seed	Team	Site
1	Baylor*
16	Norfolk State/Bryant	Fort Worth
8	Michigan State
9	San Diego State

4	Providence*
13	Northern Iowa*	Buffalo
5	Saint Mary's
12	Loyola Chicago/Memphis

3	Purdue
14	Princeton*	Indianapolis
6	USC
11	Miami

2	Kentucky
15	Jacksonville State*	Indianapolis
7	Marquette
10	Michigan


Last 4 in	North Carolina	Memphis	Wyoming	Loyola Chicago


	Missouri Valley	2

3/4 MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring At The Floorboards

Subscriber Content
MVC

I talked about Drake/SIU and Bradley/Loyola in my MVC tournament preview, but summary is Wilkins is a big loss for Drake, as he eliminated Lance Jones, and giving SIU two scorers to go along with their stout defense makes this a very tricky matchup for the Bulldogs. Loyola sliding down the 4 spot was brutal, as Bradley is a tough, tough matchup for the ‘Blers...
A revitalized post-Muller Illinois State team gave Northern Iowa a scare late in the regular season,...
Missouri State shredded Valpo in both meetings, as the Beacons had no answer for Mosley...

Missouri Valley Conference Semifinal Preview: How to watch, players to watch and prediction--Mid-Major Madness
Current NIT Bracket--NIT Bracketology

NIT Bracket (bubble teams in italics, AUTOMATIC BIDS in CAPS):

1. Wyoming
8. Missouri St.
4. Colorado
5. New Mexico St.
3. Dayton
6. St. John's
2. BYU
7. Utah St.

1. Loyola IL
8. Fresno St.
4. St. Bonaventure
5. Mississippi St.
3. Belmont
6. Drake
2. Oregon
7. Santa Clara

1. Florida
8. TEXAS STATE
4. Oklahoma
5. Saint Louis
3. UAB
6. Richmond
2. Virginia Tech
7. NORTHERN IOWA

3/5 MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring At The Floorboards

Subscriber Content

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS:
MVC

Loyola’s offense dominated UNI in both match ups, getting whatever they wanted in PNR and at the rim...
Drake pulled away from SIU in the 2H last night thanks to the Tank Hemphill Show, but this is a game Drake is going to really miss Wilkins... Despite the regular season sweep by Missouri State, both games were grindout tossups...

Missouri Valley Basketball: Valparaiso, Illinois State survives to play another day--Busting Brackets
Missouri Valley Basketball Tournament: Top 4 teams advance to semifinals--Busting Brackets
Missouri Valley Basketball: Loyola-Chicago and Drake play for tournament title--Busting Brackets
Semifinal Day is the Best Day – Part Two--Valley Hoops Insider
Arch Madness – Championship Sunday--Valley Hoops Insider
Could Drake or UNI men's basketball make NCAA Tournament as an at-large team?--Des Moines Register
Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson named MVC Coach of the Year for record fifth time--The Pantagraph
Northern Iowa Holds Back Illinois State, Advances to Semifinals--Loyola Phoenix
Drake Takes Victory in Tight Overtime Matchup to Meet Loyola in Championship Rematch--Loyola Phoenix
Sports Column | Bucky Dent: Loyola win likely clinches NCAA berth--Southern Illinoisan
Arch Madness | Loyola uses defense to stifle UNI--Southern Illinoisan
Region-led Drake punches semifinal ticket; Valpo ends up-and-down season--NWI Times

Salukis are top dogs for Valley tourney--Quad-City Times

How Bradley learned from its loss to Loyola at the Valley tournament--Peoria Journal Star
Loyola boat races Bradley out of Arch Madness--Bradley Scout
Agony of Arch lights fire for the future--Bradley Scout
Braves' Season Ends in Arch Madness Quarterfinals--bradleybraves.com

Bradley women’s basketball looks to finish regular season strong--Bradley Scout
Illinois State Holds Off Bradley, 62-53--bradleybraves.com

AARON FERGUSON: ShanQuan Hemphill saves best performance with highest stakes yet--NWI Times
AARON FERGUSON: Roman Penn showcases Region 'toughness' in Drake's MVC runner-up season--NWI Times
Drake men's basketball advances to Arch Madness semifinals with 65-52 win over Southern Illinois--Des Moines Register
Tucker DeVries nails overtime free throws to send Drake basketball to MVC championship game--Des Moines Register
Strong Second Half Advances Drake to MVC Tournament Semifinals--godrakebulldogs.com
DeVries' Overtime Heroics Lift Drake to MVC Championship Game--godrakebulldogs.com

Bulldogs Conquer Evansville in Overtime--godrakebulldogs.com
Bulldogs Use Explosive Second Half to Defeat Indiana State in Regular Season Finale--godrakebulldogs.com

Another blowout fittingly ended a historically poor Evansville men's basketball season--Evansville Courier & Press
UE falls to Valpo in Arch Madness opener--gopurpleaces.com

Impressive effort ends in overtime as Aces battle Drake--gopurpleaces.com
Clark tallies 18 in regular-season finale, Aces secure 9-seed for Hoops in the Heartland--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Illinois State comes back in second half to beat Indiana State at MVC tourney--The Pantagraph
Illinois State names Ohio State assistant coach Ryan Pedon as next head coach--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Northern Iowa topples Illinois State to end Redbirds' season in MVC quarterfinals--The Pantagraph
Second half comeback gives Redbirds first Arch Madness win in three seasons--The Vidette
ISU unable to keep up with UNI, falling 78-65 in Arch Madness quarterfinals--The Vidette
Ryan Pedon reportedly hired as next head coach for Illinois State--The Vidette
Redbirds Rally for Win Over Sycamores; Face Top-Seeded UNI Tomorrow--goredbirds.com
Season Ends for Redbirds in Arch Madness Quarterfinals--goredbirds.com
Ryan Pedon Named Head Coach of Illinois State Men’s Basketball--goredbirds.com

Watch now: Illinois State women close regular season with win over Bradley--The Pantagraph
Five things to know before Illinois State ends the regular season at I-74 rival Bradley--The Vidette
ISU bounces back with 62-53 win over Bradley in final regular season game--The Vidette
Wilson Leads Redbirds to Rivalry Victory on the Road--goredbirds.com

Indiana State ends season with 11-20 mark--Terre Haute Tribune Star
ISU was never able to smooth out rough edges during disappointing 2022 season--Terre Haute Tribune Star
DOWN IN THE VALLEY: Five takeaways from ISU's one and done at Arch Madness--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Sycamore Basketball Falls to Illinois State in Arch Madness Opener--gosycamores.com

Disastrous third quarter proves fatal to ISU women--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Third-quarter woes waste another good start for ISU--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Fast start not enough for Sycamores against UNI--gosycamores.com
Sycamores fall to Bulldogs in regular season finale--gosycamores.com

Bracketology: Auburn returns to top line--Bracketville

Will Loyola-Chicago rebound to win the Missouri Valley tournament and remove themselves from the at-large pool? Let’s see where the dust settles by Sunday evening.

Bubble Watch: Why do February, March losses hurt so bad? (Sad Xavier edition)--The Athletic

Others
Work to do: Loyola Chicago, North Texas, Memphis, Wyoming, VCU, SMU, BYU
Loyola Chicago (21-7, 13-5; NET: 31, SOS: 115): For another reminder of how hard it can be to pick your way through a mid-major league, check out Loyola, which took its fifth loss in Missouri Valley play Saturday in overtime at Northern Iowa. It’s a testament to the Ramblers’ work in the nonconference (including their hastily arranged neutral-court win over San Francisco, which proved crucial) that they are even still in consideration here; most years, five losses in the Valley would end the discussion. Four of these losses are Quadrant 2 (home versus a good Drake team is the exception), making them at least tenable, but heading into Friday’s Arch Madness fixture against Bradley, the Ramblers are very much a your-mileage-may-vary bubble team in a way they simply weren’t a month ago.

Bracket Watch: The Dash to the Big Dance Is Here--Sports Illustrated

Lucas Williamson (right) and Loyola are squarely on the bubble.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
TalkinBlers asks: Why do people have teams like UNC, Michigan, Memphis and Indiana over Loyola Chicago when they have worse records and worse NET and KenPom rankings?
It’s hard to do these comparisons across multiple teams because each team listed has a different case for being in and a different case for being out.
So I’ll instead take this question as a chance to gauge the Ramblers’ at-large hopes heading into the MVC tournament. Without question, the best aspect of Loyola’s résumé is its quality metrics. The Ramblers are No. 30 in KenPom, No. 28 in BPI and No. 45 in Sagarin. And the NET, which tends to closely mirror KenPom, has Loyola at No. 29. Those numbers are better than most bubble teams, and if the Ramblers are left out of the field they’ll likely have the best KenPom rating among teams who don’t make the cut.
The issues for Loyola lie in its résumé metrics and lack of great wins. A KPI at No. 61 and a strength of record at No. 57 isn’t overly compelling, and the Ramblers are really relying on their neutral-court win over San Francisco in January to carry their résumé after high-major wins over DePaul, Vanderbilt and Arizona State haven’t aged as well as hoped. It’s those areas that hold the Ramblers back compared to most high-major bubble teams. The good news for Loyola is that it could add multiple Q2 wins at the MVC tournament this weekend even without winning the tournament, which could give those numbers a boost.

Aher Uguak’s basketball path took him from Canada to New Mexico to Chicago. The Loyola forward is hoping for 1 more March run.--Chicago Tribune
Loyola is healthy again and ready for the MVC Tournament — and has Sister Jean along for another ride--Chicago Tribune
Ramblers Power Past Bradley, Head to Semifinals Against UNI--Loyola Phoenix
Defeated by Defense: Loyola’s Defensive End Suffocates Panthers, Sends Ramblers to MVC Championship--Loyola Phoenix
Loyola Locks Up Bradley, 66-50, To Advance To MVC Semifinals--loyolaramblers.com
Loyola Smothers Northern Iowa, 66-43, Advances To Arch Madness Finals--loyolaramblers.com
NCAA Bid On The Line When Loyola Battles Drake Sunday In MVC Championship Final--loyolaramblers.com