What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/25/2023

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Nov 25th--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:
-Evansville, a team that none of us thought would do anything, is now 5-0 with two true road wins as they came from behind at Chattanooga and handed them their first loss of the year. I’m starting to believe in the Aces! (At least a little bit).

-Indiana State is now 5-1 with a win over a fairly decent Toledo team. The Missouri Valley Conference and the Ivy League are two conferences to really start watching. Multiple teams from those leagues are starting to bloat out their records, and they’re not doing it by simply staying at home and playing buy games. They’re going to these MTEs and going out on the road and winning.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-VERMONT AT BRADLEY. This is another outstanding UTR game that features two teams whose seasons are off to outstanding starts. Bradley is unbeaten with notable wins at UAB, and against Utah State, Tulane, and UTEP. In fact Utah State, Tulane, and UTEP each have just one loss right now, and Bradley is the team that beat all of them. Vermont comes in with just one loss and is looking (again) like an America East frontrunner.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES/BUY GAMES:
-Evansville vs SEMO (Chattanooga TN)- Evansville had a big win yesterday against Chattanooga, and is looking to follow it up today

11/25/23 SATURDAY MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

Subscriber Content

Does defensive mastermind Luke Yaklich finally have a defense?! After coming over from Michigan where he was known for his ball screen defense wizardry, Yaklich best defensive efficiency rating at UIC was his first season, and that was a miserable 221st per KenPom.... iso and ball screen defense are absolutely key against George Washington’s Miami inspired offense where often all 5 on the court can put the ball on the floor and create....
Outstanding midmajor battle in Peoria with Bradley hosting Vermont....

Successful MTE Season Continues--Valley Hoops Insider
MVC Notebook | Valley schools playing at home Saturday to open playoffs--The Southern Illinoisan

THE BRADLEY BRAND
Drake was the preseason favorite in Valley hoops but Bradley has made a statement to start the season. The Braves own a win at UAB that might be a Quad 1 all year and also beat Utah State, an NCAA tourney team last year.
For good measure, Bradley won the SoCal Challenge on Wednesday night in a high school gym in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. by stifling previously unbeaten UTEP in a 63-59 win. The Miners made only 21 of 57 shots and committed 17 turnovers against the long-armed, quick-footed Braves.
Given the way it’s defending, Bradley has a chance to stay unbeaten for a while, even though it opens conference play Wednesday night at Murray State and hosts Indiana State next Saturday.
THREE-DOT STUFF
Indiana State’s men’s basketball team continues to showcase a high-powered offense. The Sycamores have scored 100 points twice in the first five games and has reached at least 81 points in every game.