What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/1/2024

February NIT Bracketology--NIT Bracketology

NIT Bracket (autos in bold, bubble in italics):

1. SMU

U. N.C. State

4. Iowa (Big Ten 1)

U. Drake

3. Washington (Pac-12 2)

U. San Francisco

2. Villanova (Big East 1)

U. Syracuse

1. Texas A&M (SEC 1)

U. North Texas

4. Kansas St. (Big 12 2)

U. Pittsburgh

3. Xavier (Big East 2)

U. Indiana

2. Oregon (Pac-12 1)

U. Nevada

1. Virginia Tech (ACC 2)

U. LSU

4. UCF (Big 12 2)

U. Memphis

3. Georgia (SEC 2)

U. James Madison

2. Virginia (ACC 1)

U. Richmond

1. Seton Hall

U. Cornell

4. Ohio St. (Big Ten 2)

U. Florida St.

3. Miami FL

U. Maryland

2. Butler

U. Bradley

NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch 2024: What will it take to reach March Madness?--Heat Check CBB

Others

Double the deodorant: Indiana State, Princeton, Gonzaga, Drake, Grand Canyon, James Madison, Appalachian State
On the periphery: Bradley, San Francisco, Yale, Cornell

Indiana State Sycamores

The nation’s under-the-radar offensive juggernaut resides in Terre Haute, IN. Josh Schertz has done a tremendous job with Indiana State this season while guiding the team to an 18-3 record. The Sycamores also have raised their metrics to the point at which they are garnering at-large intrigue; they rank in the top 43 in every single metric, including 25th in the NET and 18th in SOR. Indiana State only has one Q1 win and it isn’t a needle-mover (at Bradley). That said, all three of its losses are in Q1 and were on the road to KenPom top-50 teams. Indiana State is 9-3 against the upper three quadrants with plus-metrics. A home matchup with Drake approaches on Feb. 3. If the Sycamores win that one, you will see more and more at-large discussion. I already have Indiana State on the No. 9 seed line.

Drake Bulldogs

A double-overtime road loss at Missouri State put a wrench in Drake’s already-slim bubble hopes. But with three matchups against Indiana State (away) and Bradley (home and away) still left on the schedule, the at-large hopes are not yet extinguished. Drake is top-55 across all teamsheet metrics except SOR and can argue its 4-0 Q1+2 record as a key part of its case. In addition to a home win over Indiana State, the Bulldogs beat Akron and Nevada on neutral sites. Earning an at-large bid would take a strong finish, but it’s too early to count Drake out. The Bulldogs being as good as they are also helps Indiana State and, by extension, the potential for a two-bid Missouri Valley.

MVC NOTEBOOK: Potential multi-bid MVC, weight of midpoint, guard play--Terre Haute Tribune-Star

Women’s Weekly Awards in OVC & MVC--Valley Hoops Insider

Season Ending Awards Coming Into Focus

(St. Louis, MO) – Some season ending awards are coming into focus as we see the women’s weekly awards in the Ohio Valley and Missouri Valley Conferences. Illinois State’s DeAnna Wilson, Missouri State’s Lacy Stokes, Eastern Illinois’ Macy McGlone and Western Illinois’ Raegan McCowan have solidified end-of-year honors.

Those players are racking up weekly honors like Taylor Swift mentions during football games.

Women’s Weekly Awards – Top Players
Illinois State star Wilson has claimed three of the last five MVC ‘Player of the Week‘ awards. Last week she averaged twenty-five points and 7.5 rebounds as the Redbirds swept the Valley’s Iowa-based teams. Drake’s loss was its first in league play. Wilson has topped the twenty-point mark six times.
Newcomers
Lacy Stokes, on the other hand, just received her fifth MVC ‘Newcomer of the Week‘ award. The Missouri State guard showed off her complete game by averaging 10.5 points, six assists and 3.5 rebounds while the Bears split a pair of games. Stokes is seventeenth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Women’s Weekly Rookie Awards
Murray State’s Haven Ford is the second Racer to receive an MVC ‘Freshman of the Week‘ award. Zoe Stewart was so-named during week four of the season. Ford scored a career high seventeen points in one game and then topped that total with 19 in the next. The high-scoring Racers face rival Belmont on Friday.

Belmont doesn’t have enough to beat Indiana State--NashvilleHoops.blog
Men's Basketball Falls Just Short--Belmont Vision
Men's Basketball Drops Heartbreaker to Conference-Leading [rv/rv] Indiana State--belmontbruins.com

Bruins Host Rival Murray State for Annual “Red Out” Game--belmontbruins.com

'I came out mad': Bradley guard starts hot, leads Braves to big win over Northern Iowa--Peoria Journal Star
Game Recap: Bradley vs Northern Iowa--bradleybraves.com

Drake basketball overcomes several scoring droughts to beat Valparaiso--Des Moines Register
DeVries Named Julius Erving Award Top 10 Candidate--godrakebulldogs.com
Bulldogs Dim Beacons for 17th Consecutive Home Victory--godrakebulldogs.com

Drake graduate guard Megan Meyer returns to Bulldogs women's basketball team--Des Moines Register

Toumi and Cuff post career highs in win over UIC--gopurpleaces.com

Dramatic second half rally sparks Illinois State past Murray State--The Pantagraph
ISU men's basketball overcomes 15-point deficit, survives last-second shot at Murray State--The Vidette
Redbirds Rally for Series Sweep of Racers--goredbirds.com

February Coaching Carousel Breakdown--Burner Ball

Mid-Major Hot Seat

Dana Ford (Missouri State)

This one can go either way at the end of the year. The expectations are high at Missouri State and Ford hasn’t met them.

Bend don’t break: Sycamores expunge 19-point deficit in Music City--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Second Half Surge Secures the Comeback for Sycamores over Belmont--gosycamores.com

Is it time to let the freshmen shine?--Indiana Statesman