What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/13/2024

The Other Top 25: Saint Mary’s continues ascent back to top five-- Mid-Major Madness

The Other Top 25: February 12, 2024

Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points Previous

6 Indiana St. 100 7

12 Drake 69 11

24 Bradley 11 19

Rank	Team (First Place Votes)	Points	Previous
6	Indiana St.	100	7
12	Drake	69	11
24	Bradley	11	19

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Tuesday, Feb 13th--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-ILLINOIS STATE AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley). Indiana State barely escaped over the weekend, but we still have them inside our bubble and we believe they will stay there so long as they keep holding serve.
-DRAKE AT EVANSVILLE (Missouri Valley). It’s a long shot for Drake, but they should at least get a serious look from the committee if they’re able to win out.

Under the Radar Game of the Day (Drake at Evansville) – Tuesday, February 13th--Hoops HD
NIT Bracketology, Feb. 12--NIT Bracketology

NIT Bracket (automatic bids in bold, bubble in italics):

1. Colorado (Pac-12 1)
U. UNLV
4. UCF (Big 12 1)
U. Miami FL
3. SMU
U. Ohio St.
2. Oregon (Pac-12 2)
U. San Francisco

1. Villanova (Big East 1)
U. Rutgers
4. Pittsburgh (ACC 1)
U. Princeton
3. Memphis
U. Georgia
2. Kansas St. (Big 12 2)
U. Minnesota

1. Xavier (Big East 2)
U. Syracuse
4. Iowa (Big Ten 2)
U. Drake
3. Seton Hall
U. N.C. State
2. Nebraska (Big Ten 1)
U. Washington

1. Providence
U. Indiana
4. LSU (SEC 2)
U. James Madison
3. Virginia Tech (ACC 2)
U. Richmond
2. Mississippi (SEC 1)
U. Maryland

Seriously Considered: Florida St., Charlotte, VCU, St. Bonaventure, North Texas, Bradley
Next Tier: Boston College, Stanford, George Mason, Cornell
Probably CBI Bound: Duquesne, South Florida, UAB, Southern Illinois, Santa Clara, Liberty, UCLA, Loyola Chicago, Massachusetts, Saint Joseph's

Developing During the Season--Valley Hoops Insider
Bigs Getting Their Due--Valley Hoops Insider

Malik Dia is embracing Belmont and rollercoaster ride--NashvilleHoops.blog
TSU has developed a winning style plus more from the box scores--NashvilleHoops.blog

— Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back the Belmont offense.

The Bruins have struggled on offense in recent weeks but not Saturday as they obliterated Valparaiso 96-78 with five players in double figures.

It was 21-2 after seven minutes and over by halftime as Belmont led 54-27. Valpo had no way of stopping Malik Dia, who scored 25 points, hitting eight of 11 shots and also getting to the free throw line, making eight of 11.

It’s possible the biggest difference is having point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie back, who played his third game after missing eight games because of a wrist injury. He had 18 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Bruins are now 14-11 overall and 7-7 in the Valley.

Looking ahead: Vandy has tough week, TSU looks to continue winning streak--NashvilleHoops.blog

Looking ahead to this week’s games while wondering …
— How Belmont will defend one of the leading scorers in the country, Southern Illinois’ Xavier Johnson? Johnson, a 6-1 guard, is averaging 23.7 ppg, which is second in the nation.

In the teams’ first meeting last month, Belmont did a decent job, holding Johnson to 18 and only 3-of-11 shooting, but he hit 12 of 13 free throws in SIU’s 73-63 victory. This is a chance for Nashville college basketball fans to see one of the most interesting players in the nation.

Nashvillehoops.blog can’t stop itself from reminding readers that Johnson, Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, Providence’s Josh Oduro and Miami’s Jordan Miller were all playing for George Mason three seasons ago. The transfer portal giveth and taketh.

A victory would be important for Belmont (14-11, 7-7) because the Bruins trail SIU (16-9, 8-6) by one game for fourth place. The fourth-place team gets a bye into the quarterfinals, avoiding playing on opening night.

Belmont finishes its week with a trip to UIC (10-15, 3-11), which shapes up as a victory but the Flames upset Northern Iowa in Chicago on Sunday.

Tyson Start Fuels Men's Basketball Victory at Valparaiso--belmontbruins.com
Malik Dia Named MVC Newcomer of the Week--belmontbruins.com
Men's Basketball Hosts Southern Illinois Wednesday at the Curb--belmontbruins.com

Missouri State Snaps Belmont’s Four-Game Win Streak--belmontbruins.com
Bruins Close Weekend Road Trip with 65-55 Win at Southern Illinois Sunday Afternoon--belmontbruins.com
Cheesman and Cheeseman Named Trane Student-Athletes of the Month for February--belmontbruins.com

'We had chances': Bradley makes run at Drake but falls short in Valley basketball showdown--Peoria Journal Star
A look at the Missouri Valley Conference basketball race and Bradley's place in it--Peoria Journal Star
A brief history of the war on I-74--The Bradley Scout
Braves suffer heart-breaking loss to Evansville on the road--The Bradley Scout
The Scouting Report: Bradley men’s basketball season so far with Jonathan Michel PT.2--The Bradley Scout
Bradley’s comeback falls short against Bulldogs--The Bradley Scout
Game Recap: Bradley vs Drake--bradleybraves.com
Game Preview: Bradley vs UIC--bradleybraves.com

Braves end losing streak with win at Evansville--The Bradley Scout
Bradley WBB falls to UNI--bradleybraves.com

Brodie Takes Over Late to Seal 74-67 Win at Bradley--godrakebulldogs.com
Brodie Picks Up MVC Player of the Week Recognition--godrakebulldogs.com
Wright Beats Buzzer, Bulldogs Beat Evansville 78-75--godrakebulldogs.com

Grace Berg dominates as Drake women's basketball cruises over Illinois State--The Des Moines Register
Drake women’s basketball pulls through in big win over UNI--The Times-Delphic
Fast Start Carries Drake Women by Illinois State in Annual Pink Game--godrakebulldogs.com

Buzzer beater gives MSU win over UE men--gopurpleaces.com
Aces fight to the wire in thriller against Drake--gopurpleaces.com

Foul trouble sinks Aces late comeback in loss to UIC--gopurpleaces.com
Aces women’s basketball picks up first Missouri Valley Conference win at Valparaiso--gopurpleaces.com
Nevaeh Thomas named MVC Freshman of the Week--gopurpleaces.com

Northern Iowa overwhelms Illinois State women's basketball--The Pantagraph
Battered Illinois State men's basketball travels to Southern Illinois--The Pantagraph
Huge Illinois State rally falls short in loss to Southern Illinois--The Pantagraph
Illinois State travels to red-hot Missouri Valley leader Indiana State--The Pantagraph
Kinziger, Illinois State shock No. 23-ranked Indiana State--The Pantagraph
Comeback effort falls short for ISU men's basketball in 69-66 loss to Southern Illinois--The Vidette
ISU men's basketball in search of full 40-minute effort ahead of matchup with No. 23 Indiana State--The Vidette
Second-Half Surge Falls Just Short in Loss to Salukis--goredbirds.com
Redbirds Knock Off #23 Sycamores 80-67--goredbirds.com

Drake starts fast, overcomes Illinois State women--The Pantagraph
DeAnna Wilson develops into a top player in Illinois State women's history--The Pantagraph
Road woes continue as ISU women's basketball falls 79-64 at Drake--The Vidette
Maya Wong working to bring continued success to hometown team--The Vidette
‘Birds Can’t Overcome Slow Start at Drake--goredbirds.com

AP Top 25: UConn remains No. 1, No. 23 Indiana State ranked for first time since 1979--The Athletic
Men’s college basketball rankings: Purdue and UConn, then everybody else--The Athletic

Indiana State
Indiana State generates the fifth most points per game (12.0) off cuts and has the highest efficiency in college hoops on possessions that end in a cut (1.536). Slick passing center Robbie Avila and timely cuts from Jayson Kent are a big reason why. Avila is a threat to score from anywhere, so defenses are often sending help his way.
Notice how Avila controls the defense with his eyes. The court is his chessboard, and he usually makes the right moves.
The Sycamores haven’t shot the ball from deep as well lately, but their spacing and the pressure they put on the rim have helped them stay efficient from 2. They’ve had only one game all season where they shot under 50 percent inside the arc.

No. 23 ISU with a shot at 10 straight; staying perfect at home--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores experience letdown after jumping into polls, lose at home to Illinois State--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores edge out a victory against the Bears--gosycamores.com
ISU basketball nationally ranked for first time since 1978-79--gosycamores.com
Sycamores suffer first loss at home for first time in 2023-24 season--gosycamores.com

Sycamores Split Weekend Contests--Indiana Statesman
Sycamores complete season sweep of Valpo to open road trip--gosycamores.com
Sawyer notches first double-double in Sunday afternoon Sycamore setback--gosycamores.com
Sawyer named Mark Clinkenbeard Construction ISU Student-Athlete of the Week--gosycamores.com