What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/27/2024

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/27/2024

Forde Minutes: Court Storms, Bubble Teams and Looming Selection Committee Questions--Sports Illustrated

Other looming committee questions

This is peak bubble season, but there is much more for the NCAA tournament selection committee to be watching and weighing. The Minutes poses some pressing questions:

How about the Missouri Valley (30)?

The Valley similarly has two standout teams in the Indiana State Sycamores and Drake Bulldogs (with a potential third spoiler in the Bradley Braves). The Sycamores (24–5, No. 34 in the NET) have become an off-radar cult favorite with their entertaining style of play, and it should be noted that starting forward Jayson Kent missed most of the two upset losses with a concussion. The Bulldogs (23–6, No. 45 in the NET) are on their way to a fourth straight 25-win season. The two teams split meetings this season and seem destined for a third during Arch Madness in St. Louis.

It might simply be too much to ask for the committee to award at-large bids to multiple mid-major conferences when there are so many ninth-place high-majors loitering out there with double-digit losses. If that’s the case, this could be a differentiator: The MVC is a top-10 league per KenPom, while the Sun Belt is No. 17.