What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 3/14/2024

Oklahoma State basketball coaching candidates: Darian DeVries should be on list--The Athletic

Call List (in alphabetical order)
Darian DeVries, Drake head coach: DeVries is an attractive coaching candidate not just for his abilities on the sideline but also his bloodline. With him would likely come his son Tucker DeVries, one of the best scoring wings in college basketball who has one season left of eligibility. The younger DeVries could possibly be the best player available in the transfer portal if his father were to leave Drake. As for DeVries, the coach, who has proven he can win even when his son isn’t on his team. DeVries, who was a longtime assistant under Greg McDermott at Creighton, has been a consistent winner in six seasons at Drake. The Bulldogs have finished worst than second only once in the Missouri Valley and are headed to their third NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons.
Josh Schertz, Indiana State head coach: Schertz has quickly built a winner at Indiana State, a place where it’s been historically been tough to win and in one of the toughest mid-major conferences in the country. He runs a modern offense that hunts 3s and layups. The Sycamores rank first in college basketball in effective field-goal percentage and ranked fourth last season. Schertz spent the previous 13 years at Lincoln Memorial, a Division II school that hadn’t experienced success at the D2 level, and Schertz won 83 percent of his games. His teams are fun to watch, and it’s possible he could bring his five starters with him from Indiana State, who all have eligibility. He also has some history with Oklahoma State; he was a student assistant at Florida Atlantic when FAU upset the Cowboys at Gallagher-Iba Arena in 1998, ending an 80-game winning streak for OSU against non-conference teams at home.

HOOPS IN THE HEARTLAND: Sycamores put away Salukis--The Quad-City Times
HOOPS IN THE HEARTLAND: UIC rallies past Valpo--Dispatch Argus
HOOPS IN THE HEARTLAND: Murray State runs away from Bradley in dominant victory--Dispatch Argus

Vanderbilt basketball coaching candidates: Could this be Chris Mack’s return?--The Athletic

Call list (in alphabetical order)
Casey Alexander, Belmont head coach. You want a guy who knows how to win in Nashville? The 51-year-old Alexander spent nearly 20 years learning under legendary Belmont coach Rick Byrd as a player and assistant for the Bruins. And after coaching Lipscomb for six years, leading the Bison to three straight 20-win seasons, an NCAA appearance and the 2019 NIT title game, he returned to his alma mater as head coach and promptly ripped off three straight 25-win seasons. Overseeing a jump from the Ohio Valley Conference to the much, much stronger Missouri Valley in 2022 was no easy task, but Belmont has more than held its own. The Bruins were third last season and finished tied for fourth this year. Alexander has spent three decades in the Music City and he’s won a lot more than he’s lost. It would be worth taking a long look.

Five Bruins Earn All-MVC Recognition--belmontbruins.com

NIT Bracketology, March 13--NIT Bracketology

NIT Bracket (automatic bids in bold, at-large in italics):

1. Wake Forest (ACC 1)
U. Appalachian St.
4. Mississippi (SEC 2)
U. Memphis
3. UCF (Big 12 2)
U. Florida St.
2. Providence (Big East 2)
U. LSU

1. Villanova (Big East 1)
U. Washington
4. Virginia Tech
U. VCU
3. Ohio St. (Big Ten 2)
U. Loyola Chicago
2. Pittsburgh (ACC 2)
U. SMU

1. New Mexico
U. Minnesota
4. Oregon (Pac-12 2)
U. San Francisco
3. Utah (Pac-12 1)
U. UNLV
2. Kansas St.
U. Syracuse

1. Mississippi St. (SEC 1)
U. NC State
4. Butler
U. Indiana
3. Cincinnati (Big 12 1)
U. Boston College
2. Iowa (Big Ten 1)
U. Bradley

Can Bradley basketball make the NIT? Here's what we know about BU's chances in 2024--Peoria Journal Star

Halli Poock named to Missouri Valley All-Freshman Team and All-Conference Third Team--bradleybraves.com

Drake women's basketball player Katie Dinnebier named MVC Player of the Year--Des Moines Register
Dinnebier Wins Jackie Stiles Player of the Year to Highlight Bulldogs' All-Conference Honors--godrakebulldogs.com
Women's Basketball Preview: Hoops in the Heartland--godrakebulldogs.com

Thomas named to MVC All-Freshman Team--gopurpleaces.com
Aces women’s basketball ends season with 85-64 loss to Illinois State--gopurpleaces.com

Illinois State women cruise past Evansville in MVC Tournament opener--The Pantagraph
DeAnna Wilson highlights three All-MVC honors for ISU women's basketball--The Vidette
ISU women's basketball rolls to first-round win over No. 12 Evansville--The Vidette
Fast Start Leads Redbirds to Runaway Win in Tournament Opener--goredbirds.com

NCAA tournament bubble watch: Where things stand as conference tournaments heat up--USA TODAY

Missouri Valley
Indiana State
Record: 28-6 (17-3.) NET: 29. Quad 1 record: 1-4.
Indiana State’s regular season is over after a disappointing loss to Drake in the Missouri Valley title game. So now the question is whether the Sycamores have a good enough resume to get in. The NET ranking is nice, but it doesn’t really have any impressive wins. Teams ahead of them will need to likely collapse this week in order for Indiana State have hope.
Projection: Next four out.

Louisville coaching candidates: Scott Drew, Mick Cronin, Nate Oats among options to replace Kenny Payne--CBSSports.com

Josh Schertz, Indiana State coach
Indiana State won 26 games in the regular season and won the MVC with Schertz in his third year as coach at the Division I level, continuing on an upward trajectory from 11-20 in his first year and 23-13 last season. Schertz lacks for major college experience but was dominant as a coach for Division II Lincoln Memorial and has acquitted himself nicely already in a short time at this level running an up-tempo, 3-point heavy system that works and is wonderful to watch.

Female Sycamores bite dogs with payback in first-round offing--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Glanton’s career day powers Sycamores to opening round MVC Tournament win--gosycamores.com

DAILY DIRT – 3/14/24--HoopDirt

Early names at Missouri State include Kansas State assistant Rodney Perry and Northwest Missouri State head coach Ben McCollum. Working on more names here now.

Dana Ford makes first public comments since Missouri State basketball firing--Springfield News-Leader
What we're hearing about the Missouri State men's basketball coaching search--Springfield News-Leader

Stokes, Taylor Garner All-MVC Honors & Specialty Awards--missouristatebears.com