What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/19/2026

Changes coming for Arch Madness?--The Victory Bell

Before the break, Racers women's basketball focused on building chemistry--WPSD Local 6

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/18/2026

Bradley basketball secures another commitment from the Wardle family--Peoria Journal Star

Wierzba Adds Nine Newcomers for 2026-27 Season--gopurpleaces.com

Oregon Basketball Adds First Home Game of Non-Conference Schedule--Sports Illustrated

Nick Sullivan Joins Valpo Men’s Basketball Coaching Staff, Sean Taylor Promoted--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/17/2026

THE SPORTING LIFE: Are MVC presidents really going to ruin Arch Madness?--Southern Illinoisan

Illinois State men's basketball fills coaching staff with Julian Sullinger--The Pantagraph
Redbirds' Slay departs Bloomington-Normal for Cincinnati--The Vidette
Men’s Basketball Adds Julian Sullinger as Assistant Coach--goredbirds.com

Former Sycamore Camp Wagner commits to play at UC San Diego--Terre Haute Tribune-Star

Coffey latest Lynx newcomer thriving under former ISU coach Cheryl Reeve--Terre Haute Tribune-Star

SIU's Jalen Haynes: The one who stayed--Southern Illinoisan

Valpo Men's Basketball to Travel to The Bahamas for Summer Exhibition Tour at Baha Mar Resort--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/16/2026

Evansville vs Southern Indiana men's basketball game set for November--Evansville Courier & Press
Purple Aces to Face USI in River City Classic at Ford Center--gopurpleaces.com

ISU extends Nathan Christensen's contract as Sycamore AD--Terre Haute Tribune-Star

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/14/2026

Redbirds hire Duquesne assistant Julian Sullinger--The Vidette

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/12/2026

Craig Snow steps down from Evansville men's basketball coaching staff--Evansville Courier & Press

Harrisburg's Jamisen Green signs with SIU--Southern Illinoisan
Harrisburg Local Green Joins Women's Basketball--siusalukis.com

Changing the story--The Victory Bell

Jackson Appointed to Division I Men's Basketball Committee--Missouri Valley

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/11/2026

Racer men's basketball back on the hardwood for summer workouts--WPSD Local 6

Restarting from the bottom--The Victory Bell

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/10/2026

Bulldog Women's Basketball Adds Graduate Assistant Dylan Hurley to Staff--godrakebulldogs.com

Nate Green's No. 4 heading to Hulman Center rafters--Terre Haute Tribune-Star

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/9/2026

Nate Green to have Indiana State Men’s Basketball jersey retired on December 6--gosycamores.com

Matt Crenshaw Named UIC Women’s Basketball Associate Head Coach--uicflames.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/8/2026

Murray State signee Nikolic wraps up run in 2026 Adidas Eurocamp--WPSD Local 6

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/7/2026

Mid-Major Madness Mailbag: What are the destination mid-major arenas?--Mid-Major Madness

If you had to pick 5 current mid major coaches that you believe are bound for top jobs within the next 5-8 years, who would be those 5?

I don’t want the obvious answers, I want a real thoughtful 5. Not guys like Schertz, I want under the radar guys.

— CamSports🌊🏝️ (@CamSportsHQ) June 3, 2026

Lance Hartzler: I generally agree with Sam, especially on this stance; I prefer to avoid framing my beloved mids as stepping-stone gigs. I’ll slightly reframe the question as well: my top five under-the-radar / not-talked-enough-about coaches… Jace Coburn (Portland State; was in the running for the Arizona State gig before Randy Bennett was hired), Alex Pribble (Idaho; led Idaho to the NCAA Tournament last season), Kaleb Canales (Weber State), Brian Wardle (Bradley), and Joe Pasternack (UC Santa Barbara).

Ian Sacks: Eric Olen (New Mexico) and Bob Richey (Furman) are my first two picks here. They’ve both made immediate impacts and are rising stars. Ben Jacobson (Utah State) is another name to keep an eye on. There’s something in the water in Logan, Utah, and he’ll be the next to find that out. Phil Martelli Jr. (VCU) has had a bunch of success at both Bryant and VCU. Ryan Miller (Murray State) is someone else to keep in mind. Showed a lot of promise in his first year as a head coach. Alisa Kresge (Richmond) is a name to know on the women’s side. She took over as the leader of the Spiders after a successful stint with Vermont and was a baller at Marist.

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/5/2026

Potential major changes for Arch Madness?--Southern Illinoisan

ISU announces nonconference basketball schedule--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Men's basketball releases 2026-27 non-conference schedule--gosycamores.com

Former Panthers Ahelegbe, Sweeney squaring off in NBA Finals--unipanthers.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/4/2026

Drake Men's Basketball Announces Five Additions to Roster--godrakebulldogs.com

French guard Talis Soulhac signs with Murray State men's basketball--WPSD Local 6
French International Talis Soulhac Signs with Murray State Basketball--goracers.com

Panther men’s basketball signs Isaiah Johnson-Arigu--unipanthers.com

Boswell brings athleticism, versatility to SIU--siusalukis.com

Rocco Pagliocca Joins UIC Men’s Basketball for 2026-27 Season--uicflames.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/2/2026

Missouri Valley Men’s Basketball Breakout Candidates--Mid-Major Madness

Bradley Braves Offseason Review: New Faces, High Ceilings--Bracket Busters

Wierzba Announces Hiring of Three Assistant Coaches--gopurpleaces.com

Players back on campus and on the court for Murray State women's basketball--WPSD Local 6
French guard, Talis Soulhac, reportedly joining Murray State men's basketball--WPSD Local 6

College Men's Basketball: UNI adds game with Kansas to '26-27 schedule--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
UNI men’s hoops adds road contest at Kansas to 2026-27 slate--unipanthers.com

What's Up In The Horizon 6/1/2026

Women’s Basketball Tabs Virginia Stuart as Director of Operations--belmontbruins.com

Nico Yantko Named Top AD in America by Silver Waves Media--goracers.com

What's Up in The Missouri Valley 5/30/2026

Duce Paschal rounds out Indiana State basketball roster--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamore Basketball to play in 2026 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands--gosycamores.com

Racers men's basketball confirms matchup with Georgia Tech in Nashville--WPSD Local 6

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/29/2026

Racer Men’s Basketball Inks Pavle Nikolic--goracers.com
Men’s Basketball to Face Georgia Tech at Bridgestone Arena--goracers.com

Cooper returning to SIU Hoops, men add recruits--Southern Illinoisan

State of the Beacons--The Victory Bell

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/28/2026

Murray State men's basketball adds Pavle Nikolic, a 6'8 forward from Serbia--WPSD Local 6

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/27/2026

Projecting where the revamped Pac-12 will rank in college basketball's mid-major conference hierarchy--CBS Sports 

6. Missouri Valley

Top teams

95. Illinois Chicago
100. Murray State
104. Illinois State

Sub-200 teams: Southern Illinois, Evansville

Belmont would have been part of the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation had the field been at 76 teams in 2026. The Bruins suffered a stunning quarterfinal loss to Drake in the conference tournament, which dropped them to 26-6 and opened the door for Northern Iowa to claim the league's only bid to the Big Dance. Now Belmont's Casey Alexander (Kansas State) and UNI's Ben Jacobson (Utah State) are on to new gigs, leaving Illinois Chicago in prime position to capitalize during the season ahead.

The league's chances of sending multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament feel tenuous at best, but Murray State is another program heading in the right direction under ex-Creighton assistant Ryan Miller.

Vanderbilt women's basketball to play Belmont at Bridgestone Arena--Nashville Tennessean
Women’s Basketball to Play Vanderbilt at Bridgestone Arena on Friday, Dec. 18--belmontbruins.com

Cooper returning to SIU Hoops, men add recruits--Southern Illinoisan

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/23/2026

Redbirds Add Deng Garang for 2026-27--goredbirds.com

Eight Years, Five Coaches, Sustained Success: Ben Jacobson Is Ready to Carry the Torch at Utah State--Hoops HQ
UNI men’s basketball welcomes six to 2026 spring recruiting class--unipanthers.com

Eastern Wyoming Transfer Diaz Set to Join Women's Basketball--siusalukis.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/21/2026

Looking at the new MVC Coaching hires--Busting Brackets

Bradley basketball may have found the blueprint for surviving the modern era--Busting Brackets
10 Mid-Major Transfers Who Could Be Stars at the High-Major Level--Hoops HQ

7. Jaquan Johnson, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard, Bradley → Iowa State

Nicknamed “Bully” for his hard-nosed, physical style, Johnson and Iowa State are a match made in heaven. The reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year is heading to a program known for its consistent dominance on that end. With Tamin Lipsey out of eligibility, the Cyclones needed another lockdown perimeter defender to help maintain their identity. Johnson was among the best on the market.
The scrappy guard stepped into Bradley’s starting lineup last season and averaged 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 38.3 percent from three. Offense will be harder to come by for Johnson in the Big 12, especially given his lack of size, but his defense should earn him significant playing time on a team ranked No. 11 in Hoops HQ’s Never-Too-Early Top 25.

Bradley hires former OSF fundraising ace as general manager of basketball--Peoria Journal Star

Redbirds Sign Louie Semona for 2026-27--goredbirds.com

Three former Sycamores announce new destinations--Terre Haute Tribune-Star

Non-conference schedule gets more clear for Murray State men's basketball, highlighted by Indiana exhibition--WPSD Local 6

New contracts reveal more about Murray State women’s basketball schedule--WPSD Local 6

Eastern Wyoming Transfer Diaz Set to Join Women's Basketball--siusalukis.com