What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Miissouri Valley 12/11/2017

My big weekend recap: Ball State, Portland Great, and Kansas hate--Mid-Major Madness

These teams were not:
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Missouri State: The Bears were rolling coming into this weekend. They had won seven in a row, including three victories over top-200 teams, and seemed to have re-established themselves as Missouri Valley favorites after a rough start. Then they lost to Oral Roberts. Yikes.
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Game of the Weekend:

Ball State 71 Valparaiso 70

How could it be anything but the Tayler Persons game (Part II)? Down two, with the ball, top of the key...

Notre Dame ✅
Valparaiso ✅

Tayler Persons takes down another in-state foe in dramatic fashion! (via @MACSports) pic.twitter.com/vqxnoWykH5
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) December 9, 2017

Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings: Loyola Chicago vaults into the top 10--Mid-Major Madness

As a general rule, if you’re 10-1 with a win at Florida, you can expect some love in our power rankings.

So that’s why Loyola Chicago jumped all the way from No. 20 to No. 9, and to be honest, the Ramblers have a case to be even higher.
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RANK    TEAM            RECORD  LAST WEEK POINTS
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7       Northern Iowa   8-2     9         194
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9       Loyola Chicago  10-1    20        151
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Also receiving votes: Ball State 29, Missouri State 24, Northern Kentucky 16, Western Kentucky 14, South Dakota 12, Murray State 10, Louisiana Tech 9, Penn 8, Louisiana 4, Iona 2, UC Santa Barbara 1.

Bad Weekend of Losses--Valley Hoops Insider
A Triple Double and More Weekly Stars--Valley Hoops Insider

Missouri Valley Conference

With Ryan Taylor out with an injury, Dru Smith has been stepping into the void. The Valley’s ‘Player of the Week‘ scored a career-high 25 points against Bowling Green and added 17 points in the Evansville’s (8-2) victory over Canisius. The 6’3 sophomore handed out 13 assists during the two Purple Aces’ wins.

Freshman center Cameron Krutwig continues to prove he truly belongs in the world of ‘big boy basketball’. The 6’9 Loyola pivot scored 14 points and hauled in eight rebounds in the Ramblers’ win over No. 5 Florida. This week’s ‘Newcomer of the Week‘ added 12 points and eight caroms in LUC’s Norfolk State conquest.

The Morning Dish – Monday, December 11, 2017--Hoopville

Tonight’s Menu

It’s the beginning of a light week with an appropriately light night.
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Minnesota hosts Drake (8 p.m.)

No. 14 Minnesota opens home stretch vs. Drake--CBS Sports
Murphy's double-double helps Gophers hold off Drake--CBS Sports
12/11 Big Ten Preview: Minnesota and Northwestern Return To Action--BT Powerhouse

Big Ten Game of the Day
-Drake Bulldogs at Minnesota Golden Gophers

Time/TV: 8:00PM ET (BTN)
KenPom Spread: Minnesota (-18)

As mentioned above, there’s little debating the national relevance of this game. Minnesota enters as an 18-point favorite and will be expected to cruise to victory. As long as the Golden Gophers don’t get upset, this game won’t be remembered for long.

However, considering that Minnesota is coming off two rough road losses, getting back on track at home will be vital. The team lost a winnable road game against Nebraska and then got smacked around by Arkansas. For a team with serious Big Ten title and second weekend NCAA Tournament hopes, those aren’t acceptable results. As such, putting them in the rear-view mirror is important.

Moreover, this is one of the few remaining opportunities for the Gophers to work on developing the team’s depth before the heart of Big Ten play begins. Outside of Isaiah Washington, Minnesota has struggled to find productive bench options. This is especially true in the frontcourt. If the Gophers can race out to a lead on Monday, perhaps Richard Pitino can give his bench some useful playing time.

For Drake, the two primary players to watch will be Nick McGlynn and Reed Timmer. Although McGlynn plays more limited minutes, he’s a monster on the boards and efficient offensively. Timmer is an excellent guard who can spread the ball out and takes his shots carefully. Checking these two will be Minnesota’s top priority.

Pick Against The Spread: Drake