What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 3/1/2018

Saturday Notes – February 24, 2018--Hoopville

Evansville 75, Southern Illinois 44: The Salukis were chasing Loyola for the top spot in the Missouri Valley, so this blowout was quite a surprise.

Conference tourney previews (Part 1 of 2)--Hoops HD

MVC tourney predicted champ: Loyola Chicago (#1 seed)
Dates: March 1-4
Location: St. Louis, MO
Last year’s tourney champ: Wichita State (#2 seed)
Fun fact: only 2 champs from past 9 years who are still in this conference are Indiana State/Northern Iowa (Creighton/Wichita State both left after winning a pair of titles)
Seeding: each of past 16 champs were top-4 seed
Wichita State is now part of the AAC so the only “Shocker” will be if the Sycamores/Panthers win this tourney yet again because they are both giving newcomer Valpo company in the conference’s bottom tier. Loyola Chicago stumbled into conference play by losing 2 of their 1st 3 games, but their only other loss since early January was by 2 PTS on the road at Bradley. The Ramblers are 6-0 against the other top-4 seeds (Drake/Illinois State/Southern Illinois) so I expect Coach Porter Moser’s team to make a smooth transition from Arch Madness to March Madness. They have experience (2 seniors/2 juniors in the starting 5) and they make threes (7 different players shooting 35+ 3P%), so perhaps their road win at Florida in December was not as much of a fluke as originally thought.

MVC Awards picks for the 2017-18 season--The Catch and Shoot
Missouri Valley Tournament bracket: Arch Madness is Loyola’s to lose--Mid-Major Madness
Missouri Valley basketball: 2018 Conference Tournament preview--Busting Brackets
Voices of the Valley Returns With Full Force – Update # 2--Valley Hoops Insider
Securing Their Positions--Valley Hoops Insider
Missouri Valley All Conference Team--Valley Hoops Insider
Custer Is Player of the Year--Valley Hoops Insider

Four Bradley Braves earn MVC honors--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley’s Brown still sidelined--Peoria Journal Star
Southern, Indiana State players earn Valley awards--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley ‘not planning on’ Darrell Brown playing Friday--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley, Drake meet in tournament for a record 13th time--Peoria Journal Star
LISTEN: Arch Madness and the Commish--Peoria Journal Star
Braves Meet Drake in MVC Quarterfinals--bradleybraves.com
Thomas and Brown Land on All-MVC Team--bradleybraves.com
Braves Open Arch Madness on Friday versus Drake--bradleybraves.com

Women's Basketball Falls At UNI 63-50--bradleybraves.com

What we learned: Drake women’s basketball 80, Illinois State 64--Des Moines Register
Drake, Northern Iowa combine for three on Missouri Valley all-conference teams--Des Moines Register
Timmer Named First Team All-MVC--godrakebulldogs.com
McGlynn and Woodward Named to All-MVC Specialty Teams--godrakebulldogs.com
Timmer Aims To Add To Historic Season--godrakebulldogs.com

Women’s Basketball Defeats Illinois State, 80-64, in Regular Season Home Finale--godrakebulldogs.com
Hittner named MVC Women's Basketball Player of the Week--godrakebulldogs.com
Women’s Basketball Set for Final Week of Regular Season--godrakebulldogs.com

ISU looks for confidence in practice ahead of MVC tourney--The Pantagraph
ISU's Yarbrough thinks of father while earning MVC Newcomer of the Year--The Pantagraph
ISU ready to ride momentum in St. Louis--Vidette Online
Yarbrough named to First Team All-Conference, Fayne Second Team--Vidette Online
Yarbrough wins MVC Newcomer of the Year award--Vidette Online
Vidette Sports likes Loyola at Arch Madness--Vidette Online
Redbird Basketball Set for 2018 Arch Madness--goredbirds.com
Milik Yarbrough Named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year--goredbirds.com
Milik Yarbrough Named First Team All-Conference; Fayne Second Team--goredbirds.com

Drake extends MVC streak to 38, rolls ISU women--The Pantagraph
Second Half Surge Not Enough for Redbirds--goredbirds.com

O'Neal's clutch fourth quarter helps ISU hang on, move into tie for fourth place--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Trio of Sycamores make All-MVC teams--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Qiydar Davis Hits Game Winner As Sycamores Earn No. 6 Seed At Arch Madness--The Statesman
Sycamores Pick Up Postseason Missouri Valley Conference Honors--gosycamores.com
Jordan Barnes Named MVC's Most Improved Player--gosycamores.com
Sycamores Heading To Arch Madness For Friday Night Battle With Illinois State--gosycamores.com

Sycamore seniors play key role in recent surge, enjoy memorable home finale--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Indiana State looks to keep momentum--The Statesman
Sycamores Win on Senior Day, 74-67--gosycamores.com
Sycamores Battle Salukis for Fourth Place Thursday--gosycamores.com

Bubble Tracker: These 5 former fringe teams will be the most dangerous in March Madness--USA Today

Loyola-Chicago (Out for now)

► Profile: 24-5 (15-3) 33 RPI, 131 SoS, 267 NonCon SoS

The Good: Wins vs. Florida, Illinois State (twice), Southern Illinois
The Bad: Losses to Milwaukee, Indiana State

Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings: It’s Champ Week, guys--Mid-Major Madness

Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings: Week 15

RANK    TEAM            RECORD  LAST WEEK       POINTS
...
12      Loyola Chicago  25-5    14              124

Week 1 Conference Tournament Picks--CBB Central

Missouri Valley:
Champions: Loyola-Chicago

Loyola-Chicago is a team I’ve had the pleasure to cover 3 times this season, and to me they are one of the most dangerous mid-majors in the country. In fact, I voted for them in the most recent Rockin’ 25 poll. They are athletic, space you out on defense, and have the best player in The Valley in Clayton Custer along with the league’s best freshman Cameron Krutwig. With Custer in the lineup, the Ramblers have been virtually unstoppable in MVC play, and with the rest of the league not exactly being models of consistency, Loyola is a clear pick for me. That said, they’ll likely have to win Arch Madness to have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament, as their resume is quite thin beyond a great win at Florida along with a bad loss to Milwaukee when Custer was out.

Loyola is looking to add another banner to their collection, this time their first Missouri Valley crown. Photo: Kevin Sweeney/CBB Central