Primarily a collection of news links about all 12 Missouri Valley League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
ILLINOIS STATE
The Redbirds return a host of key personnel, and one could make a solid case that ISU is the Missouri Valley’s most talented team.
Key NC games: Georgia, BYU, San Diego State, Ole Miss, Central Florida (UCF)
Takeaway: UCF is the headliner; the Knights should challenge Cincinnati for the American title. BYU and San Diego State are potential NCAA contenders, too. Although projected as lower-tier SEC squads, Georgia and Ole Miss are still Power 5 squads. Can the Redbirds finish those five at 3-2? A 4-1 finish would be even more noteworthy.
LOYOLA-CHICAGO
The Ramblers return Clayton Custer, the league’s MVP, but will need a few new faces to step-up if they want to repeat last year’s success.
Key NC games: Richmond, Nevada, Ball State, Maryland, Saint Joseph’s
Takeaway: The obvious game-changer is Nevada. Next in line are Maryland and Saint Joseph’s, both of whom figure to be at-large contenders. While Richmond and Ball State may not move the needle, the outcomes remain important pieces of the team’s overall profile. Assuming there are limited potholes, a 3-2 mark against this slate appears important. Then again, more is better.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Be careful about sleeping on the Salukis, who quietly finished second in the Valley a year ago. SIU is a veteran squad with some overlooked talent.
Key NC games: Kentucky, Buffalo (twice), Massachusetts, Saint Louis, Murray State
Takeaway: In the first week of the season, SIU travels to Kentucky and plays Buffalo, the favorite to win another Mid-American title. In between a second date with the Bulls, the Salukis’ best opportunity comes against Saint Louis, an early contender for the Atlantic 10 crown. Massachusetts and Murray State are noteworthy but neither figures to be a deciding factor. Beating UK in Lexington seems unlikely, so the question becomes: can the Salukis split with Buffalo and take out Saint Louis?
Loyola-Chicago, the Final Four Cinderella, is the preseason pick to come out of the Valley. But I'm rolling with Dan Muller and Illinois State, a program that has a bona fide star in Milik Yarbrough. If he can stay on the straight and narrow, the Redbirds are going to be a factor in both the MVC and the Big Dance.
The star of last year's NCAA tournament darlings, Custer won't sneak up on anyone as a senior. The uber-efficient, 6-1 point guard is the best offensive weapon on a team that finished last season ranked 17th nationally in defensive efficiency. pic.twitter.com/WQiBcLzdFd
Bracketed Myrtle Beach Invitational Games
Takeaway
WVU will play two “bracketed” games in Conway, SC. Their opening match is with the winner of Valparaiso/Western Kentucky. Ideally both the tournament organizers and WVU would like a face off with either St. Joe’s from the A10 or Wake Forest in the final match up. I would think WVU would be favored against basically anyone on this field though.
Valparaiso Crusaders
Last Season
15-17 (6-12); 10th place MVC
Predicted Conference Finish
6th
Record vs WVU all-time
1-0
Key Players
Bakari Evelyn
Takeaway
This is part of an “unbracketed” game in the Myrtle Beach Invitational, but unlike the game with Monmouth, will be played in Morgantown. The Crusaders are one of the original “Cinderellas” and have consistently been a top mid-major program, but a change in coaches (this is the home of the Drew family of coaches) and a move from the Horizon League to the much tougher Missouri Valley saw Valpo have its worth season since 2009-10.
Today on the show, Brad and Kevin break down the other 25 conferences they won’t get a chance to do full previews on. Significant time will be spent on the A10 (9:25), Mountain West (25:40), WCC (38:30), and Missouri Valley (45:07) and we’ll also hit on some of the best of the rest and try to get to as many conferences as we can without talking for too long.
Hello again to Porter Moser, Sister Jean and Loyola (Chicago), last year’s Final Four surprise . The Ramblers were only three points behind No. 25 Washington, putting them just outside the poll.
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Others receiving votes: Loyola of Chicago 162
Loyola-Chicago? A Cinderella? Sounds familiar, huh? An NCAA Tournament run in 2019 would be far less shocking than its Final Four run last March, however. The Ramblers have a top-15 point guard in Clayton Custer, and expectations of being the MVC's best team. There's already a seat with Sister Jean's name on it somewhere at the Final Four site (probably). Don't be surprised if they're back in the mix again come March, though their inclusion into the field of 68 come Selection Sunday is more expected than conference foe Illinois State.
Underrated: Loyola-Chicago (Not ranked). The Ramblers shocked the nation last March by winning four NCAA tournament games to reach the Final Four as an underdog mid-major. While the Ramblers lose two starters from last year’s storybook team, they also return three of their best players that fit with coach Porter Moser’s floor-spacing offense. Guard Clayton Custer is the reigning Missouri Valley player of the year and slimmed-down big man Cameron Krutwig is poised for a breakout season. The Ramblers will have an early opportunity to make some noise with a Nov. 27 matchup against No. 9 Nevada, a team it bounced in the Sweet 16.
The Hy-Vee Classic is dying after this year - Iowa killed it by being the first to pull out - so I expect this game to be as meaningful as it’s ever been. Iowa pasted the Panthers during their last meeting and return two starters from that game: Spencer Haldeman and Juwan McCloud. While both saw their minutes dwindle as the season progressed, Haldeman more by choice and McCloud because of injury, they and the Iowans on the Panther roster will want to go out of the series a winner.
• Saluki women play three OVC opponents: The SIU women's basketball team plays three OVC opponents this season, beginning with the season opener at Tennessee-Martin Nov. 9.
The Salukis also play Southeast Missouri State at home Nov. 14 and Murray State in Kentucky on Dec. 18. The Redhawks were picked fifth in the OVC preseason poll, while Murray State was picked last.
Tennessee-Martin received three first-place votes and was second in the preseason poll behind Belmont (20 first-place votes). Sophomore forward Chelsey Perry, one of two starters returning from last year's team that played in the WNIT, averaged 11.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. Senior guard Emaye Robertson (10.9 ppg., 4.4 apg.) also returns for the Skyhawks.
As noted above the Ramblers reached the program’s first Final Four since 1963 last season, knocking off Miami, Tennessee, Nevada and Kansas State on the way to San Antonio. Porter Moser will have to account for the loss of two double-digit scorers (Donte Ingram and Aundre Jackson) and the Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year (Ben Richardson) from that team, but reigning Valley Player of the Year Clayton Custer is back as are fellow starters Marques Townes and Cameron Krutwig.
Sophomore Lucas Williamson and junior Bruno Skokna will need to take a step forward after serving as supplementary options last season, but the Ramblers’ ability to defend and share the ball on the other end of the floor should serve them well. Will it be enough to cause some mayhem in the NCAA tournament for a second straight year? That’s the question, especially with their top challengers in the Valley having improved.
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RETURNING TALENT
Harvard
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Southern Illinois
All five starters return from a team that won 20 games and finished second in the Missouri Valley last season, led by seniors Armon Fletcher (14.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Sean Lloyd Jr. (12.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Kaivon Pippen (12.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg). The experience stands to serve Southern Illinois well in what projects to be a tighter Valley race than a season ago, which Loyola won by four games.
Two things to keep an eye on regarding the Salukis: what senior center Thik Bol can give them off the bench after missing all of last season due to a knee injury, and how they perform in close games. Ten of SIU’s 18 regular season conference games were decided by six points or less, with the Salukis winning eight. Will that good fortune carry over? Or better yet, can Barry Hinson’s team do enough to cut down on the number of close games it has to play? Either way, this sets up to be a good season for Southern Illinois.
Illinois State was a bit disappointing last year, finishing 18–15. And they play in the really tough Missouri Valley Conference, with Loyola-Chicago and Southern Illinois. But this team is high on talent. Milik Yarbrough was first-team all conference last season, averaging 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. He's a sleeper All-America candidate, though his status to open the season is uncertain after being suspended following a September arrest. Phil Fayne was second-team all-MVC, averaging 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. There are four starters returning, and a lot of seniors. The Redbirds will have to get past Loyola, but there isn't a more dynamic player in the conference than Yarbrough.
Save for Cassius Winston, nobody -- not even Carsen Edwards or Lindell Wigginton -- shot better from the 3-point line than Loyola-Chicago's Clayton Custer. He put up outside shots at a 45.1 percent clip, and more astounding, made 52.8 percent of his field goals. Add in his efficient 24.8 percent assist rate and reliable every-night scoring, and you've got a top-5 player at the position.
The Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge brings us a Sweet 16 rematch of two of March’s biggest surprises. Both teams lost a pair of starters from that game, which the Ramblers won 69–68, but return key pieces. Loyola-Chicago brings back Clayton Custer, Marques Townes and big man Cameron Krutwig, while Nevada could enter this matchup ranked in the top 10. But if we learned anything in March, it’s to never count out the Ramblers, who will have home court advantage.
5. What Will Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean Do for an Encore?
The Ramblers, and by extension Sister Jean, the nun who served as their No. 1 supporter and turned 99 years old over the summer, were the darlings of the 2018 NCAA tournament—and that was before they improbably made a run to the Final Four. The magic of that journey may be over, but don’t expect Loyola-Chicago to fade back into obscurity. Three of its starters and double-digit scorers are back: Clayton Custer, the Ramblers’ leader (and leading scorer), Marques Townes, whose dagger three helped sink Nevada in the Sweet 16, and Cameron Krutwig, who as a freshman went toe-to-toe with Michigan’s Moritz Wagner in the Final Four, scoring 17. —MG
With Creighton and Wichita State seeking out greener pastures, Missouri State is well positioned to compete year-in and year-out in the Missouri Valley Conference. Ford, 34, engineered a quick turnaround at Tennessee State before things started teetering in Years 3 and 4, but he’s well regarded and would seem set up to succeed in an area the Illinois State graduate and one-time Wichita State assistant knows well.
Location: Gentile Arena in Chicago (Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge)
Speaking of rousing rematches from last season, does a Sweet 16 do-over sound intriguing? How about one that featured 137 total points, a go-ahead bucket in the final seconds, and a roller coaster of a ride that included a nearly-epic comeback? We're running that one back on Nov. 27 when Loyola-Chicago -- the Cinderella of the 2018 NCAA Tournament -- rematches with Nevada. This time around, Nevada may be in for some payback. The Wolf Pack are loaded with talent, and come in at No. 6 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). Loyola isn't far off though. It could be a preseason top 25 squad.
