What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/1/2018

Missouri Valley preseason rankings: Will Loyola’s teamwork overcome Illinois State’s talent?--Mid-Major Madness
Ranking the MVC’s Non-Conference Schedules for 2018-19--Blogging The Bracket
College basketball rankings 2018-19: Where every team ranks in each state, from top to bottom--CBS Sports

Iowa
Iowa State

After an unavoidable step-back season, Cyclone fans are no doubt giddy and pumped to see their logo -- not an Iowa Hawkeye -- painted within state borders. Steve Prohm was able to keep sophomores Lindell Wigginton and Cam Lard on the program's path. There won't be many sophomore combos better than those two. Throw in senior wing Nick Weiler-Babb, a stat-stuffer extraordinaire, and this team's got NCAA tourney ambitions once again. Virginia transfer Marial Shayok's the X factor.

Iowa State
Iowa
Northern Iowa
Drake
...
Illinois
Illinois State

Last year Illinois fans got into a tizzy when I picked Illinois State to be better than the Illini. Guess what: It's going to be the case again. The Redbirds, in fact, are expecting to be better than Loyola-Chicago, too. They're picked as such here at CBS Sports. Dan Muller hopes to break through to the Big Dance after coming close multiple times in recent years.

Illinois State
Loyola-Chicago
Illinois
Southern Illinois
Bradley
DePaul
Northwestern
Illinois-Chicago
Northern Illinois
Eastern Illinois
Western Illinois
SIU-Edwardsville
Chicago State

Indiana
Indiana

The Hoosiers are no sure thing to be the best in Indiana, but the way things set up, Notre Dame, Purdue and Butler are reasonably clustered right behind IU. Romeo Langford steps in to play for Archie Miller in Bloomington. Indiana fans are praying this kid can bring a certain magic to this season, the kind of game-changing presence he had the past four years in high school.

Indiana
Notre Dame
Purdue
Butler
Ball State
Indiana State
Valparaiso
Purdue Fort Wayne
Evansville
IUPUI
...
Missouri
Saint Louis

Takes over the top spot in Missouri after Mizzou lost Jontay Porter for the season due to ACL and MCL tears. At SLU, Travis Ford brings in a touted freshman class, but it's the senior combo of Javon Bess and Drexel transfer Tramaine Isabell who will be the bell cows for a program seeking its first NCAA Tournament since 2014.

Saint Louis
Missouri
Missouri State
Southeast Missouri State
UMKC