What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/27/2018

The Morning Dish – Thursday, December 27, 2018--Hoops HD

Missouri Valley: Drake and Indiana State not only have the best records, but they also have the best NET rankings and each finished well in a tournament as Drake won the Las Vegas Classic and Indiana State was runner-up in the Diamond Head Classic. Don’t sleep on Loyola, who may be turning a corner after starting slower than expected, or Southern Illinois, who is well-tested.

KenPom: The most likely contenders in all 32 conference races--The Athletic

MVC: Loyola-Chicago*, 57 percent; Southern Illinois, 20; Indiana State, 18; Drake, 16

Expectations are a cruel thing. Sure, Loyola isn’t playing like a Final Four team but it was always wishful thinking that the Ramblers would duplicate their magic from last March. They lost three players from last season’s seven-man rotation, and a fourth, Lucas Williamson, has played just seven games due to a broken hand. The fact that they’re still the pick to win their league says something about the program, even if an at-large bid has become unattainable.

Final 2018 Weekly Awards--Valley Hoops Insider
Four Hopes For the New Year--Valley Hoops Insider

Drake may be the top dog in an underwhelming-to-this-point Missouri Valley--Mid-Major Madness
Bracket Bits: An at-large outlook for mid-majors--Bracketville
Drake's Nick Norton nabs another Missouri Valley Conference weekly honor--Des Moines Register
Norton Named MVC Newcomer of the Week--godrakebulldogs.com

2018 College Hoops Year In Review: The 12 best dunks from the last 12 months--College Basketball Talk

3. Illinois State’s Madison Williams deserves to get a tech for this dunk

FILTHY! Madison Williams THROWS DOWN! Video courtesy ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/LeDVDO2lYN

— Matt McClain (@MattMcClain3) January 28, 2018

Court Report: From Sister Jean to UMBC to federal convictions, it's the college hoops 2018 year in review--CBS Sports

March 15: A Donte Ingram straightaway 3-pointer, feet flicked to the right -- just from the edge of the MARCH MADNESS logo, oh the poesy -- sets off an all-time story. Loyola-Chicago wins 64-62 over Miami in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

...
March 17: A legend starts to grow, but had Jordan Bone's 3 gone in for Tennessee in the second round, Loyola-Chicago doesn't become Loyola-Chicago. It didn't fall, though. Instead, Clayton Custer's winner a few seconds before was the jumping-off point for the Ramblers, who would beat Nevada in the Sweet 16 and Kansas State in the Elite Eight and conclude their run in the Final Four. Amid all of this, a 98-year-old nun would become one of the biggest sports-story sensations in America.

MVC Weekly MBB Notes (Dec. 26)--The Missouri Valley