The Other Top 25: Dayton becomes new No. 1 heading into new year--Mid-Major Madness
The Other Top 25: Dec. 30, 2024
| Ranking |
Team (First Place Votes) |
Points |
Previous |
|
| 6 |
Drake |
77 |
5 |
| 17 |
Bradley |
34 |
21 |
|
|
|
|
Notable stories and moments from 2024--Mid-Major Madness
Arch Madness puts on a show
Indiana State-Drake Round III was an instant classic in the Missouri Valley
championship game. The Bulldogs prevailed 84-80 over the Sycamores.
Drake went on to claim a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament, where it fell to
Washington State. Darian and Tucker DeVries left for West Virginia. Indiana
State fell on the wrong side of the bubble and went to the NIT, where the
Sycamores ran all the way to the title game. Josh Schertz, Robbie Avila and
Isaiah Swope all moved over to Saint Louis in the offseason.
Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Monday, Dec 30th--Hoops HD
NEWS AND NOTES:
-Drake rolled past Belmont 65-46. It was never even a game. It may not be
their most impressive win of the season on paper, but Belmont is still a
pretty good team and for Drake to beat them that handily is certainly a
statement. They remain unbeaten, and I guess we’ll have to wait until this
afternoon to see if this was enough to put them in the top 25.
Men's Basketball Falls at [rv/rv] Drake--belmontbruins.com
Women's Hoops Begins MVC Play with Home Victory Over Bradley--belmontbruins.com
Bradley basketball vs Valpo: Story, pics, highlights, interviews from Braves 81-75 win in 2 OT--Peoria Journal Star
WATCH: Bradley's Duke Deen sinks incredible halftime buzzer-beater from opposite foul line--Peoria Journal Star
Braves outshine Beacons in double overtime thriller--The Bradley Scout
Bradley prepares for road trip to Indiana State, following home win over Valparaiso--bradleybraves.com
Braves drop first conference game to Belmont--bradleybraves.com
AP men’s basketball Top 25: UCLA, Memphis rise, Tennessee remains on top as
2025 begins--The Athletic
AP Top 25: Dec. 30
Drake makes its debut on my ballot
Drake is another team that the metrics don’t love — No. 68 at KenPom, No. 61
at Torvik and No. 67 at EvanMiya — but some preseason bias is still weighing
those rankings down. (Drake started at 133 at KenPom.) Drake also plays
low-possession games and often does just enough to win. But the resume is
impressive, especially for a mid-major team. The Bulldogs have three wins
over high-majors (Miami,
Vanderbilt
and
Kansas State) and are one of four remaining unbeaten teams in Division I.
This is one of the best stories in the sport. Ben McCollum won four national
championships at Northwest Missouri State and is one of the most-respected
coaches in the sport, and once he finally got his Division I shot, he
brought four of his D-II players with him as starters. They play great
defense, are extremely patient offensively and rarely make mistakes. It’s a
team that you appreciate more the more you watch, and Sunday’s 65-46 win
over a solid
Belmont
team was another clinic. I was with Drake behind the scenes a few weeks ago
against Kansas State and will have something coming on this group soon.
Drake men's basketball beats Belmont to improve to 12-0--Des Moines Register
Dominant Defense Guides Drake Past Belmont, 65-46--godrakebulldogs.com
Bulldogs Trounce Evansville in MVC Opener--godrakebulldogs.com
Dinnebier Collects Third Consecutive MVC Player of the Week Honor--godrakebulldogs.com
UE basketball finds the required defensive effort in victory over Missouri State--Evansville Courier & Press
Men’s basketball defeats Missouri State in MVC showdown--gopurpleaces.com
Aces women's basketball drops MVC opener to Drake--gopurpleaces.com
Runner named MVC Freshman of the Week following Valley opener--gopurpleaces.com
Nine takeaways from Illinois State basketball's matchup with Illinois-Chicago--The Pantagraph
Illinois State men’s basketball unable to extinguish the UIC Flames--The Vidette
Cold Shooting Redbirds Drop Final Game of Calendar Year--goredbirds.com
Murray State finishes strong to defeat Illinois State women--The Pantagraph
Dowell’s season high in points is not enough against Murray State in conference opener--The Vidette
Redbirds Fall in MVC Opener at Murray State--goredbirds.com
ISU's strong first half not enough in loss at Ohio State--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
ISU's Derek Vorst has homecoming moment vs. OSU in his home state--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores set for New Year's showdown with Bradley--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Big Ten's Buckeyes beat Sycamores in non-conference finale--gosycamores.com
Daughtry named GoGo Squeez ISU Student-Athlete of the Week--gosycamores.com
ISU women fall to UNI in MVC home opener--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Panthers outlast Sycamores in 2024-25 MVC opener--gosycamores.com
Year in Review: Springfield area top sports storylines of 2024--Springfield News-Leader
Osei-Bonsu Tallies Double-Double as Bears Fall at Evansville--missouristatebears.com
Bears Back Home Wednesday to Tussle with Valpo--missouristatebears.com
Lady Bears Fall in Conference Opener at UIC--missouristatebears.com
Back To The Valley - Racers Host Redbirds--goracers.com
Murray State women's basketball pulls away in second half to win MVC opener over Illinois State--WPSD Local 6
Racer women outlast Illinois State--Murray Ledger and Times
Episode 230: It's the 'Ride Home' after Murray State's 91-80 win over Illinois State--Racer Basketball
Poock leads Racers past Redbirds, 91-80--Racer Basketball
Episode 231: Here's your Monday morning 'Fast Break'--Racer Basketball
Racer 'growth' leads to Illinois State win--Racer Basketball
Racers End 2024 on a High Note, Start MVC Play with a Win--goracers.com
UNI men’s basketball picks up MVC win at home--Cedar Rapids Gazette
College Men's Basketball: Huge run lifts UNI past Southern Illinois--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Panther men’s hoops rides second half surge to win over SIU--unipanthers.com
UNI men’s basketball hosts Belmont on New Year’s Day--unipanthers.com
Tytan Anderson named MVC Player of the Week--unipanthers.com
SIU MEN’S BASKETBALL UNI 78, SIU 67--Dawg Bites
BOX SCORE UNI 78, SIU 67--Dawg Bites
Salukis unable to match UNI’s pace, fall to Panthers--The Daily Egyptian
Recap | Salukis Fall to Northern Iowa in Road Matchup, 78-67--siusalukis.com
SIU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VALPARAISO 69, SIU 51--Dawg Bites
Recap | Women's Basketball Falls at Valparaiso, 69-51--siusalukis.com
Men's Basketball Digs Deep for Gritty 73-67 Valley Win at Illinois State--uicflames.com
Sophomore Forward Sasa Ciani Named MVC Newcomer of the Week--uicflames.com
Flames Open Missouri Valley Conference Play With 69-62 Home Victory Over Missouri State--uicflames.com
Valpo Nipped by MVC Preseason Favorite Bradley in Double Overtime Thriller--valpoathletics.com
Valpo to Ring in New Year on Wednesday in Springfield--valpoathletics.com
Women’s Basketball Locks Down in MVC-Opening Win Over SIU--valpoathletics.com
MVC MBB Weekly Notebook (12.30.24)--The Missouri Valley
MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook (December 30)--The Missouri Valley
