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.
Drake’s roster may not look like last year’s. It’s a new coaching staff for
the Bulldogs. But the results are the same.
Ben McCollum’s team is 6-0 after claiming the Charleston Classic
championship this weekend. It skyrocketed into the top 10 of this week’s
Other Top 25.
The Bulldogs knocked off Miami 80-69 in the opening round on Thursday. They
defeated Florida Atlantic 75-63 one day later. Then in the title game, they
toppled Vanderbilt 81-70, which was win No. 400 in McCollum’s career. He is
now 400-91 over his 16 years leading a program.
Bennett Stirtz was named Tournament MVP after notching his first career
double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the title game.
Drake climbed into the top 40 in BartTorvik at 39. Over the past week, the
Bulldogs sit 26th in Torvik.
Three teams joined the rankings: Wichita State (18), Missouri State (T-23)
and Rhode Island (T-23). They replaced Colorado State, Saint Louis and
Charleston.
Below is the full ranking for this week:
The Other Top 25: Nov. 25, 2024
Ranking
Team (First Place Votes)
Points
Previous
T-8
Drake
67
T-22
13
Bradley
41
T-16
T-23
Missouri St.
16
NR
Others Receiving Votes:
McNeese St. 12; Columbia 10; Furman 9; Belmont 6; Santa Clara 6; Washington
St. 5; Oregon St. 4; Saint Louis 3; Florida Atlantic 3; George Mason 2,
Middle Tennessee 2; Kennesaw St. 2; Saint Joseph’s 1; Southern Utah 1
-Bradley is now 6-1 after beating Middle Tennessee 80-69 in the
Myrtle Beach Invitational. They are another team to keep an eye on.
-Last, but DEFINITELY not least, Drake is turning into one of the
more compelling stories in all of college basketball. They are now 6-0
on the year after beating Vanderbilt in the championship game of the
Charleston Classic. Drake lost their coach and all their starters from a
year ago and no one expected much out of them, especially since they
were rebuilding with predominantly nonD1 transfers. Well, I’m a
believer now!! 6-0 with wins over Miami FL, FAU, and Vanderbilt.
They’ve outperformed a lot of teams that are currently ranked in the top
25.
.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MISSOURI STATE VS BOSTON COLLEGE (Cayman Islands Classic). I wasn’t
big on either team coming into the year, but both have good records,
both managed good wins yesterday, and both have an opportunity to
continue to build momentum and add to their resumes today.
In his first season at Drake, Coach McCollum has the Bulldogs off to a
6-0 start that includes three victories at the Shriners Children’s
Charleston Classic this week. In their opener on Thursday, Drake
defeated Miami 80-69, marking the first time since 2017 that the
Bulldogs have knocked off an ACC opponent. Back in action the following
morning, Drake held Florida Atlantic, who had entered the matchup
averaging 94.8 points per game, to just 63 in a 75-63 victory. The
Bulldogs then claimed the title at the Charleston Classic on Sunday
night, taking down their second power conference opponent of the week in
an 81-70 triumph over Vanderbilt. The win was the 400th in Coach
McCollum’s career, as he had compiled an incredible record of 394-91 and
four National Championships across 15 seasons at DII Northwest Missouri
State. McCollum has continued winning with many of the same players
despite the fact that it is his first year with the program, as four of
his current starters came with him from Northwest Missouri State. His
Bulldogs will return to the floor on Saturday at home against Georgia
Southern.
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