What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 1/29/2025

Men’s College Basketball Viewing Guide: Wednesday, January 29, 2025--Blogging the Bracket

MVC

(99) Northern Iowa at (66) Drake, 7 (MVC TV/ESPN+ ($))
(116) UIC at (63) Bradley, 8 (ESPN+ ($))

The second-place Bulldogs have won six in a row since dropping consecutive games to UIC and Murray State, while the Panthers sit a game back in third after winning four of their last five. Since dropping a seven-point decision to Drake on January 8th, the Braves are riding their own five-game winning streak, though the first of those victories came by a single point on the Flames’ home floor on January 11th.

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Wednesday, Jan 29th--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-NORTHERN IOWA AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). This is a rivalry game between a Drake team that I still think has a path to landing inside the bubble (albeit a narrow one), and a Northern Iowa team that hasn’t always played up to their potential, but is also potentially very dangerous when they do. This should be a fun one!

-UIC AT BRADLEY (Missouri Valley). Bradley needs to win out to get a serious look from the committee, and they’ve got a UIC team that’s red hot right now and that they do not want to overlook.

1/29/25 WEDNESDAY NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

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Another tough injury break for Northern Iowa, as they lost hyper athletic and versatile defender Leon Bond for the year. UNI’s defensive turnover rate drops nearly 5% with Bond off the floor (a big deal against Drake, who has a major turnover flaw, although it’s mostly self inflicted, as their live ball rate is actually very low with the lowest steal rate against in the Valley)...

Bracket Impact Games: Road opportunities for Texas, Xavier--Bracketville

Wednesday, Jan. 29 Bracket Impact

Northern Iowa at Drake Drake’s overall metrics suggest the Bulldogs must finish the season strong. At home, this is a Quad 3 game Drake needs to win to stay in the thick of the bubble picture.

Wednesday, Jan. 29	Bracket Impact
Northern Iowa at Drake	Drake’s overall metrics suggest the Bulldogs must finish the season strong. At home, this is a Quad 3 game Drake needs to win to stay in the thick of the bubble picture.

Kings of the North--Valley Hoops Insider