What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/12/2025

Mid-major leagues getting multiple bids? Hubert Davis’ fate at UNC? College basketball mailbag--The Athletic

Is the two-bid Big West and three-bid West Coast Conference a reality or a doomed dream? What about a two-bid Missouri Valley Conference? — Benjamin H.

I would love all of these things, but the system is built for high-major teams to get in. It’s conceivable two Big West teams and two Missouri Valley teams get in if both Drake and UC San Diego were to lose in their conference tourneys. Drake, which has only two losses, is currently No. 57 in the NET with a 2-0 record in Quad 1. Typically for teams in the 50s to get in, they need strong resume numbers, and Drake is No. 35 in strength of record, No. 42 in KPI and No. 40 in wins above bubble. Indiana State had similar resume numbers last year and a No. 29 NET rating and did not get in, but maybe the Q1 results will help Drake. (The Sycamores were 1-4 in Q1.)

If we ever do get tournament expansion, I wish for a rule where a certain number of mid-majors are part of play-in games, and every regular-season champ that did not win its conference tournament is put in that pool. Everyone loves watching these teams play in March. It stunk not seeing Indiana State play in the NCAA Tournament in 2024. That team was a blast to watch and is also a perfect example of how a worthy mid-major team can get left out.

And when it comes to possible changes down the road, no one with power is actually going to be fighting for mid-majors, so I’m not holding my breath on a mid-major-friendly change. — CJ Moore, national college basketball writer

2/12/25 WEDNESDAY NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

Subscriber Content

First meeting between Drake and Illinois State went more or less as expected...

Missouri Valley Conference standings breakdown as we head towards Arch Madness--Busting Brackets
MVC/OVC Newcomers Rule--Valley Hoops Insider

Every Weekly Award Goes to First Year Players

(St. Louis, MO) – Newcomers rule the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conference weekly awards. Everyone of this week’s award winners is playing in his first season with his current team. League officials had to decide whether newcomers received ‘Player of the Week’ or ‘Newcomer of the Week’ honors.

Players of the Week

Belmont’s Tyler Lundblade exploded on the scene this week. The 6’5 junior walk on scored 25 points in a win over Bradley and then topped that by scoring 27 during a victory against Missouri State. This week’s MVC ‘Player of the Week’ connected on an incredible 17 of eighteen long distance shots. Lundblade’s nine triples against the Bears was the best Valley performance this year.
Newcomers Rule

Drake’s Bennett Stirtz is the runaway favorite to win the Valley’s ‘Player of the Year’ and ‘Newcomer of the Year’ and is this week’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’. The 6’4 junior averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds during the Bulldogs’ two victories. This is Stirtz’s second ‘Newcomer’ award. He’s claimed two ‘Player’ honors. Stirtz leads the Valley in scoring, assists and steals.
Rookie Winners

Valparaiso’s All Wright is now the MVC’s leading rookie, claiming his fourth ‘Freshman of the Week’ award. Wright’s career-high, 32 points against Indiana State, is a Valpo rookie record. Teammate Cooper Schwieger is the reigning ‘Freshman of the Year’.

Women’s college basketball bubble watch: Predictions for crowded Big Ten race to tournament--The Athletic

Mid-majors

Locks: None

Projected in: Albany, Ball State, Belmont, Columbia, Fairfield, Fairleigh Dickinson, FGCU, Gonzaga, Harvard, Hawaii, Grand Canyon, James Madison, Lehigh, Lindenwood, Middle Tennessee, Montana State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina-Greensboro, Radford, Richmond, Purdue-Fort Wayne, South Dakota State, Southeastern Louisiana, Texas Southern, UNLV, UTSA

On the bubble: Drake, George Mason, Green Bay, Missouri State, Murray State, Northern Arizona, Portland, Princeton, St. Joseph’s, South Florida

Team Record Net SOS Quad 1 Quad 2

Drake

15-8

74

117

0-2

0-3

Missouri State

18-5

72

240

0-1

1-0

Murray State

14-5

60

106

0-2

1-2

Tyler Lundblade’s three-pointers push Belmont past Missouri State--Main Street Media of Tennessee
Tyler Lundblade Named MVC Player of the Week--belmontbruins.com
Men's Basketball Falls at Valparaiso--belmontbruins.com

Holmes, Perry Named Trane Student-Athletes of the Month for February--belmontbruins.com
Bruins Return to the Curb, Welcome Northern Iowa Thursday Evening--belmontbruins.com

Bradley Successful Sustainability--Valley Hoops Insider
'A helluva team': Bradley Braves hit 14 3-pointers to put away Southern Illinois, 78-64--Peoria Journal Star
‘No one else matters; all we have is that locker room’: Braves bounce back after three-game skid--The Bradley Scout
Bradley to host Southern Illinois on Wednesday Night--bradleybraves.com
Almar Atlason named Busey Bank Scholar-Athlete of the Week--bradleybraves.com

Bradley WBB looks to turn things around at Evansville--bradleybraves.com

Men’s College Basketball Viewing Guide: Wednesday, February 12, 2025--Blogging the Bracket

Mid- and Late Evening ET

(57) Drake at (113) Illinois State, 9 (MVC TV/ESPN+ ($))

While fans of bubble teams are undoubtedly aware to keep an eye on what transpires in CoMo, Columbus, Fayetteville, and Providence, they should also pay attention to 22-2 Drake’s trip to Normal and UNM’s home game against Wyoming. Both the Bulldogs and Lobos are well-positioned to earn at-large bids should they fail to win the Valley and Mountain West auto bids—with Drake’s case helped significantly by Kansas State’s six-game win streak, which has vaulted the Wildcats into the bubble conversation.

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Wednesday, Feb 12th--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-DRAKE AT ILLINOIS STATE (Missouri Valley). It’s what we always say about Drake. If they win out then they will likely get selected.

NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch 2025: What will it take to reach March Madness?--Heat Check CBB

Others

Deadbolt lock: None.
Safely in the field: Memphis
Some perspiration: None
Double the deodorant: VCU, UC San Diego, Drake, UC Irvine, George Mason
Not dead yet: North Texas, Dayton
Drake Bulldogs

Ben McCollum’s first season at Drake has been a resounding success. Sans a two-game losing streak to Illinois Chicago and Murray State in early January, the Bulldogs are undefeated — while also owning neutral-site wins over high-major opponents Vanderbilt and Kansas State that are in the bank and earning some interest lately. The aforementioned two-game skid is tough to overcome, as is just a No. 83 ranking in BPI, but the rest of Drake’s resume is pretty clean. Although 17 of the Bulldogs’ 20 wins are in Quadrants 3 and 4, they have taken advantage of the few opportunities on their schedule. The Bulldogs have only played two Quadrant 1 games but won both. They also rank top 40 in all three resume metrics. The safer route is obviously to win the MVC auto-bid but Drake has a legit at-large case. The Bulldogs also still have two more Quadrant 2 games left on the schedule: at UNI and at Illinois State.