What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/5/2025

8 key mid-majors to watch in month of February that could be Cinderellas in March--Busting Brackets

Bradley Braves 18-5, 9-3 in Missouri Valley

In his 10th year at Bradley, Brian Wardle has turned a team known for its defense into one of the better offensive teams in the country. The 18-5 Braves are one game behind Drake in the Missouri Valley and have been on a roll of late despite losing their second straight league game on Sunday, winning 10 of their last 13. The Braves score 79 points per game and are the 3rd best three-point shooting team in the country at 39.7%. They’re also 10th best in effective field goal percentage and top 60 in two-point percentage and don’t foul them because they shoot 79% from the charity stripe.

Leading scorer Duke Deen says about the Braves’ season so far, “We’ve stayed together, we’ve learned from mistakes that we have made. I think practice has been a big deal for us, I think sometimes our practices are harder than the games.” He says playing for Wardle has been a joy and when asked how to describe him, he needed no time to think, “Competitive, competitive and competitive.” The Braves would’ve been in the NCAA Tournament in 2020 had it not been canceled and if they are to get back there this year Deen says, “We have to play Bradley basketball on the big stage, we have to do our job.”

Drake Bulldogs 20-2, 10-2 in Missouri Valley

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Drake is in the hunt for a Missouri Valley title. With a new coach in Ben McCollum and some new faces leading the way the Bulldogs are 10-2 in conference play, not much has changed in Des Moines. Coming with some of his players from Division II powerhouse Northwest Missouri State, McCollum and his crew got off to a roaring start, reeling off 12 straight wins to begin the year, including wins over Miami, Kansas State, and an 11-point win over Vanderbilt that looks better every day. After a mid-year hiccup with back-to-back losses to Illinios-Chicago and Murray State, Drake is in the midst of another winning streak, this one is eight games long.

Being efficient offensively doesn’t necessarily mean playing fast. The Bulldogs are a top-100 team in that efficiency but are dead last, 364th in both adjusted tempo and average possession length. But that style works well if you do it well, and Drake does, being good with the ball in their hands which forces their opponents to do the same because possessions come at a premium. Because of that, the Bulldogs only score 71 points per game, with three in double digits. Bennett Stirtz, Mitch Mascari and Daniel Abreu have something else in common, they all played for McCollum last year and are used to the big stage. As we sit, Drake and Bradley lead the Valley by two games over a group of three, with a huge battle in Peoria between the two happening in mid-February.

Bounce Back Battle--Valley Hoops Insider

Women’s college basketball bubble watch: Stanford at risk of ending tournament streak--The Athletic

Midmajors

Locks: None

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

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

Team Record NET SOS Quad 1 Quad 2

Drake

13-8

81

124

0-2

0-3

Missouri State

16-5

72

231

0-1

1-0

Murray State

14-5

57

106

0-2

0-2