Thursday, December 18, 2025

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/18/2025

College Basketball Best Bets: Conference Openers and One Big Mismatch--Busting Brackets

ISU head coach Ryan Pedon
ISU head coach Ryan Pedon | MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

Now it’s time to get back to work. Here are our best bets for Thursday’s slate.

Bradley Braves at Indiana State Sycamores

Home court matters in the Missouri Valley, especially in a conference opener. Bradley has not been tested much on the road yet, and this environment presents a real challenge.

Indiana State is built to defend at home and should be able to dictate pace. Take the home team as a slight underdog.

Betting Pick: Indiana State Sycamores +3.5 over Bradley
Final Score Prediction: Indiana State 77, Bradley 70

Illinois State Redbirds at Southern Illinois Salukis

Illinois State has the look of a team that could contend for the Missouri Valley title this season. Opening conference play on the road is never easy, but the Redbirds are the better team in this matchup.

When forced to choose between location and talent, the smarter bet is the better basketball team.

Betting Pick: Illinois State Redbirds +2.5 over Southern Illinois
Final Score Prediction: Illinois State 78, Southern Illinois 72

Enjoy the games. Whether you are here to fade or follow, be sure to track all of our bets on BetStamp throughout the season.

Under the Radar – Week 7--Hoops HD

After that we run through the other 21 UTR conferences and discuss the overall strength of the Big West where Hawaii and UC San Diego are off to great starts. The Missouri Valley is looking very strong with teams like Northern Iowa, Belmont, Murray State, and Illinois State.

12/18/25 THURSDAY NEWS AND NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

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MISSOURI VALLEY

  • Southern Illinois and Illinois State split their series last year, but it took some aberrational 3PT shooting (13-24) and a friendly whistle for the Salukis to get the win in Carbondale....
  • Matt Graves will make his return to the sideline for the Sycamores, as he’s now fully recovered from offseason heart surgery. It will be interesting to see how Indiana State’s rotations and role allocations look moving forward without Markus Harding... Bradley’s frontcourt however has struggled majorly to defend on the perimeter/in PNR...
  • First Valley game of the Ryan Miller era, so I expect the CFSB Center will be packed, despite the holiday timing.... Drake meanwhile just got torched from 3 by NDSU, with the Bison going 19-33...



Men's Basketball Takes on UC Irvine Friday--belmontbruins.com

Bruins Outlast Evansville, 77-67, in MVC Opener at the Curb--belmontbruins.com



The Missouri Valley's 5 biggest upset wins this basketball season--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley basketball vs Indiana State: How the Bradley Braves rallied to win in 3 OTs--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley Basketball to Celebrate 40, 30 & 20-Year Anniversaries of Three Teams--bradleybraves.com



Drake basketball building its identity under Eric Henderson | Hines--Des Moines Register

Drake women's basketball opens MVC play with win over Indiana State--Des Moines Register
Drake Opens Valley Play with 97-77 Victory at Indiana State--godrakebulldogs.com



Aces Drop MVC Opener at Belmont--gopurpleaces.com



Men's Basketball Opens MVC Play in Carbondale--goredbirds.com

Illinois State women's basketball plays final nonconference contest--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Set To Host Oakland In Final Non-Conference Tuneup--goredbirds.com



Indiana State head coach working his way back--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Men's basketball begins MVC play at home against Bradley--gosycamores.com

Indiana State women drop MVC opener to Drake--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamore women drop first MVC game of season against Drake--Indiana Statesman
Third-quarter surge sends Drake past Indiana State in MVC opener--gosycamores.com



Perfect timing; Racer men have offense humming ahead of Valley opener with Drake--Murray Ledger and Times
Big dog visits tonight; Drake is gold standard program of Valley for good reason--Murray Ledger and Times
MSU's Jackson Named To Lou Henson Award Watch List--goracers.com



College Men's Basketball: UNI fights way past UIC for road win--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
UNI men’s basketball rallies for win at UIC in conference opener--unipanthers.com



SIU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAME CAPSULE SIU at BRADLEY--Dawg Bites
Women’s Basketball Falls to Bradley in Conference Opener--siusalukis.com



Men's Basketball Narrowly Falls to Northern Iowa, 60-54--uicflames.com

Women’s Basketball Tops DePaul for First Time Since 1981--uicflames.com



Injuries pile up as Beacons fall--The Victory Bell

Shorthanded Beacons Fall to Central Michigan--valpoathletics.com

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