What's Up In The Missouri Valley 4/9/2026

Who's the next Yaxel Lendeborg? Best mid-major players in the transfer portal--

Best mid-major players in the transfer portal

Note: Players from the Mountain West and Atlantic 10 were not considered for this article

Tyler Lundblade, Belmont

The reigning Missouri Valley Conference player of the year was one of the top shooters available in the portal. The former walk-on made 40.6% of his 3-pointers despite having a high shooting volume, with 8.8 attempts per game from beyond the arc. As a graduate transfer, the 6-foot-5 Texas native didn’t even have to wait for the portal to open before deciding on his next stop, signing with Rick Barnes and Tennessee on April 2.

Jaquan Johnson, Bradley

Johnson took an enormous leap from his freshman to his sophomore season, improving his scoring average from 6.6 to 16.9 points per game to help him earn first-team All-MVC honors. He is only 5-foot-11, which could cause some problems against bigger, more athletic competition in a major conference, but his all-around production is impressive, with 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game. He was named the MVC most improved player and made the league’s all-defensive team.

Drew Scharnowski, Belmont

The 6-foot-9 Scharnowski, the No. 50 player in USA TODAY’s portal rankings, was a first-team all-MVC selection after averaging 10.7 points, six rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a sophomore for a Bruins team that went 26-6. He was a strong presence down low, too, with 1.3 blocks per game. It’s possible he follows former Belmont coach Casey Alexander to Kansas State, but the Wildcats won’t be alone in vying for his services.

Ranking the Top 50 Players in the NCAA Men's Transfer Portal--Hoops HQ

28. Jaquan Johnson, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard, Bradley

Nicknamed “Bully” for his hard-nosed, scrappy style, Johnson stepped into Bradley’s starting lineup this season and thrived, averaging 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 38.3 percent from behind the arc. He was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Year and became the first Brave since 1990-91 to record at least three games of 30-plus points.

Four Bradley women's basketball players enter NCAA transfer portal--Peoria Journal Star

Ty’Reek Coleman enters transfer portal, third Redbird to exit--The Vidette

Men's basketball signs NAIA Second Team All-American EJ McQuillan--gosycamores.com

Brock Vice commits to Kansas State: Marking the first commitment from a former Racer--WPSD Local 6
Murray State lands first commitment with Mark Padjen: a 6'6 Slovenian point guard--WPSD Local 6

Rauf Report: Revisiting preseason bold predictions--Basket Under Review

Missouri Valley

NORTHERN IOWA SWEEPS CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON AND TOURNAMENT TITLES

Man, another close one! UNI was dominant in its run through the Missouri Valley Tournament and, if wasn't dealing with injuries in January, may have cruised through the regular season as well. Instead, a five-game losing stream in January sent them from being in the mix of the title race to the No. 6 seed in the tournament.

UNI Athletics recognizes April 2026 Student-Athletes of the Month--unipanthers.com

Trey Campbell - Men's Basketball
Campbell closed out his collegiate basketball career with a strong performance in March, averaging 15.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the final six games of the season, which included the Panthers' run to the MVC Tournament title and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016. Named to First Team All-MVC and a member of the MVC All-Defensive Team at the end of the regular season, as well as the Doug Elgin Most Outstanding Player of the MVC Tournament, Campbell scored in double figures in all five of UNI's postseason games, including 23 points against both Evansville and UIC in the conference tournament.

Lyla Kahrimanovic Transfers to UIC Ahead of the 2026-27 Season--uicflames.com