Wednesday, June 24, 2026

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/24/2026


SIU Celebrates Year of Saluki Legends--siusalukis.com

Men's Basketball

60 Years — 1966-67
One of the most celebrated teams in SIU history, the Salukis won the 1967 NIT Championship with a 71-56 victory over Marquette at Madison Square Garden. Led by Saluki Hall of Famers Walt Frazier, Dick Garrett, and head coach Jack Hartman, the Salukis finished 24-2. The team was inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame in 2000.

50 Years — 1976-77
SIU finished 22-7, won the MVC Tournament, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Salukis reached the Sweet Sixteen behind Saluki Hall of Famers Mike Glenn, Gary Wilson, and brothers Corky and Wayne Abrams.

20 Years — 2006-07
The Salukis went 25-5 (15-3 MVC), earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and reached the Sweet Sixteen. SIU fell 61-58 to eventual national champion Kansas. The team featured Saluki Hall of Famers Randal Falker, Bryan Mullins, and Jamaal Tatum.

Women's Basketball

40 Years — 1986-87
Coached by SIU and MVC Hall of Famer Cindy Scott, the Salukis went 28-3 and completed their second consecutive undefeated conference season (18-0). SIU finished ranked No. 16 nationally and defeated LSU in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Louisiana Tech, the eventual national runner-up. Key contributors included Ann Kattreh, Mary Berghuis, and Bridgett Williams.

35 Years — 1991-92
Also under Scott, SIU posted a 23-8 record and went 16-4 in the Gateway Conference. Led by Saluki Hall of Famers Kelly Firth and Anita Scott, the Salukis upset No. 7 Colorado in the NCAA Tournament.

All five basketball teams will be recognized during a single home weekend. Dates will be announced following the release of the MVC schedules.

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/23/2026

The Basket Under Review Newsletter - June 23, 2026--Basket Under Review

The Missouri Valley Conference announced structural changes to Arch Madness, the league's conference tournament. Starting this season, both the men's and women's tournaments will be held in St. Louis and feature a 10-team format.

Under the new structure, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will advance directly to the semifinals, placing greater emphasis on the regular season. Several mid-major leagues have implemented a similar format in recent years to help protect their top teams. As Rocco Miller points out, though, it may not be the best move for this particular conference.

Missouri Valley fans didn't seem too thrilled with the changes, citing the "madness" as the tournament's major draw.

Why the MVC made changes for its college basketball tournaments--Peoria Journal Star
A New Madness: MVC reshapes Arch Madness Tournament Format--The Vidette
MVC tournament changes go forward amid backlash--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Nico Yantko, Tim Leonard weigh in on MVC changes to Arch Madness--WPSD Local 6
Head coaches of both Murray State basketball teams praise MVC tournament changes--WPSD Local 6
MVC makes unpopular changes to men's tourney--Southern Illinoisan
Jackson addresses Arch Madness changes--The Victory Bell


Bradley point guard out for season with knee injury--Peoria Journal Star



Murray State, Indiana exhibition game cancelled as Hoosiers back out of game--WPSD Local 6



Pollard brothers carve coaching paths with Iowa State, Northern Iowa--Des Moines Register

Sunday, June 7, 2026

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 6/7/2026

Mid-Major Madness Mailbag: What are the destination mid-major arenas?--Mid-Major Madness

Lance Hartzler: I generally agree with Sam, especially on this stance; I prefer to avoid framing my beloved mids as stepping-stone gigs. I’ll slightly reframe the question as well: my top five under-the-radar / not-talked-enough-about coaches… Jace Coburn (Portland State; was in the running for the Arizona State gig before Randy Bennett was hired), Alex Pribble (Idaho; led Idaho to the NCAA Tournament last season), Kaleb Canales (Weber State), Brian Wardle (Bradley), and Joe Pasternack (UC Santa Barbara).

Ian Sacks: Eric Olen (New Mexico) and Bob Richey (Furman) are my first two picks here. They’ve both made immediate impacts and are rising stars. Ben Jacobson (Utah State) is another name to keep an eye on. There’s something in the water in Logan, Utah, and he’ll be the next to find that out. Phil Martelli Jr. (VCU) has had a bunch of success at both Bryant and VCU. Ryan Miller (Murray State) is someone else to keep in mind. Showed a lot of promise in his first year as a head coach. Alisa Kresge (Richmond) is a name to know on the women’s side. She took over as the leader of the Spiders after a successful stint with Vermont and was a baller at Marist.