What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/22/2021

Ognacevic' late 3 leads Valparaiso over S. Illinois 66-65--Associated Press
Yesufu scores 32 to carry Drake over Evansville 85-71--Associated Press
Drake looks for home win vs Evansville--Associated Press
S. Illinois seeks revenge on Valpo--Associated Press
News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Sunday, Feb 21st--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-EVANSVILLE AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley).  Drake will likely make the field so long as they win all their remaining regular season games, which they are certainly good enough to do.

Charles Bassey’s excellent adventure, A-10 madness, tourney time and more: This Week in Mid-Major--The Athletic

The Mid-Major Top 10

3. Loyola Chicago (19-4, 14-2 Missouri Valley): The Ramblers got a scare from Valparaiso last week, trailing at halftime and hanging on in a 54-52 nail-biter. They have the No. 1 defense in the country, per KenPom.com, and that has come in handy during the last two games in which they’ve totaled just 99 points. Loyola Chicago will wrap up the regular season this week with a pair against Southern Illinois. LW: 3

9. Drake (22-2, 13-2 Missouri Valley): Just don’t step on a rake, Drake. The Bulldogs have avoided anything damaging since the Loyola Chicago loss, beating Northern Iowa on Wednesday and Evansville on Sunday. There’s nothing left in the regular season that can boost their resume, though finishing 25-2 would be a hard accomplishment to ignore. And any slip-up by Loyola Chicago could mean a title. LW: 10

2/22 Men's Basketball Players of the Week--College Sports Madness

Missouri Valley

Joseph Yesufu

G

Drake

Joseph Yesufu shines, Roman Penn leaves with injury as Drake dominates Evansville--Des Moines Register
Yesufu Scores 32 In Drake’s 22nd Win Of The Season--godrakebulldogs.com

Evansville's defensive woes continue in loss to Drake, the Aces' fifth in a row--Evansville Courier & Press
Men’s basketball falls in weekend opener--gopurpleaces.com

The Illinois State Basketball Coaches Shows Presented by Bud Light Air Tonight--goredbirds.com

Former Rambler Donte Ingram Signs With Nelson Giants--loyolaramblers.com
Ramblers Move Up One Spot To No. 21 In Latest AP Top 25 Poll--loyolaramblers.com
Krutwig Selected As A Finalist For Senior CLASS Award--loyolaramblers.com

Loyola Women’s Basketball Pulls Off Overtime Win Feb. 20, Splits Series with Northern Iowa--Loyola Phoenix

UNI loses to Drake in final home game of the season--Northern Iowan
Panthers Stay at Home for a Matchup Against Drake--unipanthers.com

Valparaiso holds on for 66-65 win over SIU--Southern Illinoisan
Salukis miss last-second shot, lose by one point to Valparaiso--Daily Egyptian
Salukis drop heartbreaker to Valpo, 66-65--siusalukis.com

2/22 Women's Basketball Players of the Week--College Sports Madness

Missouri Valley

Makenzie Silvey

G

Southern Illinois

Jacob Ognacevic steps up, Valparaiso's defense shuts down Southern Illinois in road win--NWI Times
Late Defensive Stops Preserve One-Point Valpo Win at SIU--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/21/2021

Bubble Watch: There’s 1 month until the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Let’s ride--The Athletic

Others

Should be in: Loyola Chicago

Work to do: San Diego State, BYU, VCU, Saint Louis, Drake, Boise State, St. Bonaventure, Colorado State, Utah State, Richmond, Western Kentucky

Loyola Chicago (17-4, 14-2; NET: 11, SOS: 151): Fun fact: This is now the top per-possession defense in all of Division I. Not Baylor. Not Tennessee. Not Alabama. Or Houston. Or Michigan. Loyola Chicago. So, yes, the Ramblers were a bit of a mess on the offensive end at the Gentile Center on Wednesday night, when they scored just 54 points in 56 trips against an 8-15 Valparaiso team. But, thanks to a truly elite defense — and not just elite relative to competition, but adjusted for competition; this team can just plain guard — Rambler Fever™ rolled on.

Drake (19-2, 12-2; NET: 34, SOS: 267): Speaking of rough scheduling breaks, Drake went on the road for a true away game to Kansas State, got an 80-70 win over a high-major team in a league stacked with top-25 NET numbers … and K-State ranks 232rd. Like, come on, guys. 232? You couldn’t even hover around 100? (In case you didn’t watch Kansas play Kansas State on Wednesday night, and you definitely shouldn’t have, trust us. K-State really is that bad.) Anyway, after the great split with the Ramblers last weekend, Loyola can probably afford another random loss in league play to stay an at-large, but Drake almost certainly can’t. It handled a game at UNI on Wednesday; it will play Evansville on its own floor Sunday and Monday.

Coach of the Year Finalists--Valley Hoops Insider

No. 25 Missouri State women holds off Bradley 62-56--Associated Press
No. 25 Missouri State women beat Bradley, win 11th straight--Associated Press
Valley tourney plans in Q-C proceeding--Quad Cities Times

11 memorable moments in the Bradley-Illinois State basketball rivalry--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley forward Ja'Shon Henry cleared from police investigation, university says--Peoria Journal Star
Fans are back in the stands, but Bradley basketball loses to rival Illinois State--Peoria Journal Star
'No excuses': How Bradley basketball moves forward after a tough week--Peoria Journal Star
Henry’s effort not enough, Braves swept by rival Illinois State--Bradley Scout
Strong second half propels Missouri State to series sweep--Bradley Scout
Second-Half Run Lifts Illinois State Past Bradley--bradleybraves.com

Bradley WBB confident ahead of Missouri State series--Bradley Scout
Bradley falls in close opener at Missouri State--Bradley Scout
#20/25 Missouri State Holds Off Braves 62-56--bradleybraves.com
Braves Drop Series Finale At #20/25 Missouri State--bradleybraves.com

DeVries Named to Naismith Coach Of The Year Watchlist--godrakebulldogs.com
Men’s Basketball Closes Home Schedule Against Evansville--godrakebulldogs.com

Hot shooting lifts Illinois State past Drake women--Des Moines Register
Women’s Basketball Falls at Illinois State, 76-68--godrakebulldogs.com
Illinois State Shoots Past Drake Women’s Basketball From Deep, 81-71--godrakebulldogs.com

Better defense will be key to Evansville snapping skid before MVC tournament--Evansville Courier & Press
Big Opportunity At Drake--Eville-Ways
Evansville heads to Des Moines to face Drake--gopurpleaces.com

Team effort key as Aces overwhelm Valpo, 57-43--gopurpleaces.com
Feit, Newman lead Aces as Evansville drops series finale to Valpo--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Illinois State never trails in beating Bradley for second time this season--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Illinois State wishes there were more games left with MVC season winding down--The Pantagraph
Driving long distance to games no problem for parents of Illinois State's DJ Horne--The Pantagraph
Redbirds take advantage of short-handed Bradley, sweep I-74 rivalry--Vidette Online
Redbirds Never Trail in Second Game of Series Sweep Against Bradley--goredbirds.com

Watch now: Illinois State women's basketball tries to get back on track against Drake--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Illinois State women's basketball holds off Drake surge for victory--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Illinois State women sweep nemesis Drake--The Pantagraph
Redbirds cruise past Drake at home 76-68--Vidette Online
'Birds battle to best Bulldogs again--Vidette Online
Illinois State Tops Drake, 76-68, in 11th Annual Play4Kay Game--goredbirds.com
Illinois State Completes Sweep of Drake, Wins 81-71 on Senior Day--goredbirds.com

Why Lansing Should Return--Valley Hoops Insider

For first time this month, ISU women in action--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Back from unexpected break, ISU women lose to Salukis--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Silvey sends Sycamores down to defeat--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Salukis Shoot Past Sycamores on Friday Night--gosycamores.com
Sycamores Fall Late to Southern Illinois--gosycamores.com

Bracketology 2021: A first look at the lock and bubble picture for 2021--Blogging The Bracket

No. 11s (Auto Bid): 42. Loyola Chicago* (13/17-4/5-4/1-2), 43. Boise State* (37/16-4/3-4/2-2)

A road win over BYU, split with Colorado State, and Wednesday win over Utah State mean Boise State could be in as an at-large, but being swept by Nevada hurts the Broncos’ cause. As for Loyola, the Ramblers’ NET ranking of 13th should be a shoo-in for selection. However, they don’t have a Quad 1 win other than Saturday’s blowout victory at Drake (Loyola then dropped the series finale the next day). Porter Moser’s squad has more of a chance than 10th-ranked Colgate, but they really need to win Arch Madness to be sure.

Under the Radar: February 17th--Hoops HD

From there we run through the other 21 UTR conferences and discuss the tight race in the Southland, the near upset of Loyola Chicago in the Missouri Valley

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Feb 18th--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

-Loyola Chicago got a huge scare from Valpo, and it actually looked like Valpo had tied the game and forced overtime at the end of regulation, but a would-be rebound and put pack was waived off and a foul was called on the rebound.  The Ramblers survived 54-52 and should hang on to their national ranking and stay inside the bubble.

Rauf 25: Florida State surges, Kansas re-enters latest college basketball power rankings--Heat Check CBB

25. LOYOLA-CHICAGO RAMBLERS (19-4)

Last week: 21
Games: Drake (51-50 L), Valparaiso (54-52 W)

Loyola’s loss to Drake came the day after they beat the Bulldogs by 27, and it came in overtime. The Ramblers then struggled against Valpo in what I’ll chalk up as a letdown game. But they still won! Now they need to close strong against Southern Illinois to finish their regular season.

No. 22 Loyola Men’s Basketball Edges Out Victory Over Valparaiso--Loyola Phoenix
Loyola Mourns The Passing Of Ed Maracich--loyolaramblers.com
Porter Moser Named To Naismith Coach Of The Year Late Season Watch List--loyolaramblers.com

Cold-Shooting Ramblers Fall To UNI, 78-51--loyolaramblers.com
Ramblers Edge UNI In Overtime Thriller, 66-64--loyolaramblers.com

MSU Insider: How special was Gaige Prim in the Bears' win against Southern Illinois?--Springfield News-Leader

No. 20 MSU Lady Bears hold on to beat Bradley for 10th straight win--Springfield News-Leader
No. 20 MSU Lady Bears sweep series vs. Bradley to stay perfect in Valley play--Springfield News-Leader
MSU Insider: Why Coach Mox says Brice Calip is her MVC Player of the Year--Springfield News-Leader
No. 20 Lady Bears Top Bradley for 10th Straight Victory--missouristatebears.com
Lady Bears Use Big Third Quarter to Extend Win Streak to 11--missouristatebears.com

Panther Women Roll Past Loyola Ramblers with 27-Point Win--unipanthers.com
Panthers Fall Short in Overtime Battle Against Loyola--unipanthers.com

Saluki Basketball 5@5: Bradley's Henry back, Harvey's run and Smithpeters nets No. 200--Southern Illinoisan
Saluki Basketball 5@5: Redbirds upend Braves, NCAA to allow fans at tournament, and Wonders' wonders--Southern Illinoisan
Salukis banking Long's experience helps young club--Southern Illinoisan
D'Avanzo, 3-point shooting lead SIU to 39-34 halftime lead over Valparaiso--Southern Illinoisan
Game Notes: Men's Basketball vs. Valpo--siusalukis.com

Salukis secure 15-point victory over Indiana State--Daily Egyptian
Salukis earn wire-to-wire win over Sycamores--siusalukis.com
Salukis throttle Sycamores, 76-52--siusalukis.com

Late foul seals loss in second half against nationally ranked Loyola Chicago--Valpo Torch
Five-Game Road Stretch Concludes at SIU--valpoathletics.com

Women’s Basketball Suffers Through Cold Shooting Night in Loss to Evansville--valpoathletics.com
Women’s Basketball Claims Senior Night Win Over Evansville--valpoathletics.com

State Farm MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight (Feb. 19)--The Missouri Valley

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/18/2021

No. 25 Loyola Chicago hangs on to beat Valpo, 54-52--Associated Press
Prim scores 29 to lead Missouri St. past S. Illinois 68-53--Associated Press
Yesufu scores 20 to lead Drake over Northern Iowa 77-69--Associated Press
Bracket Bits: Minnesota’s road woes continue--Bracketville

Additional Bracket Bits:

• Loyola-Chicago and Drake both survived close games.  That’s good since both were playing Missouri Valley opponents with 200-plus NET ratings.

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 17th--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-VALPARAISO AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley).  Loyola Chicago should land inside the bubble so long as they are able to win out through the regular season, which they are certainly good enough to do.

-DRAKE AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley).  Drake should be inside the bubble if they win out through the regular season.  This should be a winnable game against their in-state rivals tonight.

TV & Time Change For Saturday Women’s Basketball--bradleybraves.com

Drake completes first season sweep over Northern Iowa since 2008--Des Moines Register
Men’s Basketball Earns Season Sweep of UNI With 77-69 Win--godrakebulldogs.com

Game Recap: Double Uggggh--Eville-Ways

Five things to know before the Redbirds trek to Peoria to battle Braves--Vidette Online

Down In The Valley: Week In Review, Feb. 18--Terre Haute Tribune Star

College basketball rankings: Loyola Chicago survives scare vs. Valparaiso to stay on right side of bubble--CBS Sports
Loyola Slips Past Valparaiso, 54-52--loyolaramblers.com

Unstoppable Gaige Prim leads Missouri State basketball in win over Southern Illinois--Springfield News-Leader
Gaige Prim helps Missouri State basketball trounce SIU for sixth straight win--The Standard
Prim Has Career Night as Bears Slam Salukis--missouristatebears.com

Drake fights off Northern Iowa for key MVC men's basketball victory--Cedar Rapids Gazette
College men's basketball: Northern Iowa plays with more energy in loss to Drake--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Carter and Berhow lead UNI in bounceback win--Northern Iowan
Panthers Fall to Bulldogs 77-69--unipanthers.com

Prim's big double-double leads Missouri State past Salukis--Southern Illinoisan
Career highs from Gaige Prim pushes Missouri State past Southern--Daily Egyptian

Bears top Salukis, 68-53--siusalukis.com

Valparaiso falls short in final moments at Loyola--NWI Times
Valpo Comes Up Narrowly Shy in Memorable Battle at Nationally-Ranked Loyola--valpoathletics.com

Women's Basketball Hosts Play4Kay Game Friday, Senior Night Saturday--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/17/2021

Bracketology 2021: The midseason bracket reveal is in the rearview mirror...--Blogging The Bracket

Once again, the Selection Committee’s emphasis on marquee wins heavily influenced its top 16 choices and have been reflected in the remainder of this bracket. That’s bad news for the assorted mid-majors fighting for an at-large bid, as truncated non-conference schedules this fall reduced their opportunities to grab those types of victories, particularly on neutral floors.

• Drake, blown out by Loyola Chicago on Saturday before salvaging a home win over the Ramblers on Sunday, is a victim of this phenomenon.

First Four OUT: Drake, St. John’s, Richmond, Ole MissBids by Conference

Wednesday

Mid to late evening

Drake at Northern Iowa, 8 p.m. (ESPN+ ($))
Valparaiso at Loyola Chicago, 8 p.m. (FS Midwest/NBCS Chicago Plus/ESPN+ ($))

The Missouri Valley’s top two are also in action following their weekend split, with Loyola and Drake taking on its typical travel partners in midweek showdowns.

Key scores 34 to carry Indiana State past Evansville 87-73--Associated Press

Four suspended Bradley University basketball players appear on Springfield police report; no arrests--Springfield News-Leader
Four suspended basketball players named in Springfield, MO police report- investigation ongoing, no charges or arrests--Bradley Scout
Braves Host I-74 Rival Illinois State Thursday--bradleybraves.com

Women’s Basketball Closes Road Slate At #20/25 Missouri State--bradleybraves.com

Drake basketball's historic 2020-21 season--Des Moines Register
Men’s Basketball Travels To UNI--godrakebulldogs.com

Best case, worst case: Where Evansville could finish in the MVC standings--Evansville Courier & Press
Purple Aces can't stop hot-shooting Sycamores in fourth straight loss--Evansville Courier & Press
Road Trip To Terrible Haute--Eville-Ways
Men’s basketball falls short in second-half rally--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: MVC notebook: Loyola, Drake positioning themselves for NCAA Tournament berths--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Bradley out for revenge, but could be short-handed against Illinois State--The Pantagraph
ISU Travels to Peoria for Second Game of Series against Braves--goredbirds.com

Bittersweet Senior Day for Sycamores--Terre Haute Tribune Star
ISU rides Key’s ‘takeover mode’ to overwhelm Aces--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Key Shines on Senior Night to Lead Sycamores to Victory--gosycamores.com

Loyola Heads To UNI For Big Road Series--loyolaramblers.com

No. 20 Lady Bears Host Bradley Friday and Saturday at The Q--missouristatebears.com
Saturday Women's Basketball Moved to 5 p.m. Start--missouristatebears.com

UNI men's basketball looking to 'grow and improve' with another game vs. Drake up next--Cedar Rapids Gazette
Panthers vs Bulldogs : Feb 17--unipanthers.com

Salukis could go big against Missouri State--Southern Illinoisan
Saluki Basketball 5@5: Dreaming of warmer weather, Indiana State Blacks Out Cancer and defending Gaige Prim--Southern Illinoisan
Game Notes: Men's Basketball vs. Missouri State--siusalukis.com

Men's Basketball splits series against Braves--Valpo Torch

Valley Announces WBB Tournament Schedule Adjustment--The Missouri Valley

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/16/2021

Bubble Watch: 5 more teams are locked into this year’s NCAA Tournament--The Athletic

Others

Should be in: Loyola Chicago

Work to do: San Diego State, BYU, VCU, Saint Louis, Drake, Boise State, St. Bonaventure, Colorado State, Utah State, Richmond, Winthrop, Western Kentucky

Loyola Chicago (16-4, 13-2; NET: 10, SOS: 128): Two games against the same opponent in two days, you say? Sign us up for more. Seriously, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if this year’s strange scheduling practices carried over forever. In the case of the Missouri Valley Conference, the new scheduling rules produced a scenario in which Loyola Chicago and Drake — the two at-large hopefuls in the ostensibly two-bid Valley — met twice in two days, on the same floor, with the same emotions and passions running the same level. Loyola dominated the first game, 81-54, and you just knew Drake wasn’t going to go out like that in the second game Sunday. The Bulldogs stole a rock-fight of a 51-50 win in overtime, after which various heated words and come-at-me-bros were exchanged. “Look at the tape yesterday when we won, walking off the floor,” Loyola coach Porter Moser said after Sunday’s game. “And then look at their players and one of their assistant coaches (Sunday). Look at them when we were walking off the floor. Two different scenarios when we won walking off the floor and something that was said by one of their assistants and a handful of their players. I’ll just leave it at that. We’ll move on. The heat of the battle. Two teams battling. It’s over.” In the end, this outcome probably worked out for the Valley as a whole, and it didn’t really hurt Loyola’s very strong at-large chances (made stronger by their smart scheduling throughout nonconference play), but mostly, we just want to say: more of this, please.

Drake (18-2, 11-2; NET: 35, SOS: 254): A split was probably always the best outcome for everybody involved. Sure, maybe — maybe — Drake could have won both games against Loyola last weekend, and perhaps Loyola, with its top-10 NET number, could have survived the defeats and still presented a reasonable at-large case. It would have been tricky at best, though, and nowhere near as much as if Drake had to explain why it lost both of the two biggest games of its season at home on back-to-back nights. So, no, a split was the best outcome the Valley could have hoped for. After struggling in the throwback uniforms Saturday, Drake was all business Sunday, somehow grinding out a 51-50 win in overtime. The Bulldogs probably can’t afford to lose the rest of the way (they play UNI, Evansville and Bradley), but, yes, for now, the dream of the two-bid Valley is alive in Des Moines. (Sing this to the tune of the Portlandia song. It scans.)

MVC Basketball: Takeaways from Loyola-Chicago vs Drake showdowns--Busting Brackets

Under the Radar Game of the Day – Monday, February 15 (and other News, Notes, and Games)--Hoops HD

OTHER NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES:

-Drake had a fantastic bounce back win against Loyola Chicago yesterday.  After getting blown out the day before and trailing for most of the game yesterday, they did keep it close and ended up picking up the 51-50 win in overtime.  It is by far their best win of the season and should land them inside the bubble so long as they hold serve for the rest of the year.

Bracket Projections (From the Puppet): February 15th--Hoops HD

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-I have Loyola Chicago at #29 on the seedlist, which puts them at the top of the #8 line.  I don’t think the committee will value them that much, and the to top of their resume is lacking, but I think they are that good on the court.

Drake Splits Series In Overtime Nail-Biter, Snaps No. 22 Loyola’s Winning Streak--Loyola Phoenix
Ramblers Open Three-Game Homestand By Hosting Valparaiso Wednesday--loyolaramblers.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/15/2021

Berhow, Carter lead N. Iowa past Valparaiso 74-60--Associated Press
Key carries Indiana St. past Evansville 76-70--Associated Press
Jones carries S. Illinois over Illinois St. 59-49--Associated Press
Mosley carries Missouri St. over short-handed Bradley 72-57--Associated Press
Drake rallies to beat No. 22 Loyola Chicago in OT, 51-50--Associated Press
The Valley got what it needed in Des Moines--Mid-Major Madness
The Other Top 25: Belmont’s rise continues, Louisiana Tech and Grand Canyon join the party--Mid-Major Madness

Elsewhere, Gonzaga’s ho-hum week with wins over two quality opponents keeps them acres ahead of the pack at No. 1. Loyola’s Saturday demolition of Drake keeps them at No. 2, while Drake’s bounce back, ugly win on Sunday allowed them to rise despite the 27-point loss the day before.

Here’s how the rest of the poll shook out:

Untitled

Rank	School	Record	Change	Our reasoning
2	Loyola University Chicago	18-4	-	Loyola stomped on Drake on Saturday only to turn around and lose in overtime to the Bulldogs on Sunday, so the best possible result for a #2BidValley happened. Loyola doesn't drop for the overtime loss because of how convincing they looked in the win. Let's run this one back at Arch Madness.
11	Drake	20-2	1	Drake got trounced by the Ramblers on Saturday, and many were quick to write them off. The Bulldogs responded with a tough, grindy victory in the rematch on Sunday, and rose one spot in the rankings for it. Say it with me, for effect: #2BidValley. The Bulldogs should be an at-large team, especially because the Loyola results came without Shanquan Hemphill.

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Sunday, Feb 14th--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

-Loyola Chicago blasted Drake yesterday in a showcase game for the Missouri Valley that turned out to be a clunker.  I’m much more impressed with Loyola Chicago than I am disappointed in Drake.  This Ramblers team is for real! 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley).  Loyola Chicago won in a landslide yesterday and will likely be safely inside the bubble if they’re able to win today.  Well, safely inside so long as they’re able to hold serve the rest of the way.  Drake probably needs this one a little more.  They could really use a big win on their resume.

Grant Sherfield finds a home at Nevada, Akron’s spark, the top 10 and more: This Week in Mid-Major--The Athletic

Mid-bits

• Valparaiso administrators last week decided to eliminate the nickname Crusaders, which anyone with even a cursory knowledge of history would tell you was the right and overdue call. Might we suggest the Dancing Homers, in a nod to Homer Drew? Also, you’re on the clock — again — Holy Cross.

The Mid-Major Top 10

3. Loyola Chicago (18-4, 13-2 Missouri Valley): Before last Friday, a split at Drake seemed like a good outcome for the Ramblers. Then the Bulldogs announced that leading scorer and rebounder ShanQuan “Tank” Hemphill had foot surgery and would miss at least a month. After Loyola Chicago cruised to an 81-54 victory on Saturday, a sweep became the expectation as Porter Moser’s team moved up to No. 10 in the NET on Sunday morning. But Drake turned Sunday afternoon’s game into a rock fight, managed to get it into overtime tied at 45 and played great defense down the stretch to eke out a 51-50 win. It shouldn’t do major damage to the Ramblers long term, but it probably cost them a seed line or two in March. LW: 1

10. Drake (20-2, 11-2 Missouri Valley): We were ready to do the harsh thing and knock the Bulldogs out of the top 10 if they had lost Sunday, based largely on the absence of Hemphill. But Drake turned in a gutsy performance to pull out that win in overtime despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor. If the team can hold serve the rest of the regular season and hopefully get Hemphill back in March, the dream of a two-bid Valley will live on. LW: 7

Award Winners Climbing Record Books--Valley Hoops Insider

Shorthanded Bradley basketball team battles again but falls short at Missouri State--Peoria Journal Star
Shorthanded Bradley swept by Missouri State--Bradley Scout
Braves Fall at Missouri State--bradleybraves.com

Women's Basketball Home Game With Illinois State Moved To Feb. 25--bradleybraves.com

AARON FERGUSON: Region brand stamped on Drake’s statement win over Loyola--NWI Times
Men’s Basketball Grinds Out Overtime Victory Against No. 22 Loyola--godrakebulldogs.com
Brodie Named MVC Newcomer of the Week For The Second Time--godrakebulldogs.com

Evansville basketball drops third straight with loss at home to Indiana State--Evansville Courier & Press
Game Recap: Ugggggh--Eville-Ways
Second half run lifts Sycamores to win over Aces--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Illinois State can't get sweep as Southern Illinois grinds out MVC victory--The Pantagraph
ISU men's basketball stays in basement of Valley, drops game two against Southern--Vidette Online
Cold Spell Drops Redbirds in Carbondale--goredbirds.com

The Illinois State Basketball Coaches Shows Presented by Bud Light Air Tonight--goredbirds.com

Bradley Game Adjusted--goredbirds.com

ISU gives fans something to cheer about in win at Evansville--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Sycamores Get Back On Track with 76-70 Win at Evansville--gosycamores.com
Tyreke Key Named MVC Player of the Week--gosycamores.com
Sycamore Basketball to Black Out Cancer Wednesday Night--gosycamores.com

Boston College basketball coaching candidates: Names who could be atop the list--The Athletic

Boston College’s call list

(In alphabetical order)

Porter Moser, Loyola Chicago head coach. The Ramblers coach is on this list mostly due to a preexisting relationship with Kraft; the pair worked together at Loyola when Kraft served as executive senior associate athletic director. And Moser’s a fit in many ways from a basketball perspective, as he’s currently piloting a team ranked 10th in the NET as of Monday morning with one of the best defenses in the country. But Moser has been highly selective about jobs and likely would prefer not to venture too far out of his Midwest wheelhouse. The variable in play is a possible NCAA Tournament snub for a worthy Ramblers squad; if that happens, all bets are off.

Loyola is in good shape to make the NCAA Tournament after a weekend split with Drake — thanks to the nation’s top defense and a deep, experienced roster--Chicago Tribune
Loyola’s Win Streak Halted With Overtime Loss At Drake--loyolaramblers.com
Loyola Men’s Basketball Ranked In Both National Polls For Second Straight Week--loyolaramblers.com

Loyola Women’s Basketball Sweeps Evansville, Moves Into Third Place in MVC--Loyola Phoenix
Sitori Tanin Tabbed MVC Newcomer Of The Week--loyolaramblers.com

2/15 Men's Basketball Players of the Week--College Sports Madness

Missouri Valley

Gaige Prim

F

Missouri State

Missouri State basketball sweeps Bradley for fifth straight win--Springfield News-Leader
MSU Insider: The Bears stayed together and they're getting hot at the right time--Springfield News-Leader
Missouri State basketball’s path to Arch Madness cleared up with sweep of Bradley--The Standard
Mosley, Prim Lead the Way as Bears Pick Up 10th Valley Win--missouristatebears.com
Road Date with Salukis on Tap for Bears Wednesday--missouristatebears.com

 

2/15 Women's Basketball Players of the Week--College Sports Madness

Missouri Valley

Jasmine Franklin

F

Missouri State

MSU’s Franklin Named MVC Player of the Week--missouristatebears.com

UNI men's basketball responds 'great' to earn split with Valpo--Cedar Rapids Gazette
College men's basketball: UNI flips the script on Valparaiso--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Northern Iowa star AJ Green to undergo surgery on his right hip--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Finley hits buzzer beater, Panthers split with Bradley--Northern Iowan
Panthers drop two versus Drake and Valpo--Northern Iowan
UNI Defeats Valparaiso 74-60--unipanthers.com

Salukis get back on track, drop Illinois State 59-49--Southern Illinoisan
Saluki Basketball 5@5: Another bounce back, SIU's team effort, and Loyola remains 22nd--Southern Illinoisan
Actions Speak Louder: Saluki players have meeting, turn around performance--Southern Illinoisan
Salukis hot start leads them past the Redbirds in second game--Daily Egyptian
Salukis bounce back for 59-49 win over Illinois State--siusalukis.com

 

 
Northern Iowa flips switch on Valparaiso men to earn series split--NWI Times
Valpo Falls in Finale, Splits Series in Cedar Falls--valpoathletics.com
Another Top 25 Opponent Awaits Valpo Basketball at #22 Loyola--valpoathletics.com

MVC MBB Weekly Notes (F15)--The Missouri Valley

MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook - Feb. 15--The Missouri Valley