What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/23/2022

The Valley (still) runs deep--Mid-Major Madness
Bracketology 2022: Building Off the Committee’s Sneak Peek--Blogging the Bracket

MVC (1)

Good weekend. New week. #DrakeALLIN#DSMHometownTeam pic.twitter.com/4rcc4qVrZd

— Drake Basketball (@DrakeBulldogsMB) February 20, 2022

Wednesday: Drake at Valparaiso, 7 p.m. (ESPN+ ($)) | Northern Iowa at Indiana State, 7 p.m. (Bally Midwest/NBCS Chicago/ESPN+ ($)) | Evansville at (11) Loyola Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBCS Chicago Plus/ESPN+ ($)) | Bradley at Missouri State, 8 p.m. (ESPN+ ($))

On Saturday, Loyola lost to Drake for a second time, falling 83-76 in Rogers Park. The Ramblers rebounded on Monday by winning at Illinois State to take the Valley’s auto bid back from Northern Iowa, who briefly held it over the weekend, following the Panthers 95-75 rout of Missouri State. Increasingly, the at-large chances for Drew Valentine’s team look dour, thanks to four conference losses and a mere single win over a team in this projected field, the hastily-arranged 79-74 win over San Francisco in Utah in early January. And given how rough and tumble the Ramblers have found it in the league, earning the auto bid isn’t a foregone conclusion.

March Madness bid tracker 2022: Conference tournament champions, automatic bids, more--heatcheck CBB

Conference	No. 1 seed	At-large contenders	AQ or bust
MVC		Loyola Chicago	Missouri State UNI Drake Bradley So. Illinois Illinois State Valparaiso Indiana State Evansville

2/23/2022 MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring At The Floorboards

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ELSEWHERE

1. First meeting between Missouri State and Bradley saw Roberts struggle with the versatile length of Clay, and Missouri State’s elite shot making held on down the stretch in a game they dominated far a large chunk in Peoria...

2/23 Women's Basketball Bracketology Breakdown--College Sports Madness

MVC: Southern Illinois*, Missouri State

Bradley Faces Missouri State in Top-Five Valley Matchup--bradleybraves.com

Is Drake men's basketball a second-half team? D.J. Wilkins and Roman Penn don't think so--Des Moines Register
Drake basketball plays Loyola--Times Delphic

Aces remain on the road to face Loyola on Wednesday--gopurpleaces.com

Aces head south to Missouri State for penultimate road game--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Three takeaways from Illinois State's loss to Loyola with SIU looming--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Close Road Campaign in Carbondale--goredbirds.com

Sycamores Host Northern Iowa Wednesday to Close 2021-22 Home Slate--gosycamores.com

Bracket Watch: Arkansas Makes Its Move; Michigan Enters Pivotal Stretch--Sports Illustrated

South Region

No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago

One story line closer to the bubble comes from the Missouri Valley, where Loyola Chicago has seen its margin for error grow thinner and thinner as conference play wears on. Saturday’s home loss to Drake gives Loyola four conference losses, including its first Q3 loss of the season. Bubble teams should be rooting for the Ramblers in the MVC tournament next weekend, though any more losses for Loyola would push it dangerously close to the bubble cut line if it doesn’t get the league’s automatic bid.

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 23--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-EVANSVILLE AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley).  Loyola Chicago is also squarely on the bubble (at least according to our projections) and is in danger of falling off of it if they lose before the MVC Championship game.

Ramblers Struggle at ISU, Fight Back for Nine-Point Victory--Loyola Phoenix
A Look Beyond the Arc: The Importance of Three-Pointers in the MVC--Loyola Phoenix
Loyola Wraps Up Home Schedule Wednesday Night Versus Evansville--loyolaramblers.com

Ramblers Look To Keep Rolling, Take On Valparaiso In Road Finale Friday--loyolaramblers.com

Lady Bears Back at JQH for Final Home Series--missouristatebears.com

UNI men’s basketball not shying away from conference championship talk--Cedar Rapids Gazette

UNI women's basketball to host final home games--unipanthers.com

Men's Basketball hosts Redbirds on Senior Night on Wednesday--siusalukis.com

Men's Basketball to Celebrate Seniors on Wednesday--valpoathletics.com

Women's Basketball Kicks Off Three-Game Homestand Friday--valpoathletics.com

MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook - Feb. 22--The Missouri Valley

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/22/2022

The Other Top 25: Six new teams join ranking--Mid-Major Madness

The Other Top 25 saw a half dozen new teams jump into the ranking. SMU came in at No. 20. VCU tied for 21. Richmond was tied for 23. In a three-way tie for 25, Wagner, Drake and Memphis rounded out the other new teams.

The Other Top 25: Feb. 21, 2022

Rank	Team (First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Previous
10	Loyola Chicago	20-6	47	T-4
T-25	Drake	19-9	9	NR

Missouri Valley Basketball: Northern Iowa benefits from chaos in standings--Busting Brackets
Stars of the Valleys’ Second Last Week--Valley Hoops Insider

Missouri Valley Conference

A.J. Green sparked Northern Iowa’s two victories that catapulted them into a first place tie. Green turned in a pair of 20-point performances, which extended his 20-point-game streak to four straight. He is now the league’s leading scorer during league-only games. The ‘Player of the Week‘ award is his third this season. Missouri State’s Isaiah Mosley has collected four.

Drake’s Tucker DeVries is running away with the league’s ‘Freshman of the Year‘ award and may also take the ‘Newcomer of the Year‘ nod. The Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Week‘ has claimed that weekly honor three of the last four weeks. Last week the 6’7 freshman scored 16 points against Evansville and 24 in the Bulldogs’ huge win over Loyola.

MVC Hoops Power Rankings: ONE WEEK LEFT!--Missouri Valley Beat

Drake men's basketball completes second half comeback against Indiana State to win, 74-58--Des Moines Register
Bulldogs Turn It On in Second Half for Fourth Consecutive 20 Win Season--godrakebulldogs.com

There's plenty of angst among the UE basketball fan base. Is a coaching change imminent?--Evansville Courier & Press
Second-half surge not enough as the Aces' skid hits five after another close loss--Evansville Courier & Press
Sisley records career-high 18 points at Valpo--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Loyola grinds way past Illinois State in MVC defensive struggle--The Pantagraph
ISU unable to keep up with Loyola late, fall 59-50 in second game of season sweep--Vidette Online
ISU Falls in Battle with Ramblers--goredbirds.com

Familiar story as ISU lets lead slip at Drake--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Sycamores Fall to Preseason Favorite Drake in Des Moines--gosycamores.com

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Monday, Feb 21--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT INDIANA[sic] STATE (Missouri Valley).  Loyola Chicago may be out of strikes when it comes to being inside the bubble and in a position to get an at-large bid if they don’t win the MVC Tournament.  If they aren’t out of strikes, they are getting very close.  Simply put, they cannot lose again until at least the semifinals.

Bubble Watch: Why Saturday’s bracket reveal was actually really important for bubble teams--The Athletic

Others

Work to do: San Francisco, San Diego State, Loyola Chicago, North Texas, Memphis, SMU, Davidson, Dayton, BYU, Belmont, VCU

Loyola Chicago (20-6, 12-4; NET: 37, SOS: 117): Having questioned USF’s quality wins (or lack thereof) above, it’s only fair to do the same to Loyola, whose win over San Francisco in that hastily arranged game in Utah Jan. 6 remains by far the most noteworthy result on this resume. It’s a resume, by the way, that as of last Saturday now includes four defeats in Missouri Valley play — the latest being to Drake in Chicago. It’s a threshold that may be hard for the Ramblers to overcome, though they remain in the mix for now.

Uguak Leads Loyola To 59-50 Victory At Illinois State--loyolaramblers.com

Bears Return to JQH Arena for Senior Night Showdown vs. Bradley--missouristatebears.com

What are the MSU Lady Bears' chances at MVC title, NCAA bid after central Illinois trip?--Springfield News-Leader

Panther men's basketball battles Indiana State in final road game--unipanthers.com
AJ Green named MVC Player of the Week for third time this season--unipanthers.com

Beacons complete Indiana sweep--The Victory Bell
Valpo Withstands Evansville Run, Completes Weekend Sweep--valpoathletics.com

Valparaiso completes road sweep with comeback victory--The Victory Bell
Valpo Basketball Weekly: Feb. 21--valpoathletics.com

MVC MBB Weekly Notebook (F21)--The Missouri Valley

Women's Basketball Player/Newcomer of the Week (Feb. 21)--The Missouri Valley

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/20/2022

Missouri Valley Basketball: Biggest “glue guy” players of 2021-22 season--Busting Brackets

Bradley Tops Rival Illinois State, 72-64--bradleybraves.com

Missouri State Rides Third-Quarter Surge to MVC Win--bradleybraves.com

Drake Puts Together Wire-to-Wire Victory at Loyola--godrakebulldogs.com

Drake women's basketball delivers late for road win at Northern Iowa--Des Moines Register
Miller and Myer Pace Bulldogs in Battle with Panthers--godrakebulldogs.com

Todd Lickliter said he doesn't feel pressure as UE men's basketball losses keep piling up--Evansville Courier & Press
UE men drop contest against Valparaiso--gopurpleaces.com
Aces travel to Valparaiso on Monday--gopurpleaces.com

Aces narrowly edged by Loyola on Senior Day--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Illinois State's long week continues as Bradley cleans up at free throw line--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Illinois State tries to play spoiler in MVC race against Loyola--The Pantagraph
Foul troubles sink Redbirds in 72-64 loss to Bradley--Vidette Online
Five things to know before Illinois State begins final week of regular season--Vidette Online
Redbirds Drop Battle with Bradley 72-64--goredbirds.com
ISU Looks to Snap Skid as Ramblers Head to Redbird Arena--goredbirds.com

Watch now: Southern Illinois posts commanding win over Illinois State--The Pantagraph
ISU struggles to keep up with Southern Illinois, falling 65-49 on senior night--Vidette Online
Illinois State’s Senior Day Spoiled by Salukis--goredbirds.com

Familiar laments come back to bite Sycamores again--Terre Haute Tribune Star
ISU hopes to play MVC spoiler role as games keep on coming--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Sycamores Unable to Contain Second Half Surge by Southern Illinois--gosycamores.com
Sycamore Men Set for Quick Turnaround with Road Matchup at Drake Monday--gosycamores.com

Valpo overtakes ISU women for MVC victory--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Glanton’s career day spoiled by Beacons--gosycamores.com

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Sunday, Feb 20--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Loyola Chicago needed a win at home yesterday against Drake, and didn’t get it.  This is a team that’s racking up quite a string of losses to teams that are not inside the bubble, and a few of those have come at home.  It’s hard to say how safe the Ramblers are.  It’s no guarantee the committee will take them if they don’t win the Missouri Valley Tournament.

Drake Drags Loyola Down at Gentile Arena--Loyola Phoenix
Loyola Can’t Get Over Hump, Drops 83-76 Decision To Drake--loyolaramblers.com
Loyola Looks For Series Sweep When It Visits Illinois State Monday Night--loyolaramblers.com

Day’s Big Fourth Quarter Helps Loyola Overcome Evansville, 60-56--loyolaramblers.com

Missouri State basketball blown out at Northern Iowa with first-place in the MVC on the line--Springfield News-Leader
Missouri State hoops lives and dies by its defense — which likely killed its MVC title hopes at UNI--Springfield News-Leader
Missouri State basketball walloped by UNI, Valley title chances begin to fade--The Standard
Slow Start Too Much for Bears to Overcome at UNI--missouristatebears.com

Lady Bears Dominate Braves in 72-56 Victory--missouristatebears.com

Northern Iowa moves into penthouse of MVC--Cedar Rapids Gazette
UNI men's basketball tops Missouri State, 95-75--unipanthers.com

Drake women’s basketball rallies past UNI to complete season sweep--Cedar Rapids Gazette
UNI women's basketball loses season series to Drake 73-68--unipanthers.com

Women’s Basketball clobbers Illinois State for season sweep--Daily Egyptian
Salukis Earn Wire-to-Wire Win Over Redbirds In First-Place Battle--siusalukis.com

Shorthanded Beacons knock off Evansville--The Victory Bell
Valpo Earns Road Victory in Evansville--valpoathletics.com
Valpo Looks to Finish Hoosier State Sweep on Monday--valpoathletics.com

Valpo Battles Back For Key Win at Indiana State--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/19/2022

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Feb 19--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-DRAKE AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Mountain West).  Loyola is inside the bubble and will obviously stay there if they take care of business the rest of the way.  The problem is that they’ve shown tendencies of being unable to take care of business.  They nearly lost to Valpo their last time out, and this is a Drake team that is pretty touch, so they need to play up to their ceiling if they want to be in a position of not needing to win Arch Madness to make The Field.

UNDER THE RADAR WATCH:

MISSOURI VALLEY – Loyola Chicago is probably the best team, but they are not running away with it.  They have just a one game lead over Missouri State and Northern Iowa with four games to go, the last of which is a road game at Northern Iowa.

2/19/2022 MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring At The Floor Boards

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QUICK HITTERS:

1. Love the Drake-Loyola matchups. Final score didn’t reflect it, but the Ramblers owned in PNR in first meeting...

PLAYS:

Bradley -8.5 (Rivalry revenge after the meltdown in BloNo and losing last 3 to Redbirds. Think “rally around Jones” effect fades for ISU)

SIU Veterans Lead Salukis by Bradley--bradleybraves.com
Braves Host Missouri State in Play4Kay Game--bradleybraves.com

Aces showcase efficient offense in overtime loss to Valparaiso--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Illinois State women can't overcome poor start in loss to Missouri State--The Pantagraph
Watch now: Both coaches want part three, other takeaways from Illinois State women's loss--The Pantagraph
ISU falls to Missouri State 75-69, splitting season series--Vidette Online
Five things to know before ISU takes on Southern Illinois Sunday--Vidette Online
Redbirds Battle, Come Up Short Versus Lady Bears--goredbirds.com

Sycamores still seek improvement as SIU visits--Terre Haute Tribune Star

Late ISU women's surge not enough against Loyola--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Late Sycamore surge not enough against Loyola Chicago--gosycamores.com

Ramblers Edge Indiana State For Third Straight Win, 61-59--loyolaramblers.com

What to know about Missouri State vs. Northern Iowa basketball, including how to watch the game--Springfield News-Leader

Mariah White joined Missouri State to win titles. She's closer after leading MSU past Illinois State.--Springfield News-Leader
Missouri State Lady Bears beat ISU on the road to tighten Valley race--The Standard
White’s 21 Points Help Lead Lady Bears Over Redbirds--missouristatebears.com

Jones, Domask reach 1,000 points as Men's Basketball clinches top-six seed with win at Indiana State--siusalukis.com

Women’s basketball overwhelms Bradley for fourth straight win 74-46 as Salukis take sole conference lead--Daily Egyptian
Brockmeyer Passes 1,000 Rebounds in Win Over Bradley--siusalukis.com
Salukis Look For Season Sweep of Illinois State--siusalukis.com

Beacons get in the zone--The Victory Bell
Women’s Basketball Takes Down Evansville in OT Friday--valpoathletics.com
Women's Basketball Faces Key Matchup Sunday at Indiana State--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/18/2022

Happening Hoops CBI/The Basketball Classic Bracketology #6 2022--Happening Hoops

College Basketball Invitational (16 Teams in Daytona Beach Florida March 19-23).

• Bellarmine (16-11 ASUN)
• Drake (18-9 MVC)
• Jacksonville (17-8 ASUN)
• Campbell (14-10 Big South)
• Delaware (18-9 CAA)
• Oakland (18-8 Horizon)
• Siena (12-9 MAAC)
• Stony Brook (15-11 America East)
• Howard (13-10 MEAC)
• Kansas City (16-10 Summit)
• Bryant (16-9 NEC)
• Navy (18-8 Patriot)
• UNCG (16-11 SoCon)
• San Diego (14-12 WCC)
• California Baptist (14-12 WAC)
• Utah Valley (17-8 WAC)

The Basketball Classic (32 Teams Campus Sites March 14-31)

Midwest

• Youngstown State (17-11 Horizon)
• Fort Wayne (16-10 Horizon)
• Kent State (16-9 MAC)
• Bradley (15-12 MVC)
• Morehead State (20-8 OVC)
• Oral Roberts (17-9 Summit)
• Western Illinois (15-12 Summit)

NCAA mid-major Top 25 rankings: Chattanooga back on track; Montana State rolling--Heat Check CBB

23. Drake Bulldogs (18-9)

The Bulldogs pulled out of a three-game skid by smacking Evansville with a 22-point win on Wednesday night. That is a good way to go into the biggest game left on the schedule: a trip to Chicago to face off with Loyola on Saturday. DJ Wilkins dropped 20 in a Jan. 30 win over the Ramblers at home. If Drake can pull off the season sweep, the Bulldogs will be cruising into a cushy final trio of MVC games — and a chance to improve their seeding for the conference tournament. -Andy Dieckhoff

13. Missouri State Bears (20-8)

Missouri State took care of business over this past week with a pair of home wins over Valparaiso and Indiana State. The Bears have now won three in a row – including a road victory over Drake – and sit in a tie for second place in the Missouri Valley. A tough closing schedule approaches as they still have to face Northern Iowa on the road and Bradley at home. Isiaih Mosley and Gaige Prim form one of the best duos in the country and make them exceedingly dangerous in any game. If Mosley catches fire, particularly from deep, he is almost unstoppable; he has scored over 30 points five times this season. -LH

5. Loyola Chicago Ramblers (20-5)

Reports of the Ramblers’ demise have been greatly exaggerated. Alarm bells were ringing for some after Loyola followed up a 5-0 start to MVC play with a 3-4 stretch. Since losing to Bradley on Feb. 9, Drew’s team scored wins on either side of Valentine’s Day. A 27-point dismantling of UNI made a big statement on Feb. 12, while a 71-69 survival-horror win in Valparaiso thrust Loyola back into first place. -AD

Postseason Awards Preview- MVC Hoops--Missouri Valley Beat

Braves Host I-74 Rival Illinois State Saturday--bradleybraves.com

Men's Basketball Gears Up for Battle in the Windy City--godrakebulldogs.com

Women's Basketball Heads to Cedar Falls--godrakebulldogs.com

Men’s basketball hosts Valpo at 1 p.m. on Saturday--gopurpleaces.com

College basketball coaching changes 2022: Coaching carousel tracker--Heat Check CBB

Team	Former coach	New coach	Notes
Illinois State	Dan Muller		Muller announced his resignation on Feb. 14, 2022. Associate HC Brian Jones will serve as interim HC through remainder of 2021-22 season. (LINK)

Watch now: Illinois State, Bradley meet again in different circumstances--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Travel to Peoria for I-74 Rivalry Game--goredbirds.com

Sycamores Set for Rematch at Home with Southern Illinois Saturday--gosycamores.com

Loyola vs. ISU II set for Friday in Terre Haute--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Lalic selected as Brenda Howell Award recipient--gosycamores.com

Loyola Battles Drake Saturday In Penultimate Home Game Of 2021-22--loyolaramblers.com

Bears' Home Stretch Starts Sunday with Key Game at UNI--missouristatebears.com

Panther men's basketball hosts Missouri State in key MVC matchup--unipanthers.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/17/2022

MVC/OVC Bracketology--Valley Hoops Insider

Drake men's basketball snaps three-game losing streak with 73-51 win over Evansville--Des Moines Register
Bulldogs Back on Track with Win Over Evansville--godrakebulldogs.com

Evansville basketball blown out at Drake, its sixth loss of 20+ points in MVC play--Evansville Courier & Press
Aces fall to Bulldogs in road contest--gopurpleaces.com

Fun-Filled Weekend ahead for Aces at Meeks Family Fieldhouse--gopurpleaces.com

Watch now: Kayel Newland wrapping up Illinois State basketball career on high note--The Pantagraph
Clash of the Top-Ranked Teams in the Valley at Redbird Arena This Weekend--goredbirds.com
Crompton Earns CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors--goredbirds.com

ANDY AMEY: Jerry Newsom was great player, better person--Terre Haute Tribune Star

Rematch with Ramblers on deck for Sycamores--gosycamores.com

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

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Loyola Chicago won at Valpo.  By 2.  Their resume is still good enough for them to be inside the bubble, but they’ve suffered a handful of losses to teams that don’t appear to be anywhere close to the NIT, and another one last night would have not been good.

Under The Radar – February 16th--Hoops HD

From there we run through the other 21 Under the Radar conferences, and discuss what a rough week it was for a lot of the top UTR teams... Loyola Chicago held on to win at Valpo tonight, but barely.

Loyola Rings the Victory Bell at Valparaiso--Loyola Phoenix
Loyola Rallies To Slip Past Valparaiso, 71-69, For 20th Win Of The Season--loyolaramblers.com

Brown Scores Season-High 15 as Loyola Takes Down Indiana State--Loyola Phoenix
Surging Ramblers Open Hoosier State Road Swing This Weekend At Indiana State, Evansville--loyolaramblers.com

AJ Green earns CoSIDA Academic All-District honors--unipanthers.com

Men's Basketball plays at Indiana State on Saturday at noon--siusalukis.com

Women's Basketball Faces Bradley Friday Night--siusalukis.com

Loyola breaks Valpo's heart for a final time--The Victory Bell
Loyola Edges Valpo in Another MVC Heart-Pounder--valpoathletics.com
Beacons Begin Presidents' Day Weekend Series on Saturday--valpoathletics.com

State Farm MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight (Feb. 17)--The Missouri Valley