Wednesday, November 23, 2022

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/23/2022

NCAA Basketball: TCU’s struggles, Maui breakdown among biggest takeaways--Busting Brackets

7. How some teams are adjusting in new leagues

Among their replacements in the MVC, Murray State has already upset #24 Texas A&M in that same Myrtle Beach Invitational, while Belmont and UIC have looked decent early but haven’t picked up that big win.

Transfer Updates: 2022 Early Season Tournament Guide--The Portal Report

Cayman Islands Classic (Nov. 21-23)

Illinois State Redbirds

Darius Burford – Despite the loss to LSU, the Elon transfer produced a team-leading 17 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists while playing a full 34 minutes to try and keep the Tigers at bay.

CancĂșn Challange (Nov. 22 & 23)

Bradley Braves

Duke Deen – In an 85-64 loss in the first round at the hands of Auburn, the Troy transfer managed 15 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 33% from behind the three-point arc.

MVC/OVC Players on the Henson List--Valley Hoops Insider



Ben Sheppard Named to Lou Henson Award Watch List--belmontbruins.com



Bradley Braves fall to Liberty on cold shooting night in Cancun Challenge--Peoria Journal Star
Depth, Defense and Dunks: Auburn slides past Bradley in Cancun--Bradley Scout
Men's Basketball falls in Cancun Finale--bradleybraves.com

Braves pull away late, survive scare from Missouri Baptist--Bradley Scout
Women's Basketball prevails over Missouri Baptist--bradleybraves.com



Evansville Purple Aces run out of steam at Central Florida in fourth consecutive loss--Evansville Courier & Press
Late run pushes UCF to 76-56 win over Aces--gopurpleaces.com



Cold shooting, rebounding woes send Illinois State to fourth straight loss, 0-3 mark in Cayman Islands Classic--The Pantagraph
ISU men's basketball falls 57-44 to Rhode Island, goes winless at Cayman Islands Classic--The Vidette



McCauley Named to Lou Henson Award Watch List--gosycamores.com
Henry, Bledson Lead Sycamores to Victory in Gulf Coast Showcase Finale--gosycamores.com



Thanksgiving comes early for Black; Murray State forward’s big plays Saturday came in front of her family--Murray Ledger & Times



UNI women's basketball to take on Tulane, Vanderbilt at Cancun Challenge--unipanthers.com



Flames Hold Off Governors, Win Second Straight--uicflames.com



Road woes continue for Beacons--The Victory Bell
King Paces Valpo in Setback at Samford--valpoathletics.com

Women's Basketball Heads to Northwestern Sunday--valpoathletics.com



State Farm MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight (Nov. 23)--The Missouri Valley

The Missouri Valley 11/23/2022

MVC/OVC Players of the Week--Valley Hoops Insider



Men’s basketball finishes fourth at Paradise Jam--Belmont Vision
Fast Start Powers Men's Basketball Past Howard at Paradise Jam--belmontbruins.com



'We'll find a way': What to watch as Bradley basketball team heads to Cancun Challenge--Peoria Journal Star
'We can play better': Bradley Braves lose to No. 13 Auburn at Cancun Challenge--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley falls to #13 Auburn in Cancun Challenge--bradleybraves.com

Women's Basketball to host Missouri Baptist--bradleybraves.com



DeVries Earns Career Win No. 100 En Route to Paradise Jam Title--godrakebulldogs.com


Can anyone beat South Carolina? 12 questions on women’s college basketball--The Athletic

3. What mid-major team has impressed you the most?

There’s a lot of season left to play, but I really like what I’ve seen from Drake so far. The Bulldogs play excellent team basketball, with nearly five players averaging double-digits. They are 2-1 after taking Iowa to overtime in a loss and recently beating then-No. 22 Nebraska. College Insider currently has Drake ranked 10th in its mid-major top 25, but I expect the Bulldogs to move up this week. If they keep playing ranked opponents this tough, they might even break into the AP poll.



Like it's 1999: What made Evansville's last NCAA tournament team so special?--Evansville Courier & Press
How building 'the right culture' will someday lead the Aces back to the NCAA tournament--Evansville Courier & Press
UE men in Orlando to face UCF on Wednesday--gopurpleaces.com



Western Kentucky surges early in second half to send Illinois State to third straight loss--The Pantagraph
ISU men's basketball loses third-straight, falling to Western Kentucky--The Vidette
Redbirds Fall to Hilltoppers 78-66 in Second Round of Cayman Islands Classic--goredbirds.com



Sycamores drop heartbreaker to Kansas City--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Sycamores Remain Unbeaten After Defeating East Carolina in Gulf Coast Showcase Opener--gosycamores.com
Sycamores Suffer First Loss of the Season in Gulf Coast Showcase Semifinals--gosycamores.com

Sycamore men, women add basketball signees--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Sycamore women’s basketball inks four newcomers--gosycamores.com



Lady Bears Head West for Las Vegas Invitational--missouristatebears.com



Murray State fans eager to see more following Myrtle Beach Invitiational--WPSD Local 6
Wright On; Still too early to tell how far Racer men go this year, but it’s looking good so far--Murray Ledger & Times
White Out Dec. 1 - MVC Opener Provides Historic Night For Racers--goracers.com



Northern Iowa comeback falls short against Grand Canyon--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
UNI men's basketball rally comes up short against Grand Canyon--unipanthers.com



SIU Men's Basketball | Salukis left stranded in loss to UNLV--Southern Illinoisan
Southern stalls late as UNLV prevails in SoCal Challenge--Daily Egyptian
Salukis Fall to UNLV in SoCal Challenge Opener; Face Cal Baptist Wednesday--siusalukis.com

Salukis fall to Memphis, set sights on Christmas City Classic--siusalukis.com



Flames Roll Past Holy Cross, 89-66--uicflames.com

Flames Use Three Point Marksmanship to Down Davidson--uicflames.com



Beacons fall in overtime thriller--The Victory Bell
Women’s Basketball Falls to UAB in Overtime Heartbreaker--valpoathletics.com



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

Monday, November 21, 2022

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/21/2022

The Other Top 25: Charleston jumps straight into top 10--Mid-Major Madness

The Other Top 25: Nov. 21, 2022

Rank Team (First-Place Votes) Points Record Previous
7 Drake 51 4-0 T-17
T-23 Southern Illinois 15 3-1 NR

Others Receiving Votes:

Boise State 13; South Dakota State 11; New Mexico 10; Loyola Chicago 8; UC Santa Barbara 8; UMass 7; Loyola Marymount 6; Colorado State 4; Nevada 3; Pepperdine 3; Western Kentucky 3; Wichita State 2; Murray State 1



Senior Spotlight: Ben Sheppard has grown into the leader of Belmont men’s basketball--Belmont Vision
Men's Basketball Plays Howard Monday in Paradise Jam--belmontbruins.com

Bruins Battle Fourth-Ranked Iowa in 73-62 Road Setback--belmontbruins.com



'Like we never left': Bradley Braves iconic Sweet 16 team has its Hall of Fame moment--Peoria Journal Star
Despite injuries, Braves prevail against SEMO--Bradley Scout
Short Handed Braves Push Past SEMO--bradleybraves.com

Waite scores 22, Braves run away in Popovec-Goss’ first win as head coach--Bradley Scout



News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Monday, Nov 21st--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Drake picked up their best win of the year against Wyoming 61-56.  Most of Drake’s wins have not been impressive, but they have managed to win all their games.  Wyoming is a team with a very high ceiling that’s off to a very slow start.  They cannot afford to drop another game in this tournament, or else they are going to start their run for the bubble from about a hundred miles away.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-DRAKE VS TARLETON STATE (Paradise Jam, Saint Thomas Virgin Islands).  Drake picked up a nice win yesterday against Wyoming, which was their best of the season so far, and shouldn’t have too much trouble today getting past a good, but yet seemingly overmatched, Tarleton State team.  Tarleton did beat Boston College yesterday, so they’ll be coming into this one with some confidence.

Under The Radar Game of the Day – Monday, November 21st--Hoops HD
DeVries Scores Career-High 29 Points, Bulldogs Advance to Paradise Jam Championship--godrakebulldogs.com
MVC Player of the Week Honor Goes to DeVries--godrakebulldogs.com


Drake women's basketball team takes down No. 22 Nebraska--Des Moines Register



LSU handles Illinois State in opening round of Cayman Islands Classic--The Pantagraph
ISU men's basketball struggles to start Cayman Islands Classic with 77-61 loss to LSU--The Vidette
Redbird Rally Not Enough in Loss to LSU--goredbirds.com

Robinson's 37 points help Illinois State women defeat Wisconsin--The Pantagraph
Robinson's 37 points lead ISU women's basketball past Wisconsin--The Vidette
Robinson earns MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week following dominant performances--The Vidette
Robinson Shines Bright as Redbirds Defeat Badgers Sunday--goredbirds.com
Robinson Wraps Up MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week Honors--goredbirds.com



Sycamores head into Florida tournament undefeated--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Sycamores to Face East Carolina in First Round of Gulf Coast Showcase--gosycamores.com

Second-half surge pushes Purdue past Indiana State--gosycamores.com



Bears Head to Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship--missouristatebears.com



NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from UMass Myrtle Beach Invitational title--Busting Brackets

Murray State Racers (3rd Place): Racers will be a threat in the Missouri Valley Conference

With a new head coach in Steve Prohm and a nearly completely new roster, there certainly were questions as to what the Racers would do, going from the Ohio Valley to the Missouri Valley. This past weekend showed that the program won’t take much of a drop-off at all. The major upset win over Texas A&M was notable and they played the eventual champs, UMass to the final seconds of the game.

Murray State blew out Tulsa, led by the veteran trio of Rob Perry, JaCobi Woods, and Jamari Smith will be one of the best in the MVC. With teams like Bradley and Southern Illinois dealing with injuries, the opportunity is there for the Racers to make a statement in year one of the new league.

Racers Adding To History--Valley Hoops Insider
Murray State men’s basketball at Myrtle Beach Invitational; Racers finish solid weekend with strong win--Murray Ledger & Times
UMass completes late comeback with buzzer beater against Racers--Murray Ledger & Times
Racers Defeat Tulsa For Myrtle Beach 3rd Place--goracers.com
MSU’s Wood Named MVC Newcomer of the Week--goracers.com


Racer women come back to beat UTC--Murray Ledger & Times
Big Fourth Pushes Racers Past Chattanooga--goracers.com



College men's basketball: UNI falters late against Dons--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Panther men's basketball falls to San Francisco in Hall of Fame Classic opener--unipanthers.com

No. 20 Creighton starts hot, sinks UNI women’s basketball--Cedar Rapids Gazette
College women's basketball: UNI drops second straight--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
UNI women's basketball stumbles against No. 20 Creighton--unipanthers.com



Salukis Open SoCal Challenge Monday Night Against UNLV--siusalukis.com

SIU Women's Basketball | Salukis look for quicker start--Southern Illinoisan
Salukis look to snap three-game skid against Memphis--siusalukis.com



Flames Stumble in Second Half at Fordham--uicflames.com
Three-Point Barrage Lifts Flames Past Skyhawks, 77-71--uicflames.com

Dempsey-Toney Posts Double-Double; Flames Suffer First Loss of Season--uicflames.com



Valparaiso beats Incarnate Word--The Victory Bell
Valpo Defeats Incarnate Word on Saturday--valpoathletics.com
Valpo Visits Samford for Pre-Thanksgiving Matinee--valpoathletics.com

Women's Basketball Closes Three-Game Homestand Monday--valpoathletics.com



MVC MBB Weekly Notes (Nov. 21)--The Missouri Valley

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

Saturday, November 19, 2022

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/19/2022

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Saturday, Nov 19th--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-On the winners side of the bracket, UMass got another big win over a Murray State team that has so far been better than what many were expecting.  It came down to an (almost) last second shot as UMass held on 71-69.  Angry Frank’s bunch has improved quite a bit since getting blown out at home by Towson.

-Drake remains unbeaten, but every game has been more of a workout than what we were expecting.  They trailed Buffalo for much of yesterday’s game in the Paradise Jam, but pulled away late for an 80-72 win.

11/19/2022 MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring At The Floorboards

Subscriber Content

MTSU @ MISSOURI STATE

Tough spot situationally for Missouri State...

BELMONT vs GEORGE MASON (Virgin Islands)

My concern with Belmont yesterday, and why I played Tarleton, was their inability to handle the Billy Clyde’s press...

College Basketball Transfer Recap: November 17--The Portal Report

JaCobi Wood, Murray State

In the Racers’ upset victory over No.24 Virginia Tech yesterday, he dropped 23 points. A lot of the impact was late in the first half.

Courvoisier McCauley, Indiana State

McCauley has come into Terre Haute and become one of the highest volume scorers in the country. Last night in a 26-point win over North Dakota State, the DePaul transfer had 30 points.



Short-Handed Men's Basketball Falls to Tarleton State in Opening Game of Paradise Jam--belmontbruins.com

Bruins Face Second Top-10 Opponent of Season, Travel to Fourth-Ranked Iowa Sunday--belmontbruins.com



How Bradley Braves overcame injuries, routed SEMO and inducted a team into HOF--Peoria Journal Star
'I'm home': Bradley Braves man in the middle has found a basketball family--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley takes on SEMO in Saturday Double Header--bradleybraves.com

Women's Basketball upends McNeese State--bradleybraves.com



Drake women's basketball team takes down No. 22 Nebraska Tommy Birch Des Moines Register--Des Moines Register
Drake Women Down No. 22 Nebraska, 80-62--godrakebulldogs.com



Purple Aces 'still believe' following low-scoring loss to SMU basketball as skid reaches three--Evansville Courier & Press
Mustangs fend off challenge to defeat Aces 55-47--gopurpleaces.com

Three finish in double-figures as Aces fall at Illinois--gopurpleaces.com



Illinois State knows competition level increasing as Redbirds face LSU in Cayman Islands Classic--The Pantagraph

Illinois State women play host to Big Ten's Wisconsin--The Pantagraph
Illinois State Welcomes Wisconsin to CEFCU Arena Sunday--goredbirds.com



Sycamores to face Boilermakers in Sunday matinee--gosycamores.com



Missouri State basketball starting point guard Matthew Lee tears ACL, out for season--Springfield News-Leader
After losing starting point guard, Missouri State basketball had an impressive performance vs. MTSU--Springfield News-Leader
Lee to Miss Remainder of 2022-23 Basketball Season--missouristatebears.com
Bears Drain 12 Treys, Sink Blue Raiders 75-51--missouristatebears.com



Racer men face Tulsa in Myrtle Beach third-place game--Murray Ledger & Times



Women's Basketball falls to Northwestern on the road--siusalukis.com

Friday, November 18, 2022

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/18/2022

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Friday, Nov 18th--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Murray State didn’t look all that impressive in their season opener against Saint Louis, but they haven’t lost since then and yesterday they knocked off Texas A&M 88-79 for a HUGE OOC win.  They were good last year, but are virtually an entirely different team this year.  Nevertheless, they showed yesterday they can play with (and beat) top 25 teams.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-UMASS VS MURRAY STATE (Myrtle Beach Invitational, Conway SC).  Both teams pulled off wins that were somewhat surprising to get here, especially after they had dropped some games early.  As we always say, these early season MTEs are great opportunities for teams to pick up notable wins and to build their NCAA Tournament resumes.

11/18/2022 MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring At The Floorboards

Subscriber Content

UMASS vs MURRAY STATE (Myrtle Beach)

As noted above, these two were both beneficiaries of good shooting luck...

BUFFALO vs DRAKE (Virgin Islands)

After going 0-3 in their MTE last year, Drake probably has a little extra juice in the Virgin Islands, plus a much easier field to navigate.,,

BELMONT vs TARLETON (Virgin Islands)

There are some potential injury concerns with Rushin and McDavid for Tarleton, but signs point to it being rest against a non D1, but I like Billy Clyde’s chances with a week+ to prep. Belmont hasn’t seen much press over the year, but when they have they’ve struggled ...



'I'm home': Bradley Braves man in the middle has found a basketball family--Peoria Journal Star
'Next man up': Bradley basketball team loses another starter to injury--Peoria Journal Star

Braves bested by Badgers in road affair--Bradley Scout
Women's Basketball hosts McNeese State at Carver Arena--bradleybraves.com



Penn Plays Closer Role, Drake Rallies to Beat Buffalo in Paradise Jam Quarterfinal--godrakebulldogs.com



Men’s basketball travels to Dallas to face SMU--gopurpleaces.com

Second B1G opponent ahead for Aces with Saturday trip to face Illinois--gopurpleaces.com



Demarcus Sharp, Northwestern State hand Illinois State a 'tough' home loss in rematch--The Pantagraph
ISU men's basketball's comeback falls short in 70-67 loss to Northwestern State--The Vidette
Late Push Falls Short in Loss to Demons--goredbirds.com



Sycamores blow out Bison for third straight win--Terre Haute Tribune Star
Sycamores Put Triple Digits on NDSU En Route to Third Straight Win--gosycamores.com
Men’s Basketball Announces Signing of Four to 2023 Class--gosycamores.com



Men's Hoops Returns Home for Battle with Middle Tennessee--missouristatebears.com

Why the Missouri State Lady Bears were so positive after losing to Oklahoma State--Springfield News-Leader
Lady Bears Drop Tough Contest Against OSU--missouristatebears.com



Murray State tops No. 24 Texas A&M 88-79--WPSD Local 6
UMass stuns Murray State 71-69 with buzzer-beater--WPSD Local 6
Murray State men’s basketball at Myrtle Beach Invitational; Racers go wire-to-wire in upset of Texas A&M--Murray Ledger & Times
Racer men must come back to Earth for Game 2 today--Murray Ledger & Times
UMass completes late comeback with buzzer beater against Racers--Murray Ledger & Times
UMass Buzzer Shot Downs Racers at Myrtle Beach--goracers.com

Racer women return home for UTC with something to prove--Murray Ledger & Times
Racers Welcome Chattanooga Saturday--goracers.com



UNI men's basketball heads to Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City--unipanthers.com



Cade Hornecker debuts in Saluki victory over Tennessee State--Daily Egyptian

Women's Basketball hits the road for a matchup with Northwestern--siusalukis.com



Flames Head to the Big Apple for Tom Konchalski Classic--uicflames.com