Thursday, November 23, 2023

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/23/2023

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Nov 23rd (Thanksgiving Edition)--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Bradley remains unbeaten after knocking off a previously unbeaten UTEP team 63-59 in the SoCal Challenge. Bradley has been one of the better under the radar teams this season and is getting the early season wins they need to help build a strong resume.

OTHER FEAST WEEK GAMES:

-Texas Tech vs Northern Iowa (Battle 4 Atlantis) – We were expecting more from Northern Iowa, and while there is still time for them to turn it around they are just 1-3 on the season so far

MTE Championship Update--Valley Hoops Insider



Men's Basketball Returns to Action in Cathedral Classic--belmontbruins.com

No. 4 Stanford survives tough battle with scrappy Belmont, moves to 5-0 with 74-55 win--Associated Press
Bruins Give Top-Five Stanford All It Can Handle--belmontbruins.com



How Bradley basketball rode the wave, won the SoCal Challenge and came home undefeated--Peoria Journal Star
Game Recap: Bradley vs UTEP--bradleybraves.com



Illinois State basketball goes 1-2 in Gulf Coast Showcase--The Pantagraph
ISU men's basketball ends Gulf Coast Showcase with 74-49 loss to Wright State--The Vidette
Redbirds Take Fourth at Gulf Coast Showcase--goredbirds.com



ISU withstands Waves in Vegas--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores Surf Past the Waves in Ball Dawgs Classic--gosycamores.com



College Basketball: Eight Mid-Major Players to Pay Attention To--ON3

G Alston Mason, Missouri State

6-2 | 175 | Junior

The Buzz: Missouri State junior Alston Mason picked things up as last season wore on, averaging 13.5 points over the final two months of the season. The 6-foot-2 guard started his collegiate career at Oklahoma, where he played 18 games. So far at Missouri State this season, they are 4-1 and in those five games, Mason is averaging 16.8 points and 3.2 assists while shooting 51.7 percent from three.

Bears Game with S.C. State on Deck Saturday--missouristatebears.com


Where the MSU Lady Bears showed signs of growth in pre-Thanksgiving win over SEMO--Springfield News-Leader
Crucial Third Quarter Propels Lady Bears Over SEMO--missouristatebears.com



Racers "humbled" after Fort Myers losses--Racer Basketball



SIU Men's Basketball | Salukis roll to win over New Mexico State--The Southern Illinoisan



Men's Basketball Hosts Southern to Round Out Multi-Team Event--valpoathletics.com

Women's Basketball Faces UAB Saturday--valpoathletics.com

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/22/2023

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Nov 22nd--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-James Madison keeps winning! They don’t always do it convincingly, and they’re not always playing top 40 caliber teams, but they do keep winning. They came from behind to beat Southern Illinois 82-76 yesterday.

-Drake blew out Akron 79*59 in the Cayman Islands 3rd place game. Akron was the UTR team I was the biggest on coming into the season. After they dropped two straight in this event I’m starting to rethink that. The teams they lost to were good, but that’s just it. You have to beat good teams to demonstrate that you yourself are good.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

NORTHERN IOWA VS NORTH CAROLINA (Battle 4 Atlantis). Northern Iowa is off to just a 1-2 start, but we still think they can have a big year and this event is a chance for them to really build up their resume. North Carolina comes in at 3-0, but has only played three home buy games, so we’ll learn something about them throughout the week.

-BRADLEY VS UTEP (SoCal Challenge). This is a great game to watch. Both teams come in unbeaten, and Bradley has already racked up some notable wins on their resume. Tonight is a chance for another one against a UTEP team that’s also unbeaten and has wins over UC Santa Barbara and Cal. This is a resume-building opportunity for both teams.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES/BUY GAMES:

-Southern Illinois vs New Mexico State (Cancun Challenge) – Southern Illinois hung tough with James Madison yesterday and should be able to get this win today
-Indiana State @ Pepperdine (Ball Dawg Classic) – Indiana State has just one loss and can pick up a nice neutral floor win

Newcomers Shine During Week Two Awards--Valley Hoops Insider

Week Two Awards – MVC

Illinois Chicago’s Isaiah Rivera is a newcomer, but he isn’t the Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Week‘. The 6’5 guard is the ‘Player of the Week‘ for averaging 18 points and three assists during the Flames’ huge win over Loyola Chicago and its victory over Aurora. A Colorado State transfer, Rivera scored 23 points during UIC’s transformative win over the Ramblers.

John A. Logan transfer Isaiah Stafford is the ‘Newcomer of the Week‘. Valparaiso’s 6’2 guard scored 48 points during the Beacons’ two games. He was dazzling in dropping 30 points on the Fighting Illini and added 18 during a win over Green Bay.

Drake’s Kevin Overton tallied 41 points during the Bulldogs two victories. The ‘Freshman of the Week‘ converted eight long distance attempts and is Drake’s third leading scorer (16.8 ppg).

MTE Wins and Near Misses--Valley Hoops Insider


Second Week Women’s Award Winners--Valley Hoops Insider

Women’s Award Winners – MVC

Pre-season player of the year Grace Boffeli is the Valley’s ‘Player of the Week’. Boffeli scored 24 points in Northern Iowa’s win over Ball State and in so doing captured her third career Valley weekly honor. The 6’1 junior forward was an all-Valley performer last year and has been named to the ‘Hoops In the Heartland’ all-tournament team the past two seasons.

Chicago native Makiyah Williams led Illinois Chicago to a pair of victories by averaging twenty-five points and 6.5 rebounds. The Marquette transfer shot 65.5% from the floor and leads the Flames (4-1) with a 15.8 points-per-game scoring average. Williams is the Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’.

During the offseason Belmont lost key players in the transfer portal. Newcomer Jailyn Banks is filling up part of that talent drain. The rookie guard is the Valley’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ for averaging fifteen points, four rebounds and four assists during the Bruins’ two games. Belmont defeated Wichita State but dropped a decision to Mississippi State. The weekly award is her second in as many weeks.



Men's Basketball Welcomes Bryce Bradley--belmontbruins.com

Belmont Set to Face Top-Five Ranked Stanford in Las Vegas Wednesday--belmontbruins.com



Under the Radar Game of the Day (Bradley vs. UTEP) – Wednesday, November 22nd--Hoops HD
'Happy house, happy coach': What the Bradley basketball coach is thankful for this holiday--Peoria Journal Star
Bradley escapes Green Wave, heads to championship game--The Bradley Scout



Bulldogs Bounce Back Against Zips in Cayman Islands Classic Finale--godrakebulldogs.com

Women's Basketball Preview: Vibrant Thanksgiving Classic--godrakebulldogs.com



Aces travel to Coke Zero Sugar Classic in Chattanooga--gopurpleaces.com



Illinois State men's basketball unable to convert late in 74-72 loss to High Point in Gulf Coast Showcase--The Vidette
Redbirds Rally, Fall to High Point--goredbirds.com



Starting with a hoot in Vegas: ISU tops Owls in tourney opener--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Avila, Miller Career Highs Lead Sycamores Past Rice--gosycamores.com

Sycamores head to San Juan, open Puerto Rico Clasico against Radford--gosycamores.com



Racer men finish play in Fort Myers Tipoff; Prohm seeks better start today against App State--Murray Ledger & Times
Racer Review: Murray State vs. UNCW--Racer Basketball
Racers Fall To App State at Fort Myers Tipoff--goracers.com

Racer women win big, but show flaws--Murray Ledger & Times
Murray State routs Bellarmine 108-78--Murray Ledger & Times
Racers Triumph Over Knights for their Second Triple-Digit Performance--goracers.com



NCAA Basketball: 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis preview and predictions--Busting Brackets

UNI (1-3)

Every one of these tournaments always has a fun underdog, and the University of Northern Iowa from the Missouri Valley Conference is exactly that. The Panthers have their work cut out for them starting off against UNC, but they actually have upset them before. Back in 2015, these two teams met when UNC was the No.1 team in the nation, and the Panthers won and shocked the nation. If they want to do it again it will be off the back of Nate Heise, a 14.3 point-per-game scorer, anything is possible in the Bahamas.

11/22/23 WEDNESDAY MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

Subscriber Content

BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS

  • Northern Iowa could be heading to the Bahamas with two decent wins over UNT and USF- if they could hit a jump shot and someone would miss against them...

College Athletics: Northern Iowa confirms David Harris has accepted similar role at Tulane--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
College Men’s Basketball: How UNI’s upset bid fell short against North Carolina--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
College Men’s Basketball: UNI falls to North Carolina despite dominant first half showing--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Panther men’s basketball drops Battle 4 Atlantis opener to No. 14 Tar Heels--unipanthers.com


Panthers set for South Point Shootout action--unipanthers.com



SIU Men's Basketball | Johnson's 38 not enough in Salukis' loss to James Madison-- The Southern Illinoisan

Southern falls short at home against North Texas--Daily Egyptian



Ajiboye shines as Beacons knock off Western Illinois--The Victory Bell
Bench Steps Up, Lifts Valpo Past Western Illinois--valpoathletics.com

Women’s Basketball Puts Forth Strong Defensive Effort Tuesday at Southern Miss--valpoathletics.com



State Farm MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight (Nov. 22)--Missouri Valley

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/21/2023

The Other Top 25: Liberty makes big jump to No. 3--Mid-Major Madness

The Other Top 25: Nov. 20, 2023

Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points Previous
12 Drake 70 T-9
T-19 Bradley 31 22

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Nov 21st--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-I’ll start under the radar with Bradley’s win against Tulane in the SoCal Challenge. I really like both these teams. I know the national media hasn’t picked up on either one of them yet, but both are good, and I think both will go on to have big years. It was a really exciting game with momentum shifts, and both teams answering said momentum shifts, and just a well played, well coached, early season game between what I believe are two good teams. Bradley got the 80-77 win, and their resume is already looking kinda good! They’ve won at UAB, beat Utah State, and now have a win against Tulane on a neutral floor. Those aren’t big jackpot wins, but they’re three decent wins, and decent wins on a resume can start to add up!

-Drake, who was a team I was big on coming into the year, suffered their first loss of the season yesterday, and they did not mess around in doing so. Stephen F Austin pretty much blew them out 92-68 and totally dominated the second half.

-Missouri State is now 4-1 after a decisive 87-69 win in the Paradise Jam over an Abilene Christian team that won at Oklahoma State earlier in the year.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-AKRON VS DRAKE (Cayman Islands Classic). Coming into the season, I felt both these teams would be good enough to make a run at the bubble, and they still may be able to, but both are coming off losses from games that were admittedly not easy to win, but also the kinds of games teams need to be able to win if they want to make The Dance. Today is important because it’s a bounce back game for both teams, and a shot at what will likely turn out to be a quality resume win.

-JAMES MADISON VS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (Cancun Challenge). Both teams come into this without a loss, and James Madison has played their way into the rankings with some big early season wins. Southern Illinois really hasn’t been tested at all yet, but they certainly will be today.

11/21/23 TUESDAY MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

Subscriber Content

  • Drake got absolutely trucked by the SFA juggernaut while Akron lost a back and forth tactical battle, so both teams are in a weird head space for the 3rd place game in the Caymans...
  • Rice and Indiana State are philosophically similar offensively in that they want to ideally be three and rim reliant, and both have elite passers out of both posts (ISU getting Avila back for this tournament is massive)...

MVC MTE Update – Paradise Champion Bears--Valley Hoops Insider
MVC Men's Basketball Power Rankings- The Thanksgiving Edition--Belmont Vision


MVC Women's Basketball Power Rankings- The Thanksgiving Edition--Belmont Vision



Here are the Division-I commits in Washington's T of C high school basketball tournament--Peoria Journal Star

Eoin Dillon, Peoria Notre Dame

Peoria Notre Dame's Eoin Dillon, right, tries to knock the ball away from Richwoods' Jared Jackson in the second half of the Class 3A Boys Basketball Peoria Regional semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 at Peoria High School. The Knights defeated the Irish 51-40.

Dillon has signed with Belmont, picking the Bruins among 13 scholarship offers. He shot 40% from 3-point range, while averaging 13 points and 6 rebounds a game. The 6-foot-9 senior guard/forward plays the first of four games at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday against Metamora.

Men's Basketball Welcomes Bryce Bradley--belmontbruins.com



QT: Wisconsin bounces back, UConn hooks Texas--Bracketville

Additional Quick Takes:

  • Bradley is 4-0 after beating Tulane at the SoCal Challenge.  The Braves also own early victories over UAB and Utah State.  Next up: UTEP in SoCal.  Additional non-conference games of note: Vermont, Akron and Duquesne.

How Bradley basketball came up clutch again, defeated Tulane and remained unbeaten--Peoria Journal Star
Game Recap: Bradley vs Tulane--bradleybraves.com



Under the Radar Game of the Day (Akron vs. Drake) – Tuesday, November 21st--Hoops HD
Drake men's basketball loses to Stephen F. Austin in Cayman Islands--Des Moines Register
Men's Basketball Falls in Cayman Islands Classic Semifinal--godrakebulldogs.com
Overton Earns MVC Freshman of the Week Honor--godrakebulldogs.com



Illinois State upends Long Beach State in Gulf Coast Showcase opener--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Take Lead Early, Hold On, Against Strong Long Beach State--goredbirds.com



Sycamores Head West for 3-Game Stint in Vegas--gosycamores.com



Missouri State basketball wins Paradise Jam championship by beating Abilene Christian--Springfield News-Leader
Why we're starting to believe in Missouri State basketball after Paradise Jam championship--Springfield News-Leader
Missouri State basketball to retire Danny Moore's jersey at halftime on Saturday--Springfield News-Leader
Champs! Bears Claim Paradise Jam Title with 87-69 Win--missouristatebears.com



UNCW slips away from Racer men--Murray Ledger & Times
'Paper cuts' doom Racers in OT loss to UNCW--Racer Basketball
11/21 KenPom ratings update--Racer Basketball
Racers Drop OT Thriller To UNCW at Fort Myers Tipoff--goracers.com

Turner told her team to ‘take in moment’ Friday in Bloomington--Murray Ledger & Times
Racer Review: Murray State at Indiana--Racer Basketball



College Men’s Basketball: First half scoreless stretch sinks UNI against South Florida--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier



SIU Men's Basketball | Salukis challenge No. 22 James Madison in Cancun Challenge semifinal--The Southern Illinoisan



MVC MBB Weekly Notebook (Nov. 20)--Missouri Valley

MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Award Winners (Nov. 20)--Missouri Valley
MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook (Nov. 21)--Missouri Valley

Monday, November 20, 2023

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 11/20/2023

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Monday, Nov 20th--Hoops HD

There was a fair amount of chalk yesterday…

-Drake had to sweat out Oakland, but held on for an 85-77 win in the Cayman Islands Classic,

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MURRAY STATE VS UNC WILMINGTON (Fort Myers Tip-Off). UNCW is off to a 3-0 start, and while none of the wins have been great wins, they’ve certainly looked good in the games that they’ve played and this event gives them the chance to rack up a few more wins away from home

-DRAKE VS STEPHEN F AUSTIN (Cayman Islands Classic). Drake really had to sweat out Oakland yesterday, but held on to win and is unbeaten on the year. They shouldn’t have too much trouble with SFA today, but they certainly sweated more then expected yesterday.

-LONG BEACH STATE VS ILLINOIS STATE (Gulf Coast Showcase). Long Beach State really got our attention with their win over Michigan last week, and suddenly they seem in position to really build up their resume if they can win this event.

-BRADLEY VS TULANE (SoCal Challenge). I’m REALLY looking forward to this one! Both teams are unbeaten, both have looked good up to this point and Bradley in particular already has some notable wins. Both are teams we felt could be dark horses this year and take huge steps forward as a program. I like both these teams, I think it’s possible that one (or even both) are able to make a run at the bubble this year, and I think this may end up being one of the better games of the day.

Feast Week NIT Bracketology--NIT Bracketology

NIT Bracket (protected seeds in Bold, bubble teams in italics):

1. Iowa
8. Boston College
4. Colorado St.
5. Washington St.
3. Virginia Tech
6. VCU
2. Ohio St.
7. Duquesne

1. Pittsburgh
8. Stephen F. Austin
4. South Carolina
5. Maryland
3. Stanford
6. New Mexico
2. Kansas St.
7. North Texas

1. Seton Hall
8. Florida St.
4. LSU
5. UCF
3. St. John's
6. Rutgers
2. N.C. State
7. UAB

1. Wisconsin
8. Bradley
4. Washington
5. Saint Mary's
3. Cincinnati
6. Boise St.
2. Northwestern
7. Yale

Last 6 NCAA At-Large Teams: Florida Atlantic, Nevada, Nebraska, Providence, Texas Tech, Michigan
Seriously Considered: Wichita St., St. Bonaventure, Indiana St., Missouri St., Long Beach St., Kent St., UMass Lowell

Sunday MTE Success--Valley Hoops Insider
11/20 KenPom ratings update--Racer Basketball



All Nashville-area teams heading to tournaments this week--nashvillehoops.blog

Belmont: The Bruins are in Philadelphia Friday-Sunday to play in the Cathedral Classic at the Palestra, the homecourt of Penn. The Palestra, which opened in 1927, is called the Cathedral of College Basketball and it should be in the top five of anyone’s list of best venues. That was part of the attraction of playing in the event for coach Casey Alexander. Plus, he’s hoping to take his team to the Eagles-Bills game late Sunday afternoon. This isn’t tournament play, it’s three games on consecutive days against Monmouth (1-3), Penn (3-2) and Lafayette (1-3). All are winnable but Penn will be on its homecourt where it just beat Villanova.


Women's Basketball Loses Heartbreaker to Mississippi State--Belmont Vision
Receiving-Votes Mississippi State Slips Past Bruins, 63-62--belmontbruins.com
Jailyn Banks Repeats as MVC Freshman of the Week--belmontbruins.com



Game Preview: Bradley vs Tulane--bradleybraves.com

Bradley Women’s Basketball travels to Atlanta for Georgia State Classic--bradleybraves.com



11/20/23 MONDAY MATCHUP NEWS AND NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

Subscriber Content

  • ELSEWHERE
  • SFA did what SFA does, as their style eventually wore LMU down and the Jacks scored 53 2H points. Really interesting game with Drake, who hasn’t seen the type of ball pressure SFA will bring to the table, an especially tough test for the younger members of Drake’s backcourt like Overton and Garland...

Top 10 Scoring Transfers in College Basketball--The Portal Report

7.) Atin Wright – Drake

The Bulldogs are off to a 3-0 start behind the CSU Northridge transfer averaging 20.7 PPG and leading last week’s win over Oakland with 22 points and three assists. 

Many Bulldogs Contribute to 85-77 Win in Cayman Islands Classic Opener--godrakebulldogs.com


Clark, No. 2 Iowa bounce back from first loss with 113-90 win over Drake--Associated Press
Drake Women Handed First Loss by High-Octane Hawkeyes--godrakebulldogs.com



Aces overwhelmed by Michigan State in 105-49 loss--gopurpleaces.com



Long Beach State first Illinois State opponent in Gulf Coast Showcase--The Pantagraph

Freshmen shine as Illinois State women's basketball throttles St. Francis--The Pantagraph
ISU women's basketball uses big second half to take down St. Francis 89-51--The Vidette
ISU To Take on Field at Gulf Coast Showcase--goredbirds.com
Newcomers lead Redbirds past Saint Francis, 81-59--goredbirds.com



Gray & Blue View: 3 observations as ISU heads to Las Vegas tournament--Terre Haute Tribune-Star



Under the Radar Game of the Day (Abilene Christian vs. Missouri State) – Monday, November 20th--Hoops HD
Missouri State basketball outlasts Kent State to advance to Paradise Jam championship--Springfield News-Leader
Clay, Lee Lead Bears Past Kent State; Will Face ACU in Finals--missouristatebears.com

Lady Bears Welcome SEMO in Home Opener--missouristatebears.com



Racer men seek to ease Western pain this week on Gulf Coast--Murray Ledger & Times
Murray State vs. UNC Wilmington preview--Racer Basketball
Racers Host Bellarmine on Thanksgiving Week--goracers.com



College Men’s Basketball: How Northern Iowa lost to South Florida--Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier



Men’s Basketball Rolls Over Aurora, 99-48--uicflames.com
Isaiah Rivera Selected as MVC Player of the Week--uicflames.com

Women’s Basketball Finishes Weekend with 30-Point Victory Over IUPUI--uicflames.com
Makiyah Williams Named MVC Newcomer of the Week--uicflames.com



Men's Basketball Welcomes Western Illinois in Final Game Before Thanksgiving--valpoathletics.com
Stafford Named MVC Newcomer of the Week--valpoathletics.com

Women's Basketball Kicks Off Long Road Stretch Tuesday at Southern Miss--valpoathletics.com