What's Up In The Horizon 6/1/2026

Women’s Basketball Tabs Virginia Stuart as Director of Operations--belmontbruins.com

Nico Yantko Named Top AD in America by Silver Waves Media--goracers.com

What's Up in The Missouri Valley 5/30/2026

Duce Paschal rounds out Indiana State basketball roster--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamore Basketball to play in 2026 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands--gosycamores.com

Racers men's basketball confirms matchup with Georgia Tech in Nashville--WPSD Local 6

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/29/2026

Racer Men’s Basketball Inks Pavle Nikolic--goracers.com
Men’s Basketball to Face Georgia Tech at Bridgestone Arena--goracers.com

Cooper returning to SIU Hoops, men add recruits--Southern Illinoisan

State of the Beacons--The Victory Bell

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/28/2026

Murray State men's basketball adds Pavle Nikolic, a 6'8 forward from Serbia--WPSD Local 6

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/27/2026

Projecting where the revamped Pac-12 will rank in college basketball's mid-major conference hierarchy--CBS Sports 

6. Missouri Valley

Top teams

95. Illinois Chicago
100. Murray State
104. Illinois State

Sub-200 teams: Southern Illinois, Evansville

Belmont would have been part of the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation had the field been at 76 teams in 2026. The Bruins suffered a stunning quarterfinal loss to Drake in the conference tournament, which dropped them to 26-6 and opened the door for Northern Iowa to claim the league's only bid to the Big Dance. Now Belmont's Casey Alexander (Kansas State) and UNI's Ben Jacobson (Utah State) are on to new gigs, leaving Illinois Chicago in prime position to capitalize during the season ahead.

The league's chances of sending multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament feel tenuous at best, but Murray State is another program heading in the right direction under ex-Creighton assistant Ryan Miller.

Vanderbilt women's basketball to play Belmont at Bridgestone Arena--Nashville Tennessean
Women’s Basketball to Play Vanderbilt at Bridgestone Arena on Friday, Dec. 18--belmontbruins.com

Cooper returning to SIU Hoops, men add recruits--Southern Illinoisan

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/23/2026

Redbirds Add Deng Garang for 2026-27--goredbirds.com

Eight Years, Five Coaches, Sustained Success: Ben Jacobson Is Ready to Carry the Torch at Utah State--Hoops HQ
UNI men’s basketball welcomes six to 2026 spring recruiting class--unipanthers.com

Eastern Wyoming Transfer Diaz Set to Join Women's Basketball--siusalukis.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 5/21/2026

Looking at the new MVC Coaching hires--Busting Brackets

Bradley basketball may have found the blueprint for surviving the modern era--Busting Brackets
10 Mid-Major Transfers Who Could Be Stars at the High-Major Level--Hoops HQ

7. Jaquan Johnson, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard, Bradley → Iowa State

Nicknamed “Bully” for his hard-nosed, physical style, Johnson and Iowa State are a match made in heaven. The reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year is heading to a program known for its consistent dominance on that end. With Tamin Lipsey out of eligibility, the Cyclones needed another lockdown perimeter defender to help maintain their identity. Johnson was among the best on the market.
The scrappy guard stepped into Bradley’s starting lineup last season and averaged 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 38.3 percent from three. Offense will be harder to come by for Johnson in the Big 12, especially given his lack of size, but his defense should earn him significant playing time on a team ranked No. 11 in Hoops HQ’s Never-Too-Early Top 25.

Bradley hires former OSF fundraising ace as general manager of basketball--Peoria Journal Star

Redbirds Sign Louie Semona for 2026-27--goredbirds.com

Three former Sycamores announce new destinations--Terre Haute Tribune-Star

Non-conference schedule gets more clear for Murray State men's basketball, highlighted by Indiana exhibition--WPSD Local 6

New contracts reveal more about Murray State women’s basketball schedule--WPSD Local 6

Eastern Wyoming Transfer Diaz Set to Join Women's Basketball--siusalukis.com