Missouri Valley Conference Notebook – November 18, 2011

Ranking the MVC through Week 1 (Games through Nov. 17)

1. Creighton Bluejays (3-0)

On the surface, the Bluejays are cruising, nearly hitting the century mark in scoring the first two games and winning easily on the road in game three. Sophomore Doug McDermott is also just warming up, increasing his point totals from 13 to 21 to 27. The Bluejays will experience some close, heartbreaking losses this season though if they continue to shoot poorly at the free-throw line – a total of 44-for-66 through three games. Creighton will face a stronger test when traveling to play Iowa on Sunday afternoon.

… Continue Reading

2011-12 Missouri Valley Conference Preview

Although the Missouri Valley Conference fielded just one team in the NCAA Tournament last season, there are plenty of reasons to look forward to the 2011-12 campaign.

Missouri State became the first regular-season MVC champion in more than a decade to miss the NCAA Tourney after its unexpected loss to Indiana State in the conference tournament. As has been the case several times during the past 10 seasons, the Bears found themselves on the wrong side of the bubble, even with a 15-3 conference mark. Preseason favorite and regular-season runner-up Wichita State also found itself settling for an NIT bid after Selection Sunday, as the Valley received no at-large bids in what was considered a down year for the league. … Continue Reading

Wichita State Rides Defense to NIT Title

NEW YORK – In a battle of two programs, frequent participants but never an NIT champion, Wichita State emerged victorious. The Shockers defeated Alabama 66-57 in the title game on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. A tempo-free look follows.

Possessions:

Wichita State 65

Alabama 65

Offensive efficiency:

Wichita State 102

Alabama 88

… Continue Reading

Missouri Valley Notebook – February 23, 2011

Valley struggles in BracketBusters weekend
In an attempt to make a statement and avoid being a one-bid league for the NCAA Tournament, the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) did not fare well this weekend in the BracketBusters challenge. The league combined for a 3-7 record in the competition, with all six postseason hopefuls falling. Wichita State, Northern Iowa and Indiana State all had opportunities at home, but failed to capitalize in defeats to VCU, George Mason and Morehead State. This weekend’s struggles magnify the importance of the final week before the conference tournament in St. Louis, March 3-6.

A look at the postseason hopefuls:

… Continue Reading

Missouri Valley Notebook – December 5, 2010

Missouri Valley dominated in MWC-MVC Challenge Series

Any bubble teams from the Missouri Valley Conference on Selection Sunday better hope no team from the Mountain West is also on the bubble. The bids will likely go out west based on head-to-head play, as the Mountain West Conference breezed to an 8-1 record in this year’s Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge Series. Six of the eight losses were by double digits for the Valley, and only Northern Iowa’s 64-60 win at TCU was the MVC’s taste of victory. There will be little time to lick the wounds, as games against powers such as Duke, North Carolina and Oklahoma State loom this week.

A look at some of the Challenge Series highlights:

Wichita State barely blinked and saw a three-point lead turn into an 11-point deficit during an 83-69 loss at No. 17 San Diego State on Saturday night. It was a match that pitted who most consider the top teams of each conference, and the score can be a little misleading. Had it not been for a fierce two-minute stretch, the contest probably could have been a last-possession thriller. The Shockers led 47-44 in the second half and only let roughly two minutes pass before hitting their next basket. But San Diego State caught fire and reeled off 14 straight points during that span. The closest WSU could pull within the Aztecs after that was six. Wichita State (5-2) now sits at 0-2 against teams currently in the top 25.

Two other top 25 teams from the Mountain West had little trouble with their competition. No. 23 UNLV cruised past Illinois State, 82-51, and 25th-ranked BYU held off Creighton at the Qwest Center, 77-65. Coupled with another loss to Nebraska on Sunday, Creighton’s record against above-.500 teams fell to 1-4. The Bluejays nearly came back to pull off the upset against BYU after erasing a double-digit deficit midway in the second half, but the Cougars tallied 10 straight after Creighton tied the game and made that lead stick.

Bad news for the rest of the MVC: Northern Iowa’s defense is still improving and forcing opponents to play its style. The Panthers held TCU to 60 points on the road, which actually raised their points allowed per game to around 58. The Missouri Valley’s sole win in this series was also the Horned Frogs’ first home defeat of the season.

Evansville was one basket away from giving the MVC a second win in the series – also on the road. Kenny Harris missed a trey as time expired, and Air Force held on, 57-56. Even in the defeat, the Aces continue to look like they may compete for an upper-half finish in the MVC. The real measuring stick will come when North Carolina visits on Wednesday.

Other outcomes of the series: Utah held off Bradley, 68-60, sending the Braves to their fourth consecutive loss after a 4-0 start. Wyoming had little trouble taking care of Indiana State, 81-51. New Mexico used a second-half spurt to pull away at Southern Illinois, 74-59. And Drake shot almost 60 percent from the field in the first half at Colorado State, but couldn’t keep up in the second half during a 78-67 defeat.

Top performers in the MWC-MVC Challenge

Doug McDermott, Creighton: The freshman forward grabbed another double-double with 20 points and 12 boards. He also hauled in more than half of the Bluejays’ offensive rebounds.

Andrew Warren, Bradley: The loss to Utah spoiled a stellar output from the guard. Warren sank 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, was 10-for-10 at the charity stripe, nailed 3 treys and snatched 4 steals.

Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Northern Iowa: The senior guard scored almost half of the Panthers total points. Without a doubt, the Northern Iowa defensive effort would have been a loss without his contribution.

Ranking the MVC (through Dec. 6)

1. Wichita State (5-2)
2. Missouri State (6-2)
3. Northern Iowa (4-2)
4. Creighton (4-4)
5. Evansville (3-3)
6. Bradley (4-4)
7. Illinois State (6-2)
8. Indiana State (3-5)
9. Southern Illinois (4-4)
10. Drake (2-4)

Top games to watch this week

Wednesday, Dec. 8

Bradley at No. 1 Duke: A four-game skid is not how the Braves envisioned going into Durham, N.C., but a road win at No. 1 would be quite the way to snap a losing streak. The MVC will try to make it two wins in a row over No. 1, after Northern Iowa’s triumph over Kansas last March. Valley teams haven’t beat the top-ranked team outside of the NCAA Tournament in almost 59 years.

North Carolina at Evansville: Evansville also gets to take on an ACC power Wednesday when the Tar Heels visit. UNC sits just outside the top 25 going into this contest. The matchup will be a perfect opportunity for the Aces to prove their win over Butler wasn’t a fluke.

Saturday, Dec. 11

Missouri State at Oklahoma State: After missing its opportunity at Tennessee last month, Missouri State has one last shot to take down a BCS team before conference play.

Missouri Valley Notebook – November 30, 2010

The young season is two weeks old already, and the Missouri Valley Conference is off to a slow start – although against some strong competition. All teams have combined for a 33-21 non-conference record – not quite on pace to match last winter’s 90-39 mark.

What we’ve learned heading into December:

Wichita State is the only team helping its at-large opportunity so far. Yes, there is a long time to go after November, but the selection committee nevertheless will look at some of these good wins and losses – and in some cases, very bad losses. Wichita State (3-1) has steamrolled through the competition early, with the only defeat at the hands of Connecticut, 83-79. UConn, now ranked No. 7, shot its way to the Maui Tournament title, also knocking down the likes of No. 2 Michigan State and No. 9 Kentucky.

Other teams who may depend on at-large bids in March aren’t faring as well as the Shockers. After rushing out to a 4-0 start, Bradley has dropped two straight, including a head-scratching home loss to Eastern Illinois. Missouri State (4-2) sits in a slightly better position, with a 4-point loss to then-No. 23 Tennessee, but another loss to Conference USA foe, Tulsa. What may work in Missouri State’s favor this March is its 60-49 victory over fellow mid-major, Pacific. Northern Iowa’s (2-2) best chance to prove it hasn’t fallen far from last season’s success flopped during the second half of the season-opener at Syracuse, a 68-46 defeat. That was followed with another loss at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Creighton (4-2) has a lot to prove in the Mountain West-Valley Challenge Series this week. A date with BYU on Wednesday will give the Bluejays an opportunity to raise some eyebrows. It will also give Creighton another chance to beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season.

Through the questions though, Creighton has a fearsome trio forming for MVC opponents. Antoine Young, Kenny Lawson Jr. and newcomer Doug McDermott have combined for 44 points and almost 20 rebounds per game. If they’re unable to grab the needed non-conference wins, the Bluejays are certainly solidifying themselves as a scary team by the time the conference slate begins.

The Northern Iowa defense looks like it will have to be stellar for another postseason appearance. They allowed just 55 points per game last season and might need to duplicate that to stay competitive in the MVC during 2010-11 to aid a struggling offense. Not counting the victory over Division III Coe College, the Panther offense is managing a mere 58.7 points. The good news so far: The defense is still solid, allowing just 57.5 points in four games. Syracuse managed the best output so far against them during its 68-46 thumping.

Evansville (3-2) is continuing where it left off last season. A 71-68 overtime win at No. 23 Butler Saturday is the proof. As the only MVC team not to win at least 10 games last season, Evansville still finished the ’09-10 campaign 3-3. That included wins over league leaders Northern Iowa and Wichita State and another near-miss against Wichita State. With its current play, the Aces may be pushing 10 wins by the time they play Wichita State on Dec. 29. Even if they don’t have 10 by then, the Aces have clearly pulled themselves out of the Valley cellar.

Ranking the Missouri Valley (through Nov. 28)

1. Wichita State (4-1)
2. Missouri State (4-2)
3. Bradley (4-2)
4. Northern Iowa (2-2)
5. Creighton (4-2)
6. Evansville (3-2)
7. Indiana State (3-3)
8. Illinois State (5-1)
9. Southern Illinois (3-3)
10. Drake (2-3)

Games to watch this week

Tuesday, Nov. 30

Indiana State at No. 25 Notre Dame: After a rough start, the Sycamores have an opportunity to run their win streak to three and make a statement against the newly-ranked Irish.

Wednesday, Dec. 1

Iowa State at Northern Iowa: The unbeaten Cyclones (6-0) will try to continue their early season dominance over the MVC, having dropped 91 points on both Creighton and Drake. With the style Northern Iowa plays though, you can almost expect Iowa State and UNI to combine for 91 points Wednesday.

No. 21 BYU at Creighton: The Bluejays have yet to beat an opponent with a winning record. Wednesday is the perfect opportunity, as the No. 21 Cougars visit the Qwest Center unbeaten.

Saturday, Dec. 4

Wichita State at No. 17 San Diego State: This contest will be like a Bracket Buster in February, and could catapult the Shockers into the Top 25 with a win.

2010-11 Missouri Valley Conference Preview

A win over the NCAA tourney’s top seed, a CollegeInsider.com Tournament title and six overall postseason teams will be tough to top from last season, but the 2010-11 campaign should be even more competitive in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).

Ali Farokhmanesh sunk the biggest shot in the history of Northern Iowa basketball last March to help the MVC champion Panthers stun No. 1 Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It ended a two-year drought from the Sweet 16 for the Missouri Valley. Unfortunately for Northern Iowa though, Farokhmanesh won’t slip on the purple and gold uniform this winter. He and the absence of two other starters from last season could drop the 30-win Panthers back to reality. … Continue Reading

Bracket Breakdown: Pac-10, Mid-Majors Show the Big East the Door

It all started with some kid from a Kentucky school not named Kentucky stunning the college basketball world with an odds-defying, game-winning jumper at the buzzer. Thanks to forward Danero Thomas, 13th-seeded Murray State shocked No. 4-seed Vanderbilt, 66-65, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Thursday.

Racers’ fans went into a frenzy. Many people who had never even heard of the school before celebrated the feel-good upset just because of its own strange nature. Even more people, however, kicked at the ground and muttered curse words because the unexpected result shook up their brackets.

That was just the beginning. Perhaps inspired by the Racers’ Day 1 shocker, a No. 12 seed, Cornell, decided it would ride hot-shooting all the way into the Sweet 16, a similar case to that of No. 10 St. Mary’s, which unleashed its beast of a center, 6-11 Omar Samhan, in the South Region and knocked out second-seeded Villanova to also join the field of 16.

And after No. 9 Northern Iowa’s Ali Farokhmanesh made the most cold-blooded crunch-time 3-pointer in recent tournament memory to cement his team’s Sweet 16 ticket while taking down overall-top-seeded Kansas on Saturday, it was official that at least 90 percent of the country’s brackets had gone more busted than a piñata on Cinco de Mayo.

Putting aside the almighty custom of wagering on tournament predictions, however, March Madness has been splendid so far. Down-to-the-wire games have been numerous, as have been upsets. High seeds Kansas, Villanova, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and Temple all got axed, but their executioners gave the competition parity and diversity. Entering the Sweet 16, 11 conferences will be represented.

Out of all surprise teams, Cornell has been the most pleasant one. The Big Red’s wins made it the first Ivy League team to make it this far in more than 30 years, and it did so with authority. Cornell smacked around No. 5 Temple in the first round and then did the same to No. 4 Wisconsin in the second while shooting a combined 58.6 percent in the games.

Even better than that, though, has been the performance of St. Mary’s Samhan, who has totaled 61 points through two games while making 24 of 32 field goal attempts. His supremacy has been the reason the Gaels are enjoying the best season in their history while Villanova is already home, lamenting its collapse.

Speaking of failure, that’s been the theme of the postseason for Nova’s conference. The Big East, widely regarded as the best league in college basketball, had a tournament-best eight entrants, but half were done by the end of the first round, and two more followed soon after in the second. Only No. 1-seed Syracuse in the West Region and No. 2-seed West Virginia in the East remain.

First-round meat: No. 6 Marquette, which blew a 15-point lead in the second half and lost to an out-to-prove-the-Pac-10-is-not-that-weak No. 11-seed Washington; No. 3-seed Georgetown, which was blasted by Ohio, a team that had a losing record in the MAC and got into the Dance only after winning its conference’s tournament; Notre Dame, which was zoned out of the tournament by No. 11-seed Old Dominion; and No. 9-seed Louisville, which also got embarrassed by the Pac-10, by Cal.

No. 3-seed Pittsburgh made the second round, but the Panthers couldn’t hang with No. 6-seed Xavier on Sunday and were ousted.

With so many high seeds gone so early, thanks in big part to the Big East, it’d clearly be silly to count any team out. In the East, No. 1-seed Kentucky will have the challenge to cool down the Big Red’s red-hot shooting, and West Virginia will have to remain impressive to get past an also-remarkable Washington. In the South, No. 1-seed Duke, which has made quick work of its rivals so far, will face a Purdue team missing Robbie Hummel, and No. 3-seed Baylor will deal with Samhan, St. Mary’s scary big man.

In the Midwest, Cinderella Northern Iowa will face No. 5-seed Michigan State, ecstatic after its buzzer-beating win over Maryland Sunday, and No. 2-seed Ohio State, the favorite to win the section now that Kansas is gone, will take on No. 6-seed Tennessee. In the West, No. 5-seed Butler, which got a scare from Murray State before advancing via a 54-52 win Saturday, will meet with Syracuse. The winner will play the winner of the Kansas State-Xavier game.

Predictions? We’re not too big on them these days, but the solid candidates to advance are Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke, West Virginia and Ohio State. These teams have been imposing through their first two games. They’re as dependable picks as Kansas was before Saturday.

Bracketbusters 2010 in Omaha

OMAHA – It is Bracketbusters Saturday and time for some of the better mid-major teams to step outside conference play and maybe impress some of the members of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

But for Creighton and Loyola (Ill.), there was no TV for their Bracketbusters game tonight, so they were both trying to get back on track after suffering losses in last games in conference play.

As it worked out, Creighton broke their two-game losing streak with a convincing 78-58 win over their Horizon League foe, but it took a second half spurt to put away the Ramblers after they pulled to within one at 34-33 on a jumper by Andy Polka with four seconds left in the first half.

In the first half Loyola got their largest lead of the game at the 17:31 mark on a jumper by Ben Averkamp to make it 10-5. Then Creighton (14-14) went on a 27-10 run to take a 12-point lead at 32-20 with 4:45 left in the first half.

But just when it looked like the Bluejays were going to put this game away, the Ramblers got back into the game on two free throws and a layup by Walt Gibler, four free throws by Geoff McCammon, a three-pointer by Terrance Hill and the aforementioned jumper by Polka.

Loyola (14-13) seemed to be in good shape coming out in the second half and then in just over four minutes the Bluejays had another 12-point lead at 47-35.

Creighton’s second half lead stayed at around 10 points until just under five minutes remained. A couple free throws by Antoine Young got the Bluejays to finish out on a 15-6 run with six different players scoring multiple points close out the game.

“In the first seven or eight minutes Creighton got up in us and we just didn’t take care of the ball. We didn’t get any in and out. We just didn’t have many quality processions when they went on their run to start the second half,” said Loyola coach Jim Whitesell. “It is execution where we need to improve, but give Creighton credit, they had only 10 turnovers and six more possessions than we had and we need every possession possible.”

Creighton’s coach Dana Altman thought their second half run was triggered by good defense.

“Defensively, I think we were better. We got a lot of points on turnovers. Then Casey (Harriman) hit a big three and Kaleb (Korver) hit a big three and they had been struggling. So that helped us open up a lead,” explained Altman.

Creighton’s Kenny Lawson had a double-double with 19 points to lead all scorers and 10 rebounds. Cavel Witter also scored 12 points for the Bluejays.

For Loyola, Walt Gibbler had 15 points, Terrance Hill had 12 points and McCammon had 11 points. Polka had 10 rebounds.

Whenever a team interrupts conference play to play a non-conference game there is always the possibility in some players’ minds that this type of game can be a distraction or maybe break up the rhythm they are in playing conference games. That line of thought was not shared by the Creighton’s Justin Carter, who thought it was an opportunity to get on the winning track.

“It was great stepping out of conference play when we could see someone new and try to get something going,” Carter said.

Notes

• This series dates back to 1926 and Loyola leads the series 11-6.
• Dana Altman is the dean of Missouri Valley coaches in his 16^th year with a 322-174 (.649) record.
• This is just the second time in eight years that Creighton’s Bracketbusters game did not air on national television.
• Loyola’s trainer Dr. Ton Hitcho has worked 952 consecutive Loyola basketball games. Since joining the staff in 1977-78 he has witnessed 445 Rambler victories.
• Creighton draws 14,093 during the last six years, but during the four Bracketbusters games held here at the Qwest Center the Bluejays have averaged a little over 17,300 per game.
• During the National Anthem every Creighton player and coach put their hands on their heart. Not many teams do that anymore. In fact, the vast majority of the crowd did that too.
• Tonight’s match-up is part of the nationwide Jesuit Basketball Spotlight project, using Jesuit basketball to raise awareness of Jesuit education. They highlight games between the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities.
• Creighton’s next game is Tuesday at Southern Illinois at 8:05 EST.
• Loyola’s next game is at home against Milwaukee Thursday at 8:00 EST.

Northern Iowa: No 7-Footer, No Problem for Panthers’ Tourney Chances

The road is long and winding in Missouri Valley Conference play, and although Northern Iowa (23-3) already clinched the league’s regular-season title by punishing Creighton (13-14) 70-52 Tuesday, the Panthers should know their work is far from finished.

If anything, they’re putting the finishing touches on an NCAA Tournament-worthy résumé.

Missing seven feet of production after their second-leading scorer and top rebounder, center Jordan Eglseder, was suspended for three games following a DUI arrest, Northern Iowa has encouraged selection committee members to consider the Panthers’ loss to Bradley (13-13) Saturday to be a fluke. The Panthers blew away the Blue Jays, the team they tied for the regular-season championship last season, and improved their home record to 12-0.

This all without Eglseder’s 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Northern Iowa will have to face the same circumstances twice more, starting with Old Dominion (21-7) in a Friday BracketBusters game on ESPN2.

Old Dominion, tied for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association, is an RPI top 50 team, a slight improvement in the challenge department compared to 13-14 Creighton.

An Eglseder-less win over the Monarchs would only help cement Northern Iowa’s already-solid case for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. According to ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi, should the tourney start today, the Panthers would be a No. 7 seed.

Old Dominion, according to the same guy, would be a No. 9 seed.

The BracketBusters match will be a break from what turns out to be meaningless-in-regards-to-conference-tournament-seeding games for the MVC champions. But neither the Panthers nor the Monarchs will want to lose any NCAA ground in the at-large bid discussions.

Once done with Old Dominion, the Panthers will only have to survive one more game without their 7-footer, on Tuesday at Evansville, which has lost 16 of its last 17 games and is dead last in the conference.

A home date with Illinois State, whom the Panthers beat last year in overtime to win the conference tournament, will be last on the regular-season schedule. A four-game winning streak to finish the year — without counting the three wins they could rack up in the MVC tourney — will be just what the Panthers need to strengthen their case for a better seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Bracket Breakdown: Three Conference Tournaments That Bubble Teams Should Fear

Conference tournaments will start in about two weeks, and bubble teams from San Diego State to Connecticut will cross their fingers that the NCAA Tournament-worthy favorites from one-bid conferences take care of business.

Three conference tournaments in particular figure to stress out the fringe tournament teams. The Horizon League, Missouri Valley Conference and Western Athletic Conference have the looks of one-bid conferences. But if those conferences’ leaders fail to receive the automatic bid by winning their conference tournament, they have a good shot of making the tournament with an at-large bid.

Butler is the most comfortable conference leader of the three, as the Bulldogs remain undefeated in the Horizon League. Despite posting only two wins against the RPI top 50, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 17 in the RPI, thanks largely to a non-conference slate ranked No. 14 in difficulty. The good news for bubble teams is that the Horizon League tournament will be in Butler’s backyard in Indianapolis. And Butler has dominated the Horizon League’s most likely threats, beating Cleveland State, Wright State and Green Bay six times by an average of 14 points.

In the Missouri Valley, Northern Iowa has four more conference wins than second-place Wichita State. The Panthers sport a higher RPI than Butler at 15, though that will likely change tomorrow because Northern Iowa dropped a road game to Bradley, only the team’s second loss in conference play. Despite two losses to teams outside the RPI top 100, Northern Iowa still figures to receive an at-large bid if necessary because the team is 22-3 and has two wins against the RPI top 50. However, Northern Iowa’s road to the conference’s automatic bid is tougher than Butler’s. The tournament will be in St. Louis, and the Panthers have not exactly blown out most MIssouri Valley opponents — winning by less than 10 points in six of 13 victories.

Utah State would likely join the bubble if the Aggies lose in the WAC tournament in Reno, Nev. Although the Aggies have the best marquis win of Butler, Northern Iowa and Utah State — against BYU — they also have the most losses, six, including two against teams outside the RPI top 100. Utah State has a respectable strength of schedule hovering around 100, and the Aggies might continue to rise if they finish strongly in the 10th toughest conference. With four home games remaining, the Aggies could easily enter the WAC tournament with 24 wins. However, playing in Reno means the Nevada Wolf Pack will have home-court advantage knowing they must earn the conference’s automatic bid to make the NCAA Tournament. If Utah State loses to the Wolf Pack in the WAC championship game, the conference could end up with two bids in the NCAA Tournament.

With nearly half the Big East on the bubble, several prominent teams, such as Louisville, Connecticut and Marquette, will need to hope that Butler, Northern Iowa and Utah State ensure that seemingly one-bid conferences don’t unexpectedly become two-bid conferences. All three conference favorites will face upset-minded opponents in their tournaments, especially when their opponents know they can only earn an NCAA Tournament bid by receiving an automatic bid.

Missouri Valley Preview

Missouri Valley Conference 2007-08 Preview

by Neal Heston

The glass is half full
After unprecedented success the last few seasons, the Missouri Valley Conference will rely on a lot of new faces – both on the bench and the court – to continue its nice run. Twenty six players will occupy starting lineups for the first time in the Valley this winter, and five new coaches will pace the sidelines. Only four teams (Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Illinois State and Indiana State) return the majority of their starting roster. But don’t worry faithful Valley followers; every squad will return a great amount of experience, as they welcome back at least half of their top minute-eaters from last season.

Bottoms Up
Every team that finished in the Valley’s bottom division in 2006-07 replaced their head coach last spring, but thanks to these smart hires, they shouldn’t remain low too much longer. Keno Davis stepped in at Drake to take over the helm for his father, Dr. Tom Davis; Marty Simmons will lead the troops in Evansville; longtime successful assistant Tim Jankovich will take his second opportunity as a head coach as he takes over Illinois State; Kevin McKenna will attempt to bring his success as a Creighton assistant to Indiana State; and Wichita State welcomes an already established head coach in Gregg Marshall.

Keno Davis: Davis joined his father’s staff as an assistant at Drake in 2003 and has been poised to take over the helm since then. Prior to that, he served as an assistant to former Drake coach Gary Carner at Southeast Missouri State and an assistant to Bruce Pearl at Southern Indiana. Davis inherits a Drake squad coming off its most successful season in 20 years, but he will have his work cut out for him in 2007-08.

Marty Simmons: Though this winter will likely be a rough transition year for the Aces, success shouldn’t be too far off. Marty Simmons knows how it feels to make the postseason, as he was an assistant on the last Evansville team to qualify for the postseason (1999). His most recent stint as a head coach was extremely successful as he led Division II SIU-Edwardsville to 48 wins in two seasons.

Tim Jankovich: Don’t be too surprised if Jankovich, who was one of the most sought-after assistants in the nation, leads Illinois State to a postseason appearance this winter. In his last stint as a head coach at the University of North Texas, Jankovich took a team that finished 5-22 the previous season to within one game of the NCAA Tournament.

Kevin McKenna: Enemy has become friend as McKenna takes over the ranks at Indiana State. This former Creighton assistant has the privilege of taking over one of the more experienced teams in the MVC, but also the task of moving the Sycamores out of their longtime spot in the cellar. Good news for Indiana State: McKenna managed a 15-game improvement in his first season as head coach at Division II Nebraska-Omaha.

Gregg Marshall: Out of all MVC hires, Wichita State found the most experienced and established head coach in Gregg Marshall. Marshall spent the past nine seasons at Winthrop, guiding the team to its first NCAA Tournament in 1998 and then six more dances after that. He became the winningest coach in Winthrop history (194-83), averaging about 21.5 victories per season.

Five fearless predictions for 2007-08
1. Southern Illinois will win the regular season title. (It’s just a given the last several years.)
2. Missouri State will finally dance after so many heartbreaking misses.
3. Indiana State will climb out of its comfortable seat in the cellar – and possibly factor in the postseason race.
4. The eighth-place team will finish with an overall winning record. Ninth place won’t be too far under, either.
5. Despite returning just one starter, Creighton will still make the postseason.

How they’ll finish
1. Southern Illinois – Whether they return most of the lineup or bring in an entirely new cast, there is one given for the Salukis each season: they finish at the top. The fact that three starters come back make SIU a lock for the Valley title.
2. Missouri State – This will finally be the season that the Bears qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
3. Bradley – Only two starters return, but that’s OK when they’re named Jeremy Crouch and Daniel Ruffin. The Braves are a lock for the postseason again and will make a nice charge for the NCAA Tourney.
4. Northern Iowa – The Panthers return seven of their top nine players from last season, but two departures were two of the top three scorers (Brooks McKowen and Grant Stout) and one of the best rebounders (Stout). UNI should have itself set for an NIT appearance.
5. Creighton – The top three scorers are gone from last season, and just one starter returns, but the Bluejays should remain good enough to continue their postseason streak.
6. Illinois State – Four starters return for what could be this season’s surprise team.
7. Indiana State – No longer a cellar dweller, the Sycamores should actually be shooting for a winning record this winter.
8. Wichita State – Perhaps taking the biggest hit from departures is the Shockers, who will feel the hit in the standings this season.
9. Drake – The Bulldogs may have a tough time building on their most successful campaign since the 1986-87 season.
10. Evansville – Three of the top four scorers are gone from last winter, as well as the Aces’ top rebounder.

Preseason All-MVC Team
Randall Falker, Southern Illinois
Jeremy Crouch, Bradley
Daniel Ruffin, Bradley
Eric Coleman, Northern Iowa
Deven Mitchell, Missouri State
Player of the Year – Randall Falker, Southern Illinois

Touring the Valley

Southern Illinois Salukis
2006-07: 29-7 (15-3 MVC), No. 4 seed Sweet 16
2007-08 Prediction: First, MVC and NCAA Tournament
Notable games: Dec. 8 at Charlotte, Dec. 11 vs. Saint Mary’s, Dec. 18 at Western Michigan, Dec. 22 vs. Western Kentucky, Dec. 28 vs. Butler

There usually is some preseason debate as to who is going to hoist the Valley crown, but the Salukis make that so difficult right now. SIU returns three starters and seven of its top nine from a ridiculously good defense (56.2 points allowed per game). Scoring leader Jamaal Tatum will be missed, but the Salukis are poised to continue their run from last spring. They are locks for the Valley title and an NCAA berth. Shall the unthinkable collapse happen late in the season, though (look up last season’s Wichita State), SIU has the early opportunity to separate itself from other possible bubble teams with its non-conference slate.

Missouri State Bears
2006-07: 22-11 (12-6 MVC), NIT First Round
2007-08 Prediction: Second, MVC and NCAA Tournament
Notable games: Nov. 25 at Winthrop, Dec. 3 at Arkansas, Dec. 5 vs. UNC-Wilmington, Dec. 15 at Utah, Dec. 23 vs. Purdue and Iowa State (at Las Vegas, Nev.)

The look was evident on head coach Barry Hinson’s face last season as he was interviewed on CBS during the selection show. With only one region left to be unveiled, the disappointing look showed he knew that his MSU squad was once again going to get shorted out of an NCAA berth. MSU has basically been within one more win of the NCAA Tourney the last four seasons, but just hasn’t crossed that threshold.

Though sharpshooter Blake Ahearn, Tyler Chaney and Nathan Bilyeu departed from last season (a total of 35 PPG – or 47 percent of the scoring), the Bears do return a wealth of experience from their NIT squad last season. With seniors Deven Mitchell, Drew Richards, Dale Lamberth and Shane Laurie returning from a defense that lives on forcing turnovers, MSU is set for its first NCAA appearance since 1999.

Bradley Braves
2006-07: 22-13 (10-8 MVC), NIT Second Round
2007-08 Prediction: Third, MVC and NIT
Notable games: Nov. 14 vs. Iowa State, Nov. 23 vs. Iowa (at South Padre Island, Texas), Nov. 24 vs. Vanderbilt or Utah State (South Padre Island, Texas), Dec. 4 vs. Michigan State, Dec. 19 at Butler, Dec. 22 vs. VCU

Bradley arguably has the toughest non-conference schedule out of any MVC squad, but there is no reason to believe the Braves won’t be able to handle it successfully. Senior guards Jeremy Crouch and Daniel Ruffin will be vital parts determining how far Bradley goes in ’07-’08. They alone return nearly 27 points per game and will be looked at to lead a bench that includes sophomores Matt Salley, Andrew Warren and a freshman class that is top rated in the Valley.

Success will also depend on whether or not the Braves can have any big men step up on the boards. BU was dead last in rebounding margin (-6.8) last season. That, along with scoring defense (70.7 points allowed per game) was the Achilles heel that made the small difference in an NIT appearance and a possible NCAA berth.

University of Northern Iowa Panthers
2006-07: 18-13 (9-9 MVC)
2007-08 Prediction: Fourth, MVC and NIT
Notable games: Nov. 18 at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Nov. 27 at Iowa State, Dec. 5 vs. Iowa, Dec. 22 vs. Nevada

UNI enters the season as one of the mysterious teams in the conference. With Grant Stout and Brooks McKowen taking more than one-third of the team’s scoring away with them (as well as a great deal of rebounds), the Panthers will need some key bench assets from last year to step up. Senior guard Jared Josten and junior Travis Brown will need to contribute slightly more than the eight points per game they racked up last season, and sophomore giant Jordan Eglseder will have tough shoes to fill in the rebounding department.

Senior center Eric Coleman should have some pressure taken off of him with Stout gone, as teams won’t have to prepare as much to face that fearsome duo, but victories for UNI will depend on holding onto the ball. The Panthers were by far the worst in the MVC for turnover margin, and you can’t just give the ball away when there are the Missouri States and Southern Illinois taking it from you already.

Creighton Bluejays
2006-07: 22-11 (13-5 MVC), No. 10 Seed, lost in NCAA first round to Nevada
2007-08 Prediction: Fifth, MVC and NIT
Notable games: Nov. 9 vs. DePaul, Nov. 24 vs. Nebraska, Dec. 1 at Drexel

Korver is back – Kaleb Korver that is. Creighton welcomes the latest of the Korver brothers along with five other freshman. The Bluejays are young this year and lost four starters (only forward Dane Watts returns), which usually sets the stage for disaster. But Dana Altman knows how to work with that handicap. He led a Creighton team facing a similar situation to the NCAA Tourney three years ago.

Don’t expect an NCAA berth, because nearly three-fourths of the scoring offense left with Nate Funk, Anthony Tolliver, Nick Porter and Isacc Miles. However, the Bluejays still have the talent and certainly the coaching to keep their postseason boat floating.

Illinois State Redbirds
2006-07: 15-16 (6-12 MVC)
2007-08 Prediction: Sixth, MVC
Notable games: Nov. 23 vs. Indiana, Dec. 8 vs. Cincinnati

Tim Jankovich has consistently been surrounded by success. He spent the past four seasons as an assistant at Kansas (enough said) and served the same role for one year at Illinois under Bill Self. Eighteen current or former NBA players have also received his guidance. With that told, don’t be surprised to see the Redbirds, who already return the most starters of any MVC team, reach as high as fourth place after last year’s disappointing finish.

All four returning starters averaged at least nine points per game (seniors Levi Dyer, Boo Richardson, Anthony Slack and sophomore Osiris Eldridge), and senior guard Dominitrix Johnson chipped in another 8.3 per contest. A top or bottom half finish in the conference will be determined by depth and free throw shooting (last in the Valley at 64.5 percent). Assuming Johnson moves into the starting role, no key bench contributors return from last winter.

Indiana State Sycamores
2006-07: 13-18 (5-13 MVC)
2007-08 Prediction: Seventh, MVC
Notable games: Nov. 14 at Butler, Dec. 1 at Purdue, Dec. 4 at Miami (Ohio)

Kevin McKenna inherits a team that returns four starters and four key bench players, but the question is how much experience will play a factor for a team that managed just five conference wins last season while treading the bottom of the league in points per game (10th at 61.5), rebounding margin (9th) and turnover margin (9th).

The starting lineup included three underclassmen last year and is still young this season, but the cellar days should be finished. Gabriel Moore led the team with 11.5 points per game last season, and Marico Stinson, Cole Holmstrom and Jay Tunnell all tacked on at least another nine points per game each. If the Sycamores can control the ball better and find a way to get Tunnell and junior forward Adam Arnold to establish more of a presence on the boards, then the Sycamores will be a force in the MVC race.

Wichita State Shockers
2006-07: 17-14 (8-10 MVC)
2007-08 Prediction: Eighth, MVC
Notable games: Nov. 29 at Appalachian State, Dec. 19 vs. LSU, Dec. 22 vs. UAB

Last season could be divided into four even quarters for Wichita State. And as any team will say, winning doesn’t come easy when only half of the game is played well. The Shockers stormed out to a 9-0 start last winter, which included road wins against several highly ranked teams. The college basketball world had a feeling the Sweet 16 appearance from the previous season would be duplicated. Then the tailspin began that saw WSU drop six of its next seven. Just as everyone jumped off the bandwagon, the Shockers reeled off a 7-3 stretch to get back into postseason conversations, but again stumbled to end the season on a five-game losing streak. End result: No postseason; disappointing campaign.

The good news is that the bulk of the team – and coaching staff – who experienced last year’s disappointment won’t return. Unfortunately, that’s also the bad news. Every team except Drake and Evansville will bring back more of their starters or top performers from last year than Wichita State. Former Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall will have WSU back to prominence very soon, but with the top scorer gone and senior guard P.J. Couisnard being the only returning starter, this may be another long season in Kansas.

Drake Bulldogs
2006-07: 17-15 (6-12 MVC)
2007-08 Prediction: Ninth, MVC
Notable games: Dec. 5 vs. Iowa State, Dec. 14 at Iowa, Jan. 26 vs. Northern Iowa, Feb. 16 at Northern Iowa

With the top two scorers lost from last season (Ajay Calvin and Nick Grant), Drake may have a difficult time building off of last season’s success. The Bulldogs enjoyed their most successful campaign since 1986-87, racking up 17 wins, earning a winning season and the mythical state of Iowa championship (by defeating Iowa for the first time in 27 attempts, Iowa State and Northern Iowa twice).

Senior forward Klayton Korver and sophomore guard Josh Young both return and will try to keep the ‘Dogs moving up, but it will be tough. With Calvin, Grant, Al Stewart and Chris Bryant all gone, Drake lost 42 of its MVC-best 75 points per game, and its only rebounder who managed more than 4 RPG. Senior Leonard Houston and junior Jonathan Cox will need to contribute more if Drake is to maintain last year’s pace.

Evansville Aces
2006-07: 14-17 (6-12 MVC)
2007-08 Prediction: Tenth, MVC
Notable games: Nov. 17 vs. Butler, Dec. 8 vs. Austin Peay

Evansville hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1999, but its new head coach was a part of that experience. Marty Simmons was an assistant at UE from 1990 to 2002 and was a component of the Aces’ three NCAA runs through the 1990s. Seven consecutive losing seasons have occurred since the last dance, and last year was enough to force former coach Steve Merfield to resign. Simmons will have his work cut out for him in Year 1 of the tenure.

Last year’s top scorer (Matt Webster, 16.9 PPG) and top two rebounders (Webster and Bradley Strickland) are both gone, and junior guard Jason Holsinger is the only player to bring back considerable experience. Junior forward Shy Ely, sophomore guard Darin Granger and sophomore forward Jay Couisnard will all need to step up in the starting lineup.

Perception Of The Missouri Valley

Is the Missouri Valley Seen Differently Now?

by Phil Kasiecki

Generally speaking, perceptions don’t change quickly. That goes for a number of things in life, including college basketball. Enter the Missouri Valley Conference now that a week of hot debate is upon us.

The conference tournament is in the books. The next few days will have a great deal of discussion about who is in and who is out of the NCAA Tournament. The Valley is one conference that will be in the middle of much of it, especially a member that was in the middle of it all last year. Missouri State was arguably the most notable snub from last season’s NCAA Tournament, and after they lost in Saturday’s semifinal to Creighton in what some felt might be an NCAA elimination game, they again have to sweat out the next week regarding their postseason status.

Indeed, entering the conference tournament, several teams felt they had to win it to feel remotely safe about their NCAA chances. Only Southern Illinois could be considered a lock coming in, while Creighton and Missouri State looked like they had a chance with a couple of wins and Bradley might have a remote chance at an at-large bid if they made it to the final. Four teams were in play, but most discussion has the conference getting no more than three teams. The Bluejays are now in by virtue of their win on Sunday, so Missouri State and Bradley remain to be discussed.

The Missouri Valley at one point was ranked No. 1 in RPI this season, and was in the top 5 for much of the season. Entering this past weekend, it was No. 6, ahead of the Big 12, and it has been ahead of the Big East at times this season as well, which is fitting since Valley schools were a perfect 5-0 against Big East members with three games being true road games.

Intuitively, one would think that finishing second (Creighton at 13-5) or even third (Missouri State at 12-6) in a conference rated that highly would have analysts believing they are in good shape for an NCAA Tournament bid. But that’s not the case, and one has to wonder if it’s a sign that even with the Missouri Valley’s success, the perception of the conference hasn’t changed much.

It has proven itself against the BCS conferences rated ahead of it – this season Valley schools went 15-12 against members of the BCS conferences, the first time it posted a winning record since the Big 12 was formed 10 years ago. But the talk is that the Valley will be lucky to get three teams in the NCAA Tournament. The third place team in, say, the Big 12 or Big East, on the other hand? They’re almost surely a lock.

What’s wrong with this picture?

It has to be perception. The Valley is simply not seen the same way as the BCS conferences. There are understandable reasons why, not the least of which is that many of the BCS conferences have a lot of teams in major metropolitan areas while Missouri Valley schools are mostly in medium-sized cities. There is also history, as the Valley doesn’t have a long history of sending four and five teams to the NCAA Tournament as conferences like the Big East and Big 12 have.

“If we were the third-best team in the Big 12, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” said Missouri State head coach Barry Hinson. “It’s sad that we have to have it today, but I do believe that this league deserves three teams.”

Keep in mind, this isn’t about the NCAA Selection Committee. We won’t know their opinions on all teams until Sunday, and it is known that they don’t take conference affiliation into consideration. The recent exercise by the USBWA to do a mock selection show was a fantastic event that shed a lot of light on how this proceeds, even if there are still some areas for improvement. (As one example, it is this writer’s opinion that busy athletic directors and conference commissioners shouldn’t comprise the committee because they already have plenty to do and this job is so important. But that’s another column.) This is about what has been out there in the media of late, from those who project brackets to those simply talking about the Missouri Valley’s place in college basketball.

Although the perception doesn’t seem to have changed in some respects, MVC commissioner Doug Elgin thinks it has. The success the conference and others like it, such as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), has added to the respect people have for the conference.

“There is a changed perspective on our league, with a change factor like upsets in the NCAA Tournament that have had a cumulative effect,” said Elgin, who has served on the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

One thing this points to is using the number of teams in the NCAA Tournament to evaluate a conference’s success. That, along with the number of teams in the NIT, is often used as an indicator of how good a conference is and how successful a season is. Where the Missouri Valley may well have fewer teams in the NCAA Tournament this year, a season where they were better in non-conference play with an 87-32 mark, it may fall victim to this. One key reason for its overall success this year is that the bottom of the conference is better, as no team is outside the top 140 in RPI. Last season, the bottom four teams were outside the top 160 in the RPI.

“I don’t know if being better necessarily means more NCAA Tournament bids,” said Elgin, who is among those who thinks the conference is better this year. He did note that the conference may not have four teams better than the four they had at the top last year, even if the conference is better overall. That goes along with the improvement of the bottom of the conference as a key reason for their success.

At the end of the day, the Valley will likely have six postseason teams, as Northern Iowa and Wichita State should have good enough resumes for the NIT. That will match last season’s total, which was a conference record. Whether the perception of the conference changes much in the public eye is up for debate. One thing that is for certain is that it should call into question the notion of evaluating a conference by the number of NCAA Tournament teams it has.

Creighton’s Tough Road To The NCAA

Bluejays Finish Hard Road to Victory

by Phil Kasiecki

ST. LOUIS – It’s only fitting that Creighton would take home the 2007 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title. This is arguably the best season the Valley has had, and the Bluejays have led the way in the conference’s surge since the mid-1990s.

But this one sure didn’t look like it would happen at times during the season.

The Bluejays are the only school in the Valley to post nine straight 20-win campaigns, with this being number nine, and they have won at least 10 conference games 11 straight years, another record. This season also ties the record for the longest postseason streak in history, as it will be their 10th straight. And for good measure, this title is their sixth in nine years, with no losses in the title game under Dana Altman.

It sounds like this season was just business as usual, but it certainly wasn’t. The Bluejays were picked to win the conference in the preseason by many, but had plenty of adversity in the first two months. There was the finger injury to starting point guard Josh Dotzler, who had a season-ending knee injury last year that hadn’t come along as they had hoped and caused him to miss the season opener. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Nate Funk, who had to redshirt last season, got sick early on. Ty Morrison got Graves Disease and quit the team in late December. Freshman guard D’Angalo Jackson, who was expected to redshirt due to an ankle injury that required surgery, transferred to Wisconsin-Green Bay after the first semester.

“We’ve had crazy things happen this year, illnesses, and poor Josh with his knee and then his finger,” said Altman, who said this wasn’t his most challenging season but was right up there. “It’s a good group, and they’ve been a lot of fun to work with.”

Funk gets the most noticed from this group because of his play. He was a first-team All-Missouri Valley selection two years ago and figured to do the same last year before a shoulder injury sustained while diving for a loose ball led to surgery and a redshirt year. Instead, he did it this year, earning the honor and then leading the team to the title with a terrific weekend that was highlighted in the stat sheet by his 33 points in Saturday’s semifinal win over Missouri State.

“Our goal was to get back to the NCAA Tournament,” said Funk, who did his best to stay positive last year even while he could only watch his team lose right away in the conference tournament last year. “I didn’t want to go out a loser, that’s for certain.”

But he’s not alone, and Altman is quick to cite Anthony Tolliver as a key to this team overcoming all it has faced. The senior big man came to Omaha planning to be a doctor, but then he decided finance was better for him. A solid contributor on the court who had 15 points and 13 rebounds in the title game, Tolliver has racked up the academic honors in his career with his 3.53 GPA. This year, they include being a CoSIDA academic All-American, CoSIDA academic all-district and MVC First Team Scholar Athlete. He’s also heavily involved in the community and a charismatic young man that seems to naturally bond with everyone he comes across.

The third senior who carried this team was Nick Porter, last season’s conference newcomer of the year and at times a real barometer of this team. Funk said at the beginning of the year that Porter is their X-factor, and he was a real key this weekend. He had 19 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s win, then had 15 points and six assists on Sunday. Porter went to two junior colleges before arriving at Creighton, with the Community College of Southern Nevada shutting down after his freshman year due to a lack of funds. That necessitated a transfer close to his hometown at Compton Community College in California.

Those three, along with classmate Manny Gakou, have scored at least half of the team’s points in 23 straight games. That’s just one more indicator of how important they are to this team, even though it’s clear that their importance goes well beyond statistics.

The Bluejays didn’t exactly roll through non-conference play, putting up a 6-4 record through late December and then losing at home to Drexel a couple of weeks ago. Along the way, their 12-game winning streak against Big 12 schools came to an end when they lost at Nebraska. Three days after the loss to Drexel, they lost at Illinois State, and Altman admitted he didn’t do a good job in those two games. At that point, he said it was time to change how they played. That late in the season, it would seem to be a risky move, but mitigating the risk somewhat is the fact that they had already made adjustments throughout the season. It clearly worked, as they haven’t lost since then.

“Fortunately, we have young men who were coachable,” said Altman.

The winning and the character of the players is nothing new at the Omaha school, and it’s part of why Altman has the best job in Nebraska and is certainly in no hurry to leave for other jobs. His name often surfaces anytime a job in the Big Ten or Big 12 opens up, but he’s stayed put and likely isn’t going anywhere. He makes very good money, is a native of the state, and coaches where basketball is the only game in town. Altman and athletic director Bruce Rasmussen have developed a close bond over the years, as Rasmussen hired him and is still there. His father lives about two hours away and still goes to many of their games at the Qwest Center in downtown Omaha.

The Qwest Center, where the Bluejays now routinely draw crowds of 16,000 and up, along with Altman’s presence are prime reasons the school has had the run it has. It has all the marks of a big-time program, save for the undergraduate enrollment being just over 4,000 students.

And indeed, it doesn’t get much better than that. You can see why Altman is in no hurry to leave for the Big Ten or Big 12, the latter of which he experienced before coming to Omaha when he was the head coach at Kansas State and had four athletic directors in four years.

The stability at the program makes the bottom line look like business as usual. But as is often the case, the journey to get there was the most interesting part, even if there were times where things didn’t look so good. So goes the 2006-07 season for the Creighton Bluejays as they head off to another NCAA Tournament.

Missouri Valley Tournament, Day Three

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament – Day Three

by Phil Kasiecki

ST. LOUIS – A sellout crowd, the first in tournament history, witnessed Saturday’s semifinal games. The record crowd totaled 22,612, the largest crowd ever to witness a basketball game at the Scottrade Center. Aided by the presence of nearby Southern Illinois in the title game, another sellout for the final is all but certain, and the tournament will certainly surpass the attendance record for the entire tournament by a wide margin.

Semifinals Honor Roll
Jamaal Tatum, Southern Illinois: 20 points
Randal Falker, Southern Illinois: 12 rebounds, 3 blocked shots
Jeremy Crouch, Bradley: 14 points, 4-5 three-pointers
Nate Funk, Creighton: 33 points, 8 rebounds
Nick Porter, Creighton: 19 points, 13 rebounds
Blake Ahearn, Missouri State: 20 points
Deven Mitchell, Missouri State: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals

Bench Play Makes the Difference for Salukis

Southern Illinois didn’t get much production from its bench in Friday’s win over Drake, but Saturday was another story. The Salukis got off to a slow start, falling behind 7-1 just before the first media timeout. At that point, Chris Lowery went to his bench and got a response.

The Salukis ran off eight unanswered points to take an 11-10 lead after the second media timeout. The only points in that stretch from a starter were on a three-pointer by Bryan Mullins. That run got the Salukis going, and although Bradley led for much of the game, the Salukis were initially back in the game because of their bench.

“When they came in, they were really explosive,” Lowery said of his reserves. “They brought electricity to the building when we brought them in. That’s what they’ve got to have.”

The numbers weren’t big, as the Salukis had just an 8-2 edge in bench points and rebounds were even. But it was the time that much of it came, as well as the defense, that made the contribution what it was. They set the stage for the starters to come back and do their jobs, which they ultimately did.

Bradley Likely NIT-Bound

Bradley entered the conference tournament likely needing to win it in order to reach the NCAA Tournament. Although the Braves have a good RPI, the quality wins are lacking and they didn’t hold their own against the top teams in the Valley. If they had won on Saturday, they might have a slim chance at an at-large bid, but at this point the Braves are almost certainly bound for the NIT.

The Braves are 21-12 after Saturday’s loss and were 10-8 in Valley play before the tournament. They don’t have many quality wins from an up-and-down non-conference slate, the best of which would likely be either inconsistent DePaul or Horizon League co-champion Wright State. They won at VCU in BracketBusters, but the Rams are also a bubble team if they don’t win the Colonial Tournament (they face Drexel on Sunday in the semifinals). In the conference, they have a win over Southern Illinois, but they were 1-6 against the three teams that finished ahead of them in the standings as Creighton and Missouri State swept them.

Considering the heavy personnel losses from last season’s team, the fact that Bradley won 21 games and is even being discussed for the postseason says plenty about the job Les did with this team. They weren’t supposed to finish fourth in the Valley and win 21 games.

Bears Have to Sweat Out Sunday Again

A year after being the most notable snub from the NCAA Tournament, Missouri State will have to sweat out Selection Sunday. The Bears are 22-10 after Saturday’s loss to Creighton and entered the day with an RPI of 36.

“You’d like to think (getting to the semifinals solidifies a bid),” said senior guard Blake Ahearn, who added that he feels the Valley deserves three teams. “After what happened last year, you really can’t think for the committee. You don’t know what they’re thinking. You just rely on what you’ve done.”

It’s not as though the Bears are lacking credentials. They have wins over Toledo, Wisconsin and Santa Clara as their most notable in non-conference play, although the first and third were at home and the second was at a neutral site. Not helping them is that they went 0-5 against the two teams that finished ahead of them in the Valley, Southern Illinois and Creighton.

Head coach Barry Hinson feels his team has a better body of work than they had last season. He wasn’t happy with how they played on Saturday, but hopes that won’t be the lasting impression the committee uses.

“Knowing what I know from last year, I’m more optimistic going into the selections this year based on our body of work compared to last year,” said Hinson. “The only thing that we don’t have that we didn’t have last year is our RPI number, which we’re coming to find out doesn’t mean a lot.”

Missouri Valley Tournament, Day Two

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament – Day Two

by Phil Kasiecki

ST. LOUIS – The quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament have come and gone. All of the top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals, the first time that has happened since 2003. There was also some news that came after the third game of the day.

Quarterfinals Honor Roll
Matt Shaw, Southern Illinois: 19 points, 6 rebounds
Jamaal Tatum, Southern Illinois: 19 points on 8-12 shooting, 6 assists
Grant Stout, Northern Iowa: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocked shots
Deven Mitchell, Missouri State: 16 points, 8 rebounds
Nathan Bilyeu, Missouri State: 9 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists
Matt Braeuer, Wichita State: 18 points, 5-7 on three-pointers
P.J. Couisnard, Wichita State: 17 points on 7-11 shooting

Waltman Out at Indiana State

After his team lost to Creighton on Friday, Royce Waltman confirmed a report in the Terre Haute Tribune-Star that his contract will not be renewed at Indiana State. The Sycamores finished the season at 13-18 and had to play in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Tournament for the fifth straight year.

Waltman said that he was informed of the decision a week ago and noted that the decision was made at a Board of Trustees meeting, hence it leaked out. He said that the word spread around to the point where he had to gather his players to talk about it so that they don’t have to deal with it. That was why he took issue with how it was handled.

“It just got to be such knowledge, I had to talk to them about it and tell them it had nothing to do with how I felt about coming down to this tournament,” said Waltman, who went on to say later that he’s not ready to retire.

In 10 seasons, Waltman posted a 134-164 record at the school. There was plenty of success early in his tenure, as the Sycamores had four straight winning seasons with the last two ending in the NCAA Tournament. His first season was the program’s first winning season in 18 years, as they posted a 16-11 record, and they won 22 games each of the two years they were in the NCAA Tournament.

But the program didn’t build any further from that point. After the first four years, the program went downhill quickly, as the next three seasons all saw single-digit wins.

“We were in a position to really build upon that, and we didn’t, and there’s no one to blame for that except myself,” Waltman reflected. “We had some great teams, and then we made some recruiting errors and some mistakes and we found ourselves in a position where we didn’t build as we should have, and I’m embarrassed by that.”

His opposite number in his final game, Creighton head coach Dana Altman, had words of respect for Waltman.

“All I know is Royce has been in the league with me for a long time, and there’s not a coach in our league that I have more respect for and I think does a better job than Royce,” said Altman, the dean of coaches in the conference. “Whatever they choose to do is their decision, but they’ll have a hard time finding a better coach and a better man than Royce Waltman.”

Salukis’ Concern: The Bench

Although they didn’t finish the game as well as they started or played for most of it, Southern Illinois looked like a team that won the regular season title in their 71-59 quarterfinal win over Drake. Their defense was a constant, although the Bulldogs broke through at times, and they got a big game from key players like seniors Jamaal Tatum and Tony Young as well as junior forward Matt Shaw. But there is one area where they did not excel: the bench.

“Our bench has got to be much better than it was from an efficiency standpoint and from an execution standpoint, and that’s where we struggled – when we had the bench guys in there,” said Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery.

The Salukis hang their hat on their defense, and that was clear as Drake got nothing easy. They help very well and forced the Bulldogs to start the offense well away from the basket all game long. For most of the game, they looked to be in control, but every time they had more reserves than starters in the game, there was a noticeable difference.

Davis Takes Bulldogs to New Heights

Drake’s season is likely finished with a 17-15 mark. The NIT could come calling, but it seems unlikely. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs had a season in 2006-07 that is one of the best in quite a while.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Bulldogs struggled to reach double-digit wins, including 2-26 and 3-24 seasons in the mid-1990s. The 17-15 mark is the program’s first winning season in 20 years, when they posted an almost identical mark of 17-14. It could have been even better, as the Bulldogs have been the kings of hard luck this season and in recent years, losing a number of games that could have gone either way. This season, they were 6-6 in games decided by five points or less, including splitting two overtime games.

Davis isn’t sure if his work there is done and it’s time to hand the program over to his son Keno. That will be decided after the season. Still, there’s more to do, as the progress the program has made has yet to include postseason play.

“We made some strides, but there’s still a lot of work to do at Drake, so I appreciate their support and everybody involved,” said Davis.

Braves Had Them All the Way

Although it took a late three-pointer by Will Franklin to decide, Bradley’s win over Northern Iowa came a lot earlier. The Braves started by scoring the game’s first six points and ran out to an 18-4 lead by the 11:12 mark of the first half. They led all the way until there was 2:15 left in the game.

While games aren’t won or lost on just one play or even series, the early minutes definitely set a tone for the game.

“I thought the game was decided in the first six or seven minutes, and that’s to Bradley’s credit,” said Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson. “They deserve a lot of credit for the way they started that basketball game.”

Northern Iowa scored nine unanswered after falling behind by 14, but that was how they would seemingly spend the entire game. Every time they started to make a little run to try to come back, Bradley had an answer. That looked to be the case even more when, down 38-29, the Panthers scored seven unanswered points to get within two. The Panthers would later get within one twice, then they broke through for the lead the third time they were that close.

Part of the tone that was set was trouble for Northern Iowa’s Eric Coleman. The junior forward, who led the conference in rebounding, was in early foul trouble and only got going in spurts in the second half. He finished with eight points and six rebounds.

Bluejays Take A While to Get Going

Although Creighton won its quarterfinal game by 21 points with a dominating defensive effort, the Bluejays weren’t in command from the outset. Indiana State had a 15-10 lead just past the halfway point of the first half and still led by one nearly three minutes later, before a Nate Funk three-pointer started a 15-2 run to end the first half and put them in control.

The Bluejays put the game away in the second half by scoring 10 of the first 12 points to go up 42-22, then another 9-0 run gave them their largest lead at 53-28. It was a record-setting defensive effort as the 38 points allowed was a tournament record low. No Sycamore player scored in double figures, and the Bluejays had a 37-26 edge on the glass.

Helping out in the run late in the first half were two three-pointers by freshman Isacc Miles, who finished with nine points, five rebounds and three assists. He is the only freshman in their starting lineup and has functioned well as a role player alongside senior stars Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver.

Last Game Hardly a Quarterfinal Atmosphere

The final game of the day had a big-time atmosphere, as Missouri State and Wichita State battled right to the end. Every time one team looked like it was about to go on a run, the other team came right back with a big play of its own, be it a big three-pointer or an offensive rebound and score. Neither team ever led by more than eight points.

The game was scoreless until nearly three minutes in, when the Shockers scored the first of seven straight points. The Bears came right back, and thus began the game-long back-and-forth battle between the two.

“You saw two teams tonight that just refused to get out there and lose, and the Wichita State that I think you saw tonight is the Wichita State that played earlier in the season,” said Missouri State head coach Barry Hinson. “We played about as good as we can play, and we squeaked out a three-point win.”

The Bears looked like they might have been ready to wrap it up when Nathan Bilyeu hit two three-pointers as part of a 10-3 run to go up 58-50 with over seven minutes left, but the Shockers didn’t go away. They scored the next seven points, then tied it at 60 before the Bears scored the next four to regain the lead for good.

The Shockers came in billed as a team that could surprise everyone and win the conference tournament. Evidence of that was their success early in the season, which they never really duplicated once Valley play began. They sure tried hard to do it on Friday.

Other Notes

• Southern Illinois senior guard Tony Young tied the school record for career wins, winning his 103rd game. Young, who scored 17 points, tied the mark held by Darren Brooks.
• Northern Iowa’s duo of Grant Stout and Brooks McKowen became the all-time leaders in career games played on Friday as each played in their 127th game. They haven’t just played, as they made three NCAA Tournament appearances and should see the NIT this time around. Over their career, the Panthers are 83-43, by far the best four-year run in the program’s history (the next-best is 70 wins from 1960-61 through 1963-64).
• The attendance for the evening session was 16,651, a record for a quarterfinal game in the tournament. The semifinal session could be a sellout, which would be a first. According to a source, about 3,000 tickets remained as of late Friday evening.

Missouri Valley Tournament, Day One

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament – Opening Round Notes

by Phil Kasiecki

ST. LOUIS – The first day of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament is in the books. The lower seed took both games on the night, a rarity but not a shocker. We have notes regarding the two first round games played, as well as other happenings.

Opening Round Scores
No. 9 Drake (17-14) 101, No. 8 Evansville (14-17) 96 (OT)
No. 10 Indiana State (13-17) 68, No. 7 Illinois State (15-16) 65

Panthers Enter In Good Shape

Northern Iowa is one of a few teams that had some ups and downs this season. The Panthers started out 13-2 and were still 15-4 just past mid-January. With a coaching change and key guards lost from last season’s team, they were one of the bigger surprises to that point and first year head coach Ben Jacobson was off to a great start in his career.

Then things went downhill quickly, as they lost eight of nine, capped by a 79-64 loss at Nevada in BracketBusters that wasn’t even that close. That dropped them to 16-12, and they were 7-9 in Missouri Valley play at that point.

But the Panthers rebounded last week by winning their final two games, one of which came at Bradley, their quarterfinal opponent on Friday. With that, Jacobson thinks the team is in a good spot.

“Those two wins, I think, really helped our guys put a little bounce back in our step,” said Jacobson. “I think that’s why the guys have some confidence right now. They feel good about the way we’re playing, and mostly, I feel good because we’ve worked hard through that stretch.”

Entering the conference tournament with an RPI of 74, there seems to be no chance of the Panthers getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament even with a run to the championship game. That’s one more reason it bodes well that they enter in the place they’re in.

For the Bears, It’s All About the Shockers

Missouri State’s focus all week has been on Wichita State, whom the Bears play on Friday night in the quarterfinals. That’s to be expected, and it’s often said by players and coaches, but it’s very believable coming from them. It isn’t coach-speak that Barry Hinson said nothing about last year’s NCAA Tournament snub all week; rather, he thinks they have another extra motivation to win on Friday.

“They beat us eight times in a row. We’re a long ways behind catching up, so we know what we’re up against,” Hinson said of the Shockers, whom they beat twice in the regular season.

Hinson said it was the coaching staff’s way of taking pressure off the team. He remembers how they were said to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament before coming to St. Louis last year, only to be arguably the most notable snub from it. But that hasn’t entered into the conversation this week – only how dangerous Wichita State is and how much catching up the Bears have to do.

Both teams will come in with incentive to win aside from the simple desire to win. The Shockers are trying to make something of a season that started with a great deal of promise and a top ten ranking at one point, while the Bears also had a solid start but enter the conference tournament as a likely bubble team. The Bears also know that the Shockers’ start to the season alone proves that they’re a dangerous team.

Young Not a Freshman Anymore

Josh Young certainly had a coming-out party of sorts with his career-high 23 points in Drake’s win over Evansville. The freshman guard went 5-9 from behind the arc and scored 14 of those points in the second half – almost as many as he scored in the two regular season meetings against the Purple Aces (he had 15).

“Josh is fearless,” teammate Klayton Korver said of Young. “He’s older than he looks. He told me he was 17, but he’s 18. He’s fearless and not afraid to shoot it.”

Young was 6-11 from long range for the game, after going 4-17 from downtown in the two regular season meetings with Evansville. He entered the game shooting 31.5 percent from long range on the season, so clearly he chose a good time to have a breakout game.

The Bulldogs have earned a date with Southern Illinois on Friday in a game with a quick turnaround. After playing at 6 P.M. on Thursday, they take on the Salukis at noon on Friday.

Sycamores Finally Get Over the Edge

In the nightcap, Illinois State out-played Indiana State for the vast majority of the game. They were the aggressors, led by outgoing senior Greg Dilligard, who played with the energy and intensity of someone who knew it could be his final college game en route to 11 points and six rebounds. If there wasn’t a scoreboard, you would have thought the Redbirds were in clear control of the game even before they went on an 11-1 run to open up a 54-42 lead with 11:40 to go in the second half.

But the Sycamores stayed close, at times rallying but not quite getting all the way back as they couldn’t seem to sustain quite enough momentum. That was before they were still faced with a 60-54 deficit with 7:17 left.

Within the next minute and a half, the Sycamores made two three-pointers to tie, then scored four more in a row after a Redbird free throw to go up 64-61. The Redbirds would regain the lead at 65-64 before freshman Marico Stinson became the second first-year player on the day to make a big contribution, hitting a three-pointer with 16 seconds left that would prove to be the winner.

“Tonight we battled back,” said Indiana State head coach Royce Waltman. “We did a good job of fighting back, something we haven’t done.”

It capped off a second half where the Sycamores shot over 52 percent from the field, including making 7-of-10 three-pointers. Not helping for the Redbirds was their own struggles, including from the foul line as they were 10-17 in the latter frame.

“Once we started playing team defense, we got a couple of stops to help us get back in the game,” said junior guard Gabe Moore, who scored 10 points and had three steals.

The first reason the Sycamores stayed in the game was on the offensive boards. In the first half, they converted seven offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points. More than anything else, that kept the Redbirds from dominating on the scoreboard as much as they appeared to be. It gave them the chance to eventually make the big run they did en route to the win.

Other Notes

• Evansville’s Matt Webster missed two key free throws late in the first game, but hopefully that won’t be the lasting impression of the senior forward. He closed out his career with a stellar 29-point, eight-rebound effort, and finishes 11th on Evansville’s all-time scoring list.
• Creighton got out of Omaha just in time, as the area was hit with a major snowstorm Thursday morning. “I heard it was the worst storm in Omaha in ten years or something like that,” said Creighton center Anthony Tolliver.
• The first game featured two brothers of current or former Valley players. Drake’s Klayton Korver is the younger brother of former Creighton star Kyle, while Evansville freshman Jay Couisnard is the younger brother of Wichita State junior P.J. Couisnard.
• Speaking of the elder Couisnard, Wichita State head coach Mark Turgeon said he will be available. The bigger health concern for the Shockers is the ankle of guard Sean Ogirri, who Turgeon said will play but is a wild card in terms of how effective he will be. He said Ogirri re-injured the ankle on Monday and has struggled with it all week.

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

Competitive weekend ahead
Advancing to the semifinals is a must to even have a view of an NCAA berth. For most teams, reaching the title game would make hearts beat a lot slower come March 11.

Two statements can be made with high confidence about the league going into Thursday: Three Valley schools will make the dance on Selection Sunday, and Southern Illinois will not win the MVC Tournament, with all due respect to the Salukis. The top seed hasn’t won the tourney title in almost 10 seasons, and too many other Valley squads need that automatic bid more than SIU.

Hoopville’s Predicted Tourney Champion: Missouri State
The Bears have been so close the past three seasons, but this will be the year they finally punch the ticket. Doing so won’t be easy, going through Wichita State, Creighton and Southern Illinois, but MSU has the talent to take down the first two and the defense to hang with Southern Illinois.

Where will they be after Arch Madness subsides?
Southern Illinois: NCAA Tournament. This is a no-brainer, even if the Salukis go down in the quarters.

Creighton: NCAA Tournament. Make the quarterfinals, and the Bluejays are in. Creighton might even be able to survive a one-and-out with its 13 league wins.

Missouri State: NCAA Tournament. We saw last year that 12 MVC wins and a top-30 RPI wasn’t enough, but the Bears have the tools and the right path to take the tourney title and breathe easy on Selection Sunday.

Northern Iowa: NIT. Reaching the title game would put UNI back in NCAA conversations, but the Panthers are likely headed to the NIT unless they hoist the trophy on Sunday.

Bradley: NIT. This is a tough pick. If the Braves take down UNI in the quarterfinals, and Missouri State or Wichita State fail to make it past the semis, put the Braves in the dance – or at least in the mix.

Wichita State: NIT. WSU has faltered since climbing back into the race two weeks ago and anything short of a tourney title dooms the Shockers to the NIT.

Drake, Illinois State, Evansville and Indiana State: No postseason, One team out of this group – the Drake Bulldogs – can climb out and reach the postseason. Drake is capable of pulling the upsets and making a strong case for the NIT, or dare we say the auto bid to the NCAA.

(8) Evansville vs. (9) Drake
Don’t pit Drake into the quarters against Southern Illinois so quickly. Evansville crushed the Bulldogs by 19 in late December and almost earned the series sweep last week during an 82-79 defeat. The key for Drake will be reaching the 80-point mark, which has happened three times in the past five games. Winner: Drake

(7) Illinois State vs. (10) Indiana State
This first round matchup pits two squads heading in opposite directions. Indiana State has dropped 13-of-14, while Illinois State has won three-of-four that includes a 10-point victory over Creighton and a near-miss at Northern Iowa. The Redbirds should get another shot against Creighton. Winner: Illinois State

Quarterfinals

(1) Southern Illinois vs. (9) Drake
If a No. 1 seed is to finally win the MVC Tournament again, it is this Southern Illinois team. But Drake is not the first opponent any team would want to see. SIU gets the nod based on the series sweep, but the Salukis have had close calls during their recent winning streak, averaging wins of just more than five points during the past five games. Winner: Southern Illinois

(4) Bradley vs. (5) Northern Iowa
It’s the typical situation for a 4 vs. 5 match in the MVC Tournament: Winner keeps slim hopes for an NCAA berth, while the defeated begins preparing for the NIT. Northern Iowa needs this victory more after going 3-7 since its battle for first place against Southern Illinois on Jan. 23. Two of those three victories came last week though, including a 79-70 win at Bradley. UNI also owns the season series this winter. Winner: Northern Iowa

(2) Creighton vs. (7) Illinois State
Expect a different Bluejay team to appear than the one that lost by 10 at Illinois State last week. Creighton made a nice rebound against Wichita State last Saturday, and the Bluejays just don’t lose very much in the MVC Tourney. CU advances to the semis and clinches its NCAA bid. Winner: Creighton

(3) Missouri State vs. (6) Wichita State
What a familiar situation for Missouri State: twelve league wins in the nation’s sixth-best conference and 21 overall still does not make you a lock in most experts’ brackets. Recall last season, when the Bears reached the 20-win plateau, had a 12-6 conference mark and a top-25 RPI but still missed out on the NCAA after a quarterfinal exit in the MVC Tourney. Expect different results this season from an MSU team that swept Wichita State and has won seven of its last nine. The Shockers, who have been up-and-down all year after a 9-0 start, have dropped four consecutive contests. Winner: Missouri State

Semifinals

(1) Southern Illinois vs. (5) Northern Iowa
Round three. Northern Iowa took the initial match for first place when these two teams met in Cedar Falls, but Southern Illinois took round two in Carbondale during mid-January. Since then, both teams have headed in opposite directions, but we always know that a contest between these two will come down to the final basket. SIU is the pick, but be careful with UNI’s rebound this past week. The top seed could go down in the semis for a fourth consecutive season. Winner: Southern Illinois

(2) Creighton vs. (3) Missouri State
Creighton swept the series with three- and four-point wins, but this is where the Bears finally catch the prey. Both teams have fared well during the last 10 games (going 7-3), but MSU finished the season on a higher note and is aware a victory here would punch a ticket to the NCAA. Winner: Missouri State

Championship

(1) Southern Illinois vs. (3) Missouri State
Sixty is the magic number for Missouri State. The Bears have been limited to less than 60 points three times this season in MVC play (0-3), and Southern Illinois is responsible for two of those. If MSU can fend off that feisty Salukis defense for one game and get close to its 75 PPG, the Bears will finally hoist the tournament trophy. Hoopville believes that happens, as the curse of seed No. 1 continues. Winner: Missouri State

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

Brackets busted indeed
After a rough weekend on the court for the Missouri Valley Conference, the league may have decreased its potential number of tourney bids to two, with an outside chance for three. Southern Illinois continued its dominance after knocking down No. 12 Butler on the road, but Creighton, Missouri State, Wichita State and Northern Iowa were dealt a few blows. Here is a look at the major O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters outcomes this weekend.

Southern Illinois: Southern Illinois was the lone Valley team that had nothing to lose on Saturday, but the Salukis gained a lot with a big road win. The Salukis have been the best story of the Valley for seven weeks, but a 68-64 win at Butler proved that another MVC team has the resources to go deep into the NCAA Tournament. Heading back to conference play this week, Southern Illinois has an opportunity to regain the MVC crown with victories against Evansville and Indiana State. NCAA status: Lock.

Creighton: After Creighton stormed to a double-digit advantage, Drexel made a comeback late in the second half to beat the Bluejays 64-58. A victory probably would have punched Creighton’s ticket to the dance, but now the Bluejays will flirt on the bubble through the final week of the season. An important home date with Wichita State awaits on the regular-season finale Saturday. NCAA status: In.

Missouri State: The Bears face trouble heading into the final week. Friday’s loss to Winthrop was critical, as Missouri State was in need of a strong non-conference victory. And the last two games on the regular-season schedule, at Wichita State and home against surging Drake, won’t help the situation. A 2-0 week is a must; otherwise another talented Bears team will be excluded from the party for a fourth consecutive year. NCAA status: Bubble bursts.

Bradley: While Missouri State faces great adversity in its final week, Bradley has the right pieces to finish the puzzle. Everything seems to be fitting nicely now after defeating Colonial Athletic Association leader VCU 73-64. Now the Braves are poised to complete the regular season at home against cellar-dweller Indiana State and reeling Northern Iowa. Saturday’s win at VCU coupled with a 2-0 week would certainly give Bradley a good case to become the Valley’s third team in the NCAA Tournament. NCAA status: In, barely.

Wichita State: Defeating Appalachian State this weekend wouldn’t have propelled Wichita State back into NCAA Tournament conversations, but the 60-58 loss will keep the Shockers far away from the Big Dance unless a run through the conference tournament decides otherwise. With Missouri State and Creighton on the slate to complete the regular season, the Shockers have an opportunity to finish with a statement or continue spiraling toward the NIT. NCAA status: Out.

Northern Iowa: The second half against No. 10 Nevada closely resembled the second half of this season for Northern Iowa: miserable. The Panthers led the Wolf Pack at halftime, but Nevada stormed out of the gates in the second period and never looked back during a 79-64 win. A victory would have been a huge statement for Northern Iowa, but the Panthers enter the final week still searching for answers. A trip to Bradley Tuesday probably isn’t the first choice to find those answers either. NCAA status: Out.

Game to watch this week: Wichita State at Creighton, Saturday, 4:05 p.m.
Every time these two teams play, the contest seems to go down to the final basket. The last meeting in mid-January went in Wichita State’s favor, 62-59. Also add in that both Wichita State and Creighton really need this win. Wichita State needs strong victories to add to the resume, and Creighton needs a solid win to slip on dancing shoes.

Missouri Valley Notebook

Missouri Valley Conference Notebook

by Neal Heston

Round 2 to Salukis
Northern Iowa was nearly perfect from behind the arc against Southern Illinois Tuesday, but the one that mattered was just off the mark in a 56-54 defeat that sent the Salukis past the Panthers for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The would-be buzzer-beater looked good when Northern Iowa’s Travis Brown released it, but the shot rimmed out, giving Southern Illinois the win in the second battle for first place between these squads. The Panthers won the first meeting in Cedar Falls, but Southern Illinois’ victory Tuesday sent the Salukis to 7-3 in league play, a half game ahead of Northern Iowa and Creighton.

Northern Iowa appeared poised to stay atop the mountain after jumping out to 7-0 and 16-6 advantages, but Southern Illinois rebounded to win its 10th consecutive home game vs. the Panthers. An uncharacteristic 23 turnovers by the Panthers allowed the Salukis to climb back into the contest and eventually take the lead for good midway through the second half. Northern Iowa couldn’t dig out of that hole despite shooting 50 percent from the field.

Northern Iowa’s Brooks McKowen led all scorers with 17 points, but foul trouble limited the senior guard’s playing time in the second half. Sophomore Travis Brown joined McKowen in double figures with 12 points, and senior Grant Stout added 11 points and 13 rebounds. The Panthers hit 11-of-15 three-pointers on the night.

Bryan Mullins led Southern Illinois with 16 points, and the Salukis got another 13 from Randal Falker. Now the Salukis, invincible at home, look poised to run away toward another conference crown with two home games against Illinois State and Indiana State on the schedule before a road trip to Wichita State.

Northern Iowa, which several analysts say can’t afford many more losses because of a now-weakening non-conference schedule, must go on the road to face a dangerous Drake team and then return home to face hit-or-miss Wichita State.

It’s Halftime!
Trying to predict this conference race was challenging, but here are how my preseason picks are faring halfway through the Missouri Valley Conference season.
1. Southern Illinois: picked third. Odds of finishing third: Not good. Look for no lower than second.
2. Creighton: picked first. Odds of finishing first: High, currently tied. But Southern Illinois won’t make the race easy.
3. Northern Iowa: picked fifth. Odds of finishing fifth: Even. But most likely no lower than fourth as long as the Panthers can gain a few road victories.
4. Bradley: picked ninth. Odds of finishing ninth: Zero. This writer is blushing about this preseason pick.
5. Missouri State: picked fourth. Odds of finishing fourth: Nearly perfect.
6. Evansville: picked seventh. Odds of finishing seventh: High. Don’t count the Aces out of the postseason just yet.
7. Indiana State: picked eighth. Odds of finishing eighth: Low. Wichita State and Drake are now struggling at the bottom of the league.
8. Wichita State: picked second. Odds of finishing second: Zero. The Shockers already have six league losses, usually barely good enough for third or fourth.
9. Illinois State: picked 10th. Odds of finishing 10th: Still likley. But the Redbirds are much stronger than most believed.
10. Drake: picked sixth. Odds of finishing sixth: Still nearly even. The Bulldogs are only two and a half games back of sixth and are talented enough to make that run.

Checking the brackets
Dancing: Southern Illinois, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Creighton
Work to do: Indiana State, Bradley

Hoopville’s Player of the Week: Randal Falker, Southern Illinois
Falker was a huge reason why the Salukis are in first place after knocking down heavyweights Creighton and Northern Iowa. The forward averaged 17 points during the victories.

Still above water
It’s been quite a while since a Valley team has sunk below the .500-mark, during the first two weeks of the regular season to be exact. But that possibility faces Illinois State and Drake. Both teams have struggled lately and sit at 11-10 overall, the closest any team in the conference is to a losing record. Drake faces the toughest road because it draws Northern Iowa and Missouri State in the next two contests. Illinois State faces just as tough a test against Southern Illinois and then will try to stay afloat against Evansville.

All eyes on Iowa: Teams who face a critical week
Northern Iowa: How could a team that sits in third place face a must-win scenario? The Panthers played a tough non-conference schedule, but those foes aren’t holding up their end of the bargain, and the Panthers’ non-conference slate might hurt them come tourney time. Simply put, third place — fourth at the lowest — might be the cutoff for Northern Iowa, which likely means that the team can only pile up two or three more MVC losses. And this week: a trip to Des Moines against Drake, where Northern Iowa has barely survived or has stumbled in the last several visits. Then the Panthers get a home game against Wichita State.

Wichita State: Here they are again with a chance to even their conference record. Nobody ever imagined that the team once ranked eighth in the nation would be in this position, but the Shockers basically face a must-win for the remainder of the season. Wichita State sits at 4-6 in league play. Winning out would likely get the defending champs to third place, at best. But accomplishing that would take a lot of pressure off the Shockers heading into the conference tournament. Victories at Evansville and Northern Iowa are a must.

Drake: Any hopes of a postseason berth hinge on an MVC Tournament title now, but a second-half surge would certainly help the Bulldogs head into St. Louis confident. Wins against Northern Iowa and Missouri State would be an excellent start. A double dose of defeat would keep the ball rolling toward a worse collapse than last season’s.