1. Wichita State Shockers
This season, we’ll find out the answer to a very important question that can be applied to the Shockers: same old same old or the last hurrah? Either way, this is another MVC regular season and MVC tournament win for Wichita State. Head coach Gregg Marshall is, was and will always be a stud in this conference. However, Marshall has been synonymous with his two star players; senior guards Fred Van Vleet and Ron Baker, who are consensus future NBA players. Time will tell if the Shockers can survive without Baker and Van Vleet, but that’s something Marshall can worry about in April after he celebrates another NCAA tournament run.
2. Illinois State Redbirds
Fresh off a National Invitational Tournament (NIT) appearance, Bradley’s I-74 rival has an infusion of new talent and looks to challenge Wichita State for the MVC regular season title. The transfer of fan favorite Reggie Lynch left a hole, not only in the hearts of fans, but in the backcourt as well. The loss of seniors Daishon Knight and Bobby Hunter stunt the offensive game as well. However, junior forward Nick Banyard, junior guard Paris Lee and senior forward DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell will pace an offense that hopes to get over the NIT hump and into the NCAA tournament.
3. Evansville Aces
Evansville and Loyola are two similar programs in the MVC. Both are coming off postseason tournament wins, during seasons which they had their players record some impressive numbers. Don’t sleep on Evansville though, as the team returns all five starters, led by senior guard D.J. Balentine. He averaged 20.1 points last year and shot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc, while senior center Egidijus Mockevicius anchors the backcourt. Both are great Valley players, and if Evansville can establish a viable third scoring option, they’ll compete for an NIT bid.
4. Northern Iowa Panthers
An NCAA appearance for the Panthers was a boon for the program. However, it’ll be hard to sustain that success without graduated All-American forward Seth Tuttle and leading scorers Nate Buss and Deon Mitchell. Tuttle was Northern Iowa’s first All-American in 30 years and is obviously irreplaceable. Head coach Ben Jacobson’s job off the bat is to find players that fill the void left by the graduated seniors. If Jacobson does, and there’s a real good chance he will, he’ll have the Panthers competing for the MVC tournament title. However, they might be good enough for an NIT bid.
5. Loyola-Chicago Ramblers
Fresh off their College Basketball Invitational championship, the Ramblers lose only two from a team that won 24 games last season. Head coach Porter Moser enters the 2015-2016 season with an experienced team. Of the Ramblers’ four seniors, Montel James and Devon Turk are at the head of the pack as the premier leaders, but their leading scorer is Milton Doyle, who averaged 11.4 points per game. The Ramblers will finish just outside the top of the MVC this season, but their record will net them another postseason tournament berth.
6. Indiana State Sycamores
The Sycamores had a mediocre 2014-2015 season, and the biggest reason they competed well at all was the play of MVC freshman of the year Brenton Scott. But, this formerly average team will compete for a spot in the top half of the MVC in 2015-2016. With no transfers, dismissals or injuries, the Sycamores return the same team from last year and can build into what Loyola and Evansville were. Behind Scott, who could be the next Valley superstar, a post season tournament is not out of the question in Terre Haute.
7. Drake Bulldogs
Here’s where the massive drop in talent is. It stinks to say, but someone’s gotta be down in the cellar, right? Drake teeters the worst spot to be in: not good enough to be in the top half of the MVC and not bad enough to be at the bottom. I guess it’s a glass half empty/full thing? Anyway, Drake has 11 underclassmen, but only four of them are freshmen, so seven returning players have a year in head coach Ray Giacoletti’s system under their respective belts. Factor in their European trip, and the Bulldogs already have a feel for how their team operates on the court. Watch the Bulldogs, knowing they’re about one year away from shaking the MVC bottom-dweller tag.
8. Southern Illinois Salukis
This team could go either way. The Salukis, like Bradley, were plagued with the transfer bug during the offseason and are in the middle of a rebuilding process. The only difference between the Braves and Salukis is that Southern Illinois has the better returning players. Anthony Beane was second-team All-MVC in 2014-2015, and he could make a strong case for first-team this year. The significant transfers that came on for the Salukis have experience at the junior college level, which is a step up from just bringing in a ton of freshmen. It also helps to have a favorable home schedule as well. That’s how SIU edges out Bradley this year, but Bradley does have more potential moving forward.
9. Bradley Braves
Well, here we are. Bradley and head coach Brian Wardle begin the rebuilding process in a season that doesn’t figure to be kind to the program. With games against Arizona, Boise State, Ole Miss and Virginia, not to mention the top of the MVC, the young Braves are going to be tested and probably beaten. But the silver lining is they’ll learn. Wardle has building blocks, such as freshmen Joel Okafor, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Ronnie Suggs and Antoine Pittman. Add them with sophomore Donte Thomas, and the Braves have a team that will place and play better than last year’s squad.
10. Missouri State Bears
Okay, there are some rough offseasons, but somehow Missouri State took the cake this year. Even as the entirety of Bradley’s and Southern Illinois’ rosters basically transferred out, Missouri State suffered a worse fate. The Bears lost their leading scorer, Marcus Marshall, to Nevada, while junior center Tyler McCullough and senior guard Dorrian Williams are out for half the year with injuries. As clutch as Austin Ruder has been, he can’t carry this team through the non-conference and Valley slate. Unless the basketball gods work some pretty dang good miracles, it’s hard to see success for Missouri State.
