With the collegiate basketball season underway, contributors Cooper Newmark and Cooper Smith have compiled power rankings for the Missouri Valley Conference for the start of the season.
1. Illinois State
The team with the brightest outlook this season, the Redbirds, enter the season in a different position than most of their counterparts.
They retained much of their talent from last year’s NIT semifinalist team. Their leading scorer and rebounder Chase Walker and their leading passer and perimeter defender Johnny Kinzinger are both returning for this season.
This makes head coach Ryan Pedon’s job easier. With most teams asking questions about experience and proven production, Walker and Kizinger’s pedigree silences them. Instead, the question for the Redbirds is whether their stars will elevate beyond their previous standard or become stagnant.
Illinois State did not stay passive, however, as they attacked the transfer portal. They landed multiple players, including guards Malik Messina-Moore and former Brave Demarion Burch, wing Deng Garang and forward Noah Cleveland, who all look to be impact players.
With improvements to an already great foundation, Illinois State appears to be the team with the most potential this season.
2. Illinois-Chicago
Heading into Rob Ehsan’s third season in Chicago, the UIC Flames enter this campaign as one of the chief contenders in the Missouri Valley Conference. They were voted third in the preseason poll and ranked first in the ESPN power index.
With a deep roster blending proven returners and high-major transfers, this season looks poised for either a championship push or a team navigating mid-major expectations.
But UIC faces early challenges. Transfer wing Asa Thomas was ruled out for the year following hip surgery, while returning guard Andy Johnson starts the season sidelined with a foot injury. The injuries, combined with the loss of rotational talent, pose a few questions for the Flames.
Mekhi Lowery and Ahmad Henderson could help answer them. Lowery was an impactful contributor last season in a smaller role. This season looks like the year he breaks out and becomes the team’s best player. Henderson returns as the primary offensive engine after averaging 12.0 points per game, bringing shot creation and veteran leadership.
With Rob Ehsan establishing one of the conference’s most effective defensive systems, UIC has clear structural toughness.
3. Murray State
Year one for Ryan Miller was a success, with a 20-13 record and a 12-8 conference mark that landed the Racers in third place. This year, they’ll have as good a shot as anybody to be the top dog.
Murray State returns their leading scorer, Roman Domon. The 6-foot-8 sophomore averaged 14 points, five rebounds and a steal per game. The team also returns a strong second scoring option in Brayden Shorter, who averaged six points last year, shooting 40% from the field in just 14 minutes a game.
Domon’s return is a key reason Murray State is ranked so highly.
The main areas of focus for this team going forward are defensive perimeter containment, frontcourt depth behind the starter core and managing early high-major expectations.
With Ryan Miller quickly establishing a winning culture and high-level offensive spacing, Murray State carries one of the highest ceilings in the mid-major landscape.
With the return of a true focal point in Domon alongside upgraded roster depth, the Racers enter the campaign positioned at third place in the power rankings.
4. Belmont
As last year’s top regular season side in the MVC, Belmont exited a lot earlier than anticipated as they fell to Drake in the quarterfinals at March Madness. Belmont is looking to go further than they did last season under new coach Evan Bradds, who is looking to emulate the success he achieved when he was an assistant at Duke University.
With Belmont losing many key contributors to top schools, such as Tyler Lundblade, Drew Scharnowski and head coach Casey Alexander, the onus is on the returning players to rebuild what left those doors in Nashville.
Jack Smiley meets that description.
As a freshman, Smiley was named the MVC of the all-freshman team and also made the MVC all-bench team player. Smiley is positioned to be the main man for the Bruins, as he was listed on the MVC players to watch list.
Another player to look for is Eoin Dillon. Dillon averaged eight points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game last season and is preparing for a more expanded role given what was lost in the portal.
With a step up from the players returning and a replenishing of what was lost, Belmont can have a productive season.
5. Valparaiso
Finishing last season with a record of 18-15, Valparaiso is looking to continue their growth as a program since Roger Powell Jr. was appointed head coach.
The primary concerns for this roster going into the season center on backcourt depth, perimeter shot creation and managing the scoring load behind their frontcourt stars.
Valparaiso, rather than recruiting a ton of new players, is looking for growth from players already in the building.
Carter Hopoi fits that description. Hopoi averaged four points and two rebounds per game last season. Hopoi looks to take a step forward with his defensive versatility at the forefront.
With Coach Powell at the helm, Valparaiso possesses a clear identity and a rising floor.
However, losing key offensive focal points means this Beacons squad must prove its new leaders can carry the scoring load against the top tier of the MVC.
6. Northern Iowa
Following an NCAA Tournament run last year, the Northern Iowa Panthers enter a brand-new era under first-year head coach Kyle Green. Picked fourth in the preseason MVC poll, UNI faces a completely reshaped roster following the departure of legendary head coach Ben Jacobson and all five starters from last season.
The Panthers lost top-tier talent across the board: dynamic lead guard Trey Campbell, explosive wing scorer Leon Bond III, efficient interior presence Will Hornseth, steady perimeter shooter Ben Schwieger and frontcourt anchor Tristan Smith.
The Panthers have a few players equipped to step up, such as transfers Greyson Uelmen and Tate McCubbin.
With respected mind Kyle Green taking over, Northern Iowa still possesses a high tactical baseline and a strong culture.
7. Drake
Following a challenging campaign that saw the program stumble to a 14-20 record, its lowest win percentage in nearly a decade, Eric Henderson has his work cut out for him.
Replacing Jalen Quinn won’t be easy. His scoring is going to be tough to replace.
However, the replacement may be on the roster. Owen Larson averaged 10 points per game last season. If asked to take a larger role, he could become a key factor in the Bulldogs’ plans.
Other key contributors could be Eli Shetlar, Dre Kindall, Gabe Oldham and Griffen Goodberry.
With Eric Henderson’s proven track record at South Dakota State, Drake must trust the process and let Henderson work his magic.
8. Bradley
After a successful season last year, this iteration of the Bradley Braves will have plenty of work to do with Brian Wardle at the helm.
With all of their starters from last year gone, a major question remains: What does this new era look like? Players are going to have to step up to replace the production.
Trevon Payton, Xander Alarie and Josh Ibukunoluwa are key transfers that should make an immediate impact. Returners Dietrich Richardson and Timoty van der Knaap are primed for breakout seasons.
With one of the better coaches in the conference, Wardle gives the Braves a high floor of what they can accomplish.
However, this team lacks the dominant players that last year’s team had.
9. Southern Illinois
Following a middle-of-the-pack finish last season, the Southern Illinois Salukis enter their third year under head coach Scott Nagy facing a defining juncture.
Their key offseason loss is Quel’ron House, who averaged 15 points last season. Replacing that scoring production will be a must if SIU wants to compete..
Players like Jalen Haynes and Max Pikaar are equipped to fill these holes.
With Scott Nagy’s track record of building disciplined, rebound-heavy teams, Southern Illinois retains a solid defensive baseline and a competitive floor.
The team lacks the proven star power of the Valley’s top tier.
10. Indiana State
Indiana State faces a tough challenge after an 11-21 record last season. With so much roster turnover, this is a chance for Matthew Graves to show why he is a great coach.
With the majority of last season’s roster gone, the Sycamores attacked the transfer window hard, landing key recruits such as Karmani Gregory and Duce Paschal.
Despite having talent on the team, continuity will have to be built throughout the season. This will lead to fewer losses in games that otherwise should have been wins.
This team brought in multiple talented players who can be solid, impactful contributors, but they lack the proven MVC continuity and high-level defensive baseline of upper-tier contenders. With so many new pieces adjusting to Valley physicality at once, Indiana State is a transitional group as they work to build a cohesive identity.
This will be a litmus test for how good a coach Matthew Graves is.
11. Evansville
Evansville had a forgettable last season, finishing 7-25 overall and 3-17 in the MVC. Head coach David Ragland returns, and the question for the Purple Aces is how this young coach can play and improve this team. They have six incoming freshmen who will build the identity Evansville is searching for throughout the season.
The Aces have contributors who could make a huge leap this year, but the key returner is senior forward AJ Casey, who looks to finish his college basketball career on a high note. Last year, Casey averaged 13 points and six rebounds on 51% shooting from the field.
James Dyson-Merwe is a sophomore with a lot of promise heading into year two. With a young team like Evansville, Dyson-Merwe has a chance to make a high-level impact.
With a young team like the Aces, all you can do is hope for the best. They have some young guys with all the potential in the world to build around to compete for the conference title in the next year or two.
