Mid-major basketball is pain-stakingly hard to predict. The 2019-20 Missouri Valley conference basketball standings are no exception.
Each team in the Valley has talent and a number of question marks, thanks to the influx of incoming transfers to almost every team.
- Missouri State Bears
In just his second season in Springfield, head coach Dana Ford has Missouri State on a meteoric rise. The Bears are the Valley’s consensus favorite, thanks to returning all-conference players and two top scorers, seniors Tulio Da Silva and Keandre Cook, along with a plethora of talented transfers and freshman.
The recruiting class, which includes West Virginia transfer, senior Lamont West and Nevada transfer, junior Josh Hall, is among the best in the mid-major realm.
Missouri State fell to Bradley in the quarterfinals of Arch Madness last season, but the Braves and Bears could very well square off in this season’s championship game.
- Bradley Braves
There are high expectations for the conference’s defending tournament champions. After a thrilling Arch Madness run and near upset of No. 2 seed Michigan State, Bradley is picked second in our predictions.
Head coach Brian Wardle returns his top three scorers: senior Darrell Brown, junior Elijah Childs and senior Nate Kennell. With the addition of LSU transfer junior Danya Kingsby and freshman Stephan Gabriel, the Braves will be a force to be reckoned with.
Frontcourt depth could be an issue early on, but Bradley has a number of flexible players and a rock-solid backcourt.
3. Loyola Ramblers
Porter Moser returns a strong core, built around Preseason Player of the Year, center Cameron Krutwig.
It might take some adjustments to figure out life without former MVC Players of the Year Clayton Custer and Marques Townes, but thanks to their experience and returning talent, the Ramblers can contend for another regular season title.
- Northern Iowa
Returning five of its six top scorers, Northern Iowa has a very good chance to make back-to-back MVC championship game appearances.
Led by 2019 MVC Freshman of the Year AJ Green, experienced head coach Ben Jacobson has a lot to work with. In addition to Green, UNI returns redshirt-senior guard Spencer Haldeman and forward Luke McDonnell, among others.
Add dominant guard play, experienced players and an experienced coach together, and you have a recipe for mid-major success. This UNI team checks all three boxes.
- Indiana State
Indiana State returns its top four scorers from the 2018-19 season, including junior guard and all-conference second team selection Tyreke Key, senior guard and leading assist-man Jordan Barnes and 2019 all-freshman team member Cooper Neese.
The glaring problem with the Sycamores is their lack of frontcourt size. ISU only has one returner taller than 6-foot 7-inches.
Most of Greg Lansing’s system will run through his strong group of returning guards but the Sycamores will need better play from their fours and fives if they want to play with the big boys in the Valley.
- Illinois State
Following the departure of five of its six top scorers from last season, Illinois State has some piecing-together to do after losing their two biggest playmakers from last season.
The only main talent the Birds return is last year’s third leading scorer, senior Zach Copeland and redshirt-junior “glue-guy” Matt Chastain.
Head coach Dan Muller’s squad’s success will heavily depend on their newcomers, namely Keith Fisher III, Dedric Boyd and Jaycee Hillsman, all of whom sat out last year due to NCAA transfer rules.
ISU has enough talent on the roster to knock off regular season title contenders in a few games, but lack the experience needed to be at the top of the standings.
- Drake Bulldogs
Drake is already thin in the frontcourt, and even more so with senior forward Tremell Murphy facing suspension following an off-campus shooting incident.
Graduate transfer center Brady Ernst will need to step up big to fill the shoes of graduate Nick McGlynn if the Bulldogs want to be competitive.
In the backcourt, head coach Darian DeVries returns a strong group, with 2019 all-freshman honoree DJ Wilkins, junior Noah Thomas and Tremell’s twin, Anthony.
DeVries’ squad has high upside, but too many question marks to be predicted to finish high.
- Evansville Aces
The Evansville program is trending up, following the hire of former Boston Celtics assistant Walter McCarty, who led the team to an 11-21 record in his first season at the helm.
The Aces lost three of their five top scorers from last year, but return leading scorer and starting point guard, senior KJ Riley in addition to leading rebounder, junior John Hall.
Evansville’s success will also depend on the performance of its arriving transfers including Pittsburgh-transfer, center Peace Ilegomah.
Should the Aces receive good performances from Riley and Hall, and get a boost from newcomers, they could break .500 in conference play. However, if the transfers don’t step up, they could struggle.
- Valparaiso Crusaders
The Crusaders return two of their top three scorers in redshirt senior Ryan Fazekas and sophomore Javon Freeman, but lack the pieces needed to be competitive in a strong Valley conference. Valpo lost their other three top scorers and could struggle against larger teams.
Head coach Matt Lottich’s team has lots of young talent with the potential to upset a few top-tier teams in Valley play, but they will not be able to string together consistent success.
- Southern Illinois Salukis
Following a disappointing 2018-19 season, the Salukis have a promising new head coach in Bryan Mullins, but a gutted roster. Mullins, a former Loyola assistant, will be popular in Carbondale, but has his work cut out for him. After the loss of the Dawgs’ three best players, it will be a rebuilding season.
