1. Northern Iowa Panthers
There’s a new sheriff in town. Move over Wichita State, it’s Northern Iowa’s time to shine. UNI finished with an excellent 12-6 record in the MVC, where they beat the teams they had to. But this season, nine upperclassmen provide the experience, and five freshmen provide depth. That factor propels them into a position to fight for both the MVC regular season and MVC tournament title and that automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
2. Missouri State Lady Bears
Much like the bottom of the MVC, the Bears and Panthers were fighting for a better finish in the upper half of the MVC. The only difference is the higher spots mean more, and, well, the basketball is better. This year the tale of the tape between Missouri State and UNI is almost identical. Experienced teams get another shot at each other with freshmen depth. This battle favors UNI, as the Panthers have the upper hand with more depth. It’s that simple. Make no mistake though, the Lady Bears are not a team to sleep on and will have a shot to make the NCAA tournament as an at large bid or with the MVC tournament title.
3. Wichita State Shockers
Wichita State will always have a competitive team. That’s a given. The Shockers play tremendous defense and can completely smother teams when they need to. However, two things will hold back this team from the top of the conference: the absence of a senior leader and the absence of graduated MVC Player of the Year and WNBA draft pick Alex Harden. Without Harden, the Shockers have a giant hole on offense, which could take multiple players or years to recover from. Add in a missing senior voice, and the Shockers will find themselves back to earth after the Alex Harden era.
4. Southern Illinois Salukis
The Salukis enjoyed a decent 2014-2015, where they went above .500 in MVC play and established themselves as a team ready to make a jump into the upper echelon of the MVC. This year should feature just that from the Salukis. Senior Dyana Pierre is one of the standout seniors on this team who is looking to take a bite out of the MVC competition come fall. Her post presence is one of the best in the MVC, and behind it, the Salukis ride into the top half of the conference.
5. Drake Bulldogs
Like the Shockers, Drake has lost its best players. Kyndal Clark was the best three point shooter in the MVC last season, but now she and three other have become former Bulldogs. Their absences leave a lot of talent to be desired for the team that was the runner-up in the 2015 MVC tournament. That drop off at talent leaves them to the middle of the pack, in a season where they were the cream of the crop of the MVC.
6. Bradley Braves
The Braves finished worse than their previous season, and still didn’t finish dead last. I guess that’s a good thing? Take it as you will, but what it does mean for the team is that the team is a year older and have a year of head coach Michael Brook’s complex offense under their belts. With fifth-year senior transfer Kat Yelle providing stable and experienced play point guard, the Braves have a chance to shake off their last two troubled seasons and improve vastly on their 6-24 record from the 2014-2015 season.
7. Indiana State Sycamores
Every season you deal with a few graduating seniors, right? Well, Indiana State had seven of them during the 2014-2015 season, which left a rather large hole in the team from Terre Haute. Head Coach Joey Wells did his best to fill the gaps of his team with talent, but unfortunately it won’t be enough to push them forward into the top of the MVC, or even recreate the season they had last year.
8. Loyola Ramblers
Sheryl Swoopes may be the greatest women’s basketball player of all time, but she’s still trying to get this coaching thing figured out. Coming off of a 6-25 season, it’s hard to see where the Ramblers fit in the bottom of the MVC. However, this might be where they break out of it. If Swoopes can coach half as good as she plays, then the Ramblers have a shot at being in the middle of the pack this year with a full team.
9. Evansville Aces
Evansville was just a smidge better than the bottom of the MVC last season, so that should give you a measuring stick on where the Aces stand. This year, there’s not much to prove they’ll be much better. They have some experience around the team, but five freshmen coupled with only five upperclassmen equals a tough year for Evansville.
10. Illinois State Redbirds
Wow. The Redbirds suffered the worst possible fate in the offseason, and that was the mass exodus of players from a 2-28 squad. In that mass exodus, six players bolted, which left the Redbirds with only four players on the roster. One of those who originally left, Octavia Crump, decided to stay on for her final year, which helps their cause immensely. But with a plethora of new faces, it’ll be hard to see any success in Normal unless they somehow signed the next Candace Parker or something.
