It’s going to take quite the run to knock Wichita State off the top of the Missouri Valley Conference standings. There are a few teams who have a shot at a title but would need the Shockers to struggle in order to have a chance.
1. Wichita State (2013: 38-1, 18-0 MVC)
Wichita State rolled through the Valley last season, posting an unbeaten conference record for the first time in the MVC since the Braves did it in 1986. Their unbeaten season came to an end when then-sophomore Fred VanVleet clanked a three-pointer against the Kentucky Wildcats in the third round of the NCAA tournament, ending the college career of the team’s leading scorer, Cleanthony Early. Early may be in the NBA, but the Shockers still have a solid scoring threat in guard Ron Baker along with newcomer Zach Brown, who put up an average of 13 points, while pulling down seven rebounds per game in high school.
2. Northern Iowa (16-15, 10-8)
It was a bit of a growing year for the Panthers in 2013. The team had just two seniors, Chip Rank and Matt Morrison, neither of whom played more than 20 minutes per game. The team returns its top five leading scorers, paced by senior Seth Tuttle, who averaged over 15 points per game in 31 contests last season. That said, the recruiting class was not the greatest in the world, so the team will have to rely on it’s upperclassmen to win games. If they put up good numbers, the Panthers could be a dark horse team in The Valley.
3. Indiana State (23-11, 12-6)
The Sycamores were projected to be the only team to have a shot at dethroning Wichita State, and they came the closest. Led by guard Jake Odum, who played over 100 more minutes than any other player on the team, the Sycamores advanced to the MVC title game before falling to the Shockers, forcing them to settle for a National Invitational Tournament bid. A first round loss to Arkansas ended Odum’s career, so the team needs senior Justin Gant to improve on his 10 points per game last season if they want to take home the conference title.
4. Missouri State (20-13, 9-9)
The Bears could regress a bit in 2014-2015. The team lost its leading scorer and rebounder Jarmar Gulley, forcing them to heavily rely on Marcus Marshall to pick up the points lost. Junior college transfer Camyn Boone averaged 16.5 points and nearly nine rebounds as a power forward, so a smooth transition on his part would go a long way toward helping Marshall, assuming Boone is able to crack the starting lineup. This team won 20 games last year, but a lot would have to go right for them to repeat that success.
5. Bradley (12-20, 7-11)
Gone is Walt Lemon, the player who always seemed to end up with the ball, even when he shouldn’t have. Joining him on the list of former Braves are Tyshon Pickett, Jordan Prosser, Chris Blake and Mason Alwan. Jordan Swopshire and Stefan Zacevic have transferred. What does all of this mean?
It means that only eight of Bradley’s players from last season have returned, forcing the Braves to rely on junior college transfers, an unproven but highly-touted freshman and the few veterans that remain.
How good is Josh Cunningham? Can Illinois transfer Mike Shaw step up and be a veteran leader for the team? Most importantly, when the game is on the line, whose hands hold the ball? In the past, it was Walt. This year, that’s up for grabs. Bradley’s 2013-2014 season wasn’t good. The team finished eight games under .500. The schedule isn’t any easier, with road tests against TCU, Memphis and Kansas State. This Braves team is certainly different from last year’s, but how different and in what way is still to be determined.
6. Illinois State (18-16, 9-9)
The Redbirds had no seniors on last year’s squad that reached the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational, yet still saw roughly one-third of the roster leave the school. One of the four transfers was Zach Lofton, the team’s second-highest scorer. A three-man recruiting class should not have to do all that much on a team that finds itself with three seniors.
7. Southern Illinois (14-19, 9-9)
Desmar Jackson played nearly 33 minutes per game for the Salukis last season and averaged 18.6 points in the process. As a team, SIU only averaged 67. Jackson has graduated, and while the team does have its second-highest point man back, not even three-star forward Jordan Caroline can give me any reason to believe in SIU this season.
8. Evansville (14-19, 6-12)
The Aces were led last season by D.J. Balentine, who put up nearly 23 points and four assists per game while shooting 43 percent from the field. Those are decent numbers, especially when you consider that no other Evansville player scored over 10 points per game last season. The team had three upperclassman on the roster, all of them happened to be juniors, so a young team that dealt with growing pains has one more year of experience. Look for Evansville to be better this season, but do not expect them to be ready for a battle with the top teams yet.
9. Loyola (IL) (10-22, 4-12)
Loyola’s first season in the MVC wasn’t a total disaster, but it was close. The team started the season off with a loss to Division II’s Lewis University, a team that won 20 games last season but had just come off a loss to DePaul. The Blue Demons would win exactly 12 games last season, just three in the Big East. Loyola, meanwhile, does return it’s leading scorer but loses its top rebounder on a team that brought up the rear last season. Thanks to Drake’s complete ineptitude, however, the Ramblers will narrowly avoid last place.
10. Drake (15-16, 6-12)
Drake’s top returning scorer averaged 10.9 points per game last season and, if it weren’t for an injury, wouldn’t be returning to the team at all. Gary Ricks Jr. suffered a foot injury in December, otherwise he would’ve joined Richard Carter, Aaron Hawley and Jordan Daniels in graduation, leaving the Bulldogs without their top four scorers from last year’s squad that, frankly, was not very good. Even with Ricks back, don’t expect that much out of the Bulldogs this season.
