MISSOURI VALLEY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL AS PER @GROK:
- Illinois State
- Northern Iowa
- Murray State
- Bradley
- Belmont
- Drake
- UIC
- Southern Illinois
- Indiana State
- Valparaiso
- Evansville
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
There was no Preseason MVC Poll at Media Day this year, so our thanks to GROK for doing a poll for us!!
-Illinois State, who is Grok’s pick to win the league, is not a bad pick. They were a modest 10-10 in MVC play a year ago, but they return four starters, which makes them far more experienced than most teams. Chase Walker averaged over 15ppg last year and is a solid rebounder. Johnny Kinziger was also a double-digit scorer. I do question their depth, but I like their experience and think they will at least be a lot better than .500 in conference play this year, but they are not MY pick to win it.
-I am always big on Northern Iowa. I like Ben Jacobson as a coach and this year I think the Panthers can win the league. Three starters are back including Trey Campbell, who is a good all-around player and a fantastic outside shooter. Ben Schwieger is another guy who can defend, rebound, and hit from range. They do have to replace their two leading scorers, and their depth is questionable, but I still like this team a lot.
-Murray State has not had anywhere close to the success they had in the Ohio Valley since switching Valleys and joining the Missouri Valley. They have had two straight sub-.500 seasons and have lost all five starters from a year ago. Ryan Miller takes over as coach and he has his work cut out for him. Ten players have transferred in, and many played limited roles (and that is being friendly) at some power schools a year ago. Layne Taylor was a big get from Central Arkansas, but almost no one else has really produced at the D-1 level. I am not so sure I agree with Grok on this one!
-Bradley is coming off a phenomenal year where they won 28 total games and finished in 2nd place in the conference. The problem is very little from last year’s team is being carried over to this year. They do return some guys who were role players last year, and many of them appear to be very good shooters. While they did not play a whole lot of minutes, they did contribute quality minutes when they did play, so I think they can step into bigger roles this year. AJ Smith comes in from James Madison and Alex Huibregtse comes in from Wright State. This is a team that can shoot the ball very well. I do not think they will be quite as good as they were a year ago, but I still like them quite a bit.
-Belmont, like Murray State, has not experienced the success in the Missouri Valley that they did in the Ohio Valley. Having said that, they do appear to be getting better. They have managed 20+ win seasons every year since joining the league and were a very respectable 13-7 in conference play a year ago. Tyler Lundblade was the best 3-pt shooter in the nation last year and he returns to the lineup this year. Three players who redshirted as freshmen last year join the roster and should be able to contribute right away as well, and Nic McClain is a solid grad transfer from Eastern Washington. I like this Bruins team. I am not going to pick them to win the league, but I definitely think they can be in contention.
-Drake was the biggest surprise in the nation last year. They had no D-1 experience (either playing or coaching) but proved that they were a top-40 team in the nation with 31 total wins and a trip to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The problem is most of that team is now at Iowa, and Drake is having to start completely over. Again. Can they do it again!!?? Probably not. But, who knows?? It is a transfer-heavy team with a lot of solid role players with D-1 experience. Can those guys step up and be more than role players this year?
-UIC win 17 games last season, which was their best overall season in quite some time. Just one starter returns, though, so it is doubtful that they will be able to build upon that improvement this year. Ante Beljan transfers in after averaging double-figures at Little Rock last year, and Chris Walker was a solid player and excellent outside shooter at Binghamton, so they do have a few pieces to work with.
-The Salukis of Southern Illinois struggled last year under first-year coach Scott Nagy and completely limped down the stretch last season. They do not have much in the way of experience and could be in for a very tough season again this year. I agree with where Grok has them.
-Indiana State won just 14 games last year after winning 32 the year before and missing the NCAA Tournament even though they should have been selected. I like the Trees a little bit this year, though. Three starters are back including Camp Wagner, who averaged double-figures last year and was a very good outside shooter. Sterling Young transfers in from Florida A&M, and he was a great player for them a year ago. Ian Scott, who was an NAIA All-American last year, also joins the roster. I do not know what Grok was smoking when it picked this team to finish 9th!! I really like them!! I think they can compete in this league and possibly even win it (although I am still sticking with Northern Iowa)!!
-Valparaiso has not had a winning season in quite some time, and their 15 wins last year were the best they have done in recent memory, but most came out of conference. They were just 6-14 in league play and finished 11th in the standings. All five starters are gone, and the expectations are not high this year. The roster seems to be noticeably lacking in D-1 experience.
-I do not think Evansville is going to be very good, but I do not think they will be the worst team in the league either. I cannot quite agree with Grok that they are dead last. Two starters return in Connor Turnbull and Joshua Hughes, and both help make up what should be an at least decent frontcourt. Keishon Porter transfers in from NC Central after being a solid player for them. They have a few pieces. I do not think they win the league, or for that matter even finish in the top half, but I think they will do a little better than dead last.
