Is anyone surprised Wichita State is the Missouri Valley Conference title favorite for the fourth straight year? Even with star guards Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker graduating, the Shockers have an excellent backcourt and possibly their best front line since 2012-13 Final Four run. But…
With the Missouri Valley season wrapped and Arch Madness beginning Thursday, beat writers around the league are submitting their ballots for all-conference awards. The voting system works by ranking players, so the No. 1 player on the All-MVC First Team is my Player of the Year…
There may not be a program in Division I that toys with its fanbase’s emotions better than Loyola. After an 0-5 start to Missouri Valley play sucked the air out of a once-promising season, the Ramblers regained some life Saturday with a 51-41 upset victory…
Updated May 8 at 2:52 p.m. The Missouri Valley Conference returned to its status as a two-bid league last season with Wichita State and Northern Iowa making the NCAA Tournament. The conference’s depth also improved as Evansville and Loyola won postseason tournament titles, and Illinois State advanced to…
Looking at the stat lines of Northern Iowa’s win Friday against Wyoming, one would not expect the Panthers to have won by 17 points. MVC Player of the Year Seth Tuttle had 14 points and 9 rebounds, but needed to attempt 12 field-goals to get there and…
NORMAL, Ill. — Northern Iowa trailed by 12 points against Illinois State with 10:46 remaining. In a hostile road environment at Redbird Arena, a come-from-behind win seemed unlikely for the Panthers. Their win probability had sunk below 10 percent, according to Kenpom. But a rare defensive switch…
Wichita State was the story in the Valley last season, entering the NCAA Tournament with a perfect record. Are the Shockers capable of running the table again? (I’m talking about just for the MVC — just bringing up if they, or any team, can do…
The MVC was in the nation’s spotlight last season, but only because of Wichita State’s undefeated season. The Shockers once again have the talent to run the table, but overall the conference will be much improved. All of the MVC’s six best teams will pose…
ST. LOUIS — Southern Illinois pulled off the only upset of the MVC quarterfinals in the final matchup of the day. The sixth-seeded Salukis knocked off No. 3 seed Northern Iowa, 63-58. Southern Illinois (14-18, 9-9 MVC) grabbed an 18-point halftime lead that grew to…
