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It just shows what a meat grinder this deep league is. I love this conference even despite our struggles. Hopefully Loyola can still hang on to its at large hopes but I'm not so sure at this point. Luckily I think they might still have one or two more Q2 opportunities for themselves which could really help them out.

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2022/2/22/22945126/the-valley-still-runs-deep-conference-college-basketball

Kicking this year's thread off with news of a good scheduling get for Indiana State! Though with the rebuild going on there and the quality Purdue has coming back it could be  tough going for the Sycamores.

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1384142584096837639

Feels good to be able to start this thread! This is a terrific scheduling get to start the year! Glad to see we're keeping things going with Toledo. That was a good series so I'm happy to see it continue.

https://twitter.com/happeninghoops/status/1383053133652328450

I hope I'm not being too presumptuous by starting these threads  but I just thought this was cool and was a great place to start this year's thread. If you ever want to find the stats for any year in the MVC with a few exceptions go to the link mentioned here. Great piece by Father Harry and great work by the MVC getting this online!

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/valley-unveils-great-stat-portal/

Apparently Valpo WBB will be playing Louisville in a neutral site game at Genesis Convention Center in Gary. Apparently this is so that one of their players can get a local game in front of family but it is still a very nice scheduling get for Valpo. I hope they are able to steal that win but it will be a very tall order against a team of Louisville's caliber. 

https://twitter.com/rickbozich/status/1263163342614642691

I think this would be a great way to give the mids a fair shake. There are always 4-8 mids on the bubble each year but they are far more likely to be left out than the 7th or 8th or more team from one of the privileged conferences. Fans always gripe and debate as to whether they would have been better than them on a neutral floor. I think we should have a way to settle it: I propose a mini tournament before the tournament, basically taking the first four and expanding it. Here's how it works: We open up the Last 4 Byes\Last 4 in etc. by opening up the final 8 spots of the tournament. 16 bubble teams gather at a neutral site. They are paired off so that eight games are played. The math is simple: You win, you get in. You lose, you're out and off to the NIT as one of the top 2 seeds (so you still get to host at least two NIT games). Imagine teams like Murray State Belmont UNCG Furman UNI Loyola Illinois St et al. playing the likes of Rutgers Indiana Oklahoma Syracuse etc. in a one off for a shot at the dance? It would be incredible TV and would settle every argument and gripe mid major fans might have. Because they can at least say they had a fair shot to get in and a spot in the at large pool was legitimately open to them. I think this would be an amazing thing for the tournament to do if we could get the NCAA to agree. I bet the networks would pick this up too and pay money just for the mini tournament as well. It's a total win win. How could more March Madness (and a legitimately fair shot for the little guy) be a bad thing?

Why are mid-major leagues just passively accepting what the P5\BE are doing instead of banding together to fight against it? We have enough good teams among our various leagues to get several at larges among our ranks if we all had the fortitude to challenge each other and play each other out of conference. Playing the bottom of your own conference more isn't going to help. We need to group together and play more quality games among ourselves. But instead we get this...


CUSA going to divisions

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1250489640882241539

MAC expanding its conference schedule to 20 or 22 games...

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1250485377602912256

Meanwhile Furman can't get quality opponents even among other mid majors.

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1250419595476963328

Upper tier mid major leagues need to stop passively accept the P5 BS and FIGHT. Have some pride. It can still be done but the want to has to be there.

Temporary roster expansion granted too. This can only be good for everyone. I'm glad the NCAA did this.

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/28972856/ncaa-approves-extra-year-eligibility-spring-athletes

So what were your favorite moments this season? How about your least favorite? You can tell us your favorite Valpo moment and your favorite basketball moment in general? If you have one feel free to include your favorite MVC and\or mid major (other than Valpo) moments as well...

Here are some contenders:

Javon's game winner in the opener against Toledo

Javon breaking the steals record

Javon singlehandedly leading a comeback against Illinois State.

Javon's poster dunks.

Donovan Clay's block against Evansville

Kiser and Fazekas's clutch pressure 3's to force OT against Loyola

Kiser setting up Gordon (and Gordon finishing) to beat Loyola.

The defensive effort against SIU

The 3 point barrage against Bradley

The steady emergence of Clay and Krikke down the stretch this year. What do you guys think? Did I cover most of them?

Instead of holding the tournament I think it would be cool to go into the archives and the vault and show the greatest upsets\improbable runs and the greatest moments in the history of the sport one after the other for weeks on end until we run out of worthy candidates (including conference tournaments). This would remind the world (and maybe the selection committee for future tournaments) what the tournament is really about. UPSETS! Cinderella runs! pulse pounding action! Thrilling comebacks! Buzzer beaters! This would be an awesome love letter to the sport in this difficult time! It won't happen but it's a good idea and I can thank Father Harry the MVC Insider for the inspiration for this!

https://twitter.com/FatherHarry1/status/1238112819142426626

Saw this on another board and thought it should be posted here. For anyone who needs information on the spread or what to do if somebody catches the Coronavirus and precautions to take etc. Here's information from the CDC updated as new information comes in.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html

Please send prayers to his family and those close to him during this time. This is a tragic loss and a reminder that life is so much bigger more precious and more meaningful than basketball.

https://www.pilotonline.com/757teamz/vp-sp-ashley-james-death-20200303-sp54a3xurzauzkvm44shbfuhlm-story.html

https://twitter.com/AF_Football/status/1233100480428920832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1233100480428920832&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcsnbbs.com%2Fthread-895184.html

Quick scouting report on the Braves (that takes a very optimistic tone)

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2020/2/20/21145733/elijah-childs-bradley-basketball-mvc-valley-darrell-brown-warlde-ncaa-tournament-uni-loyola-chicago

Pretty optimistic write up for a site that picked us 9th. Maybe (even if we don't see it this year) our arrow is finally beginning to point upward .

https://www.three-man-weave.com/3mw/missouri-valley-basketball-2020-preview

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/6/10/18651122/oakland-grizzlies-greg-kampe-transfer-portal-jaevin-cumberland

Looks like a good one! Possibly Lottich's best and highest pedigree international signing yet! (except Sackey from Canada of course)

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1114644738580180994

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1114644739448401920

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1114644740471906305

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1114644741595979777

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1114644741595979777

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1114644744489979904

Last time the Bears came to the ARC they spoiled our MVC opener and trounced us 67-50 the first of 3 head to head victories for them over us. This year we enacted a measure of revenge with a comfortable 82-66 win that handed the Bears their first home loss. After that game, Head Coach Dana Ford challenged his squad to defend better and they have responded to the tune of a 4-2 record. That stretch is highlighted by Missouri State shockingly holding Loyola and Bradley to 35 and 37 points respectively in a pair of victories that caught the attention of the entire MVC and called to mind the last team to accomplish that feat--the 1986 Redbirds. 

As the Crusaders pursue the season sweep, the injury bug has swept through Valpo sidelining three Crusaders and pressing an already somewhat thin bench into service in some unfamiliar roles. The Crusaders hope that that pressure will make diamonds and pay dividends down the road as they attempt to sweep the Bears, defend home court, get themselves and their season back on the mend, snap out of this funk that has resulted in a 1-3 stretch, and close the wounds inflicted by the Bears last year once and for all. 

The main question for the Crusaders will be just how much firepower they'll be missing. They will look for big contributions from Sorolla and Sackey who paced the team with 13 points each in a Saturday loss to Drake, as well as Javon Freeman Mileek McMillan Deion Lavender and Bakari Evelyn while the Bears post a formidable 3 headed monster of Tulio DaSilva, Jarred Dixon and Keandre Cook each of whom average at least 13.5 points per game on the pinpoint passing of Josh Webster (5.4 APG). The Bears also boast 3 significant contributors (DaSilva Cook and Ryan Kreklow who shoot the 3 at 38% or better.

It should be a tough but great game and as long as the Crusaders come to play and have fixed the shooting woes that plagued them against Drake, I like their chances at home especially if we can get at least one of our big three back for this game. Most of all we need the fans to give another strong effort. The weather may be cold but the action will be white hot. Bring the noise. Bring the energy. Stay gritty. Get some buckets. And let's get this win. Go Valpo!

Horizon Coaches rank each job. Honestly no real great surprises here except. The only things that stuck out to me were how high they placed UIC and how low they placed NKU.

https://watchstadium.com/news/horizon-league-coaches-rank-the-best-jobs-in-the-conference-12-28-2018/

A few months ago in a seemingly headscratching move Merrimack College was admitted to the NEC for all sports giving the conference 11 members. Many wondered why a perennial one and done one bid league would take on an 11th member. Here's my theory:

1. Robert Morris has either already informed the NEC informally that they are gone or

2. The NEC strongly suspects that the Colonials will leave soon taking their football team with them and Merrimack is the replacement.

Now this could be as simple as trying to get the teams an extra conference game but that doesn't explain why they were added for all sports making a small tournament money pie even smaller nor does it explain all of the renovations going on at RMU. They're building a very nice new 4000+ seat basketball arena and upgrading other areas as well. I think Robert Morris has its eyes set on a new conference. They're not doing this so that they can play Wagner Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut State in a nicer environment.

Where will they go?

It's possible that the CAA could be a candidate but the fit feels a bit clunky unless they're losing a member especially if football comes along. Another option would be the MAAC full of northeastern private schools.It's a very strong institutional and geographic  fit as the MAAC's footprint isn't much larger than the NEC's though it is increased travel. They can follow the example of former NEC member Monmouth who recently departed for the MAAC and parked their football in the Big South but that is a heavy travel commitment. The MAAC also seems happy with 11 members but could add a 12th

The third possibility is the Horizon League. LeCrone isn't shy about expansion and Robert Morris has been an expansion candidate in the past and the travel is good for affiliated sports. They could move LAX to the MAAC like Cleveland State but finding a football home would prove difficult. I would guess that the Big South would be an option but perhaps the Patriot League? RMU to the HL would also dovetail nicely with FWAlum's report that Fort Wayne to the HL talks were warming up. This could also be related to MVC realignment as well as Fort Wayne would be a needed baseball school if the HL loses a member. Even if the MVC is not acting yet it might be a good idea to bring Fort Wayne aboard and protect two likely MVC targets  (NKU and Wright State) by adding two solid closeby programs  and making their travel situation better. By acting now you may force the MVC into making a less desirable choice like UIC or Milwaukee  or even force them to go after another league entirely.

My guess is that RMU will either become the  12th member of the MAAC or to the HL with Fort Wayne. Football to the Big South or Pioneer.

After nine years as an associate member of the MVC in Men's Soccer Central Arkansas is moving to the Sun Belt Conference to take up associate member status there. On the surface this looks like a ho-hum move that only affects one program at one school. However, this could touch off a series of moves that could significantly alter the conference landscape throughout the midwest as well as the WAC. Here's why:

NCAA leagues need at least 6 members in order to have an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The defection of Central Arkansas leaves the MVC at 6 men's soccer members (Loyola Valpo Missouri State Evansville Drake and Bradley). Luckily, this appears to be a stable group meaning that the MVC's auto bid shouldn't be under any immediate threat;  however, when coupled with pressure from football brought on by North Dakota's anticipated accession to the MVFC in 2020 giving the conference 11 teams, as well as the difficult scheduling landscape in men's basketball, it feels like expansionary pressure is only building for the MVC as it looks to shore up men's soccer, balance football, and bolster men's basketball. Here's where things get interesting:

Murray State sponsors all 3 of these key sports received a site visit the last time the MVC went looking for a team and was extremely receptive to the idea of joining in addition to being a good fit within the conference footprint. They would have to be the odds-on favorite for a spot given their success in many key sports assuming their new AD is as pro-MVC as the previous one. The OVC would probably look to North Alabama Kennesaw State Western Illinois or Robert Morris (football only) as football replacements for Murray State. If the replacement team is indeed football only then Lipscomb is a very likely olympic sports replacement unless a school like Belmont blocks them.

Of course, the MVC has long held to the position that 11 teams is untenable. In the past, they have approached Belmont and have been rebuffed. Perhaps the loss of Murray State changes their thinking but that seems unlikely. It is more likely that the 12th team comes from the Horizon League which is where the MVC has gone the past two times it has needed replacements.

The danger there is that any defection from the HL of any schools the MVC might want (Milwaukee UIC NKU Wright State most likely) threatens the HL's auto bid in baseball. This is easily fixable by adding Fort Wayne or Western Illinois or by coaxing a school like Bellarmine or Southern Indiana to move up. If the HL adds a SL team it throws multiple sports into danger of losing their auto bids.

The SL can stave off this disaster with D2 move ups (Bellarmine USI Augustana or a Minnesota school) or by readmitting UMKC and Chicago State from the WAC. Both teams would likely relish the travel cost savings but their departure would drop the WAC to just 6 total members threatening its very existence once CSU-Bakersfield leaves in 2020. Would the remaining schools wait around to see what moves could be made to stabilize the conference or would they seek more stable homes? My money is on the latter.

Whether it comes from the SL the HL the MVC the MWC(Gonzaga? BYU? New Mexico State?) or even the WCC (Seattle? Denver? Cal-Baptist? Grand Canyon?) It feels as though we are one move away from significantly altering the college sports landscape.

Valpo defeats Milwaukee in exhibition match 3-1 25-18 21-25 25-15 25-19 

Their first match will be this Friday at 10 AM vs Fresno State They will also play  St Francis (PA) Iona and Eastern Illinois in the two day round robin event hosted by EIU.

Here's a look at the schedule and the Newcomers. This team looks very talented!

Schedule:

http://www.valpoathletics.com/msoccer/schedule/

Newcomers:

http://www.valpoathletics.com/msoccer/news/2018-19/18330/valpo-mens-soccer-announces-2018-newcomers/

Valpo just released its womens tennis schedule. I had no idea that their schedule pretty much spans the whole school year. Also interesting that VU will play 3 HL schools this year IUPUUI UIC and Milwaukee. Here's the link to their schedule:

http://www.valpoathletics.com/wtennis/schedule/

Missouri State Volleyball opens up receiving votes in the top 25 poll.

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/volleyball-women/d1/avca-coaches

Valpo women's soccer closed out its two game Michigan exhibition road trip unblemished with a 2-0 victory over Oakland. Coupled with the 2-2 draw they earned against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, the Crusaders should have plenty of confidence going into Friday's season opener against the Phoenix in Green Bay. Good job so far ladies and keep up the great work as the season begins! You can read the match report below:

http://www.valpoathletics.com/wsoccer/news/2018-19/18326/valpo-wins-2-0-in-exhibition-finale/

Thoughts on this? It would certainly be a radical change to the end of games.

https://www.thestarpress.com/story/sports/college/ball-state/2018/06/30/elam-ending-basketball-tournament-nick-elam-ball-state-professor-cincinnati-reds/737906002/

Most mock drafts I've seen have him going somewhere in the latter portion of the second round, but this article says it's no lock. What does everyone think? Please read the article before answering because it raises several good points on both sides. (Side note: Does anyone know how to add a poll?)

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/6/12/17452012/2018-nba-draft-profile-alize-johnson-has-the-tools-combine-project-stretch-missouri-state-bears-lusk

LOI's now severely weakened in power. Welcome to what is pretty close to College Basketball Free Agency each year. This will only exacerbate and accelerate the so-called "transfer epidemic" and is a huge advance in player autonomy.

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/new-ability-to-transfer/

Happy New Year guys! Let's leave this awful stretch of crappy play in 2017 and get back to being a winning program again like we all know we can! Let's turn the page and move forward! New year New mindset! Go Valpo!

All of this information comes from MVC Fans:
UNI will return to the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2021

UNI will play in either the Paradise Jam or the MGM Main Event next year They also have a road date with UT-Arlington

Illinois State's home non-con looks fantastic: Ole Miss FGCU and BYU are on it as well as Possibly SDSU for the MVC-MWC challenge

The Redbirds are also rumored to be playing in the Cayman Islands Classic with Creighton Georgia St Bonaventure and Clemson so far as rumored participants. What a schedule! Wonder if Ole Miss  will do to Illinois State what NC State did to Loyola and back out of their road half of a home and home agreement.

I've chosen to outline the following realignment proposal here because it does not directly affect the MVC  but may affect the HL if they are serious about potentially adding NMSU and Grand Canyon.

There has been some call for the MWC to add these schools in an attempt to increase their hoops profile The problem is that they'd need another football school. This is where it gets fun: The MWC invites UTEP to join  which balances both the football and basketball members count at 14 UTEP and New Mexico State become natural travel partners and I'm sure one can be found for GCU without much trouble.

For their part Conference USA suddenly down a member with the departure of the Miners  goes again to the Sun Belt in search of  members. They need a school that fits in the western division. Enter Arkansas State which would slide very comfortably into the Western division as a program that has won at least seven games every year since 2010 but do very little for their basketball profile which would actually take even more of a hit. Therefore, in order to strengthen themselves as a basketball Conference keep them from falling behind the other conferences  into perennial one bid league status they also take UT-Arlington from the Sun Belt and Florida Gulf Coast from the Atlantic Sun.

The Sun Belt then either takes Valdosta State as a move-up from D2  or admits Liberty as a full member and depending upon the rest of realignment might add some more basketball members as well.

These moves in combination with the moves made by the MVC could signal the return of the multi bid mid major conference as the best teams at this level will be clustered in fewer leagues and the low majors will be more competitive as well

How 'bout this conference huh? Sure, the MVC hit some pot holes:  Indiana State has had a really tough time since they surprised the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall to open the season. The Sycamores have lost every D1 game they've played since, including getting swept out of the Gildan Charleston Classic and losing to Ball State at Home, while Missouri State lost two winnable games  at home against North Dakota State and in a tournament to Georgia Southern. To their credit, the Bears did rebound with victories over Manhattan and Florida Atlantic so their time at the Gulf Coast Showcase, while disappointing, wasn't a total washout. In addition, Illinois State fell tonight in overtime against the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern, and the Salukis of Southern Illinois  went 0-2 in Kentucky with losses to Louisville and Murray State, both of which are entirely forgivable.

Yet despite these mostly minor setbacks, the Thanksgiving Tournament season was a rousing success for the conference as a whole as seven Valley members recorded at least a third place finish   in their tournaments.  Valley victories included 3 Power 5 schools (South Carolina Wake Forest and NC State) 2 AAC schools (Tulsa and SMU) 1MW school (Fresno State) and several quality mid major wins. The Valley's success could have been even greater had a few teams gotten a few bounces to go their way.Here the rundown:

Bradley Braves: 3rd place Bahamas Showcase
Record: 2-1

Following a heartbreaking one-point loss to eventual champion Vermont, the Braves rebounded nicely with victories over UTSA 71-69 and Weber State 70-64 to claim third place in the tournament. Making their feat more impressive the Braves were without starting Center Koch Bar who missed the tournament due to paperwork issues.

Drake Bulldogs: 3rd place Paradise Jam
Record:2-1

Drake began the tournament with a surprise 77-74 victory over the ACC's Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Bulldogs nearly erased a double digit deficit in an 86-81 loss to Colorado, but they bounced back in a big way using a balanced attack to notch a thrilling 90-88 double overtime victory over the Drexel Dragons for third place. Reed Timmer was his usual high-scoring self, but it looks as though they've assembled a strong supporting cast around him in Des Moines. Look for this team to be much improved this year. The signs are already showing.

Illinois State Redbirds: 3rd Place Puerto Rico Tipoff
Record: 2-1

Extensive hurricane damage across the island of Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, forced this tournament to relocate to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Some observers cried foul, as this move placed the tournament squarely in the backyard of one of its participants the South Carolina Gamecocks. This didn't seem to bother the Redbirds much as they shocked their SEC foe 69-65 in the opening round. Round 2 saw the Redbirds, tired and undermanned, thumped by the Mountain West's Boise State Broncos 64-46. Dan Muller's bunch closed out their tournament slate in fine fashion defeating the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the AAC 84-68. Throughout the tournament the Redbirds were led by the trio of Keyshawn Evans Phil Fayne and Milik Yarbrough

Evansville Purple Aces: Cancun Challenge Runner-Up
Record: 1-1

The Aces began their stay in Cancun with a thrilling 59-57 victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs of the Mountain West, paced by Ryan Taylor who also scored the winning basket. The shoe was on the other foot in the championship game vs C-USA foe Louisiana Tech as a late 3 sunk the Aces and claimed the championship for the Bulldogs.

Northern Iowa Panthers: Battle 4 Atlantis Runner-Up
Record 2-1

No, unlike the two MVC schools to be profiled next, the Panthers didn't win their tournament. Nevertheless, their performance was probably the most impressive of any MVC team, because it came against the toughest field. True to their identity, Northern Iowa gutted out two tough wins against SMU of the AAC  (61-58) and NCST of the ACC (64-60). Bennett Koch and Tywhon Pickford led the Panthers in round 1, along with a significant contribution off the bench from Spencer Haldeman, while the Panthers used a balanced attack led by an 18 point and 18 rebound performance from Pickford to take down the Wolfpack. Despite being only 6'4, Pickford averages an eye-popping 11 rebounds per game. In the Final against #5 Villanova, the difference in overall roster depth between the Panthers and the Wildcats proved key in Villanova's 64-50 victory. The win delivered the fifth consecutive November tournament title for Jay Wright's club and their second in the  Battle 4 Atlantis.

Loyola Ramblers and Valparaiso Crusaders: Savannah Invitational Co-Champions
Combined Record: 4-0

Realignment threw a wrench into this tournament's format as the Crusaders' move from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley placed them in the same conference as the Ramblers, who made a similar transition four years prior. This precluded the two teams from playing each other this early in the season and forced the tournament to adopt a quasi round robin format whereby the two MVC representatives would each play Kent State from the MAC and UNC-Wilmington from the CAA. Both teams represented the Valley well and handled their business; as they each scored two victories in Savannah to run their records to 7-0 and claim the title of co-champion. The road through Savannah proved a bit easier and kinder to Loyola which defeated UNC-Wilmington 102-78 and followed that up by beating Kent State 75-60. Valpo for their part struggled offensively at times, but a strong defensive effort propelled the Crusaders to victory  77-67 over the Golden Flashes and 79-70 over the Seahawks. Both teams were represented on the all-tournament team and with tournament MVP honors, with Tevonn Walker of the Crusaders making the All-Tournament team, joined by Aundre Jackson of the Ramblers. MVP honors went to Valpo's Bakari Evelyn and Loyola's Donte Ingram. The success of the Valley's two newest members against common opponents  and their torrid start to the season only adds more intrigue as the season winds toward conference play and these two teams that couldn't play now, yet appear evenly matched, get two looks at each other to renew their rivalry. Their first meeting will be on January 21 at the ARC with the second following in Chicago on Valentine's Day.

I figured it would be a good idea to call people's attention to any TV games Valpo's opponents may be featured in just in case anyone wants to get a look at our future opponents before we play them For instance Purdue will be playing Marquette as part of the Gavitt Games on  FS1 (Fox Sports 1) at 7:30PM CT tonight. Should be a good game and allow us to get a good look at the Boilermakers Hopefully Coach Lottich at least has this game taping to view later.

Here are some key dates coming up for our fellow MVC Members this week:

Illinois State vs South Carolina (Field also includes Boise State UTEP Iowa State Western Michigan Appalachian State Tulsa)

Indiana State vs Auburn (field also includes Clemson Dayton Ohio Temple Old Dominion Hofstra)

Drake vs Wake Forest (Would likely play Colorado next with a win Field also includes Liberty Houston Mercer Quinnipiac Drexel)

UNI vs SMU (Field also includes #20Purdue Tennessee Western Kentucky #6Villanova NC State #3Arizona)

Bradley vs Vermont (Field also includes Coastal Carolina UTSA NKU James Madison Iona Weber State)

I have a feeling that the 4-5 day stretch beginning this Thursday is going to tell us a lot about the strength of our new conference I hope every MVC team makes a strong showing in their respective tournaments.

Since we have moved into a top-flight midmajor conference wherein an at-large NCAA bid could be a distinct possibility for the top teams, I deem it prudent to dedicate a thread to tracking the schedules of each of our new conference mates in order to see if the Valley is living up to its reputation as a conference that schedules up. So far, two MVC schedules have been released, UNI and Southern Illinois, with others seemingly rounding into form. Illinois State's looks good, Bradley's is almost done, Missouri State seems to be trying to schedule tough games Indiana State and Drake are in what appear to be strong MTEs\tourneys, Evansville's isn't too bad either, and of course we know the event Loyola is in. When schedules are completed a link to the schedule will be provided, as well as my thoughts on them. Feel free to  add yours!

SIU: Schedule complete. http://www.siusalukis.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

Positives:road slate has two very good games in Winthrop and Louisville  and two potentially strong games at Murray State and SLU. Their MTE features two top 100 teams from last year in San Francisco and Nevada, but it's not a guarantee they'll get both. They could  also play Duquesne.

Negatives: The home slate. Where do I start? Outside of the MWC\MVC Challenge game vs. San Jose State there's not a single appealing game on here. It's littered with 300+RPI schlock that neither excites fans nor challenges a team laden with upperclassmen than should be a top 3-4 team in the conference. Barry Hinson had a chance to showcase how far his rebuilding efforts and the program have come since the end of the Lowery er, and in my mind he has failed miserably with this schedule.

UNI: http://www.unipanthers.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
Positives: Schedule features  multiple quality opponents  like North Carolina Xavier UNLV UT-Arlington and Iowa State as well as the Battle 4Atlantis, a premier early season tournament including several  power 5 teams. UNI has plenty of opportunities to  show that it has rebounded after a tough 2016-2017 campaign and could make a decent at-large case if they have indeed done so .

Negatives: Not sure Wartburg Alcorn State and Chicago State are the best preparation for the big tournament but I think the latter two games are connected to the tourney. Having another non D1 in Dubuque also hurts but they can't all be winners. I think an argument can be made that UNI may have overscheduled here but it's hard to argue with this slate of games. Don't be surprised if UNI notches a few eyebrow raising wins, because if there's one thing watching mid-major basketball has taught me it's never count out a Ben Jacobson coached team.

Illinois State: http://goredbirds.com/news/2017/8/2/mens-basketball-releases-2017-18-nonconference-schedule.aspx
I encourage everyone interested  to read the link to this schedule  as it includes information about each team  they play.
Positives: This schedule has bite and it's got depth. It's chock full of postseason participants from the NCAA Tournament and NIT. Their MTE is strong and includes South Carolina Boise State UTEP Iowa State Tulsa Appalachian State and Western Michigan. Their home slate includes Tulsa Murray State and UIC. The Flames are a rising team and while Murray State and Tulsa are coming off of disappointing seasons, they have the ability to be solid games for the Redbirds. Where this schedule really shows its teeth is in the road slate, and we must give credit to Dan Muller for his willingness to take his team on the road and into some tough environments against stiff competition. From the opener against Florida-Gulf Coast to road dates against Nevada BYU and Ole Miss, this schedule should challenge the Redbirds throughout the season and  indicates that they are unconcerned with the turnover their roster has experienced and expect to challenge for the MVC crown and an NCAA Tournament bid.

Negatives: Although their schedule has a non-D1 in Quincy and Charleston Southern is a rather blase opponent, it is difficult to hold that against them when the oversll quality of this schedule is considered. With this schedule, the Redbirds should find themselves on the right side of the bubble should the team experience similar results to last year's outfit.

Scheduling note: It appears that Indiana State has secured a game against Indiana this year. Considering that they played Butler last year, perhaps there's hope that Valpo will be able to play the big in-state foes on a consistent basis--maybe even at home.

Does that constitute an existential  threat to the MVC? I understand that the MVC and MVFC are administrated separately, the MVFC is a mix of MVC and summit members with YSU of the HL. If the Summit starts football and the three Dakota schools and WIU all defect does that cause the remaining teams to look for a more stable football home which would  likely take their basketball team out of the MVC? EX: UNI and Illinois State to the MAC and Missouri State either to the Sun Belt or the MAC? And if that happens how does that affect the MVC and Valpo's place in it? Would MVC teams consider defecting to the Horizon or the Summit League or is that where the MVC would go for new members  settling in at about the same level of the current  Horizon League?

The NCAA has changed its selection criteria, and it makes the SOS boost we'll get from being in the Valley mean that much more. It could also lead to better nonconference games and even some P5 home and homes. The opportunities for the program here are tremendous! They're emphasizing road wins and taking some of the sting out of conference losses particularly road losses. It may not be perfect and it may not fully level the playing field, but compared to the load of  nothing schools like ours have gotten from the committee over the past few years especially, we should be ecstatic about this. Hopefully more refining to help out the mid majors will come soon, but we need to understand and accept that the field will never be level.All we can and should ask for is a reasonable chance to fight for an at-large where one loss in March doesn't negate an entire season's worth of work. Conference Tournaments shouldn't decide everything for mid majors. This gives us that and I applaud these changes.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/ncaa-tournament-committee-to-emphasize-road-results-in-new-bracket-process/

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/di-men-s-basketball-committee-redefines-quality-win

After a terrific  Freshman season, Valpo pitcher Jon Tieman has been named a Freshman All-American . He is one of two Horizon league players selected. Coincidentally, the MVC also had two freshman All-Americans. Congratulations to Jon on a stellar campaign. Here's hoping for continued success by him and the team as they head to the Valley! Hopefully articles like this become a more frequent occurrence!

http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/news/2016-17/17446/tieman-named-freshman-all-american/#.WTjjU2jyvIU