Bradley

Saturday Mid-Major Preview & Predictions

Greg Mengelt — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:02:18 -0500

Greg Mengelt previews and predicts four of Saturday's intriguing Mid-Major battles:

BRADLEY (5-4) AT DREXEL (4-4)

Time/TV: 4 p.m., None

Line: Drexel -8.5.

Storylines: Drexel’s Chris Fouch appears to be healthy after back-to-back 23- and 24-point performances in wins over Princeton and Niagara. Fouch, who missed the Dragons’ first four games with a knee injury, and Samme Givens the main reason Drexel was picked as the pre-season Colonial Athletic favorites.

Key Matchup: Givens vs. Taylor Brown. The undersized Givens is one of the most creative scorers in the country and Brown has been one of the most improved players on the Missouri Valley each of the past two seasons.

The Bottom Line: The return of Fouch gives the Dragons another weapon and should set them back on course for a run at the Colonial title.

The Pick: Drexel 71, Bradley 56.

OAKLAND (7-4) AT VALPARAISO (7-3)

Time/TV: 8:05 p.m., None

Line: Valparaiso -1.5.

Storylines: At this point, both the Golden Grizzlies and the Crusaders could make an argument as their conference favorites. Oakland is 7-4 despite playing one of the nation’s toughest pre-conference schedules. Valpo is already 1-0 in the Horizon League after beating Butler on the road on Dec. 3.

Key Matchup: Valpo F Ryan Broekhoff vs. Oakland G Reggie Hamilton. The two will never go head-to-head on the court, but the game could come down to which Mid-Major star has the better outing.

The Bottom Line: Hamilton is nearly impossible to stop when he wants to get his shot. If this is a one-possession game, that gives the advantage to the Golden Bears.

The Pick: Oakland 81, Valpo 78.

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (6-3) AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (8-1)

Time/TV: 6 p.m., ESPN Full Court

Storylines: With Southern expected to compete in the Big South and Charleston a contender in the Southern Conference, this sets up as one of the best cross-town rivalries in a while.

Key Matchup: College of Charleston’s Trent Wiedeman vs. Southern’s Kelvin Martin. The opposing power forwards have seven double-doubles between them. It should be an epic battle under the boards.

The Bottom Line: Charleston is a little better and will have the crowd behind them.

The Pick: College of Charleston 82, Charleston Southern 71.

ST. PETER’S (2-6) AT LONG ISLAND (5-6)

Time/TV: 2 p.m., None

Storylines: Both teams were surprise entrants into the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Long Island should compete with Robert Morris, Wagner and Central Connecticut State for the Northeast Conference’s bid to the tournament. St. Peter’s will likely finish in the middle of the MAAC pack. It would have to pull off another March Miracle to go back to the tournament.

Key Matchup: LIU’s frontcourt vs. the St. Peter’s backcourt. Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere give LIU one of the nation’s best mid-major forward tandems. The Peacocks are led by guards Chris Prescott and Yvon Raymond.

The Bottom Line: This should be one of the most competitive games of the weekend.

The Pick: Long Island 77, St. Peter’s 75.

College Basketball Coaching Changes 2011

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:10:11 -0400

We'll track coaching changes as they occur. If there's any missing on here, or if you have contract info to add (including salaries), please mention it in the comments section.

Latest Hiring/Firing 6/27: Not done yet; Bethune-Cookman fires Reed

BCS Conferences

Arkansas
Was: John Pelphrey
Is: Mike Anderson (from Missouri)

Georgia Tech
Was: Paul Hewitt
Is: Brian Gregory (from Dayton)

Maryland
Was: Gary Williams
Is: Mark Turgeon (from Texas A&M)

Miami (FL)
Was: Frank Haith
Is: Jim Larranaga (from George Mason)

Missouri
Was: Mike Anderson
Is: Frank Haith (from Miami)

North Carolina State
Was: Sidney Lowe
Is: Mark Gottfried (ESPN analyst/former Alabama head coach)

Oklahoma
Was: Jeff Capel
Is: Lon Kruger (from UNLV)

Penn State
Was: Ed DeChellis
Is: Patrick Chambers (from Boston University)

Providence
Was: Keno Davis
Is: Ed Cooley (from Fairfield)

Tennessee
Was: Bruce Pearl
Is: Cuonzo Martin (from Missouri St)

Texas A&M
Was: Mark Turgeon
Is: Billy Kennedy (from Murray State)

Texas Tech
Was: Pat Knight
Is: Billy Gillispie

High-Majors

Bradley
Was: Jim Les
Is: Geno Ford (from Kent St)

Dayton
Was: Brian Gregory
Is: Archie Miller (Arizona assistant)

Fresno St
Was: Steve Cleveland
Is: Rodney Terry (Texas assistant)

George Mason
Was: Jim Larranaga
Is: Paul Hewitt (former Georgia Tech head coach)

George Washington
Was: Karl Hobbs
Is: Mike Lonergan (from Vermont)

Georgia St
Was: Rod Barnes
Is: Ron Hunter (from IUPUI)

Louisiana Tech
Was: Kerry Rupp
Is: Mike White (Ole Miss assistant)

Missouri St
Was: Cuonzo Martin
Is: Paul Lusk (Purdue associate head coach)

Pepperdine
Was: Tom Asbury
Is: Marty Wilson

Towson
Was: Pat Kennedy
Is: Pat Skerry (Pittsburgh assistant)

UNLV
Was: Lon Kruger
Is: Dave Rice (BYU assistant)

Utah
Was: Jim Boylen
Is: Larry Krystkowiak (New Jersey Nets assistant)

Wyoming
Was: Heath Schroyer
Is: Larry Shyatt (Florida assistant)

Mid-Majors

Boston University
Was: Patrick Chambers
Is: Joe Jones (Boston College assistant)

Eastern Michigan
Was: Charles Ramsey
Is: Rob Murphy (Syracuse assistant)

Fairfield
Was: Ed Cooley
Is: Sydney Johnson (from Princeton)

IPFW
Was: Dane Fife
Is: Tony Jasick (IPFW assistant)

IUPUI
Was: Ron Hunter
Is: Todd Howard (IUPUI assistant)

Kent St
Was: Geno Ford
Is: Rob Senderoff (Kent St assistant)

Loyola (Chi)
Was: Jim Whitesell
Is: Porter Moser (Saint Louis associate head coach)

Manhattan
Was: Barry Rohrssen
Is: Steve Masiello (Louisville assistant)

Northern Illinois
Was: Ricardo Patton
Is: Mark Montgomery

Princeton
Was: Sydney Johnson
Is: Mitch Henderson (Northwestern assistant)

Vermont
Was: Mike Lonergan
Is: John Becker (Vermont assistant)

Low-Majors

Alcorn St
Was: Larry Smith
Is: Luther Riley (Provine (AL) HS head coach)

Bethune-Cookman
Was: Clifford Reed
Is:

Colgate
Was: Emmett Davis
Is: Matt Langel (Temple assistant)

Eastern Washington
Was: Kirk Earlywine
Is: Jim Hayford (Whitworth College)

Florida A&M
Was: Eugene Harris
Is: Clem Johnson (Alaska-Fairbanks)

Florida Gulf Coast
Was: Dave Balza
Is: Andy Enfield (Florida State assistant)

Kennesaw St
Was: Tony Ingle
Is: Lewis Preston (Penn State assistant)

Lamar
Was: Steve Roccaforte
Is: Pat Knight (former Texas Tech head coach)

Monmouth
Was: Dave Calloway
Is: King Rice (Vanderbilt assistant)

Murray State
Was: Billy Kennedy
Is: Steve Prohm (Murray State assistant)

Navy
Was: Billy Lange
Is: Ed DeChellis (from Penn State)

Radford
Was: Brad Greenberg
Is: Mike Jones (VCU assistant)

Stetson
Was: Derrek Waugh
Is: Casey Alexander (Belmont assistant)

Tennessee Tech
Was: Mike Sutton
Is: Steve Payne

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Was: Perry Clark
Is: Willis Wilson (Memphis assistant)

Top Coaching Prospects

Todd Bozeman (Morgan St Coach)
~~Ed Cooley (Fairfield Coach) HIRED~~
Keno Davis (Former Providence Coach)
Joe Dooley (Kansas Assistant)
John Dunne (Saint Peter's Coach)
~~Andy Enfield (FSU Assistant) HIRED~~
Jim Ferry (LIU Coach)
Ray Giacoletti (Gonzaga Assistant)
~~Billy Gillispie (Former Coach) HIRED~~
~~Jim Larranaga (George Mason Coach) HIRED~~
Jim Les (Former Bradley Coach)
~~Mike Lonergan (Vermont Coach) HIRED~~
Bobby Lutz (Iowa St Assistant)
Donnie Marsh (UAB associate head coach)
Gregg Marshall (Wichita St Coach)
~~Steve Masiello (Louisville Assistant) HIRED~~
John Pelphrey (Arkansas Coach)

#91 Bradley: 2010-11 Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 21:14:22 -0400

Overall Rank: #91

Conference Rank: #5 Missouri Valley Conference

2009-10: 16-15, 9-9

2009-10 postseason: none

Coach: Jim Les (142-120 at Bradley, 142-120 overall)

Bradley was a slightly disappointing team last season. After a hot start that saw them beat then ranked Illinois, the Braves dropped seven of nine games in December and January. Despite that awful stretch the team managed to pull together and finish with a .500 record in conference play. With four starters returning and plenty of depth on the bench, Coach Jim Les should put together a team that should finish with a much better record.

Key Losses: G Eddren McCain, G Chris Roberts, C Sam Singh

Key Newcomers:

None of the newcomers will be asked to do much this season, but some depth in the frontcourt would be helpful. Jordan Prosser redshirted last year and his one year on the bench may make him the likely candidate to see a few minutes here and there. The ‘Milk Man’ can do a little bit of everything and has enough size to fill in at the four or five spot. Andrew Davis is an incoming freshman who will try and find some minutes as well. However, the 6-10, 215 pound Edmond, Oklahoma product needs to add more girth before he will be much of a factor in the paint. The lone newcomer on the perimeter is Walter Lemon who will find it very difficult to get minutes barring more injuries.

Backcourt:

The loss of Chris Roberts, who averaged 9.2 points, 2.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds during his senior campaign is the big one, but Bradley has an answer. Two years ago Dodie Dunson averaged 10.1 points, 1.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds. Last year he played in just two games before breaking his left arm and missing the rest of the season. Dunson will be a fine replacement for Roberts. Sam Maniscalco is back to run the show and do much more. The 6-0 senior averaged 13.1 points and 3.4 assists last season and is a great all-around scorer. Yet, those two are not even the star of the backcourt. That title belongs to Andrew Warren. Warren is a superb outside shooter and knocked down nearly 40 percent of his five attempts per game last season. He led the team with 14.4 points per contest during his junior campaign and will almost certainly do so again as a senior. What makes Warren even more important to this team is his 6-5 size and his ability to attack the basket and the glass.

Frontcourt:

Taylor Brown almost came out of nowhere to average 13.5 points and a team high 6.9 rebounds per game. The 6-6 forward has the ability to stretch out the defense by knocking down the occasional three-pointer, but he does his best work in the paint. Brown is even a very good free-throw shooter for a forward and that has come in very handy late in games. Will Egolf is the big man on Bradley. The 6-9, 232 pound center is starting to develop into a decent interior scorer, but he still needs to add strength to be more productive on both ends of the floor. Yet, it is Egolf who is the lone shot blocking threat on this team and it is that skill that Bradley really needs to develop. Anthony Thompson and Milos Knezevic both averaged less than ten minutes per game last year, but one of them needs to at least be able to spell Egolf at the five spot so the Braves do not have to play small every time a forward needs a rest.

Who to Watch:

Jake Eastman and Dyricus Simms-Edwards did not garner much attention during their freshmen campaigns, but they are the stars of the future. It was Simms-Edwards who saw more playing time and proved to be a capable scorer and rebounder from the wing. Eastman has more size at 6-4 and 208 pounds and he should be a very good player once his shot starts falling. For now, both of them have another year to come in off the bench.

Final Projection:

The Braves had reached the postseason for four consecutive seasons before the 2009-2010 campaign. They also reached the 20 win mark during those four seasons. They should eclipse that mark once again and get back to the postseason. This is not as tough of a Missouri Valley Conference as it was a few years ago and Bradley has the experience and talent to make a nice run if everything goes their way.

Projected Post-season Tournament: CBI/CIT

Projected Starting Five:

Sam Maniscalco, Senior, Guard, 13.1 ppg

Dodie Dunson, Senior, Guard, 8.0 ppg

Andrew Warren, Senior, Guard, 14.4 ppg

Taylor Brown, Junior, Forward, 13.5 ppg

Will Egolf, Junior, Center, 7.0 ppg

Next Top 144 Teams
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College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

MVC Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:13:47 -0500

The MVC race is always up for grabs, and perhaps another surprise team like UNI lurks. Perhaps no league has as much parity as the Valley, where even the bottom teams are improved.

Conference Rank: 8th

10 year average: 9th

MVC Conference Page

All-MVC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Osiris Eldridge	Illinois St	Jr
G	Josh Young	Drake	Jr
G	P'Allen Stinnett	Creighton	So
G	Adam Koch	Northern Iowa	Sr
F	Dinma Odiakosa	Illinois St	Sr

Player of the Year - Osiris Eldridge Freshman of the Year - Ben Simons (Drake)
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
High-Major All-Americans Osiris Eldridge (1st Team) Adam Koch (3rd) P'Allen Stinnett (3rd) Josh Young (3rd) Kevin Dillard Dinma Odiakosa		Points: Josh Young 15.4 Rebounds: Dinma Odiakosa 7.5 Assists: Clevin Hannah 4.3

MVC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

41	Creighton	MVC	1	NCAA
59	Northern Iowa	MVC	2	NIT
72	Bradley	MVC	3	NIT
76	Illinois State	MVC	4	NIT
94	Wichita State	MVC	5	CBI/CIT
117	Southern Illinois	MVC	6	CBI/CIT
137	Indiana State	MVC	7
154	Drake	MVC	8
203	Evansville	MVC	9
228	Missouri State	MVC	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MVC?

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

MVC Preseason Poll & Awards

Press Release — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:56:24 -0400

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Northern Iowa men's basketball team has been picked to finish first in the Missouri Valley Conference, according to the preseason poll announced today during the league's annual Basketball Media Day.

Northern Iowa, which returns all five starters after sharing the regular-season title with Creighton last year, earned 38 of 39 first-place votes in the survey of league coaches, beat writers, sports information directors and play-by-play men.

Pollsters have accurately predicted the league's regular-season champ only 11 times out of 25 since 1985-86. Two teams have been picked for second place but gone on to take the regular-season crown, Southern Illinois in both 2002-03 and 2006-07.

The preseason poll doesn¹t always match the year-end standings. Last year's Northern Iowa was picked sixth and ended up in a tie for first. The year before that, Drake was picked ninth, only to finish 28-5 and win the league title.

2009-10 MVC Preseason Poll
Rk.    School (1st place votes)    Total
1.    Northern Iowa (38)    389
2.    Creighton (1)    336
3.    Illinois State    299
4.    Southern Illinois    272
5.    Wichita State    216
6.    Bradley    208
7.    Indiana State    173
8.    Drake    105
9.    Missouri State    92
10.    Evansville    55
Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors and media.

Preseason All-MVC Team
Osiris Eldridge*, Sr., G, Illinois State
Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Jr., G, Northern Iowa
Tony Freeman, Sr., G, Southern Illinois
Adam Koch, Sr., F, Northern Iowa
P¹Allen Stinnett, Jr., G, Creighton
Josh Young, Sr., G, Drake
*Preseason Player of the Year

Honorable Mention:
Kevin Dillard, Southern Illinois
Clevin Hannah, Wichita State
Jake Kelly, Indiana State
Sam Maniscalco, Bradley
Harry Marshall, Indiana State
Toure¹ Murry, Wichita State

MVC Preseason Poll & Awards

Press Release — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:10:19 -0400

ST. LOUIS - UNI, which returns all five starters and nine of 10 players from last year’s regular-season co-champ and State Farm MVC Tournament winner, has been picked to earn the Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball title in 2009-10.

The Panthers are hoping the pollsters are correct, although recent history could suggest otherwise, as only once in the past four years has the pre-season poll correctly picked the regular-season champ (last year Creighton was picked to win and shared the regular-season title with UNI, which was picked to finish sixth.)

The Panthers - also picked to win by The Sporting News College Basketball Preview, Lindy’s College Basketball Preview, and Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview - join a small group of defending Missouri Valley men’s basketball champs to return all five starters.

It marks the second time in league history the Panthers have been pegged as the preseason favorites. UNI was also picked to win the league in 2005-06. UNI finished fifth in the conference race in 2005-06, but earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

MVC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
School (First-Place Votes) Total
1. UNI (38)......................389
2. Creighton (1).................336
3. Illinois State................299
4. Southern Illinois.............272
5. Wichita State.................216
6. Bradley.......................208
7. Indiana State.................173
8. Drake.........................105
9. Missouri State.................92
10. Evansville....................55
Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors, media, and coaches.

2009-10 MVC Preseason All-Conference Team
Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year, Hometown, High School
Kwadzo Ahelegbe, UNI, G, 6-2, 200, Jr., Oakdale (Minn.) Tartan High
Osiris Eldridge, Illinois State, G, 6-3, 215, Sr., Chicago (Ill.) Phillips Academy
Tony Freeman, Southern Illinois, G, 6-1, 195, Sr., Maywood (Ill.) St. Joseph’s/Iowa
Adam Koch, UNI, F, 6-8, 255, Sr., Ashwaubenon (Wis.) High
P’Allen Stinnett, Creighton, G, 6-3, 180, Jr., Las Vegas (Nev.) Brewster Academy [N.H.]
Josh Young, Drake, G, 6-1, 174, Sr., Lawton (Okla.) Lawton Christian High

Honorable Mention: Kevin Dillard, Southern Illinois; Clevin Hannah, Wichita State; Jake Kelly, Indiana State; Sam Maniscalco, Bradley; Harry Marshall, Indiana State; Toure’ Murry, Wichita State

Preseason Player of the Year - Osiris Eldridge, Illinois State

Poll: Who Will Win the MVC?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:33:53 -0400

Bradley Basketball Preview: #72

Joel Welser — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:59:21 -0400

Overall Rank: #72

Conference Rank: #3 Missouri Valley Conference

2008-09: 21-15, 10-8

2008-09 postseason: CIT

Coach: Jim Les (126-105 at Bradley, 126-105 overall)

Considering all of the injuries that Bradley had to endure during the 2008-2009 campaign, it was a very good season for Coach Jim Les. The Braves ended up in the CIT and made it all the way to the finals and that at least provided some great experience for the younger players.

Key Losses: C David Collins, G Darian Norris, F Theron Wilson

Key Newcomers:

The frontcourt lost a couple key players in David Collins and Theron Wilson and that will be this team’s Achilles heel. And the only help the team will get from the newcomers in the frontcourt are incoming freshmen Milos Knezevic and Jordan Prosser. Prosseris is the more likely option to see playing time this year, but one of those two will likely be asked to contribute quite a bit off the bench. The backcourt does not need too much depth right now, but freshmen Jake Eastman, James Robertson and Dyricus Simms-Edwards will be available if they are needed.

Backcourt:

The top four returning scorers are all perimeter players and that is not counting the return of Andrew Warren who missed all of last year with an injury. Sam Maniscalco turned into a very valuable leader. Not only did he average 12.6 points per game during the 2008-2009 campaign, but he dished out 3.1 assists and connected on two three-pointers per contest. Dodie Dunson was also a double figure scorer last season who can knock down the outside shot. Chris Roberts is yet another shooter who can mix up his game by getting to the basket. What makes him different than the rest of the group is his size and he can hit the glass. Somebody has to find all those weapons and that man ended up being Eddren McCain. McCain had a superb freshman campaign and he dished out 3.1 assists per contest.

Frontcourt:

Nobody benefited from the run in the CIT more than Taylor Brown. On the year the 6-6 sophomore only averaged 11.5 minutes per game, but he came on strong late in the year and he has the potential and the confidence to play a much bigger role this time around. Sam Singh will likely be the starting center. The fifth year senior is not a great scorer, but he can eat up space in the paint. Will Egolf started playing pretty well last season, but he got hurt after five games. If he can stay healthy, the frontcourt at least has potential and some experience. Otherwise Bradley will need the newcomers and Anthony Thompson to play a lot more minutes than they probably should.

Who to Watch:

The return of Warren creates a conundrum for Coach Les. Maniscalco turned into the top three-point shooter on the team last season, but the team hit a lot more long balls when Warren was playing two years ago. If Warren gets back to his old ways of shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc, he will playing a big role on this team. That could leave Dunson and Roberts on the bench.

Final Projection:

The other option would be to play small and put Roberts at the four spot. That has worked in certain situations, but it does leave the team vulnerable on the glass. Last season Wilson and Collins were there to pick up the slack, but Singh and Brown are not nearly as proven of players. If the frontcourt struggles, bigger teams will have their way with the Braves under the basket.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Eddren McCain, Sophomore, Guard, 5.6 points per game

Sam Maniscalco, Junior, Guard, 12.6 points per game

Andrew Warren, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Taylor Brown, Sophomore, Forward, 3.4 points per game

Sam Singh, Senior, Center, 4.7 points per game

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College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Arch Madness: MVC Tourney Preview & Predictions

Evan Dorey — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:25:39 -0500

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Missouri Valley Conference

Arch Madness is always a fun tournament, and with a tumultuous season in the Valley, the 10 teams that start play in St. Louis over the next two days should contest an interesting tournament.

Tournament Odds

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Northern Iowa	100.00%	85.62%	66.54%	38.32%
2	Creighton	100.00%	85.61%	49.52%	27.45%
3	Illinois St.	100.00%	82.32%	43.51%	23.21%
4	Bradley	100.00%	67.10%	21.45%	7.10%
5	Southern Illinois	100.00%	32.90%	6.53%	1.31%
6	Evansville	100.00%	17.68%	3.82%	0.84%
7	Wichita St.	65.34%	11.02%	2.64%	0.60%
8	Drake	56.54%	8.91%	3.60%	0.77%
9	Indiana St.	43.46%	5.47%	1.88%	0.33%
10	Missouri St.	34.66%	3.37%	0.50%	0.07%

There’s not much surprise that the three teams that were at the head of the conference all season look to have the best chances at taking the auto-bid.

#1 – Northern Iowa Panthers (20-10, 14-4) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.112

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2006 (1^st Round)

After finishing 2008 7-6, it seemed unlikely that Northern Iowa would end up claiming the regular season title and the #1 seed in the tournament, but an 11-game winning streak put it into the top spot, and it held on through a mid-February lull to finish atop the standings. The Panthers play a fairly slow, deliberate style, struggling on the offensive glass, but committing few turnovers and making a lot of shots. While its offense has focused more on three-point shots, NIU has defended the interior well, and is one of the nation’s best teams in defensive rebounding.

Players to watch:

7-1 JR Jordan Eglseder, 10.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 59.3 eFG% - If Eglseder could manage 25 minutes a game, he might very well be the league’s best player, but even at his current 19 minute average, he’s pretty impressive. When he’s on the floor, he’s the focal point of the Panthers’ offense, and as a 62% shooter, he should be. He leads the team in rebounding and blocks, and puts up spectacular rates in both areas. One area you’d like to see him improve in is getting to the free throw line, but if this guy can improve in his senior season, UNI will be a major danger again.

6-8 JR Adam Koch, 11.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 51.4 eFG% - Eglseder may have trouble getting to the line, but that’s not a problem for Koch, his interior partner. Koch is in the top 5 nationally in getting to the stripe, and his 78% once he gets there helps him to be the team’s leading scorer.

#2 – Creighton Bluejays (25-6, 14-4) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.098

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2007 (1^st Round)

Creighton is the only realistic hope for the Valley to pick up an at-large bid, which would presumably need it to win at least a game or two in the tournament. It has a number of solid wins over Dayton, New Mexico and Oral Roberts, no really bad losses, and has won 10 consecutive games as the tourney starts. The Bluejays are excellent shooters, best in the conference at the line and from behind the arc, and turn the ball over only rarely. They have struggled on the glass at both ends of the floor, but have made up for that to some extent by holding opponents to a fairly low percentage inside and forcing a lot of turnovers.

Players to watch:

6-1 SR Booker Woodfox, 15.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 63.5 eFG% - The Valley player of the year, Woodfox is second in the conference in scoring, but perhaps more importantly, leads the MVC in both free throw and three-point shooting. He’s a deadly scorer from all over the floor, and has committed just 29 turnovers all season.

6-2 SR P’Allen Stinnett, 12.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 50.9 eFG% - Stinnett’s percentages look pretty shabby next to Woodfox’s, but he’s a quality second scoring option who is best when his game focuses on the inside shot.

#3 – Illinois St. Redbirds (22-8, 11-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.086

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1998 (2^nd Round)

One of the only teams to survive December undefeated, Illinois St.’s weak non-conference schedule eventually caught up with it, and a tough final three games saw them slump to a seven loss season. The Redbirds have the Valley’s best defense, causing opponents a lot of problems with the long-distance shot, and dominating the defensive glass as well as any team in the country. On the offensive end, Illinois St. shoots a lot of threes, and does a pretty good job on them .

Players to watch:

6-3 JR Osriris Eldridge, 13.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 49.1 eFG% - Eldridge has been a good shooter and an effective rebounder for the Redbirds all season, but has gone just 7-34 in his last three games, something that needs to change for Illinois St. to pick up some wins.

6-6 SR Chamberlain Oguchi, 14.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 52.1 eFG% - ‘Champ’, as he’s known, does a lot of good things for his team, a solid three point shooter who’s a strong rebounder and free throw shooter, and shows excellent ball control.

#4 –Bradley Braves (17-13, 10-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.020

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2006 (Sweet Sixteen)

Bradley ‘s season was briefly derailed by an early February four-game losing streak, but it rallied to finish above .500, and is the last of the teams in the Valley to finish with an EM above zero. The key has been the Braves’ offense, which, despite shooting poorly from three and committing a lot of turnovers, has been a fairly efficient unit; especially at the free throw line. Also, Bradley has managed to force a lot of turnovers, which has hurt opponents enough to keep the Braves in the conference’s upper tier.

Players to watch:

6-5 SR Theron Wilson, 13.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 48.0 eFG% - Wilson leads the team in scoring rebounding and steals, but his best talent is getting to the free throw line: he’s been to the stripe 218 times this season, and his 72% from there makes up for his poor long-distance shooting.

6-0 SO Sam Maniscalco, 12.1 PPG,1.9 RPG, 51.5 eFG% - Maniscalco is an effective guard who doesn’t really shine in any area, but plays a fairly large role and is a good percentage player.

#5 – Southern Illinois Salukis (13-17, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.042

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2007 (Sweet Sixteen)

After making the NCAA tournament for six consecutive seasons, the program that has been the face of the Missouri Valley for the last half-decade will be hard-pressed to avoid back-to-back years out of the Big Dance. The Salukis have been well known for their defense over recent years, but they’ve been rooted to the bottom of the Valley in defensive efficiency this season. Their biggest problem has been fouls, allowing opponents far too many shots from the stripe. They’ve also struggled on the defensive glass, and have been vulnerable to inside shots. The one good thing they’ve done is shoot, 38% from behind the arc, but their offense hasn’t been strong enough to make up for their defensive woes.

Players to watch:

5-11 FR Kevin Dillard, 12.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 54.7 eFG% - Dillard looks to have a bright future, but still has some of the weaknesses we’d expect from a freshman. He’s a very good three-point shooter, 47% from the field, but his percentage of two-pointers is awfully low, and while he puts up a lot of assists, he has a lot of trouble with turnovers.

6-8 SR Tony Boyle, 10.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 47.7 eFG% - Boyle is the Salukis’ best rebounder, but that’s not saying a lot on a team that hasn’t been very good on the boards. He’s had some big offensive games, but his consistency still leaves something to be desired.

#6 – Evansville Aces (17-12, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.045

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1999 (1^st Round)

Evansville has one of the conference’s worst offenses, but is more notable for taking a higher percentage of its shots from inside the arc than any team in the country. There’s good reason for that, as its 30% three-point shooting should definitely be minimized. However, the Aces’ two-point percentage is not good enough to overcome their problems inside, leaving them struggling for points. They force a lot of turnovers on the defensive end, but have the two-part problem of giving up a high percentage inside while also committing a lot of fouls.

Players to watch:

6-4 SR Shy Ely, 18.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 47.4 eFG% - Ely is the conference’s leading scorer, and earns a lot of points both inside and at the free throw line. He has a good rebounding average as well, but his rates aren’t particularly impressive.

5-11 SR Jason Holsinger, 12.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 49.8 eFG% - The only serious three-point threat on the Aces, Holsinger heated up late in the season, averaging 17 points over his last seven games, including putting up 30 against Creighton.

#7 – Wichita St. Shockers (15-15, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.043

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2006 (Sweet Sixteen)

Wichita St. recovered from an 0-6 start in Valley play to get nearly all the way back to .500, a reasonable finish from a team that put on an impressive show in finishing 6^th at the Old Spice Classic. The Shockers are a very good team in the interior, shooting more than 50% from inside the arc and putting up solid rates on the boards at each end of the floor. Their perimeter play is much more of a problem, as they turn the ball over a lot and are weak shooters. A similar problem with the outside shot plagues Wichita St.’s defensive play as well, with opponents making 37% of attempted threes.

Players to watch:

5-11 JR Clevin Hannah, 11.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 58.1 eFG% - The team’s leader in points, assists and steals, Hannah is an excellent three-point shooter who produces a lot of positive things for the Shockers. His assist total doesn’t look that impressive, but his rate is one of the country’s best.

6-6, SR Ramon Clemente, 7.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 58.7 eFG% - Clemente is only 4^th on the team in scoring, but that’s mostly due to a lack of attempts, rather than his ability to finish the chances he does get. He’s a 59% shooter from the field who hits less than 53% of his free throws.

#8 – Drake Bulldogs (17-14, 7-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.034

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

A year removed from their magical conference championship season, the Bulldogs have not had a great campaign, though from an efficiency margin standard they were 5^th, rather than 8^th, in the league. Their basic style of offense hasn’t changed too much from last season, but they’ve regressed in every area, most notably their ability to hold onto the ball and get offensive rebounds. Drake’s biggest defensive strength has been the one thing you don’t tend to notice much, avoiding fouls. This helps it to have the best defense outside the top three teams, but it just hasn’t been consistent enough to string together a sequence of more than a couple of wins since early January.

Players to watch:

6-8 SR Jonathan Cox, 11.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 53.2 eFG% - One of the most interesting players in the Valley, Cox is the conference’s top rebounder but also a 40% three-point shooter. His scoring average has actually regressed from last season, mostly due to the fact that his percentage inside the arc plummeted.

6-1 JR Josh Young, 15.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 47.4 eFG% - Young leads the Bulldogs in scoring; he’s a solid shooter who thrives at the free-throw line, where he shoots nearly 85%.

#9 – Indiana St. Sycamores (10-20, 7-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.058

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2001 (2^nd Round)

Indiana St. looked on course for a last placed finish when it was 2-10 in the conference in early February, but a strong finish moved it up to 9^th, and gives it a serious chance in its opening round game. The difference in the later games has been improved shooting, especially from behind the arc. This has helped the Sycamores overcome their inability to stop opponents from making shots.

Players to watch:

6-8 SR Jay Tunnell, 12.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 57.6 eFG% - Tunnell put together what may be the most impressive performance I’ve seen all season when he went 8-9 from three to put up 28 points and drive the Sycamores to a huge, come-from-behind overtime win over Illinois St. Since that game, he seems to have found a new confidence, averaging more than 20 points in his last seven outings. Besides his ability to hit threes, he’s also the team’s leading rebounder, and can cause a lot of problems for any opponent.

6-1 JR Rashad Reed, 10.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 47.8 eFG% - Reed is another player who takes a lot of threes and has seen his play improve of late. He’s not as high a percentage a player as Tunnell, but he’s still a solid scoring threat.

#10 – Missouri St. Bears (11-19, 3-15) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.098

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1999 (Sweet Sixteen)

The league’s worst team has both the worst defense and offense, and will face a serious challenge in St. Louis. They allow opponents to score easily, and don’t make many shots themselves, so their decent performance on the boards and ability to force turnovers don’t really help much.

Players to watch:

6-4 SR Chris Cooks, 12.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 44.8 eFG% - Cooks leads the team in scoring and rebounding, but shoots under 40% on two-pointers, meaning he ends up wasting a lot of possessions. He’s an OK long-distance shooter, but not good enough to cover his problems inside the arc.

6-6 FR Kyle Weems,9.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 44.3 eFG% - Weems has actually been the most efficient Bears regular, which really surprised me, given his sub-30% three-point shooting. He’s a good free throw shooter, and decent inside, but his biggest strength is avoiding turnovers, having committed only 33 all year. When that’s the main thing to highlight about you, it’s typically not a very good sign.

My statistical all-Missouri Valley team:

Illinois St. JR G Osriris Eldridge, 13.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 49.1 eFG%

Creighton SR G Booker Woodfox, 15.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 63.5 eFG%

Evansville SR G/F Shy Ely, 18.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 47.4 eFG%

Drake SR F Jonathan Cox, 11.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 53.2 eFG%

Northern Iowa JR C Jordan Eglseder, 10.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 59.3 eFG%

Missouri Valley Tournament: News & Notes

Press Release — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:57:22 -0500

Wide Open?
The 2009 State Farm MVC Tournament could be one of the most unpredictable in league history. Only twice has a seed worse than No. 3 won the event in 32 previous championships. However, three of the four teams playing Thursday in the opening round have a combined eight wins against this year's top three seeds. No. 7 seed Wichita State has home victories against Creighton, UNI, and Illinois State; while No. 8 seed Drake was the only team in the MVC to beat co-league champs UNI and Creighton on their homecourts. No. 9 seed Indiana State also won at UNI, and swept third-seeded Illinois State.

State Farm Missouri Valley Player of the Week
Jordan Eglseder, UNI, Jr., 7-1, Ctr., Bellevue (Iowa) Marquette High
? Eglseder averaged 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots last week, helping lead UNI to a share of its first-ever MVC regular-season title. Eglseder had 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the Panthers’ 69-67 double-overtime win at Illinois State on Feb. 24, and then had 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks – all team highs – in UNI’s win over Evansville in the regular-season finale.

Newcomer of the Week
Kevin Dillard, SIU, Fr., 5-11, Gd., Homewood (Ill.)Flossmoor High
? Dillard averaged 18.0 ppg and 4.5 apg in wins over Drake and Wichita State, lifting SIU into the No. 5 tournament seed. He was 6-of-12 (.500) from 3-point range in the two games. Against the Bulldogs, his 3-pointer with 3:05 remaining gave SIU a 51-49 lead, which it never relinquished. He made a pair of free throws with 12 seconds to go to seal the win. Against the Shockers, he had 15 of his 21 points in the second half.

Well-Attended Tournament
?A total of 64,551 fans attended the 2008 State Farm MVC Tournament at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. That total is the second-highest total tournament turnstile figure in MVC history. The league has had 50,000 or more in each of the past six tournaments.

Panthers, Bluejays Tie
?For the fourth-straight year, the State Farm MVC Tournament has a different top seed. UNI, which shared the regular-season title with Creighton, earned the No. 1 seed for the first time in school history. The Panthers, picked sixth in the league's pre-season poll, finished with a regular-season record of 20-10 and 14-4 in league play, and held the tiebreaker over co-champion Creighton (25-6, 14-4).

First For UNI
?This year's crown is the first ever MVC regular-season title for the Panthers and 14th for Creighton. The Panthers’ previous best finish was a second-place tie in 2004, a year in which UNI won the State Farm MVC Tournament. Creighton, meanwhile, last earned a league regular-season crown in 2002, when the Bluejays were co-champs with Southern Illinois.

Title Town
?Counting this year, the league has had five different regular-season champs in the past four seasons (Wichita State-2006, Southern Illinois-2007, Drake-2008, and UNI/Creighton-2009).

How Many Will it Take?
?In each of the last nine seasons, the Missouri Valley regular-season champ recorded a 14-4 conference record or better. Since The Valley began playing an 18-game league schedule (1991-92) only two 13-5 champs have emerged: Illinois State (1993) and Evansville (1999).

No. 1 Seed "Success"
?Before Drake swept the regular-season and tournament titles last year, the last No. 1 seed to win the league tourney was Illinois State in 1998. The top-seeded team has won the tournament 11 times (of 32), but only four times in the 18-year history in St. Louis.

Seeds Important?
?In the 32 previous seasons of the MVC Tournament, only twice has a seed worse than a No. 3 won the title (No. 4 Creighton won in 2000 and No. 5 Indiana State won in 2001).

Best Pole Position?
?Thirty of 32 previous tournament champions were seeded 1, 2, or 3. No. 2 seeds have had the most success, winning 13 times, including seven of 18 tries in St. Louis. Creighton (1999, 2002, 2003, 2007), UNI (2004), and Southern Illinois (1993, 2006) were No. 2 seeds and won the tournament those seasons. The only non-No. 2 seeds to win the tournament in the past seven years are Creighton (No. 3 in 2005) and Drake (No. 1 in 2008)

Worst Pole Position?
?Since the league expanded to its current 10-team format in 1997, only one team that has played in the opening round has reached the semifinals (won two games). Bradley, seeded a No. 7 in 1998, beat 10th-seeded Drake and then upset No. 2 seed Creighton, before falling in the semifinals to Missouri State. The sixth-seeded teams have gone a combined 2-18 in tournament games in St. Louis.

Back-To-Back Titles?
?In league history, only Southern Illinois (1993-94-95) has won three-straight conference tourneys. Only four teams have won back-to-back conference tournament titles. Drake is the defending MVC Tournament champion, while Creighton is the last to repeat as tournament champions (2002, 2003).

Post-Season Streaks
?Creighton has reached post-season play a league-record 11-consecutive years. Southern Illinois' streak of league-record six-straight NCAA Tournaments ended in 2008, but the Salukis were in post-season play for their seventh-straight year as they made the NIT. Creighton and SIU were joined by Bradley (3 in a row), Drake (1), and Illinois State (1).

Four or More Bids, Again
?Last season, for the fifth-straight year, eighth time in the past 10 years, and the 14th time in the league's history, The Valley had at least four postseason bids. Five teams represented the Missouri Valley Conference in post-season play.

NCAA Multi-Bid Streak
?Until last year, The Valley had two or more teams reach the NCAA Tournament in nine-straight years. Only the six BCS-football leagues and The Valley had shared that streak of consecutive multi-bid years.

Making The Most of Bids
?In 2008, for the fifth-straight year, eighth time in the past 10 years, and the 14th time in the league’s history, The Valley had at least four teams in post-season play. In 2007, the Salukis were the seventh MVC team to reach the Sweet 16 since 1994, although the MVC has received just 31 total bids from 1994-2008. [nearly one of every four Valley NCAA berths since 1994 have resulted in a Sweet 16 trip].

The Back Nine ...
?Since 1991-92, all 26 MVC teams in the lead (or co-lead) at the break have reached post-season play. The last Valley mid-season leader to not reach the post-season was Tulsa, in 1992. Since then, mid-year leaders Bradley (1994 & 1999), Illinois State (1996), Wichita State (2005) and Creighton (2006) played in the NIT, while the other 21 mid-way leaders reached the NCAAs. UNI led the league with its 8-1 record at the midway point this season.

Quick Starts Important
?Before this season, the last Valley men's basketball team to lose its league opener but still win at least a share of the regular-season title was the 1992-93 Illinois State team. In fact, each of the past 13 seasons, the eventual regular-season champ started league play 2-0 or better. In 1993, Illinois State's regular-season championship team started 0-2 (and 1-3) before winning the league at 13-5. Co-champ UNI lost its league opener, Creighton started league play 2-0.

MVC Champs = NCAA
?Including Drake last year, 15-straight Missouri Valley regular-season champions have reached the NCAA tournament. Illinois State (1992-93) was the last to win the league’s regular-season crown and not make it. Drake is the first Valley team since 1998 (Illinois State that year) to sweep the regular-season and tournament titles.

WSU Makes History
?In the league's 102 seasons, a total of 49 teams, including WSU this year, started a conference season with 0-6 records or worse. All but two of the previous 48 finished last, second to last (or tied for second-to-last) in the MVC standings. WSU started the 2008-09 league campaign at 0-6 and finished tied for fifth place. Here are the only two schools, plus WSU, to finish ahead of two others in the standings after starting 0-6 in league play:

Year -- Team (Started) -- finished
1921 -- Oklahoma (0-6) -- ended up 5-9 (7th of 9)
1959 -- Drake (0-6) -- ended up 4-10 (6th of 8)
2009 -- Wichita State (0-6) -- ended up 8-10 (t5th of 10)

MVC 20-Game Winners
?Including this year, the Valley has had a minimum of two 20-game winners in each of the past 11 seasons. The league has had four or most 20-win teams for five-straight seasons, setting an all-time record with 6 in 2005-06. The previous mark (4) has been reached five times (1994-95, 1999-00, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08).

20 Wins Important?
?Since the NCAA Tournament field was expanded to 64 teams (1985), 62 Valley teams, including three last year, have posted 20 wins prior to "Selection Sunday." Forty-three have reached the NCAAs, and another 18 were in the NIT (Creighton was 20-12 in 1985 and did not reach the post-season -- the only MVC team with 20 wins not to reach post-season play since '85).

Active 20-Win Streaks
?Creighton has reached the 20-win plateau for a league-record 11th-straight season. In the 102-year history of The Valley, only five schools have won 20 games six-straight years, including Cincinnati (1957-58 to 1962-63), Bradley (1956-57 to 1961-62) Oklahoma State (1943-44 to 1948-49), and Southern Illinois (2001-02 to 2006-07), plus the current streak by Creighton. The MVC has had at least four 20-win teams for five-straight years.

Active 20-Win Streaks in The Valley
11 - Creighton (1998-99 - 2008-09)
3 - Bradley (2005-06 - 2007-08)
2 - Illinois State (2007-08 - 2008-09)
1 - Drake (2007-08)
1 - Northern Iowa (2008-09)

Double-Digit Dandies
?All 10 Valley members have reached double-digit wins. The league has had all of its members reach 10 wins only nine times previously in the 101-year history of the league (1954, 1955, 1956, 1963, 1971, 1985, 2000, 2005, and 2007).

Young Guns
?Only 23 of 50 starters returned for the MVC from last year. Here's the makeup of the league's most commonly used starting lineups in recent weeks. Of the league's current 50 starters - 19 of them are freshmen (10) or sophomores (9). Only 15 of them are seniors, 16 are juniors.

Jays Riding the Wave
?Creighton has won 10 straight games entering the MVC Tournament for the second time this decade. The 2000-01 team won 10 straight games entering the Valley Tournament as well. Creighton's 25 wins this year are second-most in school history, trailing only CU's 2002-03 team that entered the Valley Tournament 26-4 and finished the year 29-5 overall. That team smothered Southern Illinois, 80-56, in the championship game.

Drawing Big Crowds
?Last year, the league set an all-time record with 1,323,352 fans attending home games in league cities and the State Farm MVC Tournament. This year, the league has three teams averaging more than 10,000 per game for the first time in conference history: Creighton (16,242), Wichita State (10,391) and Bradley (10,019). Creighton and Wichita State have both averaged better than 10,000 in each of the past five seasons.