Coming into the season, many expected the Redbirds to struggle. Illinois State’s only seniors, Keith Fisher III, Matt Chastain and Taylor Bruninga did not compete this season, leaving ISU with a very young roster.
In the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, the Redbirds were picked to finish in the No. 9 spot, but have let down even those expectations. With the season concluded, the Redbirds sit at the bottom of the Valley in the No. 10 spot.
Two straight games were lost over the weekend for ISU head coach Dan Muller and the Redbirds when UNI came to Normal and swept.
Come Arch Madness and the Redbirds will have a tough task on their hands as they play the Panthers for the third straight game. Coming into the tournament, DJ Horne has been the most consistent piece for the Redbirds. Horne leads the Redbirds with an average of 15.3 points per game and ranks fourth in the Valley. Horne is fresh off a career high of 35 points in game two against UNI.
Only managing two hiccups throughout conference play, Loyola-Chicago comes in as the No. 1 team in the Missouri Valley. Ranked No. 22 in the country, the Ramblers have had the deepest team in the Valley.
The Ramblers are led by big man Cameron Krutwig averaging 15.0 points per game but the four other guys on the floor can be just as dangerous if not given enough attention. Lucas Williamson and Aher Uguak could light up anytime from beyond the arc if given the chance.
The most surprising team of the bunch is the Drake Bulldogs. As Drake began the season with 18-0, the Bulldogs had many thinking they could run the table and stay undefeated. That was the dream until a loss to Valparaiso on the second day of a back-to-back squandered those hopes. The Bulldogs have been rolling, but come in wounded without ShanQuan Hemphill and Roman Penn, both nursing foot injuries. D.J. Wilkins and Darnell Brodie now head the Bulldogs in Arch Madness combining for 17.6 points per game.
Joining the group of most improved, MSU added several aspects on the court that pushed them to the top-tier of the conference. Last season the Bears were expected to tear through the Valley and secure a spot in March, but things just didn’t click. This season has been a completely different story. Sitting as the No. 3 in St. Louis, Gaige Prim and Isiaih Mosley pose problems for any team they face. Combining for 36.8 points per game, Mosley was the leading scorer in the conference this season.
In their last game out, the Sycamores felt the loss of Tyreke Key as they fell 70-58 to Valparaiso. Key stepped up to lead the Sycamores to the No. 2 seed averaging 17.4 points a game. Indiana State repeated as the No. 4 seed for the Valley.
In his first full season under the helm of Evansville, head coach Todd Litlicker has turned the Aces around. Out of all the teams in the MVC, Evansville has exceeded expectations the most. This season’s preseason poll projected that the Aces would repeat as bottom feeders in the MVC. A middle of the pack team, the Aces will be able to miss the expected Thursday play-in game. Jawaun Newton comes in as the Aces’ top scorer averaging 13.9 points per game and placing eighth in the MVC.
Last season Valpo made history as they were the first team to play a Thursday play in game and make it to the MVC Championship. Despite falling last year, Valpo proved that a team could make the multi-day run. This season Valpo will have it much easier as they barely sit outside of that Thursday play-in window. Last season’s leading scorer in Javon Freeman-Liberty has been felt, but Ben Krikke has stepped up to average 12.3 ppg.
Prior to the season starting, the Panthers were expected to repeat as No. 1 seeds in the MVC tournament. But the Panthers lost star player and reigning MVC Larry Bird Player of the Year AJ Green in the second game of the season due to a hip injury that required surgery. That loss was devastating for the Panthers as they have sunken to the No. 7 seed. In Green’s absence Trae Berhow has stepped up to average 13.2 points per game to lead the Panthers and rank 11 in the MVC.
Despite a good start in nonconference, the reigning Missouri Valley Champions hit a wall mid-season, and the location of the wall was in Springfield, Missouri.
Lacking key players Elijah Childs, Terry Nolan Jr. and Danya Kingsby due to a sex crime committed in Springfield, the Braves come in behind Ja’Shon Henry, who scores near 11 points per game.
Making a late season stand, Bradley took down Drake in its season finale, potentially giving the Braves a momentous push that will be needed to three-peat as conference champs.
A season plagued by an injury dwindled Southern Illinois’ hopes of competing at the top of the MVC. The Salukis’ leading scorer Marcus Domask has been sidelined since Jan. 25 with a foot injury. Without its sophomore standout, SIU followed behind Lance Jones and Ben Harvey to a five-win conference record. The duo almost knocked off Loyola-Chicago to end the season, taking the Ramblers to overtime. Speculation has been made that Domask could be available in St. Louis, but nothing has been confirmed at this time.
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