Previewing next years MVC

[Ricardo del Rio]

I like the Trees but I think the above projections are very optimistic. I'd expect them to play Thursday and possibly finish ninth or 10th next year in an improved MVC.

Is Anthony Bean returning?

[Ricardo del Rio]

Aw, what the hell. Look out, Wichita. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear!

Always true.

Get over confident and you will get your butt kicked.

I still remember the Patriots v. Dolphins game of the early 2000s. The game was taken off the board by Vegas. Fins win. Fins win. Fins win.

[Wufan]

No way Bradley losing Lemon Jr., Pickett and Prosser and gaining Cunningham, Sutherland, Shaw, etc. will equal them going from 7th place to 9th. The league did not improve that much in the off-season. Sure Lemon Jr. got his points since he was the offense, but as we all know, the reliance on him was also one of the team's biggest detriments. Bradley will be much more well-rounded this coming season. I don't know how anyone can logically argue they will be worse.

I'm going to disagree...I believe that almost every Valley team helped itself this off-season and the league (as a whole) did improve. The 2014 Thursday night teams have added some key recruits.
Loyola lost some depth but has added 6 newcomers highlighted by Marlon Jones and Ben Richardson
Drake lost some experience, but has 5 freshman committed including PFs Schlatter and Kuenstling that should make an impact.
Evansville lost a 'practice' player and added 2 highly touted jucos in Wiley and Stafford.
Bradley...maybe / probably the top recruiting class in the Valley, but don't underestimate the value of having a senior 'star' on the team (see Colt Ryan UE).

???????? Nobody improved at all, nobody at all?

I think UNI returns their top 8 or something, so I imagine they will be improved despite a shallow (in #, not rating) recruiting class.

[siudawgs]

I like the Trees but I think the above projections are very optimistic. I'd expect them to play Thursday and possibly finish ninth or 10th next year in an improved MVC.

Is Anthony Bean returning?

So far, so good. Not out of the woods, though.

[jackwagon]

1. WSU- until someone beats them no other choice makes sense. Marshall shouldnt be doubted.
2. UNI- solid pieces coming back and infusion of talent to fill holes. This group could push for the title if the UVA transfer is legit and Morgan steps his game up.
3. Ill St.- all or nothing situation here. Could see them challenging WSU or falling to Thursday. Lynch could be a beast in this league. All hinges on the new guys though. Explosive athletes!
4. Evansville- this will show people whether marty can coach or not. He finally has the horses to compete. DJ and EM are two of the top 5-10 players in this league. Love the Wiley pickup. If the nova transfer pans out this group could be really tough for the next two seasons.
5. ISU- I have to admit 5-7 was a tough choice. I like Lansing as a coach and K.Smith could be a star in this league. Gant has to be more consistent but when playing well is one of the best bigs in the league. Losing Odum is a massive loss but the other guys leaving are replaceable. The PG's- Bennett and Scott are talented guys to know for next year.
6. Bradley- what a recruiting job! The ceiling is much higher for this group but with no key pieces returning its hard to go much higher than this. Walt Lemon for all of his critics was a very good all around player who was on a crappy team. Pickett was solid too and will be missed.
7. MSU- not as in love with this group as most. Gulley was the heart and sole of that team. Marshall is very talented but how does he come back after major surgery? Kendrix is a steal, but will go through some FR pains. Ruder is a killer from distance but with him size/quickness im not sure he has a high ceiling as a player. Good player but not sure he'll be much better then he currently is, could be wrong. I like their additions, but hink this group is a year away.
8. SIU- I have them this low assuming that Beane leaves. Jump them to 5 or 6 with him. He has turned into a special player who is worth 2 or 3 slots. Even with him SIU stll has holes on this roster. Not in love with their frontcourt and depth. Also despite what some think, losing des is NOT an addition by subtraction thing. That guy was frustrating to watch at times but was a quality defender, brought athleticism, and when he was rolling could carry a team.
9. Loyola- Doyle keeps them out of the doghouse. the pickup from chicago looks nice on paper but losing the entire frontcourt is a blow. Also not convinced Moser can coach, even if he had a decent roster to work with.
10. Drake- I like Ray and what hes doing. Not as high on his class as some. Its big but dont see many immediate big impact guys, which this roster needs. Carter had a good year last year and will be missed. Did Ricks get another year? If so maybe bump them to 9th. He was having a good year before getting hurt.

[2livewu]

1. Wichita State
Top 10 program reloading big time. Seniors will be missed more than most think, but newcomers are dynamite. Not expecting nearly the success of last year, but still probably one of the 5 best teams in the Valley in the last 20 years at least. Nothing is certain, but the only rock solid choices are first and last. If WSU doesn't finish 1st something has gone dreadfully wrong with injuries or something. There is no talent or coaching that can match them for 18 games. However, there will be no 18-0 repeat. The rest of the league is too much better than last year. They'll get tripped up a few times.

2. UNI
Will be good. They have the team for the last 2 year's schedule. Hope they have the schedule this year.

3. Missouri State
I'm probably higher on the Bears than most. I think the So. Center (McCullough?) is going to be a handful for most Valley teams. Contingent on Marshall returning healthy.

4. Southern Illinois
Barry can coach and his guys are buying in. Probably overachieved a shade last season but if Beane stays they'll be a thorn in everyone's side.

5. Illinois State
Messy. That being said, put them in the middle.

6. Evansville
I suppose here. Not sold on coach. If Ballentine happens to get hurt, or tired, ouch.

7. Bradley
Bunch of newbies, just not a recipe for success in year 1 against teams without a lot of newbies. Next year? If in tact, different story.

8. Drake
Like Coach G. But they need a lot of work.

9. Indiana State
Afraid they lost their identity and not sure they'll get it right back. Certainly could be better, but I won't pick them just yet.

10. Loyola
Seems a complete lock for last, maybe even more than WSU for 1st, and that's saying something.

[DUBulldog]

10. Drake- I like Ray and what hes doing. Not as high on his class as some. Its big but dont see many immediate big impact guys, which this roster needs. Carter had a good year last year and will be missed. Did Ricks get another year? If so maybe bump them to 9th. He was having a good year before getting hurt.

I've heard nothing official, but it's assumed that Ricks will get another year....if he had played in one more game, then he would have been over the limit.

[Mikovio]

6. Bradley- what a recruiting job! The ceiling is much higher for this group but with no key pieces returning its hard to go much higher than this. Walt Lemon for all of his critics was a very good all around player who was on a crappy team. Pickett was solid too and will be missed.

Lemon is a very quick, very talented player and if he had an extra year of eligibility this year's team might be challenging for the title. He's a natural 2 guard who was asked to run the offense because Maniscalco left and the transfer PG Geno took from Wake was a bust. Lack of talent around him, over deference to him and I think over confidence led to him taking the lion's share of our shots, many of them forced and ill advised, and sometimes our games turned into Walt NBA tryouts. His 115 turnovers I think led the league, and he only shot 29% from the arc, so asking him to be the man and run the offense through him didn't play to his strengths and proved not to be a winning recipe. IMO, by asking him to do too much and not surrounding him with adequate talent he could trust, Bradley failed him more than he failed Bradley. It's a shame these highly rated recruits are all coming in after he leaves. They could open the driving lanes for him and give him assist options all over the court. The good news is I think his position is the only one where we don't upgrade. Hopefully these JUCO guards we're bringing in aren't too big of a dropoff.

Pickett was a solid player but Shaw is an upgrade. Pickett would play 10-15 min on next year's team, spelling Shaw.

Prosser wouldn't find any minutes this year behind Taylor and Morgan.

[Cdizzle]

Pickett was a solid player but Shaw is an upgrade. Pickett would play 10-15 min on next year's team, spelling Shaw.

Really? I find that very difficult to believe. From 33mpg 12ppg 7.6rpg to 10-15mpg of backup? Seems unlikely. The guy taking over those minutes has scored 29 career D1 points, in 2 years.

I can buy some of the addition by subtraction arguments with Lemon, but Pickett was a workhorse. I know he was one Marshall was very impressed with. I believe Marshall stopped in the handshake line and had a conversation with Pickett after all the games we played.

[Mikovio]

My understanding is Shaw wasn't a favorite of Weber and didn't have the green light in Champaign. I don't know why he didn't fit into Groce's plans. I do know word is Shaw was outplaying Pickett in practice this past year (he was a sit out transfer and allowed to practice with the team). He has always had talent (#59 Rivals in his HS class) so I tend to believe it. Keep in mind Geno's brother is an assistant at Illinois and he wouldn't be sending him guys that he knows are busts.

There just wouldn't be room for Pickett anywhere else in the roster. SF has Cunningham and Barnes; C has Taylor and Morgan. Maybe he would prove to be better than Morgan but he's undersized to play the 5. I just can't see him getting more than 15 min/game next year.

I'm certainly biased though.