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A way too early look ahead at the 2014 MVC mens basketball season
As I sat and ate lunch today I started to punch out my admittedly way too early initial effort in ranking the MVC mens basketball teams for 2014. There’s only so much that can be entered in 140 characters, but here is the quickie version.
MVC Power Rankings:
1) Wichita St – will be near unanimous first place pick. How much will the Shockers miss Armstead and more importantly, Carl Hall?
2) Indiana St - return everyone from last season.
3) UNI - I predicted them too high last season at #2. Hope I don’t make same mistake.
4) Bradley – might be too high, but Lemon Jr is a stud.
5) Missouri St – will last year’s star frosh develop or slump? High ceiling here.
6) SIU – Salukis showed progress last season and could jump up here.
7) Evansville – replacing Colt Ryan is tough assignment for Marty
8 ) Loyola - I put Ramblers here acknowledging I have a lot of homework to do.
9) Illinois St – massive holes to fill in Normal
10) Drake – New coach could make for a rough season.
You can discuss this and more on the MVCfans.com message board
Missouri Valley Conference officially adds Loyola University effective July 1, 2013
Welcome to all student-athletes, alums, and friends of Loyola University as the Ramblers will officially join the Valley on July 1, 2013.
An Introduction to Loyola for MVC fans – Meet the Ramblers
I’ll be your professor for the evening. This is a very informal introduction to Loyola University of Chicago, the newest member of the MVC. First things first, don’t call them Loyola Chicago. They hate it. Call them Loyola or LU, and you’ll be fast friends.
So, the Missouri Valley Conference is accepting Loyola as its replacement for Creighton on the way out the door. No, they don’t average 15,000 fans per game. No, they haven’t been to the tournament since before every Division I basketball player today was born. No, they haven’t been relevant in the Horizon League for seven years, and only briefly then.
You should be ecstatic with the move made by your conference leadership. Let me tell you why, from the perspective of someone who has been a rival to Loyola for a long time.
First off, Loyola is a first class university. This is a bona fide Jesuit institution – the largest in the country at 15,000 – with a medical school and law school of decent size. Like most urban universities, they have a central campus and then spread themselves around town. Loyola’s main campus is where the undergrads live and take most of their classes. It’s also the home of the Gentile Arena, their home for basketball.
And that’s what you care about at the end of the day, right? Basketball. So why get excited about a team that is second only to Youngstown State as the worst basketball program in the Horizon League since 2000? The answer is investment.
Read the rest of this entry »
Final MVC Hoops Show of 2013 – March 16
Welcome to our final episode of 2013! On this week’s MVC Hoops Show, we wrap up Arch Madness and the MVC conference season. We have an interview with Todd Golden of the Terre-Haute Trib Star discussing the MVC Tourney, conference realignment and more. Plus, Mark Emmert of the Des Moines Register stops by to discuss the firing of Drake head coach Mark Phelps.
We hope you will listen and bookmark the MVC Hoops Show blog where we will post show information.
Follow us on twitter @mvchoopsshow for show information and to learn which guests you will hear each week.
2013 Arch Madness – The good, the bad, and the ugly
Another Arch Madness is in the books and I want to start by thanking the Missouri Valley Conference for putting on such a great event. The entire tournament was fantastic and the championship game was memorable. I thought I would write up a synopsis of the happenings of the weekend from my point of view.
The Good:
1) Creighton and Wichita State – The MVC’s two best team seemed destined to meet on Sunday and that’s exactly what happened. Couldn’t ask for more than a game going down to the final possession on national TV for an MVC title.
2) Armstead and Echenique – Doug McDermott was chosen as the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player, but my vote went to Creighton’s Gregory Echenique who was a force all weekend for the Jays. If the Shockers had pulled it out, Armstead would have been the landslide winner.
3) Fans – Huge crowds at Scottrade Arena for the games involving Creighton and Wichita State and it appeared that everyone got along without incident of any kind.
The Bad:
1) All-MVC First Teamers – Other than Doug McDermott (and a lesser degree Jackie Carmichael who was 7-16), the All-MVC first team didn’t shoot very well in St. Louis. Colt Ryan was 4-18 in a one point loss. Jake Odum was just 3-11 in two games. Cleanthony Early went 2-8, 2-8, 1-5 and scored only 15 points in three games. Not exactly stellar performances.
2) Field goal shooting – In their semifinal game against Wichita State, Illinois State didn’t make their first field goal until a layup at the 7:28 mark of the first half. Their first jump shot didn’t come until 5:15 remained. And as bad as they were, the Redbirds nearly had a halftime lead.
3) Alex Permann – Winning donuts, some pizzas and tickets to future basketball games make for a pretty good Sunday, right? Well, yes and no. If you were inside Scottrade Arena on Sunday, you’ll recognize this. Permann had the chance to win $50,000 by making a layup, free throw, three pointer, and half courter. After he made the half court shoot he ran around the arena. Problem was, he neglected one very important thing – the three pointer. Watch:
The Ugly:
1) CBS - Not too much to complain about from my standpoint, but the big criticism of the weekend is from those fans who didn’t get to see the conclusion of yesterday’s championship game. In certain markets, CBS cut away from what was an exciting finish between Creighton and Wichita State to air the tipoff of the Indiana-Michigan game. While the MVC had no say in the matter, it is a black eye for the league. The Valley often touts the national exposure that the MVC gets from playing it’s title game on CBS, so it is embarrassing on several levels to have affiliates drop the game to show the beginning of another. Commissioner Doug Elgin said CBS should apologize. While I don’t disagree, it points to a bigger problem with the current media arrangement. I’d been told that part of the Valley’s deal to play in BracketBusters was that the MVC would get the CBS Sunday time slot, so shouldn’t that mean the entire game? Maybe the Valley needs to look at some alternative networks going forward.
You can discuss this and more on the MVCfans.com message board:
Arch Madness report – Saturday, March 3
Here is a quick look back at a tremendous quarterfinal Friday at Arch Madness.
Best game: Indiana State 51, Evansville 50
When you make Sportscenter as the #1 hightlight of the day, you know it was a crazy finish. In a 50-50 game, Evansville missed two free throws with 20 seconds remaining. Indiana St got the benefit of a somewhat questionable foul called with two seconds left and made 1 free throw. On the inbounds play, Evansville got the ball to a streaking Ned Cox who appeared to have a lane to the basket for the game winner, but the Sycamores’ Devonte Brown blocked the shot at the buzzer.
Player of the Day:
Lots of choices here, but Tyler Brown is the choice. The Redbirds guard made 4 three pointers in the first five minutes of the game en route to 28 points and 9 rebounds in ISU’s 73-65 win over Northern Iowa. Credit also needs to be given to Wichita State’s Carl Hall who was a monster on the glass, Creighton’s Gregory Echenique who went 11/11/6, and Missouri State’s Marcus Marshall who scored 25 points in a losing effort.
Surprise of the Day:
Wichita State had a welcome return as Ron Baker returned to the Shockers lineup after missing 21 games due to injury. The freshman made 3-5 three pointers and scored 15 points.
Disappointment of the Day:
In his final collegiate game, Evansville’s Colt Ryan shot just 4-18 from the field and was held scoreless in the second half as the Aces’ season ended.
Lifetime achievement award:
Creighton’s Doug McDdermott scored 23 points and, in doing so, passed Rodney Buford as the school’s all-time leading scorer. As a junior. An impressive accomplishment for the two time player of the year.
Welcome to Arch Madness!
We will be live from Scottrade Center in St. Louis this week bringing you game reports, tournament updates and hosting live chats throughout Arch Madness.
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MVCfans.com 2013 All-MVC teams and Player of the Year
Yesterday, we announced our choices for Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year. Today, we are pleased to recognize the finest players in the Valley with our All-MVC first and second teams, as well as those deserving of honorable mention.
Larry Bird Player of the Year
Doug McDermott – Creighton
Two years ago he became the first freshman named to the 1st team all-MVC team in 58 years. Last season he was the Valley’s first All-American since Creighton’s Kyle Korver in 2003. This season, he is among the leaders for the national player of the year award and he will become the first player since Darren Brooks of SIU to win back to back Larry Bird awards. If he chooses to return to Creighton, McDermott could pass Bradley’s Hersey Hawkins’ as the MVC all time lead scoreer (3008 points).
McDermott is currently second in the nation in scoring (23.4 ppg). In the Valley, McDermott is the league’s top scorer, third leading rebounder (7.6 rbg), fifth in FG% (.560), third in FT% (86.6%), and second in 3 point % (.481). Congratulations Doug McDermott on being selected as the winner of the MVCfans.com Player the Year award.
First Team All Missouri Valley Conference
Doug McDermott, Creighton
Colt Ryan, Evansville
Jackie Carmichael, Illinois State
Jake Odum, Indiana State
Cleanthony Early, Wichita St
Chris’ notes: I imagine the Top 4 choices will be near unanimous selections, but after that it’s very challenging to separate players 5-10. I chose Cleanthony Early for the last spot on the my 1st team. Beyond having a terrific season, I felt he was the key reason why the Shockers were able to rebuild after losing 75% of their scoring from last season.
Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference
Walt Lemon Jr, Bradley
Tyler Brown, Illinois State
Jake Koch, UNI
Malcolm Arsmtead, Wichita State
Grant Gibbs, Creighton
Chris’ notes: It’s almost impossible to just pick five players for the second team and I would listen to arguments for any of the players listed below as Honorable Mention. Ultimately, there was no doubt about Lemon and Brown. Koch didn’t have tremendous stats, but was solid in every aspect of the game. Armstead played a critical role for the Shockers and hit big shots when needed while Gibbs provided savvy and basketball IQ while leading the Valley in assists.
Honorable Mention All-Missouri Valley Conference
Carl Hall, Wichita State
Jordan Clarke, Drake
Gregory Echenique, Creighton
Desmar Jackson, Southern Illinois
Anthony James, Northern Iowa
Anthony Downing, Missouri State
Jeff Early, Southern Illinois
Troy Taylor, Evansville
Manny Arop, Indiana State
Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Bradley
You can discuss this and more on the MVCfans.com message board:
MVCfans.com basketball discussion
MVCfans.com 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Awards and Honors – Part 1
Another Missouri Valley Conference basketball season is in the books, so it’s time that we start to hand out the hardware.
Below are our selections for Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year.
Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year:
Gregg Marshall, Wichita State
Others considered: Greg McDermott, Creighton; Barry Hinson, SIU
For the second consecutive season, Gregg Marshall of Wichita State is our selection for MVC Coach of the Year. The Shockers were predicted to finish 4th in the preseason media poll after losing major contributors from last season’s MVC championship team. Despite losing 3 starters to injury during the season, Marshall led the Shockers to a 12-6 MVC record. Congrats to Coach Gregg Marshall – our 2013 MVCfans.com Coach of the Year.
Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year:
Marcus Marshall, Missouri St
Others considered: Anthony Beane Jr, SIU; Gavin Thurman, Missouri St
Marshall earns this freshman of the year award based on strong play through the conference season. He averaged 10.3 ppg for the entire season, but scored in double figures 12 of the 18 Bears’ MVC games. Congratulations Marcus Marshall.
Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year:
Cleanthony Early, Wichita St
Others considered: Manny Arop, Indiana St; Desmar Jackson, SIU
Cleanthony Early took the early lead for this award following a 39 point outburst against SIU on January 9 and never let go. Early led the Shockers in scoring (14.5 ppg) and was second on the team in rebounding (5.2 rbg). Early scored in double fiures 17 times in MVC play. Congratulations Cleanthony Early.
Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year:
Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Bradley
Others Considered: Gregory Echenique, Creighton; Walt Lemon Jr, Bradley
A relentless defender, Simms-Edwards led the MVC with 84 steals, placing him 7th nationally at 2.71 steals per game.
Tomorrow I will post our All-MVC teams and Player of the Year Honoree.
MVC Hoops Show – March 2, 2013
On this week’s MVC Hoops Show, we review the games from the past week and preview the CU-WSU game on Saturday with MVC TV analyst and Creighton color man Nick Bahe. Our spotlight team of the week is Illinois State. We have an interview with head coach Dan Muller and beat writer Jim Benson.
We also draw our MVC Hoops Show grand prize trivia winner who will receive 2 all-session club passes for Arch Madness and more. The MVC Hoops Show is sponsored by Complete Nutrition.
We hope you will listen and bookmark the MVC Hoops Show blog where we will post show information.
Follow us on twitter @mvchoopsshow for show information and to learn which guests you will hear each week.
