MVC and FOFC Interactive Coaches Dynasty

[collegesportsfanms]

Alright guys, thanks to britrock88 getting me a conference realignment mod, I am ready to begin this thing. I've got 4 FOFC coaches that will start in the MVC, so that's good enough. A few notes:

ntndeacon, britrock88, Zinto, and JAG, To be fair, I decided to start all FOFC coaches at level 7. This is an average coach level, and gave you guys 240 points to play with. I've adjusted the ratings that you gave me accordingly, and if you want to know what your new ratings are, I'll be glad to tell you. Every so often coaches get promoted a coach level which gives them 20 bonus points. If any FOFC coaches get this, I will come to you guys and you can tell me how you want to delegate those extra 20 points.

Conference movement is set to limited. I have decided that after every 4th or 5th year, if there is no movement among the MVC, I will manually create some conference movement (after all, I am the commissioner of the MVC, so I can do that if I want. ;) )

At this time, I have no real life coaches in the game other than the MVC coaches, including the 4 that have been replaced by FOFC coaches. At some point I may go in and add some real life coaches, but I wanted to get this going.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here is a look at the 10 MVC coaches that now have their fate in my hands. FOFC coaches are in bold.

Bradley- Geno Ford
Drake- Randolph Childress (ntndeacon)
Evansville- Marty Simmons
Illinois St.- Dan Muller
Indiana St.- Greg Lansing
Loyola Chicago- Jawouk Bafou (britrock88)
Missouri St.- Score Galore (JAG)
Northern Iowa- Patrick Hutt (Zinto)
Southern Illinois- Barry Hinson
Wichita St.- Gregg Marshall

[collegesportsfanms]

Just so everyone gets an idea, here are the starting prestiges for the MVC schools:

Bradley- 55
Drake- 57
Evansville- 54
Illinois St.- 67
Indiana St.- 57
Loyola Chicago- 43
Missouri St.- 65
Northern Iowa- 74
Southern Illinois- 56
Wichita St.- 81

[collegesportsfanms]

2013 Season Tournaments

Southern Illinois is the 6th seed in the Alaska Invitational. They will open up against 3rd seed Texas A&M

Northern Iowa is the 7th seed in the Coaches Invitational. They will take on 10th seed Ohio in their first game.

Evansville is the 8th seed in the GDS Classic. They will open up against 9th seed Princeton.

Missouri State is the 3rd seed in the Island Invitational and will start with 6th seed Western Michigan.

Indiana State is the 6th seed in the Las Vegas Challenge. Interestingly, their first round opponent is former MVC member Creighton.

Bradley is the 7th seed in the Las Vegas Shootout. Their first round opponent is 10th seed Northeastern.

Illinois State is the 2nd seed in the Orlando Classic. Their first round opponent is 7th seed Bowling Green.

Wichita State is the 6th seed in the Preseason NIT. Their first round opponent is 11th seed Vermont,

Drake is the 1st seed in the 4 team Tennessee Challenge and will face 4th seed Delaware State in their first game.

Loyola Chicago did not get a tournament.

[SirFozzie]

Cool stuff. Hopefully I can get in at some point in the future :)

[collegesportsfanms]

sirfozzie,

Since I won't be simming any of the season until tomorrow at least, I can get you in for the current season if you sign up in time.

Just hit me up with a coaches name, what school you want to coach at, coaches age, hometown, alma mater. And you have 240 points to spread between offense, defense, recruiting, and scouting. Get me that info before the next time I load FBCB and I'll get you in for this season. :)

[SirFozzie]

Done :)

[collegesportsfanms]

sirfozzie has added a coach to the mix.

His coach is Alex Donovan, and he will be taking over at Bradley. That means Geno Ford will be unemployed this season.

I have to work until very late tonight, so I don't know if I'll get anything done on this tonight. I'm hoping that this weekend I can get through November and December of the 2013-2014 season. Thanks to all who have signed up so far, hopefully we can add more to the mix over time!

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 2013 Tournament Wrap-Up

2013 Alaska Invitational

Southern Illinois lost their first round game to (3) Texas A&M 62-52, then lost in the consolation semifinals to (7) St. Bonaventure 77-69. They completed the trifecta that nobody wants to complete by losing to (8) Rider 68-62 in the 7th place game.

2013 Coaches Invitational

Northern Iowa dropped a heartbreaker in the first round to (10) Ohio 69-57. Since this is a 16 team single elimination tournament, their run is over after 1 game.

2013 GDS Classic

Evansville lost to (9) Princeton 72-65 in the first round. This is also a 16 team single elimination tournament.

2013 Island Invitational

Missouri State becomes the first MVC team to win an in-season tournament game in my tenure as commissioner, as they beat (6) Western Michigan 75-74 in the first round. In the winners bracket semifinals, they lost to (2) Boston College 77-65, but rallied to win the 3rd place game over (4) Marshall, 90-82.

2013 Las Vegas Challenge

Indiana State lost their first round game to former MVC member (3) Creighton, 70-57. Then they surprised (2) Baylor in the losers bracket semifinals, beating the Bears 80-72. They won the 5th place game against (8) Wofford, 74-62.

2013 Orlando Classic

Illinois State won their first round game over (7) Bowling Green 77-57. Then they beat (3) Rutgers 74-53 in the winners bracket semifinals. In the championship game, they beat (1) Virginia Tech 77-69 to bring home the first in-season conference tournament trophy for the MVC with me running the conference. Congrats to the Redbirds and head coach Dan Muller.

2013 Preseason NIT

Wichita State won their first round game against (11) Vermont 85-76, then lost in the quarterfinals to (3) Arizona 94-71 in this 16 team tournament.

2013 Tennessee Challenge

Drake beat (4) Delaware State 74-56 in the first round, then in the championship game they beat (2) Manhattan 66-50. Randolph Childress becomes our first FOFC coach to win an in-season tournament, albeit a 4 team tournament. A tournament championship is still the same whether it is a 4, 8, or 16 team tournament.

While the 2 tournament titles is impressive for the MVC, we had 2 teams in 16 team tournaments that went one and done, and a team that finished in 8th place in their tournament. This is unacceptable. We've got one more team (Bradley) who will play their in-season tournament in December. It's also a 16 team single elimination tournament, and they have a very winnable first round game.

[collegesportsfanms]

Dec. 2013 Tournament Wrap-Up

2013 Las Vegas Shootout

Bradley lost their first round game to (10) Northeastern 51-50.

With our conference play starting on Dec. 25, and with me doing week by week reports during the MVC Conference schedule, the MVC standings will be through Dec. 22, 2013, and here they are:

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 11 67
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 0 .000 8 2 .800 58 43
Indiana State Sycamores 0 0 .000 7 3 .700 7 57
Northern Iowa Panthers 0 0 .000 6 3 .667 28 74
Wichita State Shockers 0 0 .000 6 2 .750 51 81
Drake Bulldogs 0 0 .000 5 5 .500 4 57
Missouri State Bears 0 0 .000 4 5 .444 106 65
Bradley Braves 0 0 .000 3 6 .333 166 55
Evansville Aces 0 0 .000 2 7 .222 57 54
Southern Illinois Salukis 0 0 .000 2 7 .222 291 56


Illinois State and Indiana State have been the most impressive teams so far. Illinois State started undefeated before losing 2 tough games to top 25 ACC teams. Indiana State has also lost to a couple ranked teams, but they have a couple nice wins at Purdue and St. Louis.

Bradley (Alex Donovan) has just 3 wins, against teams with RPIs of 225, 320, and 178. Their closest loss was the 1 point loss to Northeastern. Their other 5 losses have all been by 9 points or more.

Drake (Randolph Childress) followed their tournament win by almost upsetting UCLA. They've played a solid schedule, with over half their games coming against teams from the BCS conference. They even got wins at Tulsa and Iowa State.

Loyola-Chicago (Jawouk Bafou) is on an 8 game winning streak. Granted, their schedule hasn't been anywhere near as tough as Drakes has been (they've only played 3 schools that have a .500 or better record), but they are the lowest prestige team in the MVC, and its good for them to get a few wins under their belt headed into conference play.

Missouri State (Score Galore) battled an Oklahoma State team who's RPI is 3. They lost to them by a bucket. They have the potential to be a strong team outside the MVC, but a lack of consistency has Mr. Score Galore scratching his head. This was never more evident in their game against Vanderbilt, which they were hammered by 21 points.

Northern Iowa (Patrick Hutt) has the conferences best win so far, as they beat Notre Dame 73-70. At the time, the Fighting Irish were ranked 14th. However, inconsistency is an issue with the Panthers as well. After that upset of Notre Dame, they turned around and lost to a 5-5 Toledo team. However, they did defeat the Vanderbilt team that Missouri State lost to.

[collegesportsfanms]

Since none of our teams are ranked in the top 25, we have 1 team ranked in the mid-major poll, with 2 others receiving votes. So we'll take a look at that poll.

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 11-1 1800 2 West Coast Conference
2. UNLV 9-1 1728 1 Mountain West Conference
3. Gonzaga 8-2 1643 4 West Coast Conference
4. VCU 6-2 1556 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. New Mexico 7-2 1471 8 Mountain West Conference
6. Massachusetts 9-0 1380 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Akron 8-1 1322 13 Mid-American Conference
8. Southern Mississippi 9-2 1306 3 Conference USA
9. Ohio 8-1 1286 11 Mid-American Conference
10. George Mason 8-1 1205 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Saint Louis 7-1 1036 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
12. Saint Joseph's 6-2 907 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. UTEP 8-1 874 16 Conference USA
14. George Washington 8-1 828 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Middle Tennessee 9-1 808 9 Conference USA
16. Murray State 8-1 694 22 Ohio Valley Conference
17. James Madison 9-1 673 19 Colonial Athletic Association
18. San Diego 8-1 521 24 West Coast Conference
19. Davidson 8-2 500 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
20. Marist 9-1 446 12 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
21. Pennsylvania 7-1 386 25 Ivy League
22. Long Beach State 6-1 381 NR Big West Conference
23. Illinois State 9-2 220 5 Missouri Valley Conference
24. Montana 6-1 137 NR Big Sky Conference
25. UAB 7-2 96 NR Conference USA

Others Receiving Votes:
Brigham Young 7-4 76 West Coast Conference
Loyola Maryland 10-2 27 Patriot League
Wichita State 6-2 23 Missouri Valley Conference
Manhattan 8-2 15 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Utah State 7-2 13 Mountain West Conference
Wright State 8-2 13 Horizon League
St. Bonaventure 7-2 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
Kent State 7-3 10 Mid-American Conference
Loyola Chicago 8-2 7 Missouri Valley Conference
Dayton 6-2 1 Atlantic 10 Conference

My first question right off the bat... where the heck is Indiana State? They have the third best record in the MVC to this point, and the second best RPI, and they can't even get one vote in the mid-major poll? I call bs on that.

Also, one other note as I wrap things up for the moment... all coaches get a 1 year grace period, so unless an MVC (or FOFC) coach leaves for another school or retires, they will all be returning next year. In other words, I will not fire any MVC coaches in my first year as MVC commish. The second year is open season however.

[SirFozzie]

We only scored 50 points? UNACCEPTABLE.

This is the way I described my coach to CS..

"His game plan is basically "HAVE BALL? SHOOT BALL! DON'T HAVE BALL? GET BALL, SHOOT BALL!"

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 23-30, 2013

Guys, this will be my format once conference play starts, keeping in mind there will be some non-conference games mixed in sometimes. When giving scores, any FOFC coached teams will be in bold.

Game of the Week

Indiana State @ #4 Tennessee - Dec. 25 -- This is the most important game of the week for so many reasons. I felt Indiana St. was slighted by not getting a vote in the mid-major poll. A good showing against undefeated Tennessee would go a long way. And if the Sycamores can pull the upset? That would be huge for the conference as a whole.

Other Key Games

Southern Illinois @ Loyola Chicago - Dec. 25 -- These 2 teams were picked to be at the bottom of the Valley standings. Southern Illinois is there, Loyola has been a pleasant surprise, but how well will they fare in their first MVC game?

Indiana State @ Wichita State - Dec. 28 -- Depending on the result of the game against Tennessee, this could be another big chance for the Sycamores to earn some respect nationally, as Wichita State is the overwhelming favorite to win the Valley.

Game Scores

Dec. 24, 2013

Wichita State 82, at South Dakota 39 (non-conference)

Dec. 25, 2013

at Northern Iowa 83, Missouri State 74
at Illinois State 88, Evansville 74
at Loyola Chicago 92, Southern Illinois 53
at Drake 72, Bradley 64
Indiana State 81, at #4 Tennessee 59 (non-conference)

Dec. 26, 2013

Wichita State 68, at Nebraska Omaha 41 (non-conference)

Dec. 28, 2013

at Wichita State 95, Indiana State 92
at Northern Iowa 52, Evansville 46
at Illinois State 72, Missouri State 63
Bradley 79, at Loyola Chicago 72
Southern Illinois 69, at Drake 56

Game of the Week Recap

Indiana State @ #4 Tennessee -- This once looked bad early on, as the Sycamores went into the locker room trailing 39-21. I'm not sure what Coach Lansing said to fire up his guys in the locker room, but it worked. They outscored Tennessee 60-20 in the second half. Yes you heard right, 60-20. That led to an 81-59 shocking over the #4 team in the nation and a huge, huge win for the Valley.

Key Game Recaps

Southern Illinois @ Loyola Chicago -- Loyola took care of business in the second half, shooting 62.3% for the game as they rolled to a 39 point victory.

Indiana State @ Wichita State -- The Shockers knew they would be in for a battle, and this one was a thrilling game. Neither team led by more than 7 at any point, and defense wasn't even a thing to think about in this one, but Wichita St. prevailed barely.

Here are the standings after the first week of conference play:

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 2 0 1.000 11 2 .846 15 67
Wichita State Shockers 1 0 1.000 9 2 .818 75 81
Northern Iowa Panthers 2 0 1.000 8 3 .727 31 74
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 1 1 .500 9 3 .750 128 43
Drake Bulldogs 1 1 .500 6 6 .500 23 57
Bradley Braves 1 1 .500 4 7 .364 96 55
Southern Illinois Salukis 1 1 .500 3 8 .273 218 56
Indiana State Sycamores 0 1 .000 8 4 .667 3 57
Missouri State Bears 0 2 .000 4 7 .364 86 65
Evansville Aces 0 2 .000 2 9 .182 65 54

And with no teams ranked in the AP top 25 poll, lets take a look at the mid-major top 25 again:

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 13-1 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga 10-2 1727 3 West Coast Conference
3. UNLV 10-1 1596 2 Mountain West Conference
4. New Mexico 8-2 1595 5 Mountain West Conference
5. Akron 10-1 1434 7 Mid-American Conference
6. Massachusetts 11-0 1422 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Ohio 9-1 1321 9 Mid-American Conference
8. Southern Mississippi 9-2 1302 8 Conference USA
9. George Mason 10-1 1282 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. VCU 7-3 1173 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Saint Louis 9-1 1125 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
12. UTEP 10-1 999 13 Conference USA
13. George Washington 10-1 887 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Saint Joseph's 8-2 838 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. San Diego 10-1 830 18 West Coast Conference
16. Illinois State 11-2 746 23 Missouri Valley Conference
17. Montana 8-1 562 24 Big Sky Conference
18. UAB 9-2 534 25 Conference USA
19. Wichita State 9-2 470 NR Missouri Valley Conference
20. Loyola Maryland 12-2 458 NR Patriot League
21. Murray State 10-2 357 16 Ohio Valley Conference
22. St. Bonaventure 8-2 242 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. James Madison 10-2 136 17 Colonial Athletic Association
24. Northern Iowa 8-3 118 NR Missouri Valley Conference
25. Weber State 8-2 109 NR Big Sky Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Middle Tennessee 9-2 83 Conference USA
Old Dominion 6-3 81 Conference USA
Marist 10-2 40 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
South Dakota State 10-2 38 Summit League
Dayton 7-2 36 Atlantic 10 Conference
Davidson 9-3 27 Atlantic 10 Conference
Pennsylvania 8-2 25 Ivy League
Iona 10-3 4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Wright State 9-3 2 Horizon League
Wyoming 10-3 1 Mountain West Conference


It's unbelievable that even after that win at Tennessee, the Indiana State Sycamores still can't garner a vote in the mid-major polls. What are these people smoking?

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 30, 2013-Jan. 5, 2014

Game of the Week

Illinois State @ Wichita State - Jan. 4, 2014 -- The top 2 teams in the Valley to this point will battle. Illinois St. seems to have the best chance to unseat Wichita State at the top.

Other Key Game

Northern Iowa @ Indiana State - Jan. 4, 2014 -- These are the other 2 teams that could pose a threat to Wichita State early on. As far as the polls go, Indiana State may need this win more, as they don't seem to be getting the respect they deserve.

Game Scores

Dec. 30, 2013

Southern Illinois 76, at Saint Louis 68

Jan. 1, 2014

at Evansville 65, Drake 34
at Missouri State 72, Loyola Chicago 59
Northern Iowa 78, at Wichita State 70
Illinois State 76, at Indiana State 60
at Minnesota 79, Bradley 65 (non-conference)

Jan. 4, 2014

at Evansville 66, Loyola Chicago 44
Drake 66, at Missouri State 63
Illinois State 76, at Wichita State 73
Northern Iowa 79, at Indiana State 75
at Southern Illinois 69, Bradley 61

Game of the Week Recap

Wichita State @ Illinois State -- Despite 33 points from Richard Kennedy, the Shockers couldn't hang on in this one, as Illinois State comes from behind late to win.

Key Game Recap

Northern Iowa @ Indiana State -- Despite forcing 21 turnovers, Indiana State trailed by 15 at halftime. While their pressure defense led to a lot of turnovers, it also led to a lot of easy baskets, as Northern Iowa shot 51% from the field.

MVC Standings:

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 4 0 1.000 13 2 .867 9 67
Northern Iowa Panthers 4 0 1.000 10 3 .769 28 74
Southern Illinois Salukis 2 1 .667 5 8 .385 152 56
Evansville Aces 2 2 .500 4 9 .308 52 54
Drake Bulldogs 2 2 .500 7 7 .500 44 57
Wichita State Shockers 1 2 .333 9 4 .692 94 81
Bradley Braves 1 2 .333 4 9 .308 130 55
Missouri State Bears 1 3 .250 5 8 .385 91 65
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 1 3 .250 9 5 .643 179 43
Indiana State Sycamores 0 3 .000 8 6 .571 7 57


2 dissapointments so far have been Indiana State and Wichita State. The Sycamores are winless early on in conference play after upsetting Tennessee, and Wichita State was the preseason Valley favorite, but they went 0-2 this week against teams that look to be top contenders to knock off the Shockers.

Mid Major Top 25:

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 14-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga 12-2 1728 2 West Coast Conference
3. New Mexico 10-2 1621 4 Mountain West Conference
4. UNLV 12-1 1598 3 Mountain West Conference
5. George Mason 12-1 1454 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Massachusetts 13-0 1426 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Ohio 11-1 1395 7 Mid-American Conference
8. Southern Mississippi 9-2 1338 8 Conference USA
9. Akron 11-2 1205 5 Mid-American Conference
10. Illinois State 13-2 1131 16 Missouri Valley Conference
11. George Washington 10-1 1006 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
12. VCU 8-4 1003 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Saint Louis 9-2 852 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Loyola Maryland 14-2 835 20 Patriot League
15. Northern Iowa 10-3 720 24 Missouri Valley Conference
16. UAB 9-2 650 18 Conference USA
17. Murray State 12-2 622 21 Ohio Valley Conference
18. UTEP 10-2 561 12 Conference USA
19. Saint Joseph's 10-3 542 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
20. San Diego 11-2 538 15 West Coast Conference
21. Davidson 10-3 367 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Middle Tennessee 10-2 295 NR Conference USA
23. Old Dominion 7-3 284 NR Conference USA
24. Marist 12-2 280 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
25. Manhattan 11-3 70 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Montana 9-2 28 Big Sky Conference
Kent State 9-3 26 Mid-American Conference
East Tennessee State 12-3 18 Southern Conference
St. Bonaventure 9-3 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
Dayton 7-3 1 Atlantic 10 Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

For those FOFC coaches and any other readers, I have a question. I will post the conference standings every week, but how about polls? What kind of polls do you want to see every week? Do you want the AP Top 25 poll, the Mid-Major Poll, both polls, neither poll, or just polls that an MVC or FOFC coached team is receiving votes in? Personally I'm not sure if there is a need for the AP poll unless an MVC team is in it (or an FOFC, non MVC team), as the focus of this right now is the MVC. What do you guys think?

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 6-12, 2014

Game of the Week

Illinois State @ Northern Iowa - Jan. 11 -- A no-brainer here, as these are the only 2 undefeated teams early on in conference play. The winner will take a huge step forward early on in the conference race.

Other Key Games

Wichita State @ Drake - Jan. 8 -- Wichita St. needs this win to get back on track, a loss here would be huge for the preseason conference favorites.

Missouri State @ Southern Illinois - Jan. 8 -- Southern Illinois is currently 3rd early on in the conference race. Both of these teams are expected to finish .500 in conference.

Game Scores

Jan. 7, 2014

at Illinois State 82, Dayton 46 (non-conference)

Jan. 8, 2014

at Southern Illinois 70, Missouri State 60
at Bradley 81, Evansville 63
Indiana State 81, at Loyola Chicago 78
Wichita State 70, at Drake 37

Jan. 9, 2014

Northern Iowa 63, at Florida Atlantic 50 (non-conference)

Jan. 11, 2014

Evansville 68, at Southern Illinois 66
Missouri State 77, at Bradley 74
at Northern Iowa 89, Illinois State 86
Wichita State 71, at Loyola Chicago 53
Indiana State 86, at Drake 58

Game of the Week Recap

Illinois State @ Northern Iowa -- This game was everything I expected and then more. I personally attended this game, and all I saw were 9 ties and 16 lead changes. This game was won at the line, however, as UNI made 35 free throws. Wow!

Key Game Recaps

Wichita State @ Drake -- The Shockers came out with a vengeance tonight, forcing 19 Drake turnovers and holding them to just 26% shooting.

Missouri State @ Southern Illinois -- The Salukis used 55% shooting from the field to win this game, as they led by 10 at halftime and held that lead all second half.

MVC Standings:

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern Iowa Panthers 5 0 1.000 12 3 .800 16 74
Illinois State Redbirds 4 1 .800 14 3 .824 6 67
Wichita State Shockers 3 2 .600 11 4 .733 67 81
Southern Illinois Salukis 3 2 .600 6 9 .400 189 56
Evansville Aces 3 3 .500 5 10 .333 79 54
Indiana State Sycamores 2 3 .400 10 6 .625 9 57
Bradley Braves 2 3 .400 5 10 .333 182 55
Drake Bulldogs 2 4 .333 7 9 .438 52 57
Missouri State Bears 2 4 .333 6 9 .400 118 65
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 1 5 .167 9 7 .563 193 43


We have 3 MVC teams in the top 25 of the RPI. Obviously its still early in January, but I'm hoping to get a minimum of 2 teams in the NCAA tournament this season. 3 or 4 would be great.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 16-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. New Mexico 12-2 1716 3 Mountain West Conference
3. Gonzaga 13-3 1625 2 West Coast Conference
4. UNLV 14-1 1615 4 Mountain West Conference
5. Ohio 13-1 1477 7 Mid-American Conference
6. George Mason 13-1 1431 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Southern Mississippi 11-2 1364 8 Conference USA
8. Massachusetts 13-0 1353 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Northern Iowa 12-3 1124 15 Missouri Valley Conference
10. George Washington 12-1 1113 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Akron 12-3 982 9 Mid-American Conference
12. Saint Louis 11-2 923 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Illinois State 14-3 893 10 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Loyola Maryland 15-2 886 14 Patriot League
15. UAB 11-2 724 16 Conference USA
16. Murray State 14-2 719 17 Ohio Valley Conference
17. San Diego 13-2 689 20 West Coast Conference
18. VCU 9-5 650 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. UTEP 11-2 566 18 Conference USA
20. Middle Tennessee 12-2 455 22 Conference USA
21. Manhattan 13-3 339 25 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
22. St. Bonaventure 11-3 230 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. Kent State 11-3 177 NR Mid-American Conference
24. Brigham Young 10-6 145 NR West Coast Conference
25. Montana 11-2 110 NR Big Sky Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
East Tennessee State 14-3 108 Southern Conference
Old Dominion 8-4 71 Conference USA
Saint Joseph's 10-4 49 Atlantic 10 Conference
Davidson 10-4 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
New Mexico State 10-4 17 Western Athletic Conference
Iona 13-4 13 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Weber State 11-3 9 Big Sky Conference
Wright State 12-4 4 Horizon League
Long Beach State 10-3 2 Big West Conference
South Dakota State 12-3 2 Summit League
Wichita State 11-4 1 Missouri Valley Conference

[Zinto]

It looks like I have been doing a pretty good job at Northern Iowas so far!

[collegesportsfanms]

Guys, I'm in a bit of a tough spot here. There is a chance that our internet service got infected area wide and we may have to reformat all the computers in the house to fix the problem.

So I can either do 1 of 2 things: I can hold off on this project, because if we do have to reformat stuff, I will have to start from scratch. And reformatting won't happen until this weekend at the earliest.

Or, I can go ahead and finish this 2013-2014 season, since there will be no coach movement the first season anyways, and if I have to reformat I can just pick up at the 2014-2015 season, and edit our FOFC coach stats and records and team prestige records and everything. What would you guys rather have me do.. just wait it out and restart from scratch if need be, or go ahead and finish out the current season and then if I have to restart from scratch, edit the FOFC coaches to show their records for the 2013-2014 season that I did that wouldn't show up in the new game otherwise?

Let me know what you guys think

[britrock88]

Do what's easiest. I wouldn't want to put conditions on your recreational pursuits. :)

[ntndeacon]

Do what's easiest. I wouldn't want to put conditions on your recreational pursuits. :)

Agreed!

[collegesportsfanms]

Guys, I am hoping, 1 way or the other, to jump back into this project, if not this weekend, by sometime early next week. I make no guarantees. Thanks for your patience, I will get back to this one way or another.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 13-19, 2014

Game of the Week

Southern Illinois @ Wichita State - Jan. 15 -- The pickings were slim this week, not a lot of key games, but these 2 teams are 4th and 3rd in the standings, respectively. On paper, the Shockers should win this game easily, but they have been on a slide as of late.

Game Scores

Jan. 15, 2014

Southern Illinois 80, at Wichita State 61
at Indiana State 77, Bradley 58
at Northern Iowa 79, Loyola Chicago 51
at Illinois State 71, Drake 64

Jan. 16, 2014

at Evansville 70, UW Green Bay 63 (non-conference)
at Missouri State 58, Texas Christian 50 (non-conference)

Jan. 18, 2014

Evansville 76, at Missouri State 56
at Wichita State 77, Bradley 57
at Indiana State 63, Southern Illinois 60
at Northern Iowa 64, Drake 57
at Illinois State 82, Loyola Chicago 65

Game of the Week Recap

Southern Illinois @ Wichita St. -- The Shockers led by 4 at halftime, but Southern Illinois put up 52 points in the second half and forced 17 turnovers in the game, as they shock the Shockers in a big way.

MVC Standings:

Northern Iowa Panthers 7 0 1.000 14 3 .824 18 74
Illinois State Redbirds 6 1 .857 16 3 .842 15 67
Evansville Aces 4 3 .571 7 10 .412 90 54
Wichita State Shockers 4 3 .571 12 5 .706 103 81
Indiana State Sycamores 4 3 .571 12 6 .667 29 57
Southern Illinois Salukis 4 3 .571 7 10 .412 169 56
Missouri State Bears 2 5 .286 7 10 .412 156 65
Bradley Braves 2 5 .286 5 12 .294 180 55
Drake Bulldogs 2 6 .250 7 11 .389 51 57
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 1 7 .125 9 9 .500 166 43


Although it's still fairly early in the conference race, it's looking like a 2 team race right now, with a major log jam in the middle. Loyola got off to that hot start but since then have not had a warm welcome into the MVC.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 18-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. New Mexico 14-2 1728 2 Mountain West Conference
3. Gonzaga 15-3 1648 3 West Coast Conference
4. George Mason 15-1 1578 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Ohio 15-1 1508 5 Mid-American Conference
6. UNLV 14-2 1438 4 Mountain West Conference
7. VCU 11-5 1331 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Massachusetts 14-1 1241 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Northern Iowa 14-3 1125 9 Missouri Valley Conference
10. Illinois State 16-3 1110 13 Missouri Valley Conference
11. UAB 12-3 1031 15 Conference USA
12. Saint Joseph's 12-4 952 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
13. UTEP 13-2 911 19 Conference USA
14. Murray State 16-2 852 16 Ohio Valley Conference
15. Southern Mississippi 11-4 730 7 Conference USA
16. New Mexico State 12-4 675 NR Western Athletic Conference
17. Brigham Young 12-6 667 24 West Coast Conference
18. Saint Louis 12-3 574 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Kent State 13-3 549 23 Mid-American Conference
20. Old Dominion 10-4 464 NR Conference USA
21. Loyola Maryland 16-3 441 14 Patriot League
22. Akron 13-4 306 11 Mid-American Conference
23. San Diego 14-3 264 17 West Coast Conference
24. East Tennessee State 15-3 238 NR Southern Conference
25. George Washington 12-3 85 10 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Middle Tennessee 13-3 67 Conference USA
South Dakota State 14-3 31 Summit League
Wright State 14-4 27 Horizon League
Manhattan 14-4 24 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Montana 12-3 4 Big Sky Conference
Wichita State 12-5 1 Missouri Valley Conference

Interesting to see Wichita State get a vote, especially since they were blasted by Southern Illinois early in the week.

[collegesportsfanms]

Guys, I am going to make a change in the format and eliminate the game of the week and game of the week recap. At this point I think keeping track of the week by week MVC games, standings, and polls is good enough. If you guys want to see the game of the week come back, let me know, and I'll put it back, but for now, I think I'll leave it out.

[collegesportsfanms]

Jan. 20-26, 2014

Game Scores

Jan. 20, 2014

Loyola Chicago 76, at North Dakota State 52 (non-conference)

Jan. 22, 2014

Indiana State 58, at Evansville 41
Wichita State 85, at Missouri State 74
at Southern Illinois 64, Northern Iowa 60 (1st conf loss for UNI)
Illinois State 84, at Bradley 69

Jan. 25, 2014

Wichita State 82, at Evansville 72
Indiana State 76, at Missouri State 68
Illinois State 73, at Southern Illinois 65
Northern Iowa 81, at Bradley 74
Drake 79, at Loyola Chicago 69

2013 Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern Iowa Panthers 8 1 .889 15 4 .789 41 74
Illinois State Redbirds 8 1 .889 18 3 .857 25 67
Wichita State Shockers 6 3 .667 14 5 .737 93 81
Indiana State Sycamores 6 3 .667 14 6 .700 32 57
Southern Illinois Salukis 5 4 .556 8 11 .421 136 56
Evansville Aces 4 5 .444 7 12 .368 116 54
Drake Bulldogs 3 6 .333 8 11 .421 51 57
Missouri State Bears 2 7 .222 7 12 .368 175 65
Bradley Braves 2 7 .222 5 14 .263 162 55
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 1 8 .111 10 10 .500 190 43


Halfway through conference play, and it's gonna be a doozy the rest of the way. Don't count out either Wichita St. or Indiana St. At this point, it looks like 4 of the MVC teams are a lock for the postseason.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 19-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. New Mexico 16-2 1727 2 Mountain West Conference
3. Gonzaga 17-3 1654 3 West Coast Conference
4. George Mason 17-1 1567 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. VCU 13-5 1523 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. UNLV 15-3 1431 6 Mountain West Conference
7. Ohio 15-3 1304 5 Mid-American Conference
8. Illinois State 18-3 1221 10 Missouri Valley Conference
9. UAB 14-3 1203 11 Conference USA
10. Saint Joseph's 14-4 1197 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Southern Mississippi 13-4 1007 15 Conference USA
12. UTEP 15-2 997 13 Conference USA
13. New Mexico State 14-4 914 16 Western Athletic Conference
14. Kent State 15-3 867 19 Mid-American Conference
15. Northern Iowa 15-4 770 9 Missouri Valley Conference
16. Akron 15-4 666 22 Mid-American Conference
17. Brigham Young 13-7 600 17 West Coast Conference
18. Massachusetts 14-3 547 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Murray State 17-3 519 14 Ohio Valley Conference
20. East Tennessee State 17-3 431 24 Southern Conference
21. Saint Louis 13-4 374 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Old Dominion 11-5 294 20 Conference USA
23. Wright State 16-4 279 NR Horizon League
24. Middle Tennessee 15-3 196 NR Conference USA
25. South Dakota State 16-3 85 NR Summit League

Others Receiving Votes:
Wichita State 14-5 85 Missouri Valley Conference
Loyola Maryland 17-4 79 Patriot League
San Diego 14-4 22 West Coast Conference
St. Bonaventure 13-5 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
George Washington 13-4 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
Manhattan 15-5 5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Belmont 13-6 2 Ohio Valley Conference
Weber State 14-4 1 Big Sky Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 2014

Game Scores

Jan. 27, 2014

Southern Illinois 65, at Central Florida 53 (non-conference)

Jan. 29, 2014

Indiana State 81, at Northern Iowa 70
Wichita State 90, at Illinois State 84
Evansville 76, at Loyola Chicago 69
at Drake 75, Missouri State 71
at Texas 65, Southern Illinois 61 (non-conference)

Feb. 1, 2014

at Bradley 65, Southern Illinois 53
Wichita State 89, at Northern Iowa 69
at Illinois State 57, Indiana State 43
at Loyola Chicago 97, Missouri State 80
at Drake 77, Evansville 75

2013 Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 9 2 .818 19 4 .826 28 67
Northern Iowa Panthers 8 3 .727 15 6 .714 49 74
Wichita State Shockers 8 3 .727 16 5 .762 61 81
Indiana State Sycamores 7 4 .636 15 7 .682 26 57
Southern Illinois Salukis 5 5 .500 9 13 .409 146 56
Drake Bulldogs 5 6 .455 10 11 .476 68 57
Evansville Aces 5 6 .455 8 13 .381 116 54
Bradley Braves 3 7 .300 6 14 .300 172 55
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 2 9 .182 11 11 .500 219 43
Missouri State Bears 2 9 .182 7 14 .333 188 65


What a difference a couple weeks makes in the MVC conference race. Illinois St. is now on top, with 2 teams a game behind, and 1 team 2 games behind. This is definitely a 4 team race. Unfortunately, the rest of the MVC is way behind in picking up the slack.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 21-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. New Mexico 17-3 1721 2 Mountain West Conference
3. Gonzaga 18-4 1644 3 West Coast Conference
4. VCU 15-5 1594 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. George Mason 19-1 1518 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. UNLV 16-3 1411 6 Mountain West Conference
7. Brigham Young 15-7 1318 17 West Coast Conference
8. Ohio 17-3 1265 7 Mid-American Conference
9. UAB 16-3 1203 9 Conference USA
10. Saint Joseph's 15-5 1102 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Illinois State 19-4 1091 8 Missouri Valley Conference
12. New Mexico State 16-4 996 13 Western Athletic Conference
13. Kent State 17-3 911 14 Mid-American Conference
14. UTEP 17-2 903 12 Conference USA
15. Southern Mississippi 14-5 893 11 Conference USA
16. Wichita State 16-5 700 NR Missouri Valley Conference
17. Akron 16-5 613 16 Mid-American Conference
18. Northern Iowa 15-6 452 15 Missouri Valley Conference
19. Fairfield 17-6 367 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
20. Saint Louis 14-5 350 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
21. Old Dominion 12-6 346 22 Conference USA
22. St. Bonaventure 15-5 292 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. Belmont 15-6 199 NR Ohio Valley Conference
24. East Tennessee State 18-4 169 20 Southern Conference
25. Murray State 18-4 130 19 Ohio Valley Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Massachusetts 15-4 124 Atlantic 10 Conference
San Diego State 13-8 68 Mountain West Conference
Indiana State 15-7 47 Missouri Valley Conference
Wright State 16-5 44 Horizon League
Middle Tennessee 16-4 35 Conference USA
Iona 16-6 34 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Weber State 16-4 27 Big Sky Conference
Long Beach State 15-4 20 Big West Conference
George Washington 14-5 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
South Dakota State 17-4 4 Summit League
Davidson 12-8 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
Cornell 13-6 1 Ivy League
Loyola Maryland 17-6 1 Patriot League

[collegesportsfanms]

The first bubble watch is out, and let's take a look at how the MVC teams stack up (although this probably wont' be a surprise to anybody)

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE BUBBLE WATCH

Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State 19-4 .630 (28) 4-3 4-1 6-0 5-0 74 Lock
Wichita State 16-5 .583 (61) 4-3 2-1 5-1 5-0 113 Lock
Indiana State 15-7 .633 (26) 3-4 2-3 6-0 4-0 26 In
Northern Iowa 15-6 .597 (49) 4-2 2-2 4-1 5-1 68 In
Loyola Chicago 11-11 .467 (219) 0-3 1-3 4-4 6-1 257 Out
Drake 10-11 .572 (68) 0-6 2-2 5-3 3-0 47 Out
Southern Illinois 9-13 .518 (146) 1-4 3-4 3-4 2-1 103 Out
Evansville 8-13 .535 (116) 0-6 1-5 3-2 4-0 70 Out
Missouri State 7-14 .489 (188) 0-5 0-4 5-4 2-1 104 Out
Bradley 6-14 .499 (172) 0-6 0-4 2-4 4-0 59 Out


The good news is that our top 4 MVC teams are expected to make the NCAA tournament, to this point. Obviously that could change.

The bad news is that none of the other 5 MVC teams look to have a shot at postseason play in any of the other 3 tournaments. Loyola Chicago and Drake are the only other schools that even come close to having a winning record.

[collegesportsfanms]

We have another sign-up for an interactive coach. Grover has signed up to be the coach at the University of Maine for next season. He will become the first FOFC, non-MVC coach. If any of you guys in it want to add a second coach to the mix outside the MVC, you are more than welcome to. I will be able to do some more on this tonight when I get home from work.

I've been given the ok to move forward, it appears my internet/computer issues, if there were any, are gone now, so I will be hitting this project hard over the next few days.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 3-9, 2014

Game Scores

Feb. 5, 2014

at Evansville 71, Southern Illinois 55
Bradley 79, at Missouri State 70
at Wichita State 71, Loyola Chicago 52
at Indiana State 58, Drake 50

Feb. 8, 2014

Bradley 69, at Evansville 57
Southern Illinois 64, at Missouri State 63
at Wichita State 82, Drake 73
at Indiana State 87, Loyola Chicago 59
at Illinois State 97, Northern Iowa 60

2013 Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 10 2 .833 20 4 .833 11 67
Wichita State Shockers 10 3 .769 18 5 .783 61 81
Indiana State Sycamores 9 4 .692 17 7 .708 23 57
Northern Iowa Panthers 8 4 .667 15 7 .682 48 74
Southern Illinois Salukis 6 6 .500 10 14 .417 158 56
Evansville Aces 6 7 .462 9 14 .391 149 54
Bradley Braves 5 7 .417 8 14 .364 155 55
Drake Bulldogs 5 8 .385 10 13 .435 68 57
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 2 11 .154 11 13 .458 203 43
Missouri State Bears 2 11 .154 7 16 .304 220 65


Still a lot of congestion in the middle of the conference, as teams look to stay out of those play-in games. Sadly, our FOFC coached teams are leading the bottom of the pack. In fact, 4 of our 5 FOFC coached teams would be playing in the play-in games of the MVC tournament if it started right now.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 23-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. New Mexico 19-3 1714 2 Mountain West Conference
3. Gonzaga 20-4 1639 3 West Coast Conference
4. VCU 17-5 1604 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. George Mason 21-1 1520 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. UNLV 16-5 1437 6 Mountain West Conference
7. Ohio 18-4 1268 8 Mid-American Conference
8. Brigham Young 16-8 1245 7 West Coast Conference
9. Illinois State 20-4 1186 11 Missouri Valley Conference
10. UAB 18-3 1149 9 Conference USA
11. New Mexico State 18-4 1123 12 Western Athletic Conference
12. Akron 18-5 1071 17 Mid-American Conference
13. Saint Joseph's 15-7 826 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. UTEP 18-3 800 14 Conference USA
15. Kent State 18-4 794 13 Mid-American Conference
16. Southern Mississippi 15-6 732 15 Conference USA
17. Wichita State 18-5 673 16 Missouri Valley Conference
18. Old Dominion 14-6 571 21 Conference USA
19. Indiana State 17-7 510 NR Missouri Valley Conference
20. Fairfield 19-6 417 19 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
21. Murray State 20-4 266 25 Ohio Valley Conference
22. Northern Iowa 15-7 259 18 Missouri Valley Conference
23. Wright State 18-5 174 NR Horizon League
24. San Diego State 15-8 171 NR Mountain West Conference
25. Saint Louis 15-6 163 20 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Weber State 18-4 64 Big Sky Conference
East Tennessee State 19-5 59 Southern Conference
Massachusetts 16-5 47 Atlantic 10 Conference
Belmont 17-6 44 Ohio Valley Conference
St. Bonaventure 15-7 29 Atlantic 10 Conference
Iona 17-7 18 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Middle Tennessee 17-5 12 Conference USA
Davidson 14-8 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
Cornell 15-6 5 Ivy League
Long Beach State 16-5 2 Big West Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 10-16, 2014

Game Scores

Feb. 11, 2014

at Missouri State 66, Arkansas State 46 (non-conference)

Feb. 12, 2014

Indiana State 61, at Southern Illinois 54
Wichita State 89, at Bradley 69
at Loyola Chicago 70, Illinois State 66
Northern Iowa 80, at Drake 72

Feb. 12, 2014

Missouri State 80, at Air Force 61 (non-conference)

Feb. 15, 2014

at Evansville 85, Missouri State 66
Wichita State 66, at Southern Illinois 49
Indiana State 86, at Bradley 64
Northern Iowa 81, at Loyola Chicago 57
at Drake 64, Illinois State 59

2013 Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 12 3 .800 20 5 .800 61 81
Indiana State Sycamores 11 4 .733 19 7 .731 27 57
Illinois State Redbirds 10 4 .714 20 6 .769 23 67
Northern Iowa Panthers 10 4 .714 17 7 .708 40 74
Evansville Aces 7 7 .500 10 14 .417 157 54
Southern Illinois Salukis 6 8 .429 10 16 .385 155 56
Drake Bulldogs 6 9 .400 11 14 .440 64 57
Bradley Braves 5 9 .357 8 16 .333 151 55
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 3 12 .200 12 14 .462 180 43
Missouri State Bears 2 12 .143 9 17 .346 220 65


After a slow start, Wichita St. has started to take control of the conference race, having a 1 game lead over Indiana St. and a 1 1/2 game lead over Illinois St. and Northern Iowa. Getting into the top 2 spots is very important for the MVC tournament, as the top 2 seeds get a bye. Not having to play an extra game really helps teams out. On the other hand, it looks as if Loyola Chicago and Missouri St. are going to be the bottom 2 seeds in the MVC tournament.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 25-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. New Mexico 21-3 1716 2 Mountain West Conference
3. VCU 19-5 1662 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Gonzaga 21-4 1590 3 West Coast Conference
5. UNLV 18-5 1479 6 Mountain West Conference
6. George Mason 21-3 1459 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Brigham Young 18-8 1303 8 West Coast Conference
8. UAB 20-3 1302 10 Conference USA
9. Akron 20-5 1210 12 Mid-American Conference
10. New Mexico State 20-4 1207 11 Western Athletic Conference
11. Ohio 19-5 1065 7 Mid-American Conference
12. Wichita State 20-5 927 17 Missouri Valley Conference
13. Illinois State 20-6 841 9 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Kent State 19-5 768 15 Mid-American Conference
15. Saint Joseph's 16-8 718 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Indiana State 19-7 699 19 Missouri Valley Conference
17. Southern Mississippi 16-7 552 16 Conference USA
18. Saint Louis 17-6 539 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Fairfield 21-6 523 20 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
20. Old Dominion 15-7 408 18 Conference USA
21. Northern Iowa 17-7 396 22 Missouri Valley Conference
22. Murray State 22-4 362 21 Ohio Valley Conference
23. UTEP 18-5 291 14 Conference USA
24. San Diego State 17-8 210 24 Mountain West Conference
25. Weber State 20-4 163 NR Big Sky Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
St. Bonaventure 17-7 87 Atlantic 10 Conference
Wright State 19-6 42 Horizon League
Iona 19-7 33 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
East Tennessee State 20-6 21 Southern Conference
Manhattan 19-7 16 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Belmont 18-7 11 Ohio Valley Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 17-23, 2014

Game Scores

Feb. 19, 2014

at Wichita State 77, Evansville 66
Missouri State 66, at Indiana State 63
at Northern Iowa 82, Bradley 70
at Illinois State 87, Southern Illinois 71

Feb. 20, 2014

at Drake 74, UW Green Bay 66 (non-conference)

Feb. 22, 2014

at Wichita State 90, Missouri State 85
Evansville 67, at Indiana State 62
Southern Illinois 66, at Northern Iowa 65
at Illinois State 77, Bradley 52
Loyola Chicago 51, at Drake 39

2013 Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 14 3 .824 22 5 .815 62 81
Illinois State Redbirds 12 4 .750 22 6 .786 27 67
Northern Iowa Panthers 11 5 .688 18 8 .692 54 74
Indiana State Sycamores 11 6 .647 19 9 .679 44 57
Evansville Aces 8 8 .500 11 15 .423 126 54
Southern Illinois Salukis 7 9 .438 11 17 .393 130 56
Drake Bulldogs 6 10 .375 12 15 .444 86 57
Bradley Braves 5 11 .313 8 18 .308 154 55
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 4 12 .250 13 14 .481 175 43
Missouri State Bears 3 13 .188 10 18 .357 197 65


With 1 week left in conference play, Wichita St. has clinched at least a share of the MVC title. The only team that can share with them is Illinois St., and that's only if they win both their remaining conference games and Wichita St. loses theirs. It won't be an easy week for the Shox though, as they play Bucknell in a non-conference game, then travel to Indiana St. A couple of wins would really help their NCAA seeding, but a couple of losses.. well Gregg Marshall doesn't even wanna think about that. Near the bottom, Loyola Chicago actually has a chance to finish the regular season with a winning record, which would bode will for Jawouk Bafou (britrock88). The top 4 spots in the MVC tournament are decided, and naturally, those 4 spots will go to the only 4 teams in the conference that have a winning record for the season. Still a lot to play for in the middle of the pack though, as teams could play their way out of play-in games, or play their way into a play-in game.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 26-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. New Mexico 23-3 1701 2 Mountain West Conference
3. VCU 21-5 1679 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Gonzaga 23-4 1588 4 West Coast Conference
5. UNLV 20-5 1494 5 Mountain West Conference
6. George Mason 22-4 1432 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Brigham Young 20-8 1326 7 West Coast Conference
8. UAB 22-3 1318 8 Conference USA
9. New Mexico State 22-4 1225 10 Western Athletic Conference
10. Ohio 21-5 1165 11 Mid-American Conference
11. Akron 21-6 1031 9 Mid-American Conference
12. Wichita State 22-5 935 12 Missouri Valley Conference
13. Illinois State 22-6 845 13 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Saint Joseph's 18-8 809 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Saint Louis 19-6 734 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Southern Mississippi 18-7 708 17 Conference USA
17. Murray State 24-4 641 22 Ohio Valley Conference
18. Old Dominion 17-7 606 20 Conference USA
19. Kent State 20-6 518 14 Mid-American Conference
20. Fairfield 22-6 507 19 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
21. San Diego State 19-8 412 24 Mountain West Conference
22. Weber State 22-4 355 25 Big Sky Conference
23. UTEP 19-6 193 23 Conference USA
24. Northern Iowa 18-8 140 21 Missouri Valley Conference
25. Iona 21-7 87 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
East Tennessee State 22-6 45 Southern Conference
Indiana State 19-9 35 Missouri Valley Conference
St. Bonaventure 18-8 28 Atlantic 10 Conference
Vermont 21-5 14 America East Conference
Wright State 20-7 14 Horizon League
Manhattan 20-7 5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Long Beach State 19-6 3 Big West Conference
Massachusetts 18-7 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
Oral Roberts 20-8 2 Summit League
Belmont 19-8 1 Ohio Valley Conference
Cornell 18-6 1 Ivy League

[JAG]

We're in last place, but at least we'll have the first overall pick in the draft with which to rebuild.

...oh, right.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 24-March 2, 2014

Game Scores

Feb. 24, 2014

at Indiana State 76, Coastal Carolina 44 (non-conference)
at Wichita State 100, Bucknell 73 (non-conference)

Feb. 25, 2014

at Evansville 83, Northern Iowa 74
Illinois State 67, at Missouri State 58
at Southern Illinois 66, Loyola Chicago 49
Drake 76, at Bradley 60

March 1, 2014

Illinois State 72, at Evansville 55
Northern Iowa 85, at Missouri State 68
Wichita State 86, at Indiana State 63
at Southern Illinois 64, Drake 63
at Bradley 91, Loyola Chicago 73

Final 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 15 3 .833 24 5 .828 48 81
Illinois State Redbirds 14 4 .778 24 6 .800 25 67
Northern Iowa Panthers 12 6 .667 19 9 .679 61 74
Indiana State Sycamores 11 7 .611 20 10 .667 41 57
Evansville Aces 9 9 .500 12 16 .429 113 54
Southern Illinois Salukis 9 9 .500 13 17 .433 131 56
Drake Bulldogs 7 11 .389 13 16 .448 101 57
Bradley Braves 6 12 .333 9 19 .321 170 55
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 4 14 .222 13 16 .448 191 43
Missouri State Bears 3 15 .167 10 20 .333 197 65


Wichita St. wins the MVC regular season title and is assured at least an NIT berth. I can almost guarantee they'll be in the big dance, along with Illinois St. Poor Missouri St. heads up the rear of the conference. More often than not, newcomers to a conference end up last, but this time Loyola changed that by finishing 9th. No matter, they are still in a play-in game.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 27-3 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga 25-4 1708 4 West Coast Conference
3. VCU 22-6 1650 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. New Mexico 24-4 1610 2 Mountain West Conference
5. UNLV 21-5 1512 5 Mountain West Conference
6. Brigham Young 22-8 1387 7 West Coast Conference
7. George Mason 23-5 1387 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. UAB 24-3 1309 8 Conference USA
9. Wichita State 24-5 1182 12 Missouri Valley Conference
10. Akron 23-6 1152 11 Mid-American Conference
11. New Mexico State 24-4 1073 9 Western Athletic Conference
12. Ohio 22-6 958 10 Mid-American Conference
13. Illinois State 24-6 906 13 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Southern Mississippi 20-7 861 16 Conference USA
15. Kent State 22-6 705 19 Mid-American Conference
16. Saint Louis 21-6 690 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Fairfield 24-6 611 20 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
18. Saint Joseph's 20-8 592 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. San Diego State 20-9 559 21 Mountain West Conference
20. Weber State 24-4 438 22 Big Sky Conference
21. Murray State 25-5 399 17 Ohio Valley Conference
22. Old Dominion 18-8 338 18 Conference USA
23. Iona 23-7 242 25 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
24. UTEP 20-7 108 23 Conference USA
25. East Tennessee State 24-6 54 NR Southern Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Oral Roberts 22-8 46 Summit League
Wright State 22-7 42 Horizon League
Northern Iowa 19-9 25 Missouri Valley Conference
Vermont 22-5 23 America East Conference
Long Beach State 21-6 14 Big West Conference
Belmont 21-8 8 Ohio Valley Conference
St. Bonaventure 19-9 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
Cornell 19-7 2 Ivy League
Indiana State 20-10 1 Missouri Valley Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

1 more non-conference game before the MVC tournament starts, this took place on March 3, 2014.

at Wichita State 68, Northern Illinois 43

MVC Play-in Round

(7) Drake beats (10) Missouri St. 83-65
(9) Loyola Chicago beats (8) Bradley 68-59. Congrats to Loyola for getting their first MVC conference tournament win.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Quarterfinals

(1) Wichita St. over (9) Loyola 72-63
(4) Indiana St. beats (5) Evansville 59-39
(3) Northern Iowa beats (6) Southern Illinois 59-53
(2) Illinois St. beats (7) Drake 75-65

No big shocks there as the 4 teams that pretty much dominated the Valley this season advance to the semifinals.

[collegesportsfanms]

2014 MVC Semifinals

(4) Indiana St. stuns (1) Wichita St. 94-84
(3) Northern Iowa gets by (2) Illinois St. 77-70.

Most definitely not the results I was expecting, but as a whole, it's good for the Valley.

[collegesportsfanms]

2014 MVC Championship

(3) Northern Iowa wins the MVC tournament with an 81-74 win over (4) Indiana St. Congrats to Patrick Hutt (zinto) on the championship, 1 of what I hope will be the first of many for our FOFCers.

Postseason Predictions

We know that Northern Iowa has earned the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. I still think that Wichita St. is a lock, along with Illinois St. I can see Indiana St. get an at-large bid to the NCAA's as well, but it also won't surprise me to see them in the NIT. I don't see any of our other 5 conference teams playing another game this season. I guess the CBI does sometimes take teams with losing records, which is the only shot that our two 14-17 teams (Drake and Loyola Chicago) have.

[collegesportsfanms]

2014 Selection Sunday

Wichita St. is the 7th seed in the NCAA West Region and will open up against (10) St. Louis.

Northern Iowa gets the 10th seed in the NCAA Midwest Region and will square off with (7) Oklahoma St.

Illinois St. is the 6th seed in the NCAA South Region and will draw (11) Indiana in the First Round.

Indiana St. sneaks in as the 11th seed in the NCAA East Region, and gets (6) Penn St. in the First Round.

Interesting how we got 4 teams in the NCAA tournament, 1 in each region. How sweet would it be for all 4 of the MVC teams to square off in the Final Four? Ok, I'm dreaming now...

No big surprise as Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Loyola Chicago, and Southern Illinois got no postseason.

I'm pleased that we got 4 teams in the big dance, but it means nothing if we don't win a few games while we are there. It also is disheartening that we got NO teams in the other 3 postseason tournaments. Got to do better next year.

[collegesportsfanms]

2014 NCAA First Round

(10) St. Louis defeated Wichita St. 90-88.

(7) Oklahoma St. defeated Northern Iowa 75-67.

Illinois St. snuck by (11) Indiana 75-74.

In a good old fashioned shootout, (6) Penn St. beat Indiana St. 99-85.

[collegesportsfanms]

2014 NCAA Second Round

(3) #9 Miami beats Illinois St. 98-88, ending the postseason for the MVC.

Well, not a great first season, we had 4 teams reach the postseason and only 1 of those 4 teams won a game. Definitely a lot of improvement can be made.

2014 Postseason Wrap-Up

The NCAA championship saw a bit of a Cinderella story, as the 8th seed out of the South, St. Josephs, beat the 3rd seed out of the East, Villanova, 65-62 to win the championship. The other 2 teams in the Final Four were the top seed out of the West, Tennessee, and Xavier, who was the 6th seed out of the Midwest.

A pair of 5th seeds battled it out for the NIT Championship, as Washington beat West Virginia 59-49. South Florida and Vanderbilt were the other teams in the NIT Final Four.

UC Santa Barbara kept the Cinderella postseason going, as they were the 13rd seed in the CBI, and won the CBI championship over (3) Hofstra in 2 games. UCSB won the first game 84-60, and the second game 72-41. (Remember guys, the CBI Finals are best 2 of 3.)

To finish it off (6) Siena won the CIT championship, beating (12) Charlotte 63-55.

[collegesportsfanms]

We've got a few new coaches to add to the mix. bbgunn has added 2 coaches for next season. B.B. Gunn will take over Hawaii, and Kuji Chagulia will take over Florida Atlantic. thanks bbgunn.

Grover is also adding a coach. Cillian O'Reilly will take over the University of Maine next season. Thanks Grover.

I am personally adding a coach as well. Rudy Arellano will take over Kansas St.

This gives us 9 FOFC coaches now, 5 in the MVC and 4 outside the MVC. I feel it's only right to do a short recap on the 4 non-MVC schools that will have FOFC coaches next year.

Let's start with Kansas St. They finished the season 21-12, 11-7 in the Big 12. They were the (6) seed in the NIT South Region, and got beat in the First Round by (3) Cincinnati, 95-76.

U of Maine finished the season 11-19, and 7-9 in the America East Conference. No postseason for them.

Florida Atlantic was 10-20, 4-12 in Conference USA. Of course, no postseason for them.

Hawaii was 13-17, 7-9 in the Big West Conference. No postseason for them either.

[collegesportsfanms]

Let's take a look at the Missouri Valley Conference awards for the 2013-2014 season:

2013 MISSOURI VALLEY AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR SG Joseph Basile Northern Iowa 20.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.9 APG 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PF Silvano Mecurio Wichita State 5.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.0 APG 0.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Dan Muller Illinois State 26 - 8 (14 - 4)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Brian Spalding Northern Iowa 10.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 3.0 BPG
PF SR Manual Clift Indiana State 8.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 2.5 BPG
SF JR Richard Kennedy Wichita State 19.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG JR Joseph Basile Northern Iowa 20.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Chris Dugger Illinois State 17.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 3.9 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Logan Malcolm Wichita State 7.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.8 BPG
PF SR Brian Thao Evansville 16.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.9 BPG
SF SR Alton Izzo Missouri State 13.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Rene Gerhart Wichita State 17.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG JR Jamie Redford Indiana State 9.6 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.0 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Kenneth Paiz Southern Illinois 3.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PF FR Silvano Mecurio Wichita State 5.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG
SF
SG FR Arthur Morris Bradley 14.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG
PG FR Carlton Bradley Evansville 8.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG

[collegesportsfanms]

Here is a look at the MVC recruiting rankings for the 2013-2014 season.

2013 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
41. Illinois State Missouri Valley PF Eric McCartney *** 0 0 3 0 0
78. Southern Illinois Missouri Valley SF Glenn Sterner *** 0 0 2 0 0
104. Evansville Missouri Valley SF Jesse Brown *** 0 0 1 1 0
113. Wichita State Missouri Valley PF Baudouin Plancque **** 0 1 0 0 0
227. Loyola Chicago Missouri Valley SF Arthur Legrand ** 0 0 0 2 2
289. Indiana State Missouri Valley SG Albert Roussel ** 0 0 0 2 0
301. Drake Missouri Valley SF Nathan Taylor ** 0 0 0 1 0
341. Northern Iowa Missouri Valley C August Therrien * 0 0 0 0 1
343. Bradley Missouri Valley C Jose McCraw * 0 0 0 0 1
350. Missouri State Missouri Valley 0 0 0 0 0


Yi-yi-yi, that's bad, really bad. 2 teams in the top 100, 4 teams lower than 300, and Missouri St. didn't even get a recruit. I'm happy for Barry Hinson over at Southern Illinois, but Northern Iowa and Indiana State really, really disappointed me. Again, got to be better next season.

[collegesportsfanms]

There was no conference movement this season, and since all of the MVC coaches had a 1 year grace period, there was no coach movement. This is where I stop for the night. Next time I will get the 4 new coaches into the game, and give expectations for the coaches.

For those of you FOFCers outside the MVC, I have no control over your coaches being fired. That is on the game AI. The only coaches I will fire are all MVC coaches, FOFC or non-FOFC.

[collegesportsfanms]

I have added another coach into the mix. Shannon Elliott will be taking over the Washington Huskies.

Now it's time to take a look at coach expectations. I have broken this down into hotseat ratings. While there will be other ratings in the long run, for the time being, there are only cool and average hotseat ratings.

GWAL Coach Hotseat Ratings

Cool Hotseat Ratings

Marty Simmons (Evansville) finished a surprising 9-9 in the MVC last season, including a couple wins over the big 4 teams. With the recruiting class he had, I'm expecting bigger things this season.

Dan Muller (Illinois St.) was the MVC coach of the year last season and got the MVC their only postseason victory, coming in the NCAA tournament. No doubt his seat is very cool.

Greg Lansing (Indiana St.) led the Sycamores to a big win over a top 5 team in the regular season last year, but didn't see the benefits of it from his recruiting class. I still think they can go back to the NCAA's.

Patrick Hutt (Northern Iowa) led the Panthers to the MVC tournament title last season, but had 1 of the bottom 3 classes in the MVC. With the talent they have coming back, they should still compete for the MVC title again this year.

Barry Hinson (Southern Illinois) had the 2nd best recruiting class in the MVC last season, and 78th best in the nation. I've always liked Barry (how can you not after his passionate rant about his team in real life earlier this year.) With that recruiting class, a .500 MVC record is very doable.

Gregg Marshall (Wichita St.) won the regular season MVC title and put together a nice winning streak in MVC play last season. They should be in good shape to win the title again this year, whether it be the regular season, MVC tournament, or both.

Average Hotseat Ratings

Alex Donovan (Bradley) just missed the hotseat this season. I have a feeling he can do something with that roster, so he's gonna get a chance again this year without having to worry about his job. He has to stay out of the cellar though.

Randolph Childress (Drake) was a couple games under .500 in conference play last season, and 3 games under .500 overall. I'd like him to build on that and get those records to .500 or better this season.

Jawouk Bafou (Loyola Chicago) really had a nice first season with Loyola in the MVC. While they only won 4 conference games, that was about 3 more than most fans expected them to win. Now to keep building on that, and not slip back into the cellar of the conference.

Score Galore (Missouri State) also just missed the hotseat. Worst conference record, worst MVC recruiting class.. so what is keeping this guy off the hotseat? 4 returning players that all have a chance to finish 1st team or even second team all-MVC.

Non-GWAL Coach Hotseat Ratings

We have 5 new coaches to this dynasty, all of them choosing to coach non-MVC teams. These coaches will have their fate in the hands of the AI. I will not decide whether they are fired or not. Let's take a look at those 5 coaches, who are all average ratings right now.

Kuji Chagulia (Florida Atlantic)
B.B. Gunn (Hawaii)
Rudy Arellano (Kansas St.)
Cillian O'Reilly (Maine)
Shannon Elliott (Washington)

[collegesportsfanms]

2014 Preseason Tournaments

GWAL

Indiana St. will be the 5th seed in the Alaska Invitational and will open up against (4) Georgia.

Northern Iowa will be the 7th seed in the Coaches Invitational and will start against (11) Wright St.

Evansville will be the 4th seed in the Island Invitational and will open up against (5) Montana.

Illinois St. will be the 3rd seed in the Las Vegas Challenge and will open up against (6) Middle Tennessee.

Bradley will be the 9th seed in the Las Vegas Shootout and will open up against (8) Vermont.

Drake will be the 7th seed in the Maui Shootout and opens up against (2) Michigan St.

Wichita St. will be the 6th seed in the Preseason NIT and will open up against (11) Colorado St.

Southern Illinois will be the 4th seed in the Top of the Globe Invitational and will open up against (5) Western Kentucky.

Missouri State will be the top seed in the 4 team Vision Classic and will open up against (4) Hartford.

Non-GWAL

Hawaii will be the 14th seed in the GDS Classic and will open up against (3) St. Louis.

Washington will be the 2nd seed in the Las Vegas Shootout (also including Bradley) and will open up against (15) Cal Poly.

Kansas St. will be the 4th seed in the Preseason NIT (also including Wichita St.) and will open up against (13) Pacific.

No preseason tournaments for Loyola (again), Maine, or Florida Atlantic.

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 2014 Tournament Wrap-Up

2014 Alaska Invitational

Indiana State beat (4) Georgia 72-66 in their opening game, then got hammered by (1) UNLV, 81-53. In the third place game, they got by (3) N.C. State 76-65.

2014 Coaches Invitational

Northern Iowa won their first round game against (11) Wright State 79-52, then got beat by (3) Missouri 64-55 in the quarterfinals.

2014 GDS Classic

Hawaii had a short stay at the GDS Classic, losing their first round game 64-51 to (3) St. Louis.

2014 Island Invitational

Evansville won their first game 65-58 over (5) Montana, then shocked (1) George Mason 81-74, but couldn't win the title, as (3) Rutgers beat them in the championship game, 51-47.

2014 Las Vegas Challenge

Illinois State was very disappointing in this this tournament, as they went OT in their first game, but beat (6) Middle Tennessee 90-82. In the winners bracket semifinals, they got blasted by (2) Memphis, 67-40. In the third place game, the effort was better, but they still lost to (4) Arizona State 79-73. An interesting note in this one, (8) Duquesne actually won this tournament. Shocking.

2014 Maui Shootout

Drake lost their first game 79-54 to (2) Michigan State, then lost the loser bracket semifinal to (6) Providence 82-73. They became the first team not to win a game in a 3 game guarantee preseason tournament, losing the 7th place game to (8) Buffalo 75-69. Unacceptable.

2014 Preseason NIT

Wichita State lost their first round game to (11) Colorado State 72-68

Kansas State won their first round game 78-66 over (13) Pacific 78-66, the lost their quarterfinal game 73-60 to (5) Cincinnati.

2014 Top of the Globe Invitational

Southern Illinois beat (5) Western Kentucky 63-50 in their opening game, then beat (1) Dayton 69-58 in the winners bracket semifinals. In the championship, they fell short to (3) Iona, 54-45.

2014 Vision Classic

Missouri State won their first round game of this 4 team tournament, beating (4) Hartford 77-52. They won the Vision Classic championship with a 63-50 win over (3) Northern Colorado. Congrats to Score Galore for bringing the MVC home their first piece of hardware in the 2014-2015 season.

A tournament championship, a 2 second place finishes, and a 3rd place finish gives me hope for the conference, but I'm not at all happy at the way Drake and Illinois St. played in their tournaments.

[collegesportsfanms]

1 tournament to tell you about in December, so we'll start with it:

2014 Las Vegas Shootout

Bradley lost their first round game to (8) Vermont 73-65.

Washington hammered (15) Cal Poly in their first round game, then beat (7) Auburn 70-57 in the quarterfinals, but fell short in the semifinals, losing 72-69 to (3) Seton Hall.

Here are the MVC standings through Dec. 24, 2014 (which is the first day of conference play.)

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 0 0 .000 7 1 .875 156 81
Illinois State Redbirds 0 0 .000 6 4 .600 15 71
Southern Illinois Salukis 0 0 .000 5 6 .455 33 56
Northern Iowa Panthers 0 0 .000 5 5 .500 79 74
Missouri State Bears 0 0 .000 5 5 .500 195 60
Evansville Aces 0 0 .000 4 5 .444 17 55
Indiana State Sycamores 0 0 .000 4 5 .444 62 61
Bradley Braves 0 0 .000 3 6 .333 26 53
Drake Bulldogs 0 0 .000 3 7 .300 210 56
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 0 .000 2 8 .200 292 43


Absolutely dismal. Only 2 teams with winning records, although we do have 3 teams with RPIs in the top 30. Wichita State has not lost since their season opening tournament loss. Let's take a look more in depth at our 5 MVC teams coached by FOFCers.

Bradley (Alex Donovan) has played 3 teams currently ranked in the top 10 (which bodes well for SOS and RPI). #1 Wisconsin blasted them by 28, but they lost by 1 point to #6 Villanova, and 3 points to #9 Louisville. Looks as if they are on the cusp of getting that big, marquee win, although they did beat Butler, who is 7-3 on the season. They have played an absolutely brutal schedule in non-conference, which is ok with me.

Drake (Randolph Childress) has also played a pretty tough schedule, with lots of Midwest teams. Since that pitiful showing in the Maui Shootout, they've recovered somewhat, handing Notre Dame their only loss so far. Notre Dame was ranked 14th at the time. Losses to Buffalo and UW Milwaukee hurt the most.

Loyola Chicago (Jawouk Bafou) has 2 wins on the season against Illinois-Chicago, and Miami (OH). They haven't exactly played a tough schedule, but they are still a newcomer to the MVC and I think they can find their grove eventually.

Missouri State (Score Galore) won their first 3 games, and has since lost by single digits to Texas A&M, Purdue, and Vanderbilt, as well as Boise State. A few breaks, and they could easily be an 8 or 9 win team at this point.

Northern Iowa (Patrick Hutt) got a nice win at previously ranked Arizona, as well as wins against Iowa State and Iowa, laying claim to one of the top teams in Iowa. However, that upset loss to Western Illinois at home, combined with a blowout loss to a 4 win Minnesota team, also at home, have me questioning the consistency of this team.

[collegesportsfanms]

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 3-7, 0-0 America East. It's been a rough go of it so far for young rookie coach Cillian O'Reilly, as his teams average margin of defeat is 19.1 points. They did, however, beat the Buffalo team that Drake lost to. Their other 2 wins are against teams with RPIs over 300.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 7-2, 0-0 Big 12. Since their 24 point loss to Fresno State, the Wildcats have won 5 in a row, but 4 of those wins came against teams with a combined 5-33 record. They did get a nice victory in their last game against Missouri, who currently has a 32 RPI.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 4-5, 0-0 Big West. There are some positives to look at for the Warriors, as their worst RPI opponent so far is UMKC at 252. Hawaii hammered them by 32, and also has good wins at DePaul, Oakland, and Pacific. But of the 2 teams they played that have RPIs of 100 or better, they lost to Tulsa by 18 points and lost to Robert Morris on a buzzer beater. Another team that with a few breaks could easily have a winning record.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 5-4, 0-0 Conference USA. While the Owls have a winning record, 2 of their wins have come against teams that haven't won a game yet, and another win came against a team that has only won once. Their only significant win was against Georgia Southern, and even their RPI is 230. I fear Mr. Chagulia might get a wake up once C-USA conference play starts.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 8-3, 0-0 Pac 12. The Huskies have 2 bad losses of their 3. You know about the loss to Seton Hall. They've also lost to Pacific.. well ok, I guess that one isn't totally bad. Pacific is a decent team. But they also have given Portland State their only win of the season thus far. Other than Seton Hall, their SOS hasn't really been impressive, so its hard to get a good read on them yet.

The polls entering conference play look really bad. We've got 1 MVC team in the mid-major poll, and none of our other MVC or FOFC teams even sniffed a vote in the AP top 25, or the mid Major top 25.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. UNLV (72) 8-0 1800 1 Mountain West Conference
2. VCU 8-1 1728 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. UAB 9-1 1654 3 Conference USA
4. George Mason 8-1 1557 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Saint Mary's 9-3 1487 10 West Coast Conference
6. Belmont 11-1 1470 4 Ohio Valley Conference
7. New Mexico 8-2 1366 11 Mountain West Conference
8. Duquesne 8-1 1200 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Louisiana Tech 9-1 1121 6 Conference USA
10. Wichita State 7-1 1034 17 Missouri Valley Conference
11. Georgia State 9-1 993 16 Sun Belt Conference
12. Brigham Young 8-3 982 19 West Coast Conference
13. Kent State 6-2 883 8 Mid-American Conference
14. East Tennessee State 9-1 872 9 Southern Conference
15. Massachusetts 8-1 793 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. UTEP 7-1 769 21 Conference USA
17. Southern Mississippi 8-2 765 23 Conference USA
18. New Mexico State 7-2 711 22 Western Athletic Conference
19. Northern Illinois 7-2 538 NR Mid-American Conference
20. Texas Southern 7-1 415 12 Southwestern Athletic Conference
21. Iona 9-2 351 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
22. Old Dominion 9-2 234 NR Conference USA
23. San Diego 10-2 198 NR West Coast Conference
24. Ohio 8-2 175 13 Mid-American Conference
25. Saint Louis 8-2 70 15 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Boise State 7-2 63 Mountain West Conference
Princeton 8-2 44 Ivy League
San Diego State 7-3 37 Mountain West Conference
Middle Tennessee 9-2 33 Conference USA
Davidson 6-2 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
LIU Brooklyn 8-2 11 Northeast Conference
Mercer 7-2 10 Southern Conference
Sacred Heart 8-2 9 Northeast Conference
North Texas 7-2 5 Conference USA
Akron 8-3 3 Mid-American Conference
Valparaiso 6-2 3 Horizon League
Cal State Fullerton 8-3 2 Big West Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 24-28

Although Dec. 24 falls in the middle of the week, any other games during the week before Dec. 24 were included in the previous report. Hopefully that doesn't confuse anybody!

Game Scores

Dec. 24, 2014

Missouri State 68, at Northern Iowa 57
at Southern Illinois 76, Loyola Chicago 59
at Drake 94, Bradley 75
Evansville 64, at Indiana State 55
Illinois State 72, at Dayton 70 (OT) (non-conference)
at Wichita State 78, Texas A&M 67 (non-conference)

Dec. 27, 2014

at Wichita State 79, Illinois State 70
at Northern Iowa 56, Loyola Chicago 44
at Southern Illinois 70, Missouri State 58
Evansville 78, at Drake 70
at Indiana State 79, Bradley 69

MVC Standings:

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 1 0 1.000 9 1 .900 72 81
Southern Illinois Salukis 2 0 1.000 7 6 .538 56 56
Evansville Aces 2 0 1.000 6 5 .545 11 55
Missouri State Bears 1 1 .500 6 6 .500 165 60
Northern Iowa Panthers 1 1 .500 6 6 .500 112 74
Indiana State Sycamores 1 1 .500 5 6 .455 111 61
Drake Bulldogs 1 1 .500 4 8 .333 263 56
Illinois State Redbirds 0 1 .000 7 5 .583 7 71
Bradley Braves 0 2 .000 3 8 .273 74 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 2 .000 2 10 .167 313 43



2 teams that had a good opening week of conference play are Southern Illinois and Evansville. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep pace all season long.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Dec. 24-28

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 4-8, 0-1 America East. The Black Bears won their final non-conference game at Yale 65-64, then went to Hartford and lost their first conference game 75-61.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 8-2, 0-0 Big 12. Only 1 game for the Wildcats, as they hammered winless Alcorn State 80-50.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 4-6, 0-0 Big West. The Warriors went to Kent State and lost 69-54, their only game of the week.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 6-5, 0-0 Conference USA. The Owls won at Florida Gulf Coast 61-50, then hosted Texas State and lost 83-75.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 8-3, 0-0 Pac 12. Nothing new to report this week, as the Huskies didn't have a game.

The MVC is finally getting some votes in the AP Top 25, so I will be showing that poll first:

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Wisconsin (72) 12-0 1800 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Xavier 10-0 1683 2 Big East Conference
3. Pittsburgh 11-1 1678 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Duke 11-1 1547 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
5. Villanova 12-1 1505 6 Big East Conference
6. Alabama 11-0 1498 5 Southeastern Conference
7. Temple 10-0 1347 8 American Athletic Conference
8. Tennessee 9-1 1306 10 Southeastern Conference
9. Connecticut 10-2 1211 11 American Athletic Conference
10. UNLV 8-1 1147 4 Mountain West Conference
11. Louisville 11-0 1014 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. UAB 10-1 985 17 Conference USA
13. UCLA 10-1 886 21 Pacific-12 Conference
14. Oklahoma 11-1 804 19 Big 12 Conference
15. Clemson 9-0 690 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Saint Mary's 11-3 681 25 West Coast Conference
17. Louisiana State 10-1 636 20 Southeastern Conference
18. Oklahoma State 10-1 616 14 Big 12 Conference
19. Wake Forest 11-1 519 22 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. West Virginia 9-2 514 NR Big 12 Conference
21. Kentucky 9-2 415 23 Southeastern Conference
22. Seton Hall 11-1 272 13 Big East Conference
23. Purdue 9-2 185 NR Big Ten Conference
24. Belmont 11-1 126 NR Ohio Valley Conference
25. Syracuse 9-2 94 NR Atlantic Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Miami 9-3 74 Atlantic Coast Conference
Illinois 8-2 66 Big Ten Conference
North Carolina 9-2 44 Atlantic Coast Conference
South Florida 11-1 15 American Athletic Conference
Georgetown 8-2 12 Big East Conference
Florida 8-2 9 Southeastern Conference
Michigan State 8-2 8 Big Ten Conference
Wichita State 9-1 5 Missouri Valley Conference
Florida State 9-1 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
Indiana 9-1 4 Big Ten Conference

Here is the mid-major poll for the week ending Dec. 28th:

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. UNLV (72) 8-1 1800 1 Mountain West Conference
2. Saint Mary's 11-3 1694 5 West Coast Conference
3. UAB 10-1 1686 3 Conference USA
4. Belmont 11-1 1585 6 Ohio Valley Conference
5. George Mason 9-2 1489 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Wichita State 9-1 1364 10 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Southern Mississippi 10-2 1285 17 Conference USA
8. Kent State 8-2 1228 13 Mid-American Conference
9. Georgia State 10-1 1218 11 Sun Belt Conference
10. East Tennessee State 11-1 1133 14 Southern Conference
11. New Mexico 9-3 1054 7 Mountain West Conference
12. Louisiana Tech 9-1 1042 9 Conference USA
13. VCU 9-3 1014 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Massachusetts 8-1 896 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. San Diego 11-2 648 23 West Coast Conference
16. Saint Louis 9-2 629 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Old Dominion 9-2 605 22 Conference USA
18. Akron 9-3 593 NR Mid-American Conference
19. Princeton 10-2 498 NR Ivy League
20. Brigham Young 9-4 449 12 West Coast Conference
21. Middle Tennessee 10-2 422 NR Conference USA
22. Davidson 8-2 298 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. New Mexico State 9-2 256 18 Western Athletic Conference
24. Valparaiso 8-2 196 NR Horizon League
25. Sacred Heart 10-2 113 NR Northeast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
UTEP 7-2 93 Conference USA
LIU Brooklyn 9-2 46 Northeast Conference
Northern Illinois 8-2 33 Mid-American Conference
Ohio 10-3 16 Mid-American Conference
Iona 10-3 11 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Murray State 9-3 5 Ohio Valley Conference
Texas Southern 7-2 1 Southwestern Athletic Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 29, 2014-Jan. 4, 2015

Game Scores

Dec. 30, 2014

at #23 Purdue 61, Evansville 46 (non-conference)
at Bradley 85, UMKC 64

Dec. 31, 2014

Indiana State 73, at Loyola Chicago 61
Drake 77, at Missouri State 64
at Wichita State 87, Northern Iowa 71
Southern Illinois 53, at Illinois State 51

Jan. 3, 2015

Drake 83, at Loyola Chicago 69
Indiana State 73, at Missouri State 72
at Wichita State 72, Southern Illinois 65
at Illinois State 75, Northern Iowa 61
Evansville 75, at Bradley 54

MVC Standings:

Wichita State Shockers 3 0 1.000 11 1 .917 47 81
Evansville Aces 3 0 1.000 7 6 .538 12 55
Southern Illinois Salukis 3 1 .750 8 7 .533 32 56
Indiana State Sycamores 3 1 .750 7 6 .538 109 61
Drake Bulldogs 3 1 .750 6 8 .429 252 56
Illinois State Redbirds 1 2 .333 8 6 .571 16 71
Missouri State Bears 1 3 .250 6 8 .429 248 60
Northern Iowa Panthers 1 3 .250 6 8 .429 94 74
Bradley Braves 0 3 .000 4 9 .308 122 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 4 .000 2 12 .143 341 43

This could turn out to be a heck of a valley conference race, as it is still way early, but there could be 5 teams in the mix. Don't count out Illinois State who could get it going. Northern Iowa is a dissapoinment so far, but a lot of bball left to play.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Dec. 29, 2014-Jan. 4, 2015

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 4-10, 0-3 America East. The Black Bears lost a home heartbreaker to UMBC 66-65, then went to Stony Brook and lost 58-46.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 8-4, 0-2 Big 12. Not a good start for Mr. Arellano in the Big 12, as the Wildcats got hammered at TCU 68-49, then went to Kansas and lost 83-72.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 4-8, 0-0 Big West. More non-conference games for Hawaii and B.B. Gunn, as they traveled to Iowa State and got hammered 79-47, and went to Colorado and got hammered 90-71. Give them credit for ending non-conference play with 2 tough road games though.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 6-6, 0-0 Conference USA. The Owls hosted North Florida this week and lost 67-58 in their only game of the week.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 8-4, 0-0 Pac 12. The Huskies had only 1 game this week, hosting a ranked Tennessee team, and falling 87-78.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Wisconsin (71) 13-0 1799 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Xavier (1) 12-0 1729 2 Big East Conference
3. Alabama 12-0 1656 6 Southeastern Conference
4. Pittsburgh 12-2 1563 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
5. Villanova 13-2 1480 5 Big East Conference
6. Duke 12-2 1460 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Connecticut 12-2 1398 9 American Athletic Conference
8. Temple 11-1 1218 7 American Athletic Conference
9. Saint Mary's 13-3 1172 16 West Coast Conference
10. Tennessee 10-2 1089 8 Southeastern Conference
11. UAB 11-1 1076 12 Conference USA
12. Oklahoma State 12-1 1014 18 Big 12 Conference
13. UNLV 10-2 891 10 Mountain West Conference
14. West Virginia 11-2 868 20 Big 12 Conference
15. Wake Forest 12-1 820 19 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Louisiana State 11-1 804 17 Southeastern Conference
17. Georgetown 10-2 620 NR Big East Conference
18. Illinois 10-2 524 NR Big Ten Conference
19. South Florida 13-1 412 NR American Athletic Conference
20. Belmont 13-1 383 24 Ohio Valley Conference
21. Purdue 10-2 378 23 Big Ten Conference
22. Syracuse 10-2 363 25 Atlantic Coast Conference
23. Louisville 11-1 261 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Oklahoma 12-2 129 14 Big 12 Conference
25. Michigan 9-3 100 NR Big Ten Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
UCLA 10-2 49 Pacific-12 Conference
Wichita State 11-1 42 Missouri Valley Conference
George Mason 11-2 40 Atlantic 10 Conference
Notre Dame 11-2 24 Atlantic Coast Conference
Seton Hall 12-2 15 Big East Conference
Arizona 9-3 10 Pacific-12 Conference
East Tennessee State 13-1 8 Southern Conference
Kent State 10-2 2 Mid-American Conference
Kentucky 9-3 2 Southeastern Conference
Indiana 10-1 1 Big Ten Conference


The MVC is getting close to having their first nationally ranked team in my tenure as commish. If the Shockers go undefeated next week, I bet they get in.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (70) 13-3 1798 2 West Coast Conference
2. UNLV 10-2 1723 1 Mountain West Conference
3. UAB (2) 11-1 1662 3 Conference USA
4. Belmont 13-1 1554 4 Ohio Valley Conference
5. George Mason 11-2 1516 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Wichita State 11-1 1354 6 Missouri Valley Conference
7. New Mexico 11-3 1331 11 Mountain West Conference
8. Kent State 10-2 1313 8 Mid-American Conference
9. East Tennessee State 13-1 1172 10 Southern Conference
10. Southern Mississippi 10-2 1147 7 Conference USA
11. Louisiana Tech 11-1 1072 12 Conference USA
12. VCU 9-3 1033 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Brigham Young 11-4 929 20 West Coast Conference
14. Akron 11-3 910 18 Mid-American Conference
15. Old Dominion 10-2 749 17 Conference USA
16. Princeton 11-2 726 19 Ivy League
17. Saint Louis 9-2 595 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Georgia State 11-2 594 9 Sun Belt Conference
19. New Mexico State 11-2 548 23 Western Athletic Conference
20. Sacred Heart 12-2 424 25 Northeast Conference
21. Davidson 9-2 390 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Middle Tennessee 10-2 295 21 Conference USA
23. Iona 12-3 224 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
24. Northern Illinois 10-2 174 NR Mid-American Conference
25. Massachusetts 9-2 126 14 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Murray State 11-3 22 Ohio Valley Conference
Texas Southern 9-2 15 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Wright State 10-3 4 Horizon League

[bbgunn]

Wichita State's doing well!

On the other hand... looks like that Hawaii coach is not cut out for the job. :P We'll light up the place next year, though!

[Zinto]

Not a good start for Northern Iowa after a good season last year.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 5-11, 2015

Game Scores

Jan. 7, 2015

at Bradley 70, Missouri State 62
at Evansville 95, Loyola Chicago 84
Illinois State 89, at Drake 73
Wichita State 70, at Indiana State 68

Jan. 10, 2015

at Bradley 101, Loyola Chicago 59
Missouri State 85, at Evansville 71
Southern Illinois 69, at Northern Iowa 58
Wichita State 75, at Drake 74
at Indiana State 64, Illinois State 53

MVC Standings:

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#24 Wichita State Shockers 5 0 1.000 13 1 .929 60 81
Southern Illinois Salukis 4 1 .800 9 7 .563 40 56
Evansville Aces 4 1 .800 8 7 .533 52 55
Indiana State Sycamores 4 2 .667 8 7 .533 88 61
Drake Bulldogs 3 3 .500 6 10 .375 240 56
Illinois State Redbirds 2 3 .400 9 7 .563 24 71
Bradley Braves 2 3 .400 6 9 .400 145 53
Missouri State Bears 2 4 .333 7 9 .438 219 60
Northern Iowa Panthers 1 4 .200 6 9 .400 136 74
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 6 .000 2 14 .125 345 43


Still way too early to decide anything, but do you see that number next to Wichita State? Yeah buddy, the MVC finally has a ranked team in my tenure as commissioner.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 5-11, 2015

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 4-12, 0-5 America East. The Black Bears lost 87-67 to Vermont, and lost 92-83 vs. Albany this week. Both were home games.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 9-5, 0-3 Big 12. Kansas State won a road non-conference game at winless Arkansas Pine Bluff 72-47, then returned to Big 12 action at home, where they got beat by Oklahoma 67-55.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 6-8, 2-0 Big West. A nice Big West debut for Hawaii, as they beat UC Davis 84-75, then beat Cal Poly 68-57. Good for B.B. Gunn to get a couple badly needed wins.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 6-7, 0-0 Conference USA. Just 1 game on the schedule this week for the Owls, a 72-63 loss at Stetson.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 9-5, 1-1 Pac 12. The Huskies opened up Pac 12 play with a 69-54 win against Utah, then travelled to Stanford and lost 84-77.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Wisconsin (46) 14-1 1774 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Xavier (26) 14-0 1751 2 Big East Conference
3. Villanova 15-2 1659 5 Big East Conference
4. Duke 14-2 1568 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
5. Connecticut 14-2 1528 7 American Athletic Conference
6. Alabama 13-1 1425 3 Southeastern Conference
7. Saint Mary's 15-3 1363 9 West Coast Conference
8. Tennessee 12-2 1314 10 Southeastern Conference
9. Pittsburgh 13-3 1196 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. UNLV 12-2 1153 13 Mountain West Conference
11. UAB 12-1 1080 11 Conference USA
12. Illinois 12-2 982 18 Big Ten Conference
13. Purdue 12-2 930 21 Big Ten Conference
14. Syracuse 12-2 862 22 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. Louisville 12-2 740 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. California 11-3 722 NR Pacific-12 Conference
17. Kansas 12-3 570 NR Big 12 Conference
18. Belmont 15-1 565 20 Ohio Valley Conference
19. UCLA 12-2 488 NR Pacific-12 Conference
20. George Mason 12-2 351 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
21. South Florida 14-2 312 19 American Athletic Conference
22. Ohio State 12-3 286 NR Big Ten Conference
23. Oklahoma State 13-2 236 12 Big 12 Conference
24. Wichita State 13-1 198 NR Missouri Valley Conference
25. Georgetown 11-3 114 17 Big East Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Wake Forest 13-2 84 Atlantic Coast Conference
New Mexico 13-3 72 Mountain West Conference
Cincinnati 13-3 25 American Athletic Conference
Brigham Young 13-4 17 West Coast Conference
Kent State 12-2 11 Mid-American Conference
Florida 10-3 10 Southeastern Conference
Clemson 11-2 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
Louisiana Tech 12-1 6 Conference USA
Oklahoma 13-2 1 Big 12 Conference
Southern Mississippi 12-2 1 Conference USA



I love seeing that #24 next to Wichita States name!

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 15-3 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UNLV 12-2 1728 2 Mountain West Conference
3. UAB 12-1 1654 3 Conference USA
4. George Mason 12-2 1543 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Belmont 15-1 1477 4 Ohio Valley Conference
6. New Mexico 13-3 1432 7 Mountain West Conference
7. Wichita State 13-1 1323 6 Missouri Valley Conference
8. Brigham Young 13-4 1261 13 West Coast Conference
9. Kent State 12-2 1219 8 Mid-American Conference
10. VCU 11-3 1162 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Southern Mississippi 12-2 1154 10 Conference USA
12. Louisiana Tech 12-1 1017 11 Conference USA
13. Old Dominion 11-2 988 15 Conference USA
14. Akron 13-3 853 14 Mid-American Conference
15. East Tennessee State 14-2 774 9 Southern Conference
16. Middle Tennessee 12-2 685 22 Conference USA
17. Davidson 11-2 661 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Princeton 11-2 602 16 Ivy League
19. Iona 14-3 521 23 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
20. Murray State 13-3 419 NR Ohio Valley Conference
21. Massachusetts 10-2 339 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Wright State 12-3 270 NR Horizon League
23. Texas Southern 11-2 124 NR Southwestern Athletic Conference
24. Georgia State 12-3 122 18 Sun Belt Conference
25. Saint Louis 10-3 85 17 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Valparaiso 11-3 80 Horizon League
New Mexico State 11-3 47 Western Athletic Conference
Weber State 9-3 27 Big Sky Conference
Sacred Heart 12-3 25 Northeast Conference
San Diego State 10-5 4 Mountain West Conference
Morgan State 11-3 3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
UTEP 9-3 1 Conference USA

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 12-18, 2015

Game Scores

Jan. 14, 2015

at #24 Wichita State 76, Bradley 56
Evansville 78, at Illinois State 70
at Northern Iowa 72, Drake 66
Indiana State 71, at Southern Illinois 65

Jan. 17, 2015

at Missouri State 78, Loyola Chicago 56
at #24 Wichita State 71, Evansville 43
at Illinois State 73, Bradley 62
at Northern Iowa 59, Indiana State 48
at Southern Illinois 75, Drake 66

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#19 Wichita State Shockers 7 0 1.000 15 1 .938 51 81
Southern Illinois Salukis 5 2 .714 10 8 .556 77 56
Evansville Aces 5 2 .714 9 8 .529 39 55
Indiana State Sycamores 5 3 .625 9 8 .529 82 61
Illinois State Redbirds 3 4 .429 10 8 .556 56 71
Missouri State Bears 3 4 .429 8 9 .471 221 60
Northern Iowa Panthers 3 4 .429 8 9 .471 153 74
Drake Bulldogs 3 5 .375 6 12 .333 275 56
Bradley Braves 2 5 .286 6 11 .353 137 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 7 .000 2 15 .118 348 43


The question at this point is, can Wichita State run the table in the MVC, just as they did in real life this season? The other question is who finishes second. Indiana State seems to be coming on strong lately, and Illinois State and Northern Iowa seems to be figuring it out.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 12-18, 2015

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 5-13, 1-5 America East. The Black Bears lost a non-conference game at Arkansas Little Rock 67-52, then got their first conference win against Binghamton 85-77.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 11-5, 2-3 Big 12. A good week for the Wildcats, as they beat West Virginia 80-72 then squeaked out a 57-56 victory over Oklahoma State.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 7-9, 3-1 Big West. Hawaii went to Long Beach State and got hammered 96-76, but responded with an 84-65 victory at home against UC Riverside.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 7-8, 1-1 Conference USA. The Owls went to Middle Tennessee and got a big 51-49 win, then traveled to Louisiana Tech, a team that has only lost once so far this season, and got beat 83-65.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 11-5, 3-1 Pac 12. The Huskies beat Arizona State at home 70-54, then went to UCLA and dismantled the Bruins 85-57.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Xavier (46) 16-0 1770 2 Big East Conference
2. Villanova (23) 17-2 1751 3 Big East Conference
3. Duke (3) 16-2 1657 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Connecticut 16-2 1585 5 American Athletic Conference
5. Wisconsin 15-2 1517 1 Big Ten Conference
6. Alabama 15-1 1437 6 Southeastern Conference
7. Saint Mary's 17-3 1371 7 West Coast Conference
8. UNLV 14-2 1287 10 Mountain West Conference
9. UAB 14-1 1195 11 Conference USA
10. Syracuse 14-2 1163 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Purdue 14-2 1099 13 Big Ten Conference
12. Ohio State 14-3 972 22 Big Ten Conference
13. Kansas 14-3 895 17 Big 12 Conference
14. George Mason 14-2 770 20 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Belmont 17-1 751 18 Ohio Valley Conference
16. Tennessee 12-4 732 8 Southeastern Conference
17. California 12-4 653 16 Pacific-12 Conference
18. South Florida 15-2 517 21 American Athletic Conference
19. Wichita State 15-1 454 24 Missouri Valley Conference
20. Kentucky 12-4 366 NR Southeastern Conference
21. Pittsburgh 13-5 244 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
22. Michigan 12-4 240 NR Big Ten Conference
23. Southern Mississippi 14-2 231 NR Conference USA
24. VCU 13-3 186 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Kent State 14-2 177 NR Mid-American Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Oklahoma 15-2 152 Big 12 Conference
UCLA 13-3 110 Pacific-12 Conference
Louisiana Tech 14-1 59 Conference USA
Louisiana State 13-3 12 Southeastern Conference
Old Dominion 13-2 12 Conference USA
Georgetown 12-4 10 Big East Conference
Illinois 12-4 6 Big Ten Conference
Cincinnati 14-4 5 American Athletic Conference
Princeton 13-2 5 Ivy League
Stanford 12-3 4 Pacific-12 Conference
Notre Dame 13-3 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
Brigham Young 14-5 2 West Coast Conference



And the Shockers keep climbing.. does this feel like real life Dejavu to anybody else?

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 17-3 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UNLV 14-2 1728 2 Mountain West Conference
3. UAB 14-1 1654 3 Conference USA
4. George Mason 14-2 1580 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Belmont 17-1 1460 5 Ohio Valley Conference
6. VCU 13-3 1412 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Wichita State 15-1 1354 7 Missouri Valley Conference
8. Southern Mississippi 14-2 1302 11 Conference USA
9. Kent State 14-2 1259 9 Mid-American Conference
10. Old Dominion 13-2 1119 13 Conference USA
11. New Mexico 13-4 1063 6 Mountain West Conference
12. Louisiana Tech 14-1 1013 12 Conference USA
13. Brigham Young 14-5 972 8 West Coast Conference
14. East Tennessee State 16-2 875 15 Southern Conference
15. Princeton 13-2 806 18 Ivy League
16. Murray State 15-3 714 20 Ohio Valley Conference
17. Akron 14-4 668 14 Mid-American Conference
18. Davidson 12-3 500 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Georgia State 14-3 492 24 Sun Belt Conference
20. Valparaiso 13-3 398 NR Horizon League
21. Middle Tennessee 13-3 309 16 Conference USA
22. Sacred Heart 14-3 234 NR Northeast Conference
23. New Mexico State 13-3 211 NR Western Athletic Conference
24. Texas Southern 13-2 175 23 Southwestern Athletic Conference
25. Weber State 11-3 99 NR Big Sky Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Saint Joseph's 12-4 48 Atlantic 10 Conference
Nevada 10-4 43 Mountain West Conference
Massachusetts 11-3 28 Atlantic 10 Conference
South Dakota State 12-3 21 Summit League
Bucknell 14-4 19 Patriot League
Wright State 13-4 9 Horizon League
Iona 14-5 7 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Mercer 13-4 7 Southern Conference
Ohio 13-5 7 Mid-American Conference
Western Michigan 13-4 7 Mid-American Conference
Morgan State 13-3 4 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
San Diego State 11-6 2 Mountain West Conference
Vermont 14-4 1 America East Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 19-25, 2015

Game Scores

Jan. 19, 2015

at Indiana State 60, South Dakota State 43 (non-conference)

Jan. 21, 2015

Illinois State 100, at Loyola Chicago 70
#19 Wichita State 84, at Missouri State 76
at Bradley 70, Northern Iowa 61
at Evansville 82, Southern Illinois 80 (OT)
at Oklahoma State 62, Drake 42 (non-conference)

Jan. 24, 2015

#19 Wichita State 94, at Loyola Chicago 64
at Missouri State 75, Illinois State 74
Southern Illinois 73, at Bradley 60
at Evansville 59, Northern Iowa 55
Indiana State 67, at Drake 64

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#19 Wichita State Shockers 9 0 1.000 17 1 .944 57 81
Evansville Aces 7 2 .778 11 8 .579 42 55
Indiana State Sycamores 6 3 .667 11 8 .579 84 61
Southern Illinois Salukis 6 3 .667 11 9 .550 87 56
Missouri State Bears 4 5 .444 9 10 .474 199 60
Illinois State Redbirds 4 5 .444 11 9 .550 76 71
Northern Iowa Panthers 3 6 .333 8 11 .421 169 74
Bradley Braves 3 6 .333 7 12 .368 149 53
Drake Bulldogs 3 6 .333 6 14 .300 253 56
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 9 .000 2 17 .105 336 43



Still a lot to be decided 2-9 in the standings. Wichita State seems to have a major handle on the MVC regular season championship, while Loyola Chicago is just... bad. Why did we let them in this conference anyways?

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 19-25, 2015

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 6-14, 2-6 America East. The Black Bears got a 66-46 win at UMass Lowell, then went to UMBC and lost 71-64 in overtime.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 11-7, 2-5 Big 12. As good as last week was for the Wildcats, this week was just as bad. Kansas State lost 88-74 at Texas and lost 73-59 at Iowa State.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 8-9, 4-1 Big West. Only 1 game this week for the Warriors, but they made the most of it, hammering Cal St. Northridge 69-36.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 9-8, 3-1 Conference USA. A couple more wins for the Owls this week, as they defeated Florida International 70-59, then got by Marshall on the road 70-69.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 13-5, 5-1 Pac 12. A 4 game winning streak now for Washington, as they won at Arizona 72-67 then returned home to beat Colorado 70-63.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (32) 18-2 1757 2 Big East Conference
2. Xavier (33) 18-0 1724 1 Big East Conference
3. Duke (7) 18-2 1685 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Connecticut 18-2 1602 4 American Athletic Conference
5. Wisconsin 16-3 1462 5 Big Ten Conference
6. Alabama 17-1 1445 6 Southeastern Conference
7. Saint Mary's 19-3 1411 7 West Coast Conference
8. UNLV 16-2 1295 8 Mountain West Conference
9. UAB 16-1 1225 9 Conference USA
10. Kansas 16-3 1112 13 Big 12 Conference
11. Syracuse 15-3 988 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. George Mason 16-2 964 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Purdue 15-3 901 11 Big Ten Conference
14. Belmont 19-1 854 15 Ohio Valley Conference
15. South Florida 17-2 794 18 American Athletic Conference
16. Ohio State 15-4 751 12 Big Ten Conference
17. Tennessee 13-5 597 16 Southeastern Conference
18. UCLA 15-3 545 NR Pacific-12 Conference
19. Wichita State 17-1 504 19 Missouri Valley Conference
20. California 13-5 353 17 Pacific-12 Conference
21. Louisiana State 15-3 294 NR Southeastern Conference
22. Pittsburgh 14-6 256 21 Atlantic Coast Conference
23. Georgetown 14-4 177 NR Big East Conference
24. Old Dominion 15-2 166 NR Conference USA
25. Brigham Young 16-5 148 NR West Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Louisville 14-4 146 Atlantic Coast Conference
Stanford 14-3 87 Pacific-12 Conference
Washington 13-5 45 Pacific-12 Conference
Kentucky 13-5 23 Southeastern Conference
East Tennessee State 18-2 20 Southern Conference
Michigan 13-5 19 Big Ten Conference
Oklahoma 16-3 18 Big 12 Conference
Kent State 15-3 15 Mid-American Conference
North Carolina 14-5 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
Southern Mississippi 15-3 4 Conference USA
Akron 16-4 3 Mid-American Conference



The Shockers stand pat at #19, and now Washington is finally starting to receive some votes as Shannon Elliott seems to have his team rolling.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 19-3 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UNLV 16-2 1728 2 Mountain West Conference
3. UAB 16-1 1655 3 Conference USA
4. George Mason 16-2 1582 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Belmont 19-1 1486 5 Ohio Valley Conference
6. Wichita State 17-1 1387 7 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Brigham Young 16-5 1361 13 West Coast Conference
8. Old Dominion 15-2 1311 10 Conference USA
9. VCU 14-4 1250 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. Southern Mississippi 15-3 1153 8 Conference USA
11. Kent State 15-3 1055 9 Mid-American Conference
12. New Mexico 14-5 1032 11 Mountain West Conference
13. East Tennessee State 18-2 927 14 Southern Conference
14. Akron 16-4 901 17 Mid-American Conference
15. Middle Tennessee 15-3 734 21 Conference USA
16. Georgia State 16-3 649 19 Sun Belt Conference
17. Louisiana Tech 14-3 571 12 Conference USA
18. Princeton 14-3 535 15 Ivy League
19. Saint Joseph's 14-4 477 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
20. Murray State 16-4 426 16 Ohio Valley Conference
21. New Mexico State 15-3 352 23 Western Athletic Conference
22. San Diego State 13-6 275 NR Mountain West Conference
23. Weber State 13-3 262 25 Big Sky Conference
24. Texas Southern 15-2 138 24 Southwestern Athletic Conference
25. Iona 16-5 136 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Wright State 15-4 96 Horizon League
Western Michigan 15-4 37 Mid-American Conference
Vermont 16-4 25 America East Conference
Mercer 15-4 20 Southern Conference
Morgan State 15-3 11 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Davidson 12-5 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
Sacred Heart 15-4 7 Northeast Conference
Richmond 12-5 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
UTEP 12-4 4 Conference USA
Ohio 14-6 3 Mid-American Conference
Albany 16-4 1 America East Conference
Massachusetts 12-4 1 Atlantic 10 Conference

[bbgunn]

My two coaches are having good conference campaigns so far.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2015

Game Scores

Jan. 27, 2015

at Seton Hall 67, Evansville 56 (non-conference)

Jan. 28, 2015

Illinois State 61, at Northern Iowa 60
at Southern Illinois 48, #19 Wichita State 39
at Drake 81, Loyola Chicago 58
Missouri State 76, at Indiana State 61

Jan. 29, 2015

at Marquette 78, Evansville 70 (non-conference)

Jan. 31, 2015

at Evansville 84, Bradley 49
at Northern Iowa 85, #19 Wichita State 79
Illinois State 82, at Southern Illinois 55
Missouri State 81, at Drake 65
at Indiana State 75, Loyola Chicago 71

MVC Standings:

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 9 2 .818 17 3 .850 96 81
Evansville Aces 8 2 .800 12 10 .545 63 55
Indiana State Sycamores 7 4 .636 12 9 .571 130 61
Southern Illinois Salukis 7 4 .636 12 10 .545 91 56
Missouri State Bears 6 5 .545 11 10 .524 177 60
Illinois State Redbirds 6 5 .545 13 9 .591 70 71
Northern Iowa Panthers 4 7 .364 9 12 .429 155 74
Drake Bulldogs 4 7 .364 7 15 .318 283 56
Bradley Braves 3 7 .300 7 13 .350 157 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 11 .000 2 19 .095 347 43


Looking at those standings, I see good and bad... It's bad that WSU lost both their games this week because they have fallen out of the national rankings, and to be considered one of the top conferences, it's important to have at least 1 team nationally ranked on a consistent basis. However, I'm seeing a lot of good in the fact that 6 of our 10 MVC teams have winning records and could see postseason play. That is the number that matters most to me, because the more teams we have playing postseason basketball, the more revenue the conference draws.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2015

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 6-16, 2-8 America East. The Black Bears continue to struggle, losing at New Hampshire 69-54, then losing at conference loser Vermont 66-44.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 13-7, 4-5 Big 12. The inconsistency continues for the Wildcats, as they go 2-0 this week. Both games were at home, as they beat Baylor 67-49 and then beat Texas Tech 85-74.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 9-10, 5-2 Big West. A split for the Warriors this week, as they hosted UC Irvine and won 65-61, then missed the chance for a big conference win as they lost at Cal St. Fullerton 56-52.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 11-8, 5-1 Conference USA. The Owls stay hot, increasing their winning streak to 4 games with a big 70-60 win against Louisiana Tech and a 62-58 win against Marshall.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 14-6, 6-2 Pac 12. The Huskies lost 89-81 at USC, then returned home to beat Washington State 89-81.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (62) 20-2 1790 1 Big East Conference
2. Xavier (10) 20-0 1732 2 Big East Conference
3. Duke 20-2 1653 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Connecticut 20-2 1593 4 American Athletic Conference
5. Wisconsin 18-3 1469 5 Big Ten Conference
6. Alabama 19-1 1456 6 Southeastern Conference
7. Saint Mary's 21-3 1381 7 West Coast Conference
8. Ohio State 17-4 1291 16 Big Ten Conference
9. UNLV 18-2 1243 8 Mountain West Conference
10. Kansas 17-3 1105 10 Big 12 Conference
11. UAB 18-1 1100 9 Conference USA
12. California 15-5 941 20 Pacific-12 Conference
13. Tennessee 15-5 845 17 Southeastern Conference
14. Purdue 16-4 842 13 Big Ten Conference
15. George Mason 18-2 828 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Belmont 21-1 655 14 Ohio Valley Conference
17. Pittsburgh 15-7 641 22 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Georgetown 15-5 493 23 Big East Conference
19. VCU 16-4 473 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
20. Kentucky 14-6 388 NR Southeastern Conference
21. Syracuse 16-4 388 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
22. South Florida 19-2 294 15 American Athletic Conference
23. Michigan 15-5 230 NR Big Ten Conference
24. Cincinnati 16-5 218 NR American Athletic Conference
25. UCLA 17-3 212 18 Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Brigham Young 17-6 62 West Coast Conference
Old Dominion 17-2 25 Conference USA
Akron 18-4 15 Mid-American Conference
Kent State 17-3 14 Mid-American Conference
Washington 14-6 8 Pacific-12 Conference
Stanford 15-4 6 Pacific-12 Conference
Louisville 15-5 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
Southern Mississippi 17-3 3 Conference USA
North Carolina 15-6 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
Marquette 13-8 1 Big East Conference

This is what hurts, not being in a BCS conference. Our Shockers went from being ranked nationally, to not even receiving a vote. At least Washington is still climbing their way up.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 21-3 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UNLV 18-2 1728 2 Mountain West Conference
3. George Mason 18-2 1620 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. UAB 18-1 1607 3 Conference USA
5. VCU 16-4 1514 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Belmont 21-1 1402 5 Ohio Valley Conference
7. Brigham Young 17-6 1373 7 West Coast Conference
8. Old Dominion 17-2 1227 8 Conference USA
9. Kent State 17-3 1211 11 Mid-American Conference
10. Southern Mississippi 17-3 1190 10 Conference USA
11. Akron 18-4 1107 14 Mid-American Conference
12. New Mexico 15-6 1057 12 Mountain West Conference
13. Wichita State 17-3 893 6 Missouri Valley Conference
14. San Diego State 14-6 863 22 Mountain West Conference
15. Saint Joseph's 16-4 799 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Middle Tennessee 17-3 699 15 Conference USA
17. Murray State 17-5 571 20 Ohio Valley Conference
18. Weber State 15-3 464 23 Big Sky Conference
19. Wright State 17-4 432 NR Horizon League
20. Louisiana Tech 15-4 424 17 Conference USA
21. Vermont 18-4 312 NR America East Conference
22. Saint Louis 14-5 240 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. East Tennessee State 18-4 222 13 Southern Conference
24. New Mexico State 16-3 167 21 Western Athletic Conference
25. Georgia State 17-4 145 16 Sun Belt Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Princeton 15-4 76 Ivy League
Nevada 12-6 46 Mountain West Conference
Texas Southern 17-2 44 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Valparaiso 15-5 36 Horizon League
Bucknell 17-5 35 Patriot League
Mercer 17-4 30 Southern Conference
Iona 16-7 29 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Ohio 15-7 23 Mid-American Conference
Sacred Heart 16-5 8 Northeast Conference
Manhattan 14-7 4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Robert Morris 16-6 2 Northeast Conference

Even as a mid-major Wichita State took a huge drop. Ouch!

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 2-8, 2015

Game Scores

Feb. 4, 2015

Bradley 89, at Loyola Chicago 77
at Missouri State 75, Evansville 54
at Wichita State 84, Drake 75
Indiana State 73, at Illinois State 65
Southern Illinois 77, at Bowling Green 51 (non-conference)

Feb. 5, 2015

Northern Iowa 68, at Denver 64 (non-conference)

Feb. 7, 2015

Evansville 108, at Loyola Chicago 86
at Missouri State 89, Bradley 52
at Wichita State 89, Indiana State 82
Drake 75, at Illinois State 72
Northern Iowa 68, at Southern Illinois 40

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 11 2 .846 19 3 .864 79 81
Evansville Aces 9 3 .750 13 11 .542 85 55
Indiana State Sycamores 8 5 .615 13 10 .565 100 61
Missouri State Bears 8 5 .615 13 10 .565 166 60
Southern Illinois Salukis 7 5 .583 13 11 .542 102 56
Illinois State Redbirds 6 7 .462 13 11 .542 101 71
Northern Iowa Panthers 5 7 .417 11 12 .478 125 74
Drake Bulldogs 5 8 .385 8 16 .333 239 56
Bradley Braves 4 8 .333 8 14 .364 163 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 13 .000 2 21 .087 349 43


A couple good wins for Northern Iowa this week, but they need to keep winning. Wichita State still controls their destiny to win the MVC regular season title for the second straight season. And will Loyola win another game this season?

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 2-8, 2015

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 6-17, 2-9 8th America East. 1 game on the schedule this week for the Black Bears, as they lose 76-67 at home against Hartford.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 14-7, 5-5 5th Big 12. The Wildcats got a nice win this week, going to Oklahoma and winning 94-79 in their only game of the week.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 10-11, 6-3 T 2nd Big West. The Warriors lost 66-56 at home against UC Santa Barbara, then travelled to UC Davis to get an 89-86 overtime victory, keeping their 3 team tie for second in the Big West.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 11-10, 5-3 6th Conference USA. Not a good week for the Owls, as they lost 64-55 at Texas-San Antonio, then hosted Middle Tennessee and got hammered 74-49.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 16-6, 8-2 T 2nd Pac 12. The Huskies, after just beating Washington State at home, travelled to Washington State and beat them 86-54. They also won at Utah 66-54 to remain in a 3 way tie for 2nd.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (63) 22-2 1791 1 Big East Conference
2. Xavier (9) 22-0 1732 2 Big East Conference
3. Duke 22-2 1659 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Connecticut 21-2 1582 4 American Athletic Conference
5. Alabama 21-1 1503 6 Southeastern Conference
6. Saint Mary's 23-3 1448 7 West Coast Conference
7. UNLV 20-2 1361 9 Mountain West Conference
8. Wisconsin 19-4 1303 5 Big Ten Conference
9. Ohio State 18-5 1176 8 Big Ten Conference
10. Kansas 19-3 1172 10 Big 12 Conference
11. UAB 20-1 1073 11 Conference USA
12. California 17-5 1032 12 Pacific-12 Conference
13. Tennessee 17-5 938 13 Southeastern Conference
14. Purdue 17-5 812 14 Big Ten Conference
15. Michigan 17-5 746 23 Big Ten Conference
16. Kentucky 16-6 692 20 Southeastern Conference
17. VCU 18-4 629 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. George Mason 19-3 576 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Belmont 22-2 410 16 Ohio Valley Conference
20. South Florida 21-2 389 22 American Athletic Conference
21. Pittsburgh 16-8 322 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
22. Syracuse 17-5 267 21 Atlantic Coast Conference
23. Georgetown 16-6 202 18 Big East Conference
24. UCLA 18-4 181 25 Pacific-12 Conference
25. Brigham Young 18-6 141 NR West Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Kent State 19-3 116 Mid-American Conference
Washington 16-6 42 Pacific-12 Conference
Stanford 17-4 39 Pacific-12 Conference
North Carolina 17-6 34 Atlantic Coast Conference
Cincinnati 17-6 15 American Athletic Conference
Wichita State 19-3 7 Missouri Valley Conference
Old Dominion 18-3 6 Conference USA
Akron 19-5 4 Mid-American Conference

Good to see our Shockers receiving votes in the national polls again, and Washington continues to move up, but are still out of the top 25.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 23-3 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UNLV 20-2 1728 2 Mountain West Conference
3. UAB 20-1 1656 4 Conference USA
4. VCU 18-4 1556 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. George Mason 19-3 1536 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Brigham Young 18-6 1396 7 West Coast Conference
7. Belmont 22-2 1368 6 Ohio Valley Conference
8. Kent State 19-3 1314 9 Mid-American Conference
9. Old Dominion 18-3 1167 8 Conference USA
10. New Mexico 17-6 1153 12 Mountain West Conference
11. Akron 19-5 1083 11 Mid-American Conference
12. Southern Mississippi 18-4 1012 10 Conference USA
13. Wichita State 19-3 920 13 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Saint Joseph's 18-4 866 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. San Diego State 16-6 848 14 Mountain West Conference
16. Middle Tennessee 19-3 727 16 Conference USA
17. Murray State 19-5 621 17 Ohio Valley Conference
18. Louisiana Tech 17-4 523 20 Conference USA
19. Weber State 17-3 472 18 Big Sky Conference
20. East Tennessee State 20-4 386 23 Southern Conference
21. Georgia State 19-4 305 25 Sun Belt Conference
22. New Mexico State 18-3 300 24 Western Athletic Conference
23. Mercer 19-4 147 NR Southern Conference
24. Ohio 17-7 100 NR Mid-American Conference
25. Wright State 18-5 98 19 Horizon League

Others Receiving Votes:
Texas Southern 19-2 95 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Iona 18-7 75 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Nevada 14-6 50 Mountain West Conference
Vermont 19-5 31 America East Conference
Princeton 16-5 26 Ivy League
Saint Louis 15-6 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
Davidson 14-7 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
Bucknell 18-6 5 Patriot League
Stony Brook 17-6 5 America East Conference
Albany 19-5 1 America East Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 9-15, 2015

Game Scores

Feb. 11, 2015

Illinois State 89, at Bradley 82
at Evansville 81, Wichita State 79
at Drake 74, Southern Illinois 66
at Indiana State 76, Northern Iowa 70

Feb. 14, 2015

Missouri State 68, at Loyola Chicago 60
Wichita State 81, at Bradley 60
Illinois State 71, at Evansville 49
Northern Iowa 62, at Drake 59
at Indiana State 62, Southern Illinois 48

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 12 3 .800 20 4 .833 87 81
Evansville Aces 10 4 .714 14 12 .538 80 55
Indiana State Sycamores 10 5 .667 15 10 .600 93 61
Missouri State Bears 9 5 .643 14 10 .583 171 60
Illinois State Redbirds 8 7 .533 15 11 .577 89 71
Southern Illinois Salukis 7 7 .500 13 13 .500 120 56
Northern Iowa Panthers 6 8 .429 12 13 .480 124 74
Drake Bulldogs 6 9 .400 9 17 .346 244 56
Bradley Braves 4 10 .286 8 16 .333 169 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 14 .000 2 22 .083 350 43


Evansville has to be playing the what if game. Every time they get ground on Wichita State, they end up losing it the next game. The Shockers still are in control of the MVC race, but there is a logjam for 2nd, with 3 teams still in the mix. Missouri State is one of those teams that struggled last year, so I'm impressed with their turnaround. On the other hand Northern Iowa continues to disappoint with their win one, lose one streak. And how far has Southern Illinois fallen in the last few weeks? They were in the hunt for the MVC title just weeks ago, but have lost their last 4 conference games and are now fighting to stay out of the play-in round.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 9-15

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 8-18, 3-10 9th America East. A long week for the Black Bears, as they had 3 games. First, a non-conference game at Bryant, which they won 76-50. Then a loss at home to Stony Brook, 73-56. Conference dweller UMass Lowell took the Black Bears to overtime, but Maine won 64-58.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 15-8, 6-6 T-4th Big 12. The Wildcats had 2 road games this week, winning 90-84 at Oklahoma State, then lost 83-70 at West Virginia.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 11-12, 7-4 3rd Big West. A split for the Warriors this week as they won 72-62 at Cal Poly, but couldn't defend their home turf in an 81-58 loss to Long Beach State.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 11-12, 5-5 7th Conference USA. The slide continues for the Owls who have now lost 4 in a row after a tough 85-82 overtime home loss to Southern Miss, then getting blown out 75-54 at Western Kentucky.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 17-7, 9-3 T-2nd Pac 12. The Huskies beat Oregon at home 83-65, then lost at home to Arizona 79-68.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (62) 24-2 1790 1 Big East Conference
2. Xavier (10) 24-0 1733 2 Big East Conference
3. Duke 24-2 1659 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Connecticut 23-2 1583 4 American Athletic Conference
5. Alabama 23-1 1515 5 Southeastern Conference
6. UNLV 22-2 1412 7 Mountain West Conference
7. Saint Mary's 24-3 1390 6 West Coast Conference
8. Wisconsin 20-5 1293 8 Big Ten Conference
9. Ohio State 20-5 1196 9 Big Ten Conference
10. UAB 22-1 1181 11 Conference USA
11. Tennessee 19-5 1051 13 Southeastern Conference
12. Kansas 20-4 1022 10 Big 12 Conference
13. VCU 20-4 856 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. California 18-6 833 12 Pacific-12 Conference
15. Michigan 19-5 825 15 Big Ten Conference
16. George Mason 21-3 687 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Kentucky 17-7 550 16 Southeastern Conference
18. Belmont 24-2 525 19 Ohio Valley Conference
19. Pittsburgh 18-8 522 21 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. South Florida 22-2 444 20 American Athletic Conference
21. Purdue 18-6 377 14 Big Ten Conference
22. Kent State 21-3 328 NR Mid-American Conference
23. Brigham Young 20-6 233 25 West Coast Conference
24. Stanford 19-4 222 NR Pacific-12 Conference
25. Georgetown 17-7 79 23 Big East Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Old Dominion 20-3 48 Conference USA
North Carolina 18-7 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
UCLA 19-5 10 Pacific-12 Conference
Washington 17-7 10 Pacific-12 Conference
Syracuse 17-6 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
Cincinnati 18-7 3 American Athletic Conference
Southern Mississippi 20-4 1 Conference USA
Wichita State 20-4 1 Missouri Valley Conference

Washington and Wichita State both lost votes in the polls this week, no big surprise.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. UNLV (71) 22-2 1799 2 Mountain West Conference
2. Saint Mary's (1) 24-3 1729 1 West Coast Conference
3. UAB 22-1 1656 3 Conference USA
4. VCU 20-4 1579 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. George Mason 21-3 1514 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Brigham Young 20-6 1388 6 West Coast Conference
7. Belmont 24-2 1359 7 Ohio Valley Conference
8. Kent State 21-3 1341 8 Mid-American Conference
9. Old Dominion 20-3 1208 9 Conference USA
10. New Mexico 18-6 1134 10 Mountain West Conference
11. Southern Mississippi 20-4 1110 12 Conference USA
12. Akron 20-6 994 11 Mid-American Conference
13. Wichita State 20-4 890 13 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Saint Joseph's 19-5 848 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. San Diego State 17-7 793 15 Mountain West Conference
16. Murray State 21-5 727 17 Ohio Valley Conference
17. Middle Tennessee 20-4 643 16 Conference USA
18. Georgia State 21-4 547 21 Sun Belt Conference
19. New Mexico State 20-3 509 22 Western Athletic Conference
20. Louisiana Tech 18-5 365 18 Conference USA
21. Wright State 20-5 362 25 Horizon League
22. East Tennessee State 21-5 239 20 Southern Conference
23. Weber State 18-4 183 19 Big Sky Conference
24. Texas Southern 21-2 177 NR Southwestern Athletic Conference
25. Iona 19-7 135 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Vermont 21-5 53 America East Conference
Princeton 18-5 43 Ivy League
Valparaiso 18-6 18 Horizon League
Mercer 19-5 17 Southern Conference
Ohio 18-8 11 Mid-American Conference
Saint Louis 16-7 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
Stony Brook 18-6 6 America East Conference
Davidson 15-8 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
Robert Morris 19-7 4 Northeast Conference
Fairfield 18-8 3 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Oakland 19-7 3 Horizon League

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 16-22, 2015

Game Scores

Feb. 17, 2015

at Indiana State 71, Iona 61 (non-conference)

Feb. 18, 2015

at Wichita State 79, Loyola Chicago 64
at Illinois State 84, Missouri State 75
at Northern Iowa 72, Evansville 55
at Southern Illinois 82, Bradley 81
Youngstown State 64, at Drake 62 (non-conference)

Feb. 21, 2015

at Wichita State 75, Missouri State 69
at Illinois State 86, Loyola Chicago 71
Bradley 76, at Northern Iowa 67
at Southern Illinois 76, Evansville 68
Drake 66, at Indiana State 59

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 14 3 .824 22 4 .846 90 81
Evansville Aces 10 6 .625 14 14 .500 94 55
Indiana State Sycamores 10 6 .625 16 11 .593 99 61
Illinois State Redbirds 10 7 .588 17 11 .607 95 71
Southern Illinois Salukis 9 7 .563 15 13 .536 123 56
Missouri State Bears 9 7 .563 14 12 .538 162 60
Northern Iowa Panthers 7 9 .438 13 14 .481 145 74
Drake Bulldogs 7 9 .438 10 18 .357 241 56
Bradley Braves 5 11 .313 9 17 .346 164 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 16 .000 2 24 .077 350 43


Here's what we do know, Wichita State has clinched their second straight regular season MVC title. Congrats to coach Gregg Marshall. Loyola Chicago has clinched last place in the conference, and Bradley has clinched 9th place. There are 5 teams that still have a shot at second place, and 4 teams that have a chance to be the other 2 play-in teams. So for most of the conference, there is a LOT to play for in the last week of conference play.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 16-22

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 8-20, 3-12 8th America East. Just a note, I screwed up in my last couple posts. America East only has 9 teams, and Maine is one spot ahead of the bottom, which actually puts them in 8th place, not 9th. For the week, it was a couple losses, 80-63 at Albany, and a pitiful 66-48 loss at home against New Hampshire. Ouch!

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 16-9, 7-7 T-4th Big 12. The Wildcats opened the week with a 60-57 win at home against Iowa State, then got hammered at home against Texas, 89-59.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 12-13, 8-5 T-2nd Big West. The Warriors opened the week at UC Riverside and won 84-79, then dropped a heartbreaker at home, 55-54 to Cal St. Northridge.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 11-14, 5-7 T-7th Conference USA. The losing streak is 6 now, as the Owls played conference leader and nationally ranked UAB tough, but fell 67-63. Then they just fell apart at North Texas, losing 80-63.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 19-7, 11-3 2nd Pac 12. A big week for the Huskies, as they got a nice 78-53 win against a Stanford team that was receiving votes, then beat nationally ranked California 60-50.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (70) 25-2 1798 1 Big East Conference
2. Duke 25-2 1706 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Xavier (2) 25-1 1673 2 Big East Conference
4. Connecticut 25-2 1577 4 American Athletic Conference
5. Alabama 25-1 1526 5 Southeastern Conference
6. UNLV 24-2 1413 6 Mountain West Conference
7. Ohio State 22-5 1348 9 Big Ten Conference
8. Saint Mary's 26-3 1312 7 West Coast Conference
9. Wisconsin 22-5 1255 8 Big Ten Conference
10. UAB 23-2 1142 10 Conference USA
11. Tennessee 20-6 1064 11 Southeastern Conference
12. Kentucky 19-7 972 17 Southeastern Conference
13. Michigan 20-6 941 15 Big Ten Conference
14. Kansas 21-5 831 12 Big 12 Conference
15. VCU 21-5 749 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Belmont 26-2 740 18 Ohio Valley Conference
17. California 19-7 643 14 Pacific-12 Conference
18. South Florida 23-3 498 20 American Athletic Conference
19. George Mason 22-4 446 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
20. Brigham Young 22-6 443 23 West Coast Conference
21. Kent State 23-3 430 22 Mid-American Conference
22. North Carolina 20-7 232 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
23. Pittsburgh 19-9 192 19 Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Old Dominion 22-3 119 NR Conference USA
25. Purdue 19-7 113 21 Big Ten Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Washington 19-7 98 Pacific-12 Conference
Southern Mississippi 22-4 56 Conference USA
Stanford 20-5 35 Pacific-12 Conference
Syracuse 19-6 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
Georgetown 19-7 13 Big East Conference
UCLA 20-6 6 Pacific-12 Conference
Akron 22-6 4 Mid-American Conference
Wichita State 22-4 4 Missouri Valley Conference
New Mexico 20-6 3 Mountain West Conference

Washington is just about to crack the national top 25 again. Another good week next week and they will be there. Wichita State, even with clinching the MVC title a week early, can still only muster 4 votes. Ugh.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. UNLV (71) 24-2 1799 1 Mountain West Conference
2. Saint Mary's (1) 26-3 1729 2 West Coast Conference
3. UAB 23-2 1630 3 Conference USA
4. VCU 21-5 1607 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. George Mason 22-4 1491 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Brigham Young 22-6 1383 6 West Coast Conference
7. Belmont 26-2 1381 7 Ohio Valley Conference
8. Kent State 23-3 1332 8 Mid-American Conference
9. Old Dominion 22-3 1208 9 Conference USA
10. Southern Mississippi 22-4 1131 11 Conference USA
11. New Mexico 20-6 1127 10 Mountain West Conference
12. Akron 22-6 1022 12 Mid-American Conference
13. Wichita State 22-4 933 13 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Saint Joseph's 20-6 829 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Murray State 23-5 770 16 Ohio Valley Conference
16. New Mexico State 22-3 668 19 Western Athletic Conference
17. Middle Tennessee 21-5 657 17 Conference USA
18. Weber State 20-4 508 23 Big Sky Conference
19. Georgia State 22-5 491 18 Sun Belt Conference
20. San Diego State 19-7 395 15 Mountain West Conference
21. East Tennessee State 23-5 357 22 Southern Conference
22. Princeton 20-5 290 NR Ivy League
23. Vermont 22-5 158 NR America East Conference
24. Louisiana Tech 19-6 147 20 Conference USA
25. Wright State 21-6 122 21 Horizon League

Others Receiving Votes:
Saint Louis 18-7 78 Atlantic 10 Conference
Iona 20-8 33 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Valparaiso 20-6 32 Horizon League
Mercer 21-5 25 Southern Conference
Texas Southern 22-3 14 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Bucknell 21-7 11 Patriot League
Stony Brook 20-6 11 America East Conference
Oakland 21-7 10 Horizon League
Massachusetts 18-6 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
Fairfield 20-8 6 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Ohio 19-9 6 Mid-American Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 23-March 1, 2015

Game Scores

Feb. 25, 2015

Northern Iowa 72, at Loyola Chicago 48
at Missouri State 73, Southern Illinois 58
Drake 64, at Bradley 56
at Evansville 75, Indiana State 55
at Wichita State 73, Texas Southern 70 (OT) (non-conference)
at Illinois State 92, Colgate 73 (non-conference)

Feb. 28, 2015

Southern Illinois 82, at Loyola Chicago 73
Northern Iowa 59, at Missouri State 56
at Illinois State 68, Wichita State 55
Indiana State 86, at Bradley 81
Drake 78, at Evansville 69

Final Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 14 4 .778 23 5 .821 71 81
Evansville Aces 11 7 .611 15 15 .500 108 55
Indiana State Sycamores 11 7 .611 17 12 .586 100 61
Illinois State Redbirds 11 7 .611 19 11 .633 78 71
Southern Illinois Salukis 10 8 .556 16 14 .533 135 56
Missouri State Bears 10 8 .556 15 13 .536 165 60
Northern Iowa Panthers 9 9 .500 15 14 .517 141 74
Drake Bulldogs 9 9 .500 12 18 .400 220 56
Bradley Braves 5 13 .278 9 19 .321 181 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 18 .000 2 26 .071 349 43


What I like to see is the logjam near the top, and the 3 way tie for second place. 3 teams really, really improved this season... Southern Illinois, Missouri State, and Evansville. And the fact that the Valley could, I say could, get 7 teams into postseason play is huge. Unfortunately, as far as the NCAA tournament goes, the Valley is probably a 1 bid league, although either Wichita State or Illinois State could get an at-large if they don't win the conference tournament. As far as Loyola Chicago goes.. I just don't see them being in the Valley much longer.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 23-March 1, 2015

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 8-21, 3-13 8th America East. The Black Bears finished off their regular season with a 69-54 loss at New Hampshire and will be the 8 seed in the America East tournament. The good news is they'll face UMass Lowell, a team that only won 4 games all season.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 18-9, 9-7 T-3rd Big 12. Good week for the Wildcats, who won 78-68 at Texas Tech, then went to Baylor and won 73-65.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 13-13, 9-5, 2nd Big West. Only 1 game on the schedule this week for the Warriors, as they went to UC Irvine and won 57-48.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 11-16, 5-9 T-9th. The poor Owls keep losing, as the streak is now 8 after 2 more losses this week: 93-63 at Charlotte, and 76-50 against UTEP at home.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 20-8, 12-4 2nd Pac 12. Washington lost a chance to take the conference lead with an 87-86 loss at Colorado, but recovered nicely at Arizona State, winning 81-58.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (69) 27-2 1797 1 Big East Conference
2. Duke 27-2 1709 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Xavier (3) 27-1 1662 3 Big East Conference
4. Connecticut 27-2 1594 4 American Athletic Conference
5. Alabama 27-1 1515 5 Southeastern Conference
6. Saint Mary's 28-3 1429 8 West Coast Conference
7. Ohio State 24-5 1341 7 Big Ten Conference
8. UNLV 26-2 1327 6 Mountain West Conference
9. Wisconsin 24-5 1234 9 Big Ten Conference
10. UAB 25-2 1144 10 Conference USA
11. Tennessee 22-6 1078 11 Southeastern Conference
12. Kentucky 21-7 997 12 Southeastern Conference
13. Kansas 22-5 896 14 Big 12 Conference
14. Belmont 28-2 879 16 Ohio Valley Conference
15. Michigan 21-7 765 13 Big Ten Conference
16. George Mason 24-4 705 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. VCU 22-6 565 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. South Florida 24-4 544 18 American Athletic Conference
19. Pittsburgh 21-9 536 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. California 20-8 371 17 Pacific-12 Conference
21. Old Dominion 24-3 355 24 Conference USA
22. Kent State 24-4 331 21 Mid-American Conference
23. Syracuse 21-6 319 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Purdue 20-8 137 25 Big Ten Conference
25. Memphis 20-8 38 NR American Athletic Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
North Carolina 20-8 37 Atlantic Coast Conference
Stanford 21-6 19 Pacific-12 Conference
Akron 24-6 18 Mid-American Conference
Washington 20-8 17 Pacific-12 Conference
Georgetown 20-8 15 Big East Conference
Southern Mississippi 23-5 11 Conference USA
New Mexico State 23-3 8 Western Athletic Conference
Brigham Young 22-8 4 West Coast Conference
Wichita State 23-5 2 Missouri Valley Conference
Temple 21-7 1 American Athletic Conference

With both Washington and Wichita State losing a game to lesser competition this week, it makes sense they would both lose votes in the polls.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 28-3 1800 2 West Coast Conference
2. UNLV 26-2 1728 1 Mountain West Conference
3. UAB 25-2 1656 3 Conference USA
4. George Mason 24-4 1548 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. VCU 22-6 1540 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Belmont 28-2 1437 7 Ohio Valley Conference
7. Kent State 24-4 1340 8 Mid-American Conference
8. Old Dominion 24-3 1306 9 Conference USA
9. Brigham Young 22-8 1183 6 West Coast Conference
10. Akron 24-6 1136 12 Mid-American Conference
11. New Mexico 21-7 1085 11 Mountain West Conference
12. Southern Mississippi 23-5 1071 10 Conference USA
13. Wichita State 23-5 924 13 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Murray State 25-5 834 15 Ohio Valley Conference
15. Middle Tennessee 23-5 743 17 Conference USA
16. Saint Joseph's 21-7 678 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. San Diego State 21-7 667 20 Mountain West Conference
18. New Mexico State 23-3 530 16 Western Athletic Conference
19. Weber State 22-4 530 18 Big Sky Conference
20. Georgia State 23-5 434 19 Sun Belt Conference
21. East Tennessee State 25-5 341 21 Southern Conference
22. Wright State 23-6 301 25 Horizon League
23. Valparaiso 22-6 180 NR Horizon League
24. Mercer 23-5 179 NR Southern Conference
25. Vermont 23-5 110 23 America East Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Princeton 21-6 47 Ivy League
Iona 22-8 37 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Louisiana Tech 20-7 18 Conference USA
Texas Southern 23-4 6 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Stony Brook 21-6 5 America East Conference
Ohio 20-10 3 Mid-American Conference
Fairfield 21-8 2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Bucknell 21-7 1 Patriot League

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC March 2-8, 2015

3 teams had non-conference games on March 2nd, let's take a look at those.

at IPFW 87, Loyola Chicago 70
Oral Roberts 85, at Missouri State 80
Indiana State 72, at College of Charleston 48

2015 MVC Tournament

2015 MVC Play-in Round

(9) Bradley beat (8) Drake 81-77.
(7) Northern Iowa beat (10) Loyola Chicago 77-71.

2015 MVC Quarterfinals

(1) Wichita State beats (9) Bradley 91-67.
(4) Illinois State beats (5) Southern Illinois 64-58.
(3) Indiana State hammers (6) Missouri State 90-56.
(7) Northern Iowa beats (2) Evansville 69-60.

2015 MVC Semifinals

(1) Wichita State beats (4) Illinois State 73-56.
(3) Indiana State beats (7) Northern Iowa 82-64.

2015 MVC Championship

(1) Wichita State beats (3) Indiana State 71-60 to win the MVC conference tournament!

Here are my postseason predictions:

Wichita State is going dancing, this we know. Indiana State and Illinois State could sneak an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament, but more than likely both are headed to the NIT. Northern Iowa should go to the CBI. Missouri State and Southern Illinois could be possibilities for the CIT, as could Evansville, but that losing record may keep them home. Staying home for sure are Drake, Bradley, and Loyola Chicago.

[Zinto]

Well not a great season for Northern Iowa but at least they reached .500 in conference play.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC March 2-8, 2015

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 8-21, 3-13, 8th America East. The Black Bears had their conference tournament this week, which will be covered in the next post.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 19-10, 10-8 4th Big 12. The Wildcats finished the regular season by hammering TCU 69-48, then narrowly losing to nationally ranked Kansas 72-68.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 13-15, 9-7 T-3rd Big West. Not a good way to finish the season for Hawaii, who lost 2 tough games, 68-64 to Cal State Fullerton, and 64-60 to UC Santa Barbara. They will be the 4th seed in the Big West Tournament.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 11-18, 5-11 T-10th Conference USA. Mr. Chagulia has to be wondering what happened to his team. At one point they were 11-8 and 5-1 in the conference but they ended up losing their last 10 games of the regular season. This week they lost 74-57 to Old Dominion, and 70-55 at Rice. They will be the 11th seed in their conference tournament.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 21-9, 13-5 T-2nd Pac 12. The Huskies finished the regular season by splitting 2 games, losing 64-44 to UCLA, and blasting Oregon State on the road, 82-49. They finished in a 3 way tie for 2nd, but due to tiebreakers will have the second seed in the tournament.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (72) 29-2 1800 1 Big East Conference
2. Connecticut 29-2 1722 4 American Athletic Conference
3. Duke 28-3 1660 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Xavier 27-3 1566 3 Big East Conference
5. UNLV 28-2 1506 8 Mountain West Conference
6. Saint Mary's 30-3 1435 6 West Coast Conference
7. Wisconsin 26-5 1370 9 Big Ten Conference
8. Alabama 27-3 1318 5 Southeastern Conference
9. Ohio State 25-6 1228 7 Big Ten Conference
10. Tennessee 24-6 1155 11 Southeastern Conference
11. Kentucky 23-7 1072 12 Southeastern Conference
12. UAB 26-3 979 10 Conference USA
13. Belmont 30-2 930 14 Ohio Valley Conference
14. Syracuse 23-6 799 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. George Mason 26-4 781 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. VCU 24-6 698 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Pittsburgh 22-9 636 19 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Kansas 23-6 604 13 Big 12 Conference
19. California 22-8 525 20 Pacific-12 Conference
20. South Florida 25-5 425 18 American Athletic Conference
21. Michigan 22-8 424 15 Big Ten Conference
22. Kent State 24-4 262 22 Mid-American Conference
23. Old Dominion 25-4 152 21 Conference USA
24. Brigham Young 24-8 111 NR West Coast Conference
25. North Carolina 21-9 69 NR Atlantic Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Southern Mississippi 25-5 56 Conference USA
Memphis 21-9 38 American Athletic Conference
Wichita State 26-5 24 Missouri Valley Conference
UCLA 23-7 19 Pacific-12 Conference
Temple 23-7 12 American Athletic Conference
New Mexico State 25-3 11 Western Athletic Conference
Akron 24-6 6 Mid-American Conference
Marquette 20-10 5 Big East Conference
Oklahoma 24-6 1 Big 12 Conference
Purdue 21-9 1 Big Ten Conference


Great to see Wichita State getting a few votes after their MVC tourney win, while poor Washington lost all their votes.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. UNLV (71) 28-2 1799 2 Mountain West Conference
2. Saint Mary's (1) 30-3 1729 1 West Coast Conference
3. George Mason 26-4 1601 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. VCU 24-6 1597 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. UAB 26-3 1550 3 Conference USA
6. Belmont 30-2 1439 6 Ohio Valley Conference
7. Kent State 24-4 1311 7 Mid-American Conference
8. Brigham Young 24-8 1273 9 West Coast Conference
9. Old Dominion 25-4 1259 8 Conference USA
10. Southern Mississippi 25-5 1138 12 Conference USA
11. Akron 24-6 1031 10 Mid-American Conference
12. Wichita State 26-5 1031 13 Missouri Valley Conference
13. New Mexico 22-8 1018 11 Mountain West Conference
14. Saint Joseph's 23-7 833 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Murray State 26-6 751 14 Ohio Valley Conference
16. Weber State 24-4 698 19 Big Sky Conference
17. New Mexico State 25-3 600 18 Western Athletic Conference
18. Middle Tennessee 24-6 592 15 Conference USA
19. Mercer 26-5 477 24 Southern Conference
20. San Diego State 21-8 407 17 Mountain West Conference
21. Vermont 26-5 353 25 America East Conference
22. Princeton 23-6 231 NR Ivy League
23. Iona 24-8 229 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
24. Wright State 23-6 211 22 Horizon League
25. Valparaiso 22-6 116 23 Horizon League

Others Receiving Votes:
Louisiana Tech 22-7 38 Conference USA
Georgia State 24-7 27 Sun Belt Conference
Stony Brook 24-6 22 America East Conference
East Tennessee State 25-6 20 Southern Conference
Texas Southern 25-4 12 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Bucknell 23-7 6 Patriot League
Robert Morris 24-8 1 Northeast Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

2015 Non-MVC Conference Tournaments

2015 America East Tournament

Maine finishes with a whimper, losing their first round game 83-82 to (9) UMass Lowell.

2015 Big 12 Tournament

Kansas State got a first round bye, and in the quarterfinals beat (5) Texas 86-70, then shocked (1) Kansas 79-72 in the semifinals, but ran out of steam in the Big 12 championship, getting hammered 74-49 by (2) Oklahoma.

2015 Big West Tournament

Hawaii just faded late in their quarterfinal game, losing 80-74 to (5) UC Davis.

2015 Conference USA Tournament

Florida Atlantic beat (14) FIU 77-57 in the first round, then lost in the quarterfinals 74-62 to (6) UTEP.

2015 Pac 12 Tournament

Washington got the first round bye, then beat (7) USC 56-43 in the quarterfinals, hammered (3) UCLA 65-47 in the semifinals, then won the Pac 12 Tournament with a 77-65 win over (4) California.

[collegesportsfanms]

2015 Selection Sunday

MVC

Wichita State got the 9th seed in the NCAA East Region and will face a surprising (8) Belmont in the First Round. Damn the selection committee, anything they can do to knock a mid-major out of the tournament early.

Illinois State got the 4th seed in the NIT West Region and will host (5) UTEP in the First Round.

Indiana State got the 2nd seed in the NIT South Region and will host (7) Texas Southern in the First Round.

I can honestly say I am PISSED. I figured that we would see a few teams in the CBI and CIT, but NONE! No postseason for Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, or Missouri State, all of who had .500 or better records. This is an outrage. I figured that Evansville would get left out, but the other 3? Now is definitely not a good time to be setting up press conferences, because I'll certainly let the CBI and CIT committee know what I think about them right now. Obviously no postseason for Drake, Bradley, or Loyola Chicago, but that went without saying.


Non-MVC

Washington got the 9th seed in the NCAA West Region, and will face (8) Louisville in the First Round.

Kansas State snuck in as the 12th seed in the NCAA South Region, and will face (5) Old Dominion in the First Round.

No big surprise, no postseason for Maine, Hawaii, or Florida Atlantic.

[collegesportsfanms]

That does it for me tonight guys. My reports will probably be slim the next few weeks, as I am scorekeeping for a regional juco and a state high school tournament over the next 2 weeks, and I could be scorekeeping for the national juco tournament the week that the NCAA tournament starts. I will definitely be able to get the postseason for this current season done this week, as well as look at conference movement and coach movement. Other than that, we'll see. Hope you all are enjoying thus far, and again, if anybody wants to add a second coach, feel free, as for the most part, the FOFC coaches aren't doing extremely well so far.

[ntndeacon]

that sounds fun! and well worth whatever hiatus you have to take.

[collegesportsfanms]

2014 NCAA First Round

(8) Belmont beat Wichita State 83-76.

(5) Old Dominion beat Kansas State 78-74 in OT.

(8) Louisville beat Washington 71-60.


2014 NIT First Round

Illinois State beat (5) UTEP 81-60.

Indiana State beat (7) Texas Southern 75-61.

[collegesportsfanms]

2014 NIT Round of 16

(1) Georgetown beat Illinois State 91-58.

(3) Wright State beat Indiana State 60-45.

And that eliminates all the MVC or FOFC coached teams. A dismal postseason display all around.

2014 Postseason Wrap-Up

The NCAA Final Four saw (7S) George Mason beat (4W) Kentucky 52-50, and (3E) Pittsburgh beat (2MW) Wisconsin 75-59. The national title game saw a win for the mid-majors as George Mason shocked the world by hammering Pittsburgh 98-71.

The NIT Final Four saw (6S) Illinois beat (3W) Arizona 74-60, and (3MW) Florida beat (4E) Cincinnati 79-77. In the NIT championship, Florida beat Illinois 62-59.

The CBI best of 3 championship went all 3 games. (7) San Diego won the first game 61-42 over (5) Texas Arlington, then Arlington came back to win the next 2 games, 85-66 and 77-68.

The CIT championship saw (7) North Dakota State beat (5) North Texas 70-59.

[collegesportsfanms]

Kansas State got Coleman Reinhold on the NCAA-All Freshman Team, the only national award for any of our FOFC or MVC teams. Here's a look at the MVC awards.

2014 MISSOURI VALLEY AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR C Havel Najman Indiana State 11.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.8 APG 0.4 SPG, 2.5 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR C Edward Hanrahan Illinois State 10.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.6 APG 0.6 SPG, 1.3 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Gregg Marshall Wichita State 26 - 6 (14 - 4)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Havel Najman Indiana State 11.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.5 BPG
PF SR Richard Lail Southern Illinois 12.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.0 BPG
SF SR Richard Kennedy Wichita State 22.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG JR Heath Booth Wichita State 13.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Tony Delatorre Missouri State 10.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SO Silvano Mecurio Wichita State 7.4 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.0 BPG
PF SR Ahmad Merkel Missouri State 7.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.8 BPG
SF SR Christian Peterson Illinois State 11.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG SR Claudio Cano Bradley 12.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Jamie Redford Indiana State 12.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Edward Hanrahan Illinois State 10.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.3 BPG
PF FR Baudouin Plancque Wichita State 2.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SF FR Albert Roussel Indiana State 4.6 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SG FR Gregory Williams Loyola Chicago 16.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Chris Rost Northern Iowa 1.6 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG




Glen Bernstein made America East 2nd team and Fredrick Baldwin made the America East all-freshman team for Maine.

Besides making the NCAA all-freshman team, Coleman Reinhold was the Big 12 freshman of the year and made Big 12 second team. Ronald May also made the Big 12 All-Freshman team for Kansas State.

Lots of awards for Hawaii, as Tony Donovan, Tony Silverstein, and Berry Leininger all made the Big West 2nd team, and Merv Turnbull made the Big West all-freshman team. All of those players are coming back next year for the Warriors except for Donovan, who is a senior.

No awards to speak of for Florida Atlantic.

David Allman was the Pac-12 Player of the year and all-league 1st team, while Benton Casiano made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team for Washington.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here is a look at the MVC recruiting rankings:

2014 Missouri Valley Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
28. Illinois State Missouri Valley PG Tommy Stephens ***** 1 0 2 0 1
69. Drake Missouri Valley SF Paul Goldstein *** 0 0 3 0 0
74. Bradley Missouri Valley PF Ricky Battle *** 0 0 3 0 0
78. Wichita State Missouri Valley SG Ward Hollander **** 0 1 1 0 0
88. Southern Illinois Missouri Valley PF Robert Hallett *** 0 0 1 1 1
121. Evansville Missouri Valley SF Kevin Sayer *** 0 0 1 0 1
181. Loyola Chicago Missouri Valley SG Lamar Mingo *** 0 0 1 0 1
227. Missouri State Missouri Valley SF Brandon Turner *** 0 0 1 2 1
342. Northern Iowa Missouri Valley C Eliseo Marquez * 0 0 0 0 1
344. Indiana State Missouri Valley PF Howard Lea * 0 0 0 0 1


Not a bad year for the MVC, as we got 5 of our 10 teams in the top 100, and Illinois State even picked up a high school All-American. Still a little disappointed in Indiana State and Northern Iowa, who were near the bottom, but at least this year every team did sign at least 1 recruit.

Maine had the 199th best recruiting class in the nation, and had the top class in America East.

Kansas State had the 55th best recruiting class in the nation, but that was only good for the 6th best Big 12 class.

Hawaii will be relying on all their award players to produce next season, as they had the 220th best class in the nation, good for 6th best in the Big West.

Florida Atlantic did alright for themselves, having the 131st best class in the nation, good for 5th best in Conference USA.

Washington had the 38th best class in the nation, good for 5th best in the Pac 12.

[collegesportsfanms]

No conference movement this season, and I have made sure that limited conference movement is on. I also have turned on conference prestige changes, which means that our 4 prestige conference could turn into a 5 prestige or go down to a 3 prestige.

I have also decided that the only coach evaluations that will come for our MVC or FOFC coached teams are only ones that are on the hotseat. After all, the preseason hotseat ratings will take care of it. So since nobody is in danger of being fired, it's time for some possible coach movement.

Things worked out easy for me this year, as none of our FOFC or MVC coaches got job offers, so everybody will remain where they are at.

[bbgunn]

Looks like Hawaii is poised for a big year next year.

[collegesportsfanms]

2015-2016 MVC Coach Hotseat Ratings

Cool Hotseat Ratings

Randolph Childress (Drake) led the Bulldogs to a 2 game improvement in the MVC last year, but had the second best recruiting class in the MVC. I'm expecting them to finish with at least a .500 conference record this season.

Evansville (Marty Simmons) also had an improvement in the MVC and didn't have a bad recruiting class either. I expect them to be in line with Drake in finishing with a .500 conference record.

Illinois State (Dan Muller) declined a bit last season, winning a game in the NIT. What excites me most about this team is that 28th best recruiting class in the nation, along with the first 5 star recruit in the MVC in my tenure. That alone gets him a pass, I fully expect the Redbirds to compete for the MVC title and be in contention for an at-large berth to the big dance.

Indiana State (Greg Lansing) also won a game in the NIT last season, but their recruiting class was the worst in the MVC. Another last place finish in the MVC recruiting wars could see Mr. Lansing's seat start to warm up a bit.

Southern Illinois (Barry Hinson) probably should have been in a postseason tournament last year, but they also had a top 100 recruiting class. The alumni at Southern Illinois want them back in the NCAA tournament next season, but I think they are still a year or 2 away from that. Postseason is a definite though, preferably the NIT.

Wichita State (Gregg Marshall) is no doubt the class of the Valley. They were the only MVC team in the NCAA tournament last season, but lost a lot of key pieces from that team. They should still be able to win the MVC championship however.

Average Hotseat Ratings

Alex Donovan (Bradley) -- The Braves weren't much better last year than they were the year before, but I have high hopes for them, as they also had a top 100 recruiting class. Their goal this season is just to continue to stay out of the cellar in the MVC, and if they can avoid the play-in round, that would be huge for Mr. Donovan.

Jawouk Bafou (Loyola Chicago) -- Last season Jawouk and his Ramblers won 2 games. For most coaches, that would put him on the hotseat, no questions asked. But they have a decent roster, got a couple key pieces in recruiting, and I think they'll at the very least win a game or 2 in the Valley. Another winless MVC campaign will definitely see Jawouk on the hotseat, and could see Loyola Chicago leaving the valley only 3 seasons after joining it.

Score Galore (Missouri State) -- The Bears had the best turnaround in the Valley, finishing 7 games better in conference than the previous season, but somehow lost 2 prestige points. Man, this game is tough when it comes to prestige! The problem with this team is they have 4 key players on the roster.. and not much after that. That's what happens when you go a season without getting a recruit at all. Nevertheless, I have hopes for them to make a postseason tournament.

Patrick Hutt (Northern Iowa) -- The Panthers had the biggest decline last season, even missing out on the postseason (another snub in my opinion). With their prestige, they MUST make the postseason this year, and should compete for the conference championship.

2015-2016 Non-MVC Coach Hotseat Ratings

Cillian O'Reilly (Maine) -- It wasn't a great first year for Mr. O'Reilly, who really struggled. Right now his hotseat is average, but it's getting warm in a hurry. The board at Maine wants a .500 conference record.

Rudy Arellano (Kansas State) -- His hotseat is average, and there are a lot of expectations for the Wildcats this season. They start the season ranked #1 in the nation (don't ask me how), and are expected to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

B.B. Gunn (Hawaii) -- He is 1 of 2 FOFC non-MVC coaches with a cool hotseat rating. With a lot of Big West conference award players last year coming back this season, the bar is high, and the Warriors are expected to win either the Big West regular season, or the Big West conference tournament.

Kuji Chagulia (Florida Atlantic) -- After a great start last season, the Owls went on a huge slide the last few weeks of the season. Their prestige didn't drop, but it didn't rise either. The board wants that team prestige increased this season, and have Kuji on an average hotseat.

Shannon Elliott (Washington) -- The Huskies are preseason #24 in the polls, and Shannons hotseat is cool for the moment. The board expects the Huskies to win the conference championship this season.

[collegesportsfanms]

2015 Season Tournaments

MVC

Illinois State will be the 6th seed in the 16 team Coaches Invitational. They will open up against (11) Oral Roberts.

Drake is the 4th seed in the 4 team College Classic. They'll face (1) Tennessee in the first round.

Southern Illinois is the 4th seed in the Island Invitational. They'll open up against (5) Northeastern.

Evansville is the 6th seed in the Las Vegas Challenge and their first round game will be against (3) South Florida.

Indiana State is the 5th seed in the 16 team Las Vegas Shootout and will face off against (12) UW Milwaukee in the first round.

Bradley is the 8th seed in the Paradise Shootout and will face (1) Stanford in the first round.

Wichita State is the 4th seed in a loaded Philadelphia Invitational. They will open up against (5) Cincinnati.

Northern Iowa is the 7th seed in the 16 team Preseason NIT. They'll take on (10) Murray State in the first round.

Missouri State is the 4th seed in the 4 team Youth Invitational and will take on (1) Syracuse in the first round.

Non-MVC

Washington is the top seed in the same Las Vegas Challenge that Evansville is playing in. They'll face (8) Detroit in the first round.

Kansas State is the 2nd seed in the Las Vegas Shootout, which also includes Indiana State. They'll face (15) Mount St. Marys in the first round.

No season tournament for Loyola (again, why are they even in the MVC?), Hawaii, Florida Atlantic, or Maine

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 2015 Tournament Wrap-Up


2015 Coaches Invitational

Illinois State won their first round game over (11) Oral Roberts, 59-37, then beat (14) Siena 74-65. In the semifinals, the Redbirds got by (2) Xavier 59-49 before losing the championship game to (1) Ohio State 74-57. Not a bad run at all though.

2015 College Classic

Drake played (1) Tennessee tough, losing 71-63, then got hammered 83-57 by (3) Saint Joseph's in the third place game.

2015 Island Invitational

Southern Illinois won their opening game against (5) Northeastern 73-55, then upset (1) Iowa 78-58, and continued their run by winning the Island Invitational over (3) South Carolina 61-52! Congrats to Barry Hinson and the Salukis on bringing the MVC home some more hardware!

2015 Las Vegas Challenge

Evansville got by (3) South Florida 66-59, then lost a tough game in overtime to (2) UNLV 76-70, but rallied in the fifth place game, beating (5) Iona 77-65.

Washington beat (8) Detroit 79-63 in the first round, then beat (5) Iona 61-50 in the winners bracket semifinals, and beat (2) UNLV in the championship game, 67-59. Congrats to Shannon Elliott on his tournament title.

2015 Paradise Shootout

Bradley hung with (1) Stanford in the first round, but eventually fell short 71-65, then in the losers bracket semifinals, they won a big one against (5) Ole Miss 78-70, but got hammered by (6) Providence 64-47 in the 5th place game.

2015 Philadelphia Invitational

Wichita State was all over (5) Cincinnati 94-60 in the first round, then lost in the winners bracket semifinals 92-70 to (1) North Carolina, but rallied to win the third place game, beating (6) Colorado 82-76.

2015 Preseason NIT

Northern Iowa beat (10) Murray State 86-54 in the first round, but lost in the quarterfinals to (2) Florida 79-45.

2015 Youth Invitational

Missouri State lost to (1) Syracuse 80-68 in the first round, then lost the third place game to (3) Nevada, 62-41.

Well, 4 team tournaments weren't good for the Valley this season, but how about Southern Illinois and Illinois State having incredible runs! Overall an average season tournament run for the MVC, with 1 to go in December.

[collegesportsfanms]

A couple changes I've made in the League Options.. I've moved the NIT back to a 40 team tournament. This will get 8 more teams in the postseason, and hopefully at least 1 or 2 of those extra 8 teams will be MVC or FOFC coached teams.

I've also set it so that players must play 2 years of college before going pro. I don't know that it will have much of an effect for the MVC schools, we'll see how that plays out.

[collegesportsfanms]

As always, the Las Vegas Shootout was played in December, and let's take a look at how our teams fared in it.

Indiana State dropped the ball by losing in overtime to (12) UW Milwaukee 59-57 in the first round.

Kansas State hammered (15) Mount St. Marys 98-68 in the first round. In the quarterfinals they hammered (7) Vermont 85-53, then in the semifinals (3) Temple took them to overtime, but the Wildcats won 87-84. They completed the deal by winning the championship game over (1) Louisville 99-85.

Here are the MVC standings through Dec. 23, 2015:

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 0 0 .000 9 3 .750 56 82
Illinois State Redbirds 0 0 .000 7 4 .636 36 72
Northern Iowa Panthers 0 0 .000 6 3 .667 23 70
Southern Illinois Salukis 0 0 .000 6 4 .600 28 56
Bradley Braves 0 0 .000 6 6 .500 33 51
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 40 41
Missouri State Bears 0 0 .000 5 5 .500 52 58
Indiana State Sycamores 0 0 .000 5 3 .625 72 64
Drake Bulldogs 0 0 .000 4 7 .364 17 54
Evansville Aces 0 0 .000 3 8 .273 94 57


Not bad, as only 2 of our 10 MVC teams have losing records, and those are 2 teams I expected to progress steadily this season. Still lots of time to turn it around though, and the fact that all 10 of our MVC teams have RPIS better than 100 is something to be proud of. Let's take a look in-depth at our 5 MVC teams coached by FOFCers.

Bradley (Alex Donovan) has some pretty solid non-conference wins against Marquette, Vanderbilt, and Cincinnati, as well as the win over Ole Miss. They've played a pretty tough schedule, with only 2 of their opponents so far having losing records. They should be well tested for MVC play.

Drake (Randolph Childress) has also played a tough schedule, with 6 of their opponents so far currently in the AP top 25 (hence the reason they have a 17 RPI. Their SOS is in the top 10 so far, which is good, as they should be MVC ready as well. Their best win so far has been at Marquette.

Loyola Chicago (Jawouk Bafou) is looking for wins this season, and already have 3 more in the first month and a half of the season than they did all of last season. You would look at their schedule and say that their SOS is not very good, but it is the 57th best SOS in the nation so far. I would say they don't have any quality wins so far, but every win the Ramblers get this season is quality.

Missouri State (Score Galore) beat Oklahoma when they were ranked 5th in the nation, and as has been the theme, has really played a pretty decent schedule so far. The MVC teams scheduled tough this season, and MVC play could be a war. Unfortunately, that 42 point loss to Missouri could haunt the Bears for a while.

Northern Iowa (Patrick Hutt) has kept with the theme of playing a decent SOS, but theirs is actually 1 of the worst in the valley. Their toughest opponents were all losses, and their wins have come at the expense of teams like Mercer, Southeast Missouri State, and a Virginia team that has played absolutely nobody so far. The fence is still out on the Panthers.

[collegesportsfanms]

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 1-9, 0-0 America East. It's been an absolute struggle so far for the Black Bears. Their only win was against Lehigh who currently has an RPI of 245. They've also lost to teams that have RPIs of 326 (Sacred Heart) and 305 (Holy Cross). Coach O'Reilly is going to have to rely on a strong America East campaign, because that seat of his is already getting warm.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 10-1, 0-0. Combined with their season tournament win, the Wildcats also have wins over Colorado State, Minnesota, and MVC opponents Wichita State and Drake. Their only loss so far is to Marquette.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 2-8, 0-0 Big West. It hasn't been fun so far for the Warriors, as they've taken a major step back. Losing to teams like Montana and Weber State will mean if Hawaii wants to see a postseason tournament, they will have to make a huge run in Big West play.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 3-7, 0-0 Conference USA. This team has played the 31st best SOS in the nation so far, and have already beaten Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. The potential is there, the consistency is not. They'll have to have another hot start in Conference USA, and a strong ending as well.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 8-1, 0-0. The only blemish on the record was a 98-70 loss to Creighton, and while their strength of schedule isn't bad, let's be honest, their last 3 wins against San Francisco, Montana State, and Radford should be traded in for games against teams in the top 25. To be blunt, Washington has a pretty poor SOS.

As far as the polls go, none of our MVC teams got a vote, but our 2 power conference FOFC teams are in, so we'll look at that:

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (64) 10-0 1792 1 West Coast Conference
2. Louisville (6) 11-1 1705 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Georgetown (2) 11-0 1687 2 Big East Conference
4. Tennessee 9-0 1510 4 Southeastern Conference
5. Kansas State 10-1 1487 9 Big 12 Conference
6. Villanova 10-0 1485 5 Big East Conference
7. West Virginia 9-0 1347 7 Big 12 Conference
8. Kentucky 8-1 1280 6 Southeastern Conference
9. Syracuse 9-0 1261 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Ohio State 11-1 1131 10 Big Ten Conference
11. Miami 9-1 1064 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Minnesota 9-1 1027 12 Big Ten Conference
13. Wisconsin 9-1 898 13 Big Ten Conference
14. Duke 8-1 824 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. Clemson 11-0 793 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Florida State 10-0 781 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. VCU 8-1 714 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Washington 8-1 549 19 Pacific-12 Conference
19. Louisiana State 10-1 449 20 Southeastern Conference
20. Kansas 9-2 359 NR Big 12 Conference
21. Baylor 8-1 286 25 Big 12 Conference
22. UAB 10-1 286 21 Conference USA
23. Notre Dame 11-1 262 24 Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Florida 7-2 204 NR Southeastern Conference
25. Oregon 8-0 155 23 Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Arizona 7-2 34 Pacific-12 Conference
Boston College 10-1 21 Atlantic Coast Conference
Connecticut 7-2 6 American Athletic Conference
Virginia Tech 8-1 3 Atlantic Coast Conference

And once again, the MVC continues to get disrespected. Despite having all 10 MVC teams with an RPI of 100 or better, only 1 of our teams receives votes in the mid-major top 25. Care to guess who it is?

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 10-0 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. VCU 8-1 1728 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. UAB 10-1 1656 3 Conference USA
4. Belmont 9-1 1573 7 Ohio Valley Conference
5. Rhode Island 10-1 1502 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Saint Louis 9-2 1352 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Texas Southern 7-2 1351 4 Southwestern Athletic Conference
8. Bucknell 11-2 1311 15 Patriot League
9. Wright State 10-2 1219 18 Horizon League
10. Richmond 7-2 1062 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Duquesne 8-2 1013 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
12. Saint Joseph's 7-2 974 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. UW Milwaukee 8-2 973 8 Horizon League
14. George Mason 6-3 889 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Albany 9-2 684 9 America East Conference
16. Massachusetts 8-3 680 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Middle Tennessee 8-2 622 NR Conference USA
18. Wichita State 9-3 574 NR Missouri Valley Conference
19. George Washington 8-2 496 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
20. Western Kentucky 7-2 428 NR Conference USA
21. UMKC 7-2 367 NR Western Athletic Conference
22. Fairfield 8-2 292 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
23. UNLV 7-3 202 NR Mountain West Conference
24. Boston University 6-2 161 NR Patriot League
25. Louisiana Monroe 7-2 157 NR Sun Belt Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
UTEP 5-2 120 Conference USA
UC Irvine 5-2 98 Big West Conference
South Dakota State 6-2 92 Summit League
Dayton 9-3 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
Charlotte 7-3 6 Conference USA
Princeton 9-3 3 Ivy League
UC Santa Barbara 10-3 1 Big West Conference

[bbgunn]

Ugh.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 23-27, 2015

Games on Dec. 21 and 22 of this week were covered in the previous report.

Game Scores

Dec. 23, 2015

Evansville 86, at Indiana State 83
at Loyola Chicago 52, Missouri State 50
at Illinois State 62, Northern Iowa 55
at Drake 81, Bradley 69

Dec. 26, 2015

Southern Illinois 80, at Wichita State 78
Missouri State 79, at Indiana State 78
Evansville 60, at Loyola Chicago 46
Bradley 79, at Illinois State 52
Northern Iowa 56, at Drake 46

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 1 0 1.000 7 4 .636 6 56
Evansville Aces 2 0 1.000 5 8 .385 36 57
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 1 1 .500 6 5 .545 80 41
Illinois State Redbirds 1 1 .500 8 5 .615 46 72
Bradley Braves 1 1 .500 7 7 .500 35 51
Northern Iowa Panthers 1 1 .500 7 4 .636 24 70
Drake Bulldogs 1 1 .500 5 8 .385 23 54
Missouri State Bears 1 1 .500 6 6 .500 55 58
Wichita State Shockers 0 1 .000 9 4 .692 74 82
Indiana State Sycamores 0 2 .000 5 5 .500 174 64


Judging by the 1st week standings, it could be a year of parity in the MVC this season. It all depends on who gets on a hot streak, but right now, things look pretty even.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Dec. 23-27, 2015

Maine (Cillian O' Reilly) -- 1-11, 0-1 America East. The Black Bears continue to struggle, losing at Harvard 78-63, and hosting Albany to open conference play, but losing 79-67.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 10-1, 0-0 Big 12. No games this week.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 2-9, 0-0 Big West. Hawaii had 1 game this week, hosting Oakland and losing 80-62.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 3-8, 0-0 Conference USA. The Owls put up a gallant effort at a Miami (FL) team that is ranked in the top 10, but eventually fell short, 83-79.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 10-1, 0-0 Pac 12. Washington struggled against Portland State, but eventually won 94-87, then went to Seattle and blasted them, 89-53.

Not a big shock, as none of our MVC teams got a vote in the AP top 25, but 2 of our FOFC teams did:

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 12-0 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Kansas State 10-1 1720 5 Big 12 Conference
3. Tennessee 10-0 1648 4 Southeastern Conference
4. Kentucky 11-1 1563 8 Southeastern Conference
5. Louisville 11-1 1449 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. West Virginia 11-0 1418 7 Big 12 Conference
7. Georgetown 11-1 1388 3 Big East Conference
8. Minnesota 9-1 1283 12 Big Ten Conference
9. Miami 10-1 1244 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Duke 10-1 1124 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Wisconsin 10-1 1076 13 Big Ten Conference
12. Ohio State 12-1 1054 10 Big Ten Conference
13. Florida State 11-0 845 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Clemson 12-0 841 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. Syracuse 9-1 812 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Villanova 10-1 779 6 Big East Conference
17. Washington 10-1 666 18 Pacific-12 Conference
18. Baylor 9-1 487 21 Big 12 Conference
19. Florida 8-2 436 24 Southeastern Conference
20. Notre Dame 11-1 417 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
21. Connecticut 8-2 359 NR American Athletic Conference
22. UAB 12-1 333 22 Conference USA
23. Louisiana State 11-1 254 19 Southeastern Conference
24. Oregon 9-0 169 25 Pacific-12 Conference
25. VCU 9-2 161 17 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Boston College 10-1 66 Atlantic Coast Conference
Wake Forest 10-1 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
Kansas 10-2 2 Big 12 Conference
Tulsa 7-2 1 American Athletic Conference


And for the first time in a long time, the MVC doesn't have a team in the mid-major top 25, but 1 team is still receiving votes:

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 12-0 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. VCU 9-2 1695 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. UAB 12-1 1689 3 Conference USA
4. Belmont 10-1 1562 4 Ohio Valley Conference
5. Rhode Island 11-1 1499 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Saint Louis 11-2 1449 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Bucknell 13-2 1351 8 Patriot League
8. Wright State 12-2 1328 9 Horizon League
9. UW Milwaukee 9-2 1208 13 Horizon League
10. George Washington 9-2 1122 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Albany 10-2 1033 15 America East Conference
12. Fairfield 9-2 957 22 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
13. Louisiana Monroe 9-2 898 25 Sun Belt Conference
14. South Dakota State 8-2 811 NR Summit League
15. UTEP 6-2 797 NR Conference USA
16. UC Irvine 7-2 711 NR Big West Conference
17. Texas Southern 8-2 593 7 Southwestern Athletic Conference
18. Richmond 9-3 568 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. UC Santa Barbara 11-3 460 NR Big West Conference
20. Princeton 10-3 378 NR Ivy League
21. Dayton 9-3 328 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
22. George Mason 7-3 300 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
23. Nevada 8-3 169 NR Mountain West Conference
24. Bowling Green 8-3 140 NR Mid-American Conference
25. Georgia State 10-3 136 NR Sun Belt Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Saint Joseph's 7-3 59 Atlantic 10 Conference
San Diego 8-3 56 West Coast Conference
Vermont 9-3 51 America East Conference
Manhattan 8-3 41 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
UMKC 8-3 30 Western Athletic Conference
Oral Roberts 8-3 29 Summit League
Middle Tennessee 8-3 27 Conference USA
LIU Brooklyn 8-3 20 Northeast Conference
Gonzaga 8-4 17 West Coast Conference
Old Dominion 7-3 17 Conference USA
UNC Wilmington 7-3 13 Colonial Athletic Association
Marist 8-3 11 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
South Alabama 9-3 11 Sun Belt Conference
Marshall 7-3 10 Conference USA
Wichita State 9-4 9 Missouri Valley Conference
Massachusetts 8-3 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
Western Kentucky 7-3 6 Conference USA
Northern Illinois 6-3 3 Mid-American Conference
Montana 7-3 2 Big Sky Conference

[bbgunn]

Saint Mary's is #1? Wow.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 28, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016

Game Scores

Dec. 28, 2015

at #5 Louisville 81, Northern Iowa 73 (OT) (non-conference)

Dec. 30, 2015

at Missouri State 96, Drake 91
Illinois State 75, at Evansville 43
at Wichita State 73, Indiana State 38
at Southern Illinois 93, Loyola Chicago 69

Jan. 2, 2016

at Missouri State 104, Illinois State 81
Drake 81, at Evansville 75
Loyola Chicago 94, at Wichita State 86
at Southern Illinois 64, Indiana State 56
Bradley 50, at Northern Iowa 45

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 3 0 1.000 9 4 .692 7 56
Missouri State Bears 3 1 .750 8 6 .571 86 58
Bradley Braves 2 1 .667 8 7 .533 39 51
Illinois State Redbirds 2 2 .500 9 6 .600 59 72
Drake Bulldogs 2 2 .500 6 9 .400 48 54
Evansville Aces 2 2 .500 5 10 .333 96 57
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 2 2 .500 7 6 .538 58 41
Wichita State Shockers 1 2 .333 10 5 .667 90 82
Northern Iowa Panthers 1 2 .333 7 6 .538 30 70
Indiana State Sycamores 0 4 .000 5 7 .417 164 64

Lots of suprirses at the top with Southern Illinois and Missouri State. I'm guessing this will be a 1 bid league again, ugh! I've already been told that if the MVC prestige drops from a 4 to a 3, my job is in jeopardy.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Dec. 28, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 2-12, 1-2 America East. Maine went to UMBC and hammered them 70-52, then lost a tough one at Stony Brook 78-70.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 10-3, 0-2 Big 12. Not a good start to conference play for the Wildcats, who lost at Oklahoma 113-100 in an OT shootout, then stayed in Oklahoma to face Oklahoma State, but lost 79-70.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 2-11, 0-0 Big West. The struggles continue for B.B. and company. They went to Nebraska and lost 98-75, then hosted UCLA and lost 75-44. Hopefully conference play will help these guys.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 3-9, 0-0 Conference USA. The Owls keep playing hard, but fell short in their only game this week, losing to Florida Gulf Coast 66-64.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 10-2, 0-0 Pac 12. In their final non-conference test of the season, the Huskies travelled to Mississippi to take on Ole Miss, and lost 90-87.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 14-0 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Tennessee 11-0 1702 3 Southeastern Conference
3. Georgetown 13-1 1579 7 Big East Conference
4. Louisville 13-1 1562 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
5. West Virginia 13-0 1528 6 Big 12 Conference
6. Kentucky 11-1 1477 4 Southeastern Conference
7. Miami 12-1 1385 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Minnesota 11-1 1295 8 Big Ten Conference
9. Duke 12-1 1267 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Wisconsin 10-1 1131 11 Big Ten Conference
11. Ohio State 12-1 1088 12 Big Ten Conference
12. Syracuse 11-1 1022 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Villanova 11-1 906 16 Big East Conference
14. Connecticut 10-2 817 21 American Athletic Conference
15. Notre Dame 13-1 781 20 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Kansas State 10-3 671 2 Big 12 Conference
17. Clemson 13-1 657 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. UAB 12-1 545 22 Conference USA
19. Louisiana State 11-1 444 23 Southeastern Conference
20. Florida State 11-1 435 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
21. Oregon 11-0 385 24 Pacific-12 Conference
22. Washington 10-2 243 17 Pacific-12 Conference
23. Florida 9-3 240 19 Southeastern Conference
24. Baylor 10-2 230 18 Big 12 Conference
25. Tulsa 9-2 91 NR American Athletic Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Belmont 12-1 83 Ohio Valley Conference
Rhode Island 11-1 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
VCU 10-3 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
Arizona 9-3 7 Pacific-12 Conference
Oklahoma State 9-3 4 Big 12 Conference
Iowa 10-2 3 Big Ten Conference


Kansas State and Washington appear to be the class of our FOFCers, of course they are also the only ones in a power type conference.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 14-0 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UAB 12-1 1728 3 Conference USA
3. Belmont 12-1 1601 4 Ohio Valley Conference
4. VCU 10-3 1600 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Rhode Island 11-1 1500 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Saint Louis 11-2 1434 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Bucknell 15-2 1408 7 Patriot League
8. UW Milwaukee 10-2 1296 9 Horizon League
9. UTEP 9-2 1174 15 Conference USA
10. Fairfield 11-2 1159 12 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
11. Louisiana Monroe 11-2 1050 13 Sun Belt Conference
12. Wright State 13-3 1014 8 Horizon League
13. Richmond 9-3 830 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Dayton 10-3 824 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. George Mason 8-3 787 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Georgia State 12-3 666 25 Sun Belt Conference
17. UC Santa Barbara 11-3 642 19 Big West Conference
18. Princeton 10-3 600 20 Ivy League
19. Oral Roberts 10-3 466 NR Summit League
20. Saint Joseph's 8-3 464 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
21. George Washington 10-3 307 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. UMKC 10-3 279 NR Western Athletic Conference
23. South Alabama 11-3 172 NR Sun Belt Conference
24. Southern Mississippi 9-4 140 NR Conference USA
25. Middle Tennessee 9-3 118 NR Conference USA

Others Receiving Votes:
Albany 10-3 78 America East Conference
UNLV 10-4 71 Mountain West Conference
South Dakota State 9-3 46 Summit League
Northern Illinois 8-3 40 Mid-American Conference
UC Irvine 7-3 36 Big West Conference
Western Kentucky 8-3 33 Conference USA
Southern Illinois 9-4 27 Missouri Valley Conference
Cleveland State 10-4 7 Horizon League
Louisiana Tech 10-4 3 Conference USA


For the first time in a long time, Wichita State doesn't even receive a vote in the mid-major poll. Southern Illinois is our only representative. Just as in real life, the MVC seems to suck in this game.

[collegesportsfanms]

yep bbgunn, I was as shocked as you are. Hopefully eventually some of our MVC teams will sniff the AP top 25 again, or I may be out of a job!

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 4-10, 2016

Game Scores

Jan. 4, 2016

Marshall 71, at Indiana State 63 (non-conference)

Jan. 6, 2016

at Northern Iowa 71, Evansville 61
at Bradley 68, Missouri State 64
Southern Illinois 71, at Illinois State 51
Wichita State 89, at Drake 70
at Creighton 75, Indiana State 67 (non-conference)

Jan. 9, 2016

Missouri State 68, at Northern Iowa 61
Evansville 56, at Bradley 48
at Indiana State 77, Loyola Chicago 63
Wichita State 92, at Illinois State 86
at Drake 57, Southern Illinois 41

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 4 1 .800 10 5 .667 17 56
Missouri State Bears 4 2 .667 9 7 .563 105 58
Wichita State Shockers 3 2 .600 12 5 .706 83 82
Bradley Braves 3 2 .600 9 8 .529 61 51
Drake Bulldogs 3 3 .500 7 10 .412 59 54
Evansville Aces 3 3 .500 6 11 .353 108 57
Northern Iowa Panthers 2 3 .400 8 7 .533 51 70
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 2 3 .400 7 7 .500 81 41
Illinois State Redbirds 2 4 .333 9 8 .529 79 72
Indiana State Sycamores 1 4 .200 6 9 .400 167 64


The parity of MVC conference play continues to rear its ugly head, as Southern Illinois suffered their first casualty. Still early, and still wide open, so we'll see what happens, but at this point, I'm still only liking our chances to get 2 or 3 teams into the postseason.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 4-10, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 3-13, 2-2 America East. The Black Bears started the week out of conference, at Columbia and losing 67-59. They returned to conference play at Hartford, winning 66-57.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 11-4, 0-3 Big 12. 1 game this week for the Wildcats, and it was a 72-67 loss at nationally ranked Baylor.

Hawaii (B.B Gunn) -- 2-13, 0-2 Big West. I was hoping conference play would be the start of something good for Mr. Gunn, but not to be, as the Warriors travelled to UC Riverside and lost 76-68, then lost at Cal State Northridge 76-54.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 4-9, 0-0 Conference USA. Another non-conference game before C-USA play starts, and it was a 72-55 win at Portland.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 11-3, 1-1 Pac 12. The Huskies started conference play at home against Arizona, losing 76-57, then went to Utah and won 66-57.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (67) 15-1 1792 1 West Coast Conference
2. Georgetown (1) 15-1 1687 3 Big East Conference
3. West Virginia (2) 15-0 1624 5 Big 12 Conference
4. Kentucky (2) 13-1 1605 6 Southeastern Conference
5. Duke 14-1 1561 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Wisconsin 12-1 1437 10 Big Ten Conference
7. Tennessee 12-1 1323 2 Southeastern Conference
8. Ohio State 14-1 1321 11 Big Ten Conference
9. Louisville 14-2 1226 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Miami 13-2 1156 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Connecticut 12-2 1080 14 American Athletic Conference
12. Minnesota 12-2 1004 8 Big Ten Conference
13. Clemson 14-1 836 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Villanova 12-2 820 13 Big East Conference
15. Baylor 12-2 714 24 Big 12 Conference
16. UAB 13-1 704 18 Conference USA
17. Oregon 13-0 642 21 Pacific-12 Conference
18. Tulsa 11-2 573 25 American Athletic Conference
19. Kansas State 11-4 537 16 Big 12 Conference
20. Arizona 11-3 412 NR Pacific-12 Conference
21. Oklahoma State 11-3 318 NR Big 12 Conference
22. Syracuse 11-3 276 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
23. Belmont 14-1 241 NR Ohio Valley Conference
24. VCU 11-3 167 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Florida State 12-2 131 20 Atlantic Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Rhode Island 13-1 96 Atlantic 10 Conference
Florida 10-4 70 Southeastern Conference
Notre Dame 13-3 26 Atlantic Coast Conference
Washington 11-3 14 Pacific-12 Conference
Saint Louis 12-2 7 Atlantic 10 Conference


The big news here is that for the first time in 3 weeks, somebody other than Saint Marys received a first place vote. In fact, 3 other teams did. Other than that, it's just our power conference FOFC teams that are in the top 25 polls.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 15-1 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UAB 13-1 1715 2 Conference USA
3. VCU 11-3 1629 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Belmont 14-1 1598 3 Ohio Valley Conference
5. Rhode Island 13-1 1498 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Saint Louis 12-2 1468 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. UW Milwaukee 12-2 1358 8 Horizon League
8. Wright State 15-3 1272 12 Horizon League
9. Louisiana Monroe 13-2 1193 11 Sun Belt Conference
10. Richmond 11-3 1083 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. George Mason 10-3 1028 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
12. Georgia State 14-3 1001 16 Sun Belt Conference
13. Saint Joseph's 10-3 923 20 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Oral Roberts 12-3 849 19 Summit League
15. Dayton 11-3 818 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. UNLV 12-4 691 NR Mountain West Conference
17. Fairfield 12-3 630 10 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
18. Southern Mississippi 10-4 503 24 Conference USA
19. George Washington 11-3 493 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
20. UTEP 9-3 416 9 Conference USA
21. Bucknell 15-4 400 7 Patriot League
22. Brigham Young 11-6 292 NR West Coast Conference
23. Middle Tennessee 9-3 224 25 Conference USA
24. Wichita State 12-5 135 NR Missouri Valley Conference
25. UC Santa Barbara 12-4 102 17 Big West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Kent State 9-4 76 Mid-American Conference
Florida Gulf Coast 11-4 39 Atlantic Sun Conference
Marshall 10-4 39 Conference USA
Murray State 10-4 22 Ohio Valley Conference
Princeton 10-4 19 Ivy League
San Diego 10-4 18 West Coast Conference
Vermont 12-4 17 America East Conference
Louisiana Tech 10-4 16 Conference USA
Manhattan 11-4 15 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
South Alabama 12-4 8 Sun Belt Conference
UMKC 10-4 6 Western Athletic Conference
LIU Brooklyn 11-4 5 Northeast Conference
Southern Illinois 10-5 1 Missouri Valley Conference

Some positive news for the MVC, as we have a team back in the mid-major top 25, and yet another team in Southern Illinois that received a vote.

[bbgunn]

B.B.'s about to get fi-red.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 11-17, 2016

Game Scores

Jan. 13, 2015

at Wichita State 78, Northern Iowa 52
at Southern Illinois 80, Bradley 69
Illinois State 72, at Indiana State 61
at Loyola Chicago 66, Drake 48

Jan. 16, 2015

at Evansville 66, Missouri State 57
at Wichita State 81, Bradley 70
at Southern Illinois 67, Northern Iowa 50
Drake 73, at Indiana State 70
at Loyola Chicago 73, Illinois State 56

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 6 1 .857 12 5 .706 22 56
Wichita State Shockers 5 2 .714 14 5 .737 83 82
Evansville Aces 4 3 .571 7 11 .389 125 57
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 4 3 .571 9 7 .563 86 41
Missouri State Bears 4 3 .571 9 8 .529 131 58
Drake Bulldogs 4 4 .500 8 11 .421 68 54
Bradley Braves 3 4 .429 9 10 .474 74 51
Illinois State Redbirds 3 5 .375 10 9 .526 104 72
Northern Iowa Panthers 2 5 .286 8 9 .471 69 70
Indiana State Sycamores 1 6 .143 6 11 .353 205 64

It's still wide open, as there are 5 teams within 2 games of each other, as Indiana State looks to be the down team in the league this season.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 11-17, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 4-14, 3-3 America East. The Black Bears beat winless UMass Lowell 59-50, then hosted Binghamton and lost 72-58.

Rudy Arellano (Kansas State) -- 13-4, 2-3 Big 12. A good week for the Wildcats, as they hosted Texas and won 68-60, then hammered Iowa State 80-43.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 2-14, 0-3 Big West. Just 1 game this week for the Warriors, who lost to Cal Poly 66-44.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 5-10, 1-1 Conference USA. The Owls opened conference play with 2 home games this week, beating FIU 77-63, and losing to Marshall 69-57.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 13-3, 3-1 Pac 12. A great week for the Huskies, as they handed Oregon their first loss of the season 96-88, then went to Arizona State and beat them 75-57.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (65) 17-1 1789 1 West Coast Conference
2. Duke (7) 15-1 1706 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Kentucky 15-1 1685 4 Southeastern Conference
4. Wisconsin 14-1 1580 6 Big Ten Conference
5. Georgetown 16-2 1482 2 Big East Conference
6. West Virginia 16-1 1458 3 Big 12 Conference
7. Miami 15-2 1344 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Ohio State 16-1 1334 8 Big Ten Conference
9. Louisville 15-3 1215 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Tennessee 13-2 1083 7 Southeastern Conference
11. Oklahoma State 13-3 1075 21 Big 12 Conference
12. Connecticut 14-2 1048 11 American Athletic Conference
13. Kansas State 13-4 911 19 Big 12 Conference
14. Baylor 14-2 862 15 Big 12 Conference
15. Tulsa 13-2 815 18 American Athletic Conference
16. Villanova 13-3 681 14 Big East Conference
17. Clemson 15-2 646 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. UAB 14-2 495 16 Conference USA
19. Notre Dame 14-3 439 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
20. Oregon 14-1 386 17 Pacific-12 Conference
21. Belmont 16-1 380 23 Ohio Valley Conference
22. Washington 13-3 376 NR Pacific-12 Conference
23. Minnesota 12-4 278 12 Big Ten Conference
24. Florida 12-4 183 NR Southeastern Conference
25. Florida State 13-3 80 25 Atlantic Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Rhode Island 14-2 23 Atlantic 10 Conference
Louisiana Monroe 15-2 19 Sun Belt Conference
Arizona 12-4 8 Pacific-12 Conference
Missouri 11-4 8 Southeastern Conference
Wright State 16-3 5 Horizon League
Kansas 13-4 3 Big 12 Conference
St. John's 13-4 3 Big East Conference

Welcome back the Huskies to the top 25, as our MVC teams continue to struggle in the polls.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 17-1 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UAB 14-2 1718 2 Conference USA
3. Belmont 16-1 1647 4 Ohio Valley Conference
4. VCU 12-4 1518 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Saint Louis 13-3 1456 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Richmond 13-3 1448 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Rhode Island 14-2 1385 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Wright State 16-3 1275 8 Horizon League
9. Louisiana Monroe 15-2 1184 9 Sun Belt Conference
10. George Mason 12-3 1134 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Dayton 13-3 1076 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
12. Wichita State 14-5 964 24 Missouri Valley Conference
13. UW Milwaukee 13-3 957 7 Horizon League
14. UNLV 12-5 921 16 Mountain West Conference
15. Bucknell 17-4 820 21 Patriot League
16. Middle Tennessee 11-3 698 23 Conference USA
17. Kent State 11-4 556 NR Mid-American Conference
18. UC Santa Barbara 14-4 473 25 Big West Conference
19. Saint Joseph's 11-4 464 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
20. Oral Roberts 13-4 399 14 Summit League
21. Manhattan 13-4 270 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
22. Florida Gulf Coast 13-4 262 NR Atlantic Sun Conference
23. Brigham Young 12-7 238 22 West Coast Conference
24. Vermont 14-4 157 NR America East Conference
25. Southern Mississippi 11-5 126 18 Conference USA

Others Receiving Votes:
Princeton 12-4 116 Ivy League
Old Dominion 11-4 74 Conference USA
Southern Illinois 12-5 70 Missouri Valley Conference
Nevada 12-5 42 Mountain West Conference
South Alabama 14-4 39 Sun Belt Conference
UTEP 10-4 33 Conference USA
George Washington 12-4 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
UMKC 12-4 25 Western Athletic Conference
Georgia State 14-5 13 Sun Belt Conference
Northern Illinois 11-4 9 Mid-American Conference
UC Irvine 10-4 5 Big West Conference
UW Green Bay 12-5 2 Horizon League
San Diego State 12-6 1 Mountain West Conference

Great to see 2 of our MVC teams getting votes in the mid-major poll, but I want more. We need 4 or 5 teams to be receiving votes.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 18-24, 2016

Game Scores

Jan. 18, 2016

Illinois State 85, at Boston University 67 (non-conference)

Jan. 20, 2016

Southern Illinois 83, at Missouri State 74
Wichita State 73, at Evansville 53
Indiana State 71, at Northern Iowa 51
at Bradley 68, Loyola Chicago 60

Jan. 23, 2016

Wichita State 94, at Missouri State 85
at Evansville 72, Southern Illinois 69
Loyola Chicago 79, at Northern Iowa 59
at Bradley 74, Indiana State 65
Drake 72, at Illinois State 71

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 7 2 .778 13 6 .684 30 56
Wichita State Shockers 7 2 .778 16 5 .762 71 82
Drake Bulldogs 5 4 .556 9 11 .450 53 54
Evansville Aces 5 4 .556 8 12 .400 124 57
Bradley Braves 5 4 .556 11 10 .524 73 51
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 5 4 .556 10 8 .556 104 41
Missouri State Bears 4 5 .444 9 10 .474 138 58
Illinois State Redbirds 3 6 .333 11 10 .524 94 72
Indiana State Sycamores 2 7 .222 7 12 .368 184 64
Northern Iowa Panthers 2 7 .222 8 11 .421 99 70


It's still anybodys conference, as there are 5 teams within 2 games of each other, and a 5th team that is 3 games behind conference leaders Southern Illinois and Wichita State. I don't like the fact that only 5 of our 10 MVC teams have winning records though. ugh.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 18-24, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 5-15, 4-4 America East. The Black Bears lost a tough one against New Hampshire, 80-77, but rebounded to beat UMBC 86-78.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 14-5, 3-4 Big 12. The Cats almost pulled off another big one, losing at West Virginia 63-61. That would have been huge. They did win at Texas Tech 87-79 to end the week.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 4-14, 2-3 Big West. Are the Warriors ready to finally start playing some ball? B.B has higher hopes now, after seeing his team win 2 games this week. First they got a big one against UC Irvine 74-65, then traveled to UC Davis and won 90-79.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 5-12, 1-3 Conference USA. Tough week for the Owls, who lost 76-67 at UTEP, and lost 91-76 at Charlotte.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 15-3, 5-1 Pac 12. The Huskies continue to roll, this week beating UCLA 66-61, then beating USC 92-87.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (65) 19-1 1789 1 West Coast Conference
2. Kentucky (1) 17-1 1700 3 Southeastern Conference
3. Duke (6) 17-1 1695 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Wisconsin 16-1 1548 4 Big Ten Conference
5. West Virginia 18-1 1529 6 Big 12 Conference
6. Miami 17-2 1442 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Ohio State 18-1 1354 8 Big Ten Conference
8. Georgetown 17-3 1310 5 Big East Conference
9. Tennessee 15-2 1211 10 Southeastern Conference
10. Louisville 17-3 1175 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Tulsa 15-2 1069 15 American Athletic Conference
12. Connecticut 15-3 971 12 American Athletic Conference
13. Oklahoma State 14-4 901 11 Big 12 Conference
14. Kansas State 14-5 861 13 Big 12 Conference
15. UAB 16-2 712 18 Conference USA
16. Washington 15-3 696 22 Pacific-12 Conference
17. Baylor 15-3 647 14 Big 12 Conference
18. Minnesota 14-4 552 23 Big Ten Conference
19. Belmont 18-1 525 21 Ohio Valley Conference
20. Villanova 14-4 522 16 Big East Conference
21. Kansas 15-4 402 NR Big 12 Conference
22. Missouri 13-4 221 NR Southeastern Conference
23. VCU 14-4 156 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
24. Oregon 15-2 133 20 Pacific-12 Conference
25. Notre Dame 14-4 111 19 Atlantic Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Arizona 14-4 49 Pacific-12 Conference
Rhode Island 16-2 44 Atlantic 10 Conference
Florida 13-5 23 Southeastern Conference
St. John's 15-4 18 Big East Conference
Clemson 15-4 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
Florida State 14-4 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
Dayton 15-3 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
Louisiana Monroe 16-3 2 Sun Belt Conference


Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 19-1 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UAB 16-2 1728 2 Conference USA
3. VCU 14-4 1611 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Belmont 18-1 1610 3 Ohio Valley Conference
5. Rhode Island 16-2 1446 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Wichita State 16-5 1418 12 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Dayton 15-3 1359 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Richmond 14-4 1208 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Saint Louis 14-4 1173 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. UW Milwaukee 15-3 1165 13 Horizon League
11. Wright State 17-4 970 8 Horizon League
12. Bucknell 19-4 963 15 Patriot League
13. Brigham Young 14-7 941 23 West Coast Conference
14. George Mason 13-4 891 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Kent State 13-4 757 17 Mid-American Conference
16. Louisiana Monroe 16-3 723 9 Sun Belt Conference
17. UC Santa Barbara 16-4 666 18 Big West Conference
18. UNLV 13-6 578 14 Mountain West Conference
19. Oral Roberts 15-4 494 20 Summit League
20. Princeton 14-4 475 NR Ivy League
21. George Washington 14-4 375 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
22. South Alabama 16-4 322 NR Sun Belt Conference
23. San Diego State 14-6 229 NR Mountain West Conference
24. Vermont 15-4 190 24 America East Conference
25. Middle Tennessee 12-4 75 16 Conference USA

Others Receiving Votes:
Saint Joseph's 12-5 44 Atlantic 10 Conference
Stephen F. Austin 14-5 44 Southland Conference
Georgia State 16-5 28 Sun Belt Conference
Manhattan 14-5 28 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Southern Mississippi 12-6 25 Conference USA
Southern Illinois 13-6 23 Missouri Valley Conference
Marshall 13-5 22 Conference USA
Florida Gulf Coast 14-5 18 Atlantic Sun Conference
Charlotte 12-6 1 Conference USA


Wichita State keeps climbing in the mid-major polls, but could have a tough time cracking the top 5. Fortunately, the Southern Illinois loss didn't detract them too much, as they still are receiving quite a few votes.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 25-31, 2016

Game Scores

Jan. 25, 2016

at Northern Iowa 51, Cornell 42 (non-conference)

Jan. 27, 2016

Southern Illinois 57, at Indiana State 46
Wichita State 88, at Loyola Chicago 85
Missouri State 69, at Illinois State 68
at Drake 75, Evansville 61

Jan. 30, 2016

at Bradley 77, Northern Iowa 67
Wichita State 79, at Indiana State 74
Southern Illinois 76, at Loyola Chicago 58
at Illinois State 73, Evansville 52
Missouri State 68, at Drake 57

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 9 2 .818 15 6 .714 29 56
#25 Wichita State Shockers 9 2 .818 18 5 .783 60 82
Bradley Braves 6 4 .600 12 10 .545 73 51
Missouri State Bears 6 5 .545 11 10 .524 116 58
Drake Bulldogs 6 5 .545 10 12 .455 74 54
Evansville Aces 5 6 .455 8 14 .364 148 57
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 5 6 .455 10 10 .500 99 41
Illinois State Redbirds 4 7 .364 12 11 .522 122 72
Northern Iowa Panthers 2 8 .200 9 12 .429 126 70
Indiana State Sycamores 2 9 .182 7 14 .333 181 64

At this point I think we can officially declare this a 2 team race between Southern Illinois and Wichita State. It would be great to get 2 teams in the big dance this season, and I think we have a legit shot if both these teams continue to win. What would also be great is for Bradley and Missouri State to keep winning.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 25-31, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 5-16, 4-5 America East. Only 1 game on the schedule for the Black Bears this week, a 68-57 loss at league leader Vermont.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 16-5, 5-4 Big 12. Nice week for the Wildcats, as they beat in-state rival Kansas 80-67, then hammered TCU 93-54.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 4-16, 2-5 Big West. It was too good to be true, as the Warriors dropped both their games this week, losing 86-68 at UC Santa Barbara 86-68, then losing at home to Cal St. Fullerton 61-50.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 5-14, 1-5 Conference USA. A good effort at Old Dominion, but still a 54-50 loss, then a loss at Marshall 70-59.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 16-4, 6-2 Pac 12. The Huskies hosted Oregon State and won 83-65, then lost at Colorado 87-76.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Duke (58) 19-1 1786 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Saint Mary's (14) 21-1 1738 1 West Coast Conference
3. Kentucky 19-1 1657 2 Southeastern Conference
4. Wisconsin 18-1 1565 4 Big Ten Conference
5. West Virginia 20-1 1524 5 Big 12 Conference
6. Miami 18-3 1418 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Ohio State 20-1 1343 7 Big Ten Conference
8. Georgetown 18-3 1306 8 Big East Conference
9. Tennessee 17-2 1195 9 Southeastern Conference
10. Kansas State 16-5 1179 14 Big 12 Conference
11. Oklahoma State 16-4 1020 13 Big 12 Conference
12. Connecticut 17-3 980 12 American Athletic Conference
13. Louisville 17-4 974 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Tulsa 17-2 960 11 American Athletic Conference
15. Minnesota 16-4 777 18 Big Ten Conference
16. Villanova 16-4 694 20 Big East Conference
17. Baylor 16-4 601 17 Big 12 Conference
18. Washington 16-4 498 16 Pacific-12 Conference
19. Florida 15-5 422 NR Southeastern Conference
20. Kansas 16-5 418 21 Big 12 Conference
21. Arizona 16-4 325 NR Pacific-12 Conference
22. UAB 17-3 325 15 Conference USA
23. Belmont 20-1 303 19 Ohio Valley Conference
24. St. John's 17-4 171 NR Big East Conference
25. Wichita State 18-5 64 NR Missouri Valley Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
VCU 15-5 49 Atlantic 10 Conference
Brigham Young 16-7 46 West Coast Conference
Notre Dame 15-5 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
Syracuse 14-6 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
Oregon 16-3 9 Pacific-12 Conference
Pittsburgh 14-6 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
Florida State 15-5 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
Missouri 13-6 5 Southeastern Conference
Memphis 14-5 2 American Athletic Conference

The MVC has made a stance in the national top 25 polls again, as Wichita State comes in at 25th. If they keep winning, they'll continue to rise. If Southern Illinois can continue to keep winning, expect to see them get some national votes soon. Also, we have a new #1 in the nation, as St. Marys is now #2 for the first time all season I believe.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 21-1 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. UAB 17-3 1671 2 Conference USA
3. VCU 15-5 1627 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 18-5 1568 6 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Brigham Young 16-7 1539 13 West Coast Conference
6. Belmont 20-1 1423 4 Ohio Valley Conference
7. Saint Louis 16-4 1376 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Richmond 16-4 1307 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Bucknell 21-4 1137 12 Patriot League
10. UW Milwaukee 17-3 1087 10 Horizon League
11. Rhode Island 17-3 1013 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
12. Kent State 15-4 922 15 Mid-American Conference
13. UNLV 14-7 914 18 Mountain West Conference
14. Wright State 18-5 856 11 Horizon League
15. George Mason 14-5 821 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Dayton 15-5 681 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. San Diego State 15-7 678 23 Mountain West Conference
18. UC Santa Barbara 17-4 561 17 Big West Conference
19. Marshall 15-5 452 NR Conference USA
20. Georgia State 18-5 400 NR Sun Belt Conference
21. Southern Illinois 15-6 337 NR Missouri Valley Conference
22. Vermont 18-4 290 24 America East Conference
23. Southern Mississippi 13-7 193 NR Conference USA
24. George Washington 15-5 133 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Colorado State 13-7 95 NR Mountain West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
South Alabama 17-5 82 Sun Belt Conference
Manhattan 16-5 72 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Stephen F. Austin 16-5 70 Southland Conference
Oral Roberts 16-5 62 Summit League
Princeton 15-5 59 Ivy League
Pacific 15-8 50 West Coast Conference
Florida Gulf Coast 16-5 41 Atlantic Sun Conference
Louisiana Monroe 16-5 31 Sun Belt Conference
Bowling Green 14-6 26 Mid-American Conference
Saint Joseph's 12-7 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
Nevada 13-7 7 Mountain West Conference
Middle Tennessee 13-5 4 Conference USA
Valparaiso 16-7 3 Horizon League
Old Dominion 13-6 1 Conference USA
Robert Morris 13-6 1 Northeast Conference

Great to see 2 of our MVC teams in the mid-major top 25, now if we can just get some more MVC teams to step it up and get some votes.

[collegesportsfanms]

On a side note, are you guys still enjoying this? Because I'm loving it. I wish some of our other FOFCers were doing better, especially our 3 outside the MVC.

Also, still taking more sign ups for this. Those of you that are already in it can take a second coach outside the MVC, anywhere, doesn't matter what school. Those of you that don't have a coach yet can take one of the MVC spots that are still open, or a Non-MVC spot.

[bbgunn]

I'm enjoying it!

[JAG]

Enjoying it.

[britrock88]

Just enjoying proving you wrong at Loyola. :D

[Grover]

My U Maine team may be terrible, but I'm enjoying it!

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 1-7, 2016

Game Scores

Feb. 3, 2016

Northern Iowa 77, at Missouri State 69 (OT)
at Evansville 65, Bradley 57
at #25 Wichita State 73, Illinois State 48
at Southern Illinois 67, Drake 47
Western Michigan 79, at Loyola Chicago 69 (non-conference)

Feb. 6, 2016

at Missouri State 77, Bradley 48
at Evansville 79, Northern Iowa 66
at #25 Wichita State 87, Drake 77
at Southern Illinois 88, Illinois State 86
Indiana State 66, at Loyola Chicago 50

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 11 2 .846 17 6 .739 26 56
Wichita State Shockers 11 2 .846 20 5 .800 56 82
Evansville Aces 7 6 .538 10 14 .417 150 57
Missouri State Bears 7 6 .538 12 11 .522 140 58
Bradley Braves 6 6 .500 12 12 .500 112 51
Drake Bulldogs 6 7 .462 10 14 .417 72 54
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 5 7 .417 10 12 .455 146 41
Illinois State Redbirds 4 9 .308 12 13 .480 99 72
Indiana State Sycamores 3 9 .250 8 14 .364 171 64
Northern Iowa Panthers 3 9 .250 10 13 .435 141 70


Not a good week for some of those teams that are pushing to make a postseason berth. It's still a 2 team race, but we really need some of those teams that are hovering around the .500 overall mark to get a few wins.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 1-7, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 8-16, 6-5 5th America East. A huge week for Maine, who had 3 big games. First, a non-conference game hosting Bryant, which they won 61-46, then 2 conference games, the first at Alabny, which they won 76-54, and to cap off the week, a 74-51 win at UMass Lowell.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 18-5, 6-4 T-4th Big 12. The Wildcats had a hard fought non-conference win at Bowling Green 99-93, then beat a ranked Baylor team at home, 79-55.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 4-18, 2-7 9th Big West. The struggles continue for a Hawaii team that was picked to be solid this season. The Warriors lost 79-69 at Long Beach State, then lost 84-74 to UC Riverside.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 6-15, 2-6 T-12th Conference USA. The Owls lost 85-68 at Southern Miss, but got a nice win at home against UTSA, 81-73.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 17-5, 7-3 T-2nd Pac 12. A split this week for the Huskies, who had a bad loss 70-58 at an 8 win California team, then recovered to beat UCLA on the road 70-51.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Duke (72) 21-1 1800 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Ohio State 22-1 1692 7 Big Ten Conference
3. Miami 20-3 1686 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Kentucky 19-3 1535 3 Southeastern Conference
5. Georgetown 20-3 1471 8 Big East Conference
6. Tennessee 19-2 1416 9 Southeastern Conference
7. Saint Mary's 21-3 1285 2 West Coast Conference
8. Wisconsin 18-3 1284 4 Big Ten Conference
9. Kansas State 18-5 1277 10 Big 12 Conference
10. Oklahoma State 18-4 1166 11 Big 12 Conference
11. West Virginia 21-2 1122 5 Big 12 Conference
12. Tulsa 19-2 1071 14 American Athletic Conference
13. Louisville 18-5 958 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Connecticut 18-4 860 12 American Athletic Conference
15. Arizona 18-4 798 21 Pacific-12 Conference
16. Minnesota 17-5 678 15 Big Ten Conference
17. Kansas 17-6 594 20 Big 12 Conference
18. Belmont 22-1 472 23 Ohio Valley Conference
19. St. John's 18-5 401 24 Big East Conference
20. Baylor 16-5 363 17 Big 12 Conference
21. Washington 17-5 323 18 Pacific-12 Conference
22. VCU 16-6 207 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. Brigham Young 18-7 200 NR West Coast Conference
24. Notre Dame 17-5 200 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
25. Syracuse 15-7 198 NR Atlantic Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Wichita State 20-5 133 Missouri Valley Conference
Pittsburgh 16-6 69 Atlantic Coast Conference
UAB 18-4 53 Conference USA
Villanova 16-6 44 Big East Conference
Saint Louis 18-4 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
Wake Forest 18-5 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
Memphis 15-6 4 American Athletic Conference
Kent State 17-4 2 Mid-American Conference
Oregon 17-4 2 Pacific-12 Conference

I don't know that I've ever seen a nationally ranked team win both their games in a week, yet fall out of the rankings. Don't quite undertand that. The MVC is getting no respect. Then again, these other teams haven't exactly given the pollsters a reason to give us respect. Another reason there could be some major coaching shake-ups within the next couple seasons.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 21-3 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. VCU 16-6 1699 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. Brigham Young 18-7 1613 5 West Coast Conference
4. Saint Louis 18-4 1507 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Wichita State 20-5 1503 4 Missouri Valley Conference
6. UAB 18-4 1488 2 Conference USA
7. Belmont 22-1 1464 6 Ohio Valley Conference
8. Richmond 17-5 1250 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Wright State 20-5 1146 14 Horizon League
10. Kent State 17-4 1119 12 Mid-American Conference
11. Bucknell 22-5 1029 9 Patriot League
12. UW Milwaukee 18-4 992 10 Horizon League
13. Marshall 17-5 850 19 Conference USA
14. Dayton 17-5 836 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. UC Santa Barbara 19-4 761 18 Big West Conference
16. UNLV 15-8 669 13 Mountain West Conference
17. Southern Illinois 17-6 664 21 Missouri Valley Conference
18. George Mason 15-6 617 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Vermont 20-4 572 22 America East Conference
20. Georgia State 20-5 478 20 Sun Belt Conference
21. Rhode Island 17-5 355 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Stephen F. Austin 18-5 235 NR Southland Conference
23. Oral Roberts 17-5 205 NR Summit League
24. Southern Mississippi 15-7 148 23 Conference USA
25. George Washington 16-6 109 24 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Louisiana Monroe 18-5 69 Sun Belt Conference
San Diego State 15-9 63 Mountain West Conference
Nevada 14-7 32 Mountain West Conference
Saint Joseph's 14-7 26 Atlantic 10 Conference
Pacific 16-9 25 West Coast Conference
Princeton 16-6 18 Ivy League
South Alabama 17-6 18 Sun Belt Conference
Cleveland State 16-8 14 Horizon League
Florida Gulf Coast 17-6 14 Atlantic Sun Conference
Manhattan 16-7 8 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Weber State 15-5 2 Big Sky Conference
Fairfield 16-6 1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Valparaiso 17-8 1 Horizon League


We've got 2 teams solidly in postseason play, but not much else. Ugh!

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 8-14, 2016

Game Scores

Feb. 8, 2016

at Missouri State 76, South Alabama 57 (non-conference)

Feb. 9, 2016

at Loyola Maryland 81, Evansville 76 (non-conference)

Feb. 10, 2016

Southern Illinois 58, at Northern Iowa 57
Wichita State 82, at Bradley 60
at Illinois State 79, Loyola Chicago 54
Indiana State 71, at Drake 55

Feb. 13, 2016

Evansville 66, at Missouri State 48
Wichita State 62, at Northern Iowa 42
Southern Illinois 56, at Bradley 54
at Illinois State 60, Indiana State 52
at Drake 70, Loyola Chicago 54

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 13 2 .867 19 6 .760 23 56
#22 Wichita State Shockers 13 2 .867 22 5 .815 59 82
Evansville Aces 8 6 .571 11 15 .423 141 57
Missouri State Bears 7 7 .500 13 12 .520 142 58
Drake Bulldogs 7 8 .467 11 15 .423 84 54
Bradley Braves 6 8 .429 12 14 .462 118 51
Illinois State Redbirds 6 9 .400 14 13 .519 97 72
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 5 9 .357 10 14 .417 165 41
Indiana State Sycamores 4 10 .286 9 15 .375 178 64
Northern Iowa Panthers 3 11 .214 10 15 .400 146 70

Barring something major, the Southern Illinois-Wichita State rematch at the end of the season will decide the conference regular season title.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 8-14, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 9-17, 7-6 5th America East. A split for the Black Bears this week, as they lost a tough one to Stony Brook, 91-85, then travelled to New Hampshire and beat them 61-53.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 20-5, 8-4 T-3rd Big 12. Another good week for the Wildcats, who won a couple road games this week, first winning at Iowa State 83-64, then winning at Texas 92-87.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 5-19, 3-8 T-7th Big West. The Warriors continue to be an enigma this season, beating Cal St. Northridge 75-61, then losing at Cal Poly 89-77.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 7-16, 3-7 T-11th Conference USA. The Owls are also an enigma, losing at North Texas 79-52, then beating Middle Tennessee 63-58.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 18-6, 8-4 T-3rd Pac 12. Another split for the Huskies, losing at nationally ranked Arizona 77-60, then winning at home against Colorado 84-78.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Duke (72) 23-1 1800 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Ohio State 24-1 1707 2 Big Ten Conference
3. Miami 22-3 1664 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Kentucky 21-3 1533 4 Southeastern Conference
5. Tennessee 21-2 1485 6 Southeastern Conference
6. Georgetown 22-3 1484 5 Big East Conference
7. Saint Mary's 23-3 1355 7 West Coast Conference
8. Kansas State 20-5 1286 9 Big 12 Conference
9. Tulsa 21-2 1236 12 American Athletic Conference
10. Oklahoma State 19-5 1139 10 Big 12 Conference
11. West Virginia 22-3 1074 11 Big 12 Conference
12. Wisconsin 19-4 1046 8 Big Ten Conference
13. Arizona 20-4 945 15 Pacific-12 Conference
14. Minnesota 19-5 859 16 Big Ten Conference
15. Connecticut 19-5 797 14 American Athletic Conference
16. Louisville 18-7 712 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. Kansas 18-6 602 17 Big 12 Conference
18. VCU 18-6 498 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Brigham Young 20-7 375 23 West Coast Conference
20. Belmont 23-2 357 18 Ohio Valley Conference
21. UAB 20-4 350 NR Conference USA
22. Wichita State 22-5 295 NR Missouri Valley Conference
23. St. John's 19-6 241 19 Big East Conference
24. Baylor 17-6 174 20 Big 12 Conference
25. Washington 18-6 151 21 Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Saint Louis 20-4 120 Atlantic 10 Conference
Villanova 17-7 37 Big East Conference
Oklahoma 16-8 21 Big 12 Conference
Pittsburgh 17-7 20 Atlantic Coast Conference
Florida State 17-6 19 Atlantic Coast Conference
Syracuse 16-8 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
Wake Forest 19-6 8 Atlantic Coast Conference

Wichita State gets back in the national polls, but Southern Illinois continues to be shut out as far as votes go.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 23-3 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. VCU 18-6 1716 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. Brigham Young 20-7 1617 3 West Coast Conference
4. Saint Louis 20-4 1539 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. UAB 20-4 1521 6 Conference USA
6. Wichita State 22-5 1513 5 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Belmont 23-2 1364 7 Ohio Valley Conference
8. Wright State 21-5 1202 9 Horizon League
9. Richmond 18-6 1165 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. Kent State 18-5 1129 10 Mid-American Conference
11. Southern Illinois 19-6 1034 17 Missouri Valley Conference
12. Bucknell 23-6 926 11 Patriot League
13. UNLV 17-8 923 16 Mountain West Conference
14. Marshall 18-6 769 13 Conference USA
15. Vermont 22-4 748 19 America East Conference
16. UC Santa Barbara 20-5 742 15 Big West Conference
17. Southern Mississippi 17-7 690 24 Conference USA
18. Oral Roberts 19-5 633 23 Summit League
19. UW Milwaukee 19-6 492 12 Horizon League
20. Rhode Island 18-6 412 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
21. Georgia State 21-6 336 20 Sun Belt Conference
22. Saint Joseph's 16-7 315 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. Dayton 17-7 197 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
24. Louisiana Monroe 20-5 195 NR Sun Belt Conference
25. Nevada 16-7 83 NR Mountain West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Princeton 18-6 71 Ivy League
George Mason 15-8 69 Atlantic 10 Conference
Stephen F. Austin 19-6 65 Southland Conference
Weber State 17-5 46 Big Sky Conference
George Washington 17-7 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
Akron 16-9 18 Mid-American Conference
Old Dominion 16-7 18 Conference USA
San Diego State 16-10 14 Mountain West Conference
Gonzaga 15-10 7 West Coast Conference
Valparaiso 19-8 6 Horizon League
Lehigh 20-8 4 Patriot League
Florida Gulf Coast 18-7 2 Atlantic Sun Conference

Them polls are a strange creature. Wichita State gets back in the national polls, but drops a spot in the mid-major polls? Go figure, and Southern Illinois continues to rise. There are already rumblings that Barry Hinson may be on his way out to a higher profile job at the end of the season.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 15-21, 2016

Game Scores

Feb. 17, 2016

at #22 Wichita State 80, Missouri State 57
at Southern Illinois 74, Evansville 65
Bradley 70, at Indiana State 61
Northern Iowa 73, at Loyola Chicago 55
at #7 Saint Mary's 62, Illinois State 51 (non-conference)

Feb. 20, 2016

at #22 Wichita State 84, Evansville 48
at Southern Illinois 63, Missouri State 59
Northern Iowa 81, at Indiana State 71
Bradley 63, at Loyola Chicago 60
Illinois State 82, at Drake 54

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 15 2 .882 21 6 .778 26 56
#19 Wichita State Shockers 15 2 .882 24 5 .828 54 82
Evansville Aces 8 8 .500 11 17 .393 120 57
Bradley Braves 8 8 .500 14 14 .500 116 51
Missouri State Bears 7 9 .438 13 14 .481 128 58
Illinois State Redbirds 7 9 .438 15 14 .517 86 72
Drake Bulldogs 7 9 .438 11 16 .407 105 54
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 5 11 .313 10 16 .385 194 41
Northern Iowa Panthers 5 11 .313 12 15 .444 142 70
Indiana State Sycamores 4 12 .250 9 17 .346 201 64


3 teams are locked into the play-in round: Loyola Chicago, Northern Iowa, and Indiana State. Southern Illinois and Wichita State will play for the regular season MVC title next week. The other 5 teams will be playing to stay out of that final play-in spot, as all 5 still have a chance to be in it.

[Zinto]

Awful season for Northern Iowa. Looks like Hutt will be on the chopping block.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 15-21, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 10-18, 8-7 5th America East. Maine split their games this week, beating Hartford 69-52, then losing to conference leader Vermont 82-64. No matter what happens in their game next week, the Black Bears are locked into the 5th seed in the America East tournament, and with a win at Binghamton would have a winning conference season which would be huge for coach O'Reilly.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 22-5, 10-4 2nd Big 12. A couple home games this week for K-State, as they hammered Texas Tech 76-55, then beat a very good West Virginia team that only had 4 losses, 87-80.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 6-19, 4-8 7th Big West. Just 1 game this week for the Warriors, but it was a good one, as they beat UC Irvine on the road, 74-70.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 9-16, 5-7 T-10th Conference USA. The Owls continue to rise with a couple more wines this week. First they travelled to FIU and won 89-73, then hosted Rice, beating them 72-61.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 18-8, 8-6 T-4th Pac 12. A little bit of a late season slump for the Huskies, who had a bad loss at Washington State 82-75, then lost at USC 85-70.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Duke (72) 25-1 1800 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Ohio State 26-1 1718 2 Big Ten Conference
3. Kentucky 23-3 1610 4 Southeastern Conference
4. Georgetown 24-3 1593 6 Big East Conference
5. Tennessee 23-2 1498 5 Southeastern Conference
6. Kansas State 22-5 1458 8 Big 12 Conference
7. Miami 22-4 1367 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Tulsa 23-2 1279 9 American Athletic Conference
9. Saint Mary's 25-4 1227 7 West Coast Conference
10. Oklahoma State 21-5 1210 10 Big 12 Conference
11. Wisconsin 20-5 997 12 Big Ten Conference
12. Minnesota 21-5 962 14 Big Ten Conference
13. Connecticut 21-5 958 15 American Athletic Conference
14. West Virginia 22-5 897 11 Big 12 Conference
15. Arizona 21-5 829 13 Pacific-12 Conference
16. VCU 20-6 556 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Baylor 19-6 544 24 Big 12 Conference
18. Louisville 19-8 513 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
19. Wichita State 24-5 443 22 Missouri Valley Conference
20. UAB 22-4 432 21 Conference USA
21. Belmont 25-2 405 20 Ohio Valley Conference
22. Brigham Young 22-7 395 19 West Coast Conference
23. St. John's 21-6 365 23 Big East Conference
24. Pittsburgh 19-7 215 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
25. Oklahoma 18-8 107 NR Big 12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Wright State 23-5 6 Horizon League
Florida State 18-7 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
Kansas 18-8 4 Big 12 Conference
Vermont 24-4 4 America East Conference
Syracuse 17-9 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
UC Santa Barbara 22-5 1 Big West Conference

Good news for Wichita State who moves into the top 20 of the polls, bad news for Washington, with their 2 losses last week have lost all their national votes.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 25-4 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. VCU 20-6 1718 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. Brigham Young 22-7 1635 3 West Coast Conference
4. UAB 22-4 1568 5 Conference USA
5. Wichita State 24-5 1548 6 Missouri Valley Conference
6. Belmont 25-2 1422 7 Ohio Valley Conference
7. Saint Louis 20-6 1368 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Wright State 23-5 1250 8 Horizon League
9. Kent State 20-5 1219 10 Mid-American Conference
10. Southern Illinois 21-6 1098 11 Missouri Valley Conference
11. Bucknell 25-6 1000 12 Patriot League
12. Richmond 19-7 937 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. UC Santa Barbara 22-5 898 16 Big West Conference
14. Vermont 24-4 829 15 America East Conference
15. UNLV 18-9 751 13 Mountain West Conference
16. Rhode Island 20-6 677 20 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. UW Milwaukee 21-6 675 19 Horizon League
18. Southern Mississippi 18-8 610 17 Conference USA
19. Dayton 19-7 536 23 Atlantic 10 Conference
20. Louisiana Monroe 22-5 407 24 Sun Belt Conference
21. Oral Roberts 20-6 366 18 Summit League
22. Princeton 20-6 256 NR Ivy League
23. Saint Joseph's 17-8 235 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
24. Stephen F. Austin 21-6 137 NR Southland Conference
25. San Diego State 18-10 106 NR Mountain West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Weber State 19-5 89 Big Sky Conference
Georgia State 22-7 80 Sun Belt Conference
Gonzaga 17-10 77 West Coast Conference
Pacific 19-10 30 West Coast Conference
Marshall 18-8 28 Conference USA
George Mason 16-9 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
Florida Gulf Coast 20-7 14 Atlantic Sun Conference
Old Dominion 17-8 8 Conference USA
Valparaiso 20-9 4 Horizon League
Robert Morris 18-8 2 Northeast Conference

Southern Illinois keeps rising, into the top 10 of the mid-major poll now, and Wichita State is back in the top 5. Unfortunately, 1 of those teams will probably have a significant drop next week as they play each other, and 1 has to lose.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 22-28, 2016

Game Scores

Feb. 22, 2016

at Southern Illinois 80, Boston University 54 (non-conference)

Feb. 24, 2016

Indiana State 61, at Missouri State 57
at Evansville 78, Loyola Chicago 62
at Northern Iowa 47, Illinois State 36
Drake 73, at Bradley 66

Feb. 25, 2016

at #19 Wichita State 67, Boston University 50 (non-conference)

Feb. 26, 2016

at Missouri State 63, Loyola Chicago 55
at Evansville 78, Indiana State 69
at Southern Illinois 68, #19 Wichita State 67
at Northern Iowa 65, Drake 62
at Bradley 68, Illinois State 62

Final Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Illinois Salukis 16 2 .889 23 6 .793 16 56
#19 Wichita State Shockers 15 3 .833 25 6 .806 38 82
Evansville Aces 10 8 .556 13 17 .433 127 57
Bradley Braves 9 9 .500 15 15 .500 126 51
Missouri State Bears 8 10 .444 14 15 .483 142 58
Drake Bulldogs 8 10 .444 12 17 .414 102 54
Illinois State Redbirds 7 11 .389 15 16 .484 99 72
Northern Iowa Panthers 7 11 .389 14 15 .483 137 70
Indiana State Sycamores 5 13 .278 10 18 .357 197 64
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 5 13 .278 10 18 .357 203 41



Congratulations to Southern Illinois, by sweeping Wichita State, they win the MVC regular season title. Both teams are all but assured of a berth in the NCAA tournament. My hope is that a team other than Wichita State or Southern Illinois wins the MVC tournament, as that would give the MVC 3 NCAA bids, since we most likely will not put any teams into any of the other 3 tournaments.

Also, I want to note that every team had double digit victories this season. Last year we had 2 MVC teams that had less than 10 victories.

[collegesportsfanms]

zinto, I wouldn't speak too soon. Northern Iowa has won 4 in a row, and is really hot going into the conference tournament. Also, I feel inclined to give the FOFC coaches in the MVC more of a chance than the non-FOFC coaches. Reason being it's you FOFCers that make the difference. However, I will take every season and evaluate it. Since there were no coaches on the hotseat this season, I think you're safe for another year. Very rarely will I get rid of a coach that wasn't on the hotseat.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 22-28, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 10-19, 8-8 5th America East. A great chance was lost for coach O'Reilly, as his Black Bears travelled to Binghamton for their regular season finale, but seem to have left their talent back in Maine, as they lost 68-47.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 24-5, 12-4 2nd Big 12. 2 more wins this week for the Cats, an 88-65 win at TCU, and an 82-74 win at Kansas, giving them a sweep over their in-state rival and keeping them in position for a possible #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 7-20, 5-9 7th Big West. The Warriors beat UC Davis 75-72, but couldn't follow that up, losing 75-63 to UC Santa Barbara.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 10-17, 6-8 11th Conference USA. The Owls lost 88-76 against Western Kentucky, then travelled to Louisiana Tech and won 72-63. They still have a slight chance to finish .500 in conference, but their last 2 regular season games will be tough.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 19-9, 9-7 T-4th Pac 12. A split this week for the Huskies, as they beat Utah 69-53 but lost to Stanford 85-75. They are on the bubble for the NCAA tournament, right now projected in.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Duke (70) 26-2 1798 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Ohio State (2) 28-1 1720 2 Big Ten Conference
3. Kentucky 25-3 1643 3 Southeastern Conference
4. Tennessee 25-2 1552 5 Southeastern Conference
5. Kansas State 24-5 1516 6 Big 12 Conference
6. Georgetown 25-3 1478 4 Big East Conference
7. Saint Mary's 27-4 1341 9 West Coast Conference
8. Oklahoma State 22-5 1308 10 Big 12 Conference
9. Tulsa 24-3 1221 8 American Athletic Conference
10. Connecticut 23-5 1127 13 American Athletic Conference
11. Miami 22-6 1123 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Arizona 23-5 980 15 Pacific-12 Conference
13. Minnesota 22-6 860 12 Big Ten Conference
14. West Virginia 23-6 857 14 Big 12 Conference
15. Wisconsin 21-6 839 11 Big Ten Conference
16. VCU 22-6 688 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Belmont 27-2 599 21 Ohio Valley Conference
18. St. John's 23-6 581 23 Big East Conference
19. Wichita State 25-6 483 19 Missouri Valley Conference
20. Baylor 20-7 450 17 Big 12 Conference
21. Louisville 20-9 430 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
22. UAB 23-5 299 20 Conference USA
23. Pittsburgh 20-8 146 24 Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Kansas 19-9 102 NR Big 12 Conference
25. Brigham Young 22-8 95 22 West Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Wright State 25-5 56 Horizon League
Oklahoma 18-9 47 Big 12 Conference
Syracuse 18-9 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
Vermont 25-4 14 America East Conference
Wake Forest 21-7 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
Kent State 22-5 10 Mid-American Conference
Louisiana Monroe 24-5 5 Sun Belt Conference
Saint Louis 22-6 3 Atlantic 10 Conference

Even after Southern Illinois beats Wichita State twice this season, they still get no votes in the national polls. Unbelievable, but what's even more unbelievable is what I'm about to show you:

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 27-4 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. VCU 22-6 1726 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. Wichita State 25-6 1577 5 Missouri Valley Conference
4. Brigham Young 22-8 1549 3 West Coast Conference
5. UAB 23-5 1529 4 Conference USA
6. Belmont 27-2 1468 6 Ohio Valley Conference
7. Saint Louis 22-6 1395 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Wright State 25-5 1295 8 Horizon League
9. Kent State 22-5 1224 9 Mid-American Conference
10. Southern Illinois 23-6 1161 10 Missouri Valley Conference
11. Rhode Island 22-6 998 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
12. Vermont 25-4 945 14 America East Conference
13. Southern Mississippi 20-8 889 18 Conference USA
14. Bucknell 25-6 862 11 Patriot League
15. UC Santa Barbara 23-6 699 13 Big West Conference
16. Louisiana Monroe 24-5 647 20 Sun Belt Conference
17. Saint Joseph's 19-8 628 23 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. UW Milwaukee 22-7 560 17 Horizon League
19. Oral Roberts 22-6 512 21 Summit League
20. UNLV 18-10 349 15 Mountain West Conference
21. Dayton 20-8 345 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Weber State 21-5 230 NR Big Sky Conference
23. San Diego State 19-10 221 25 Mountain West Conference
24. Richmond 19-9 207 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Georgia State 23-7 185 NR Sun Belt Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Gonzaga 19-10 151 West Coast Conference
Princeton 21-7 91 Ivy League
Pacific 20-10 63 West Coast Conference
Stephen F. Austin 21-7 34 Southland Conference
Cleveland State 20-10 19 Horizon League
Marshall 19-9 14 Conference USA
College of Charleston 20-9 12 Colonial Athletic Association
George Mason 17-10 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
Middle Tennessee 18-8 4 Conference USA
Florida Gulf Coast 21-8 2 Atlantic Sun Conference
Nevada 18-9 2 Mountain West Conference

Wichita State loses a game this week and moves up 2 spots in the mid-major polls. Huh??? And Southern Illinois, who beat the Shockers this week, stays put at #10? Have I ever said how much I absolutely hate top 25 polls?

[SirFozzie]

Hopefully the .500 finish in the MVC and overall cools the heat a bit, looks like things are turning around.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 29-March 6, 2016

2 MVC teams had non-conference games on Feb. 29th, let's take a look at those.

at Bowling Green 80, Loyola Chicago 50
at Southern Illinois 79, Howard 30

2016 MVC Tournament

2016 MVC Play-in Round

(10) Loyola Chicago beat (7) Illinois State 66-55.
(8) Northern Iowa pounded (9) Indiana State 83-63.

2016 MVC Quarterfinals

(1) Southern Illinois beat (8) Northern Iowa 76-66.
(4) Bradley beat (5) Missouri State 84-80.
(6) Drake beat (3) Evansville 74-66.
(2) Wichita State all over (10) Loyola Chicago 92-63.

2016 MVC Semifinals

(1) Southern Illinois beat (4) Bradley 82-75.
(2) Wichita State beat (6) Drake 80-72.

Well, so much for my thoughts of a team other than Southern Illinois or Wichita State making the NCAA tournament. The fact they are playing for the MVC championship pretty much killed that idea.

2016 MVC Championship

(2) Wichita State gets revenge on (1) Southern Illinois, beating them 68-48.

MVC Postseason Predictions

It's pretty simple this season: Wichita State and Southern Illinois in the NCAA tournament, and no other team sniffs the postseason, although Bradley could get into the CBI or CIT with a .500 record, but I doubt it. Since every other team in the conference had an overall losing record, you can forget hopes of them playing another game this season.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 29-March 6, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 10-19, 8-8 5th America East. The Black Bears played the America East tournament this week, which will be covered in the next post.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 26-5, 14-4 2nd Big 12. The Wildcats finished the regular season in incredible fashion, having won their last 13 games, including 2 games this week: an 83-69 win at home against Oklahoma, and a tough 82-79 win over Oklahoma State. They'll be the #2 seed in the Big 12 tournament and have earned a first round bye.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 8-21, 6-10 7th Big West. The Warriors split their last 2 games, winning 80-73 at Cal St. Fullerton, but losing to Long Beach State 73-62. They'll be the 7th seed in the Big West Tournament.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 10-19, 6-10 11th Conference USA. Tough week for the Owls, losing 93-81 against ranked UAB, and then losing a tough one 67-63 against Charlotte. Both games were at home. They'll be the 11th seed in the C-USA tournament.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 20-10, 10-8 T-4th Pac 12. The Huskies hosted Arizona State and lost a buzzer beater 71-69, but rebounded at Oregon, beating them 71-61. They are on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, currently projected out. They'll be the 4th seed in the Pac 12 tournament, getting a first round bye, and will probably need to win 1, maybe even 2 games to secure an at-large bid.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Duke (72) 27-3 1800 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Tennessee 27-2 1659 4 Southeastern Conference
3. Kansas State 26-5 1640 5 Big 12 Conference
4. Ohio State 29-2 1633 2 Big Ten Conference
5. Kentucky 26-4 1535 3 Southeastern Conference
6. Georgetown 26-4 1415 6 Big East Conference
7. Saint Mary's 29-4 1381 7 West Coast Conference
8. Tulsa 26-3 1262 9 American Athletic Conference
9. Miami 24-6 1207 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. West Virginia 24-6 1152 14 Big 12 Conference
11. Oklahoma State 23-6 1149 8 Big 12 Conference
12. Connecticut 25-5 1004 10 American Athletic Conference
13. Arizona 24-6 894 12 Pacific-12 Conference
14. Wichita State 28-6 835 19 Missouri Valley Conference
15. Louisville 22-9 704 21 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Minnesota 24-6 696 13 Big Ten Conference
17. Pittsburgh 22-8 674 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Wisconsin 22-7 661 15 Big Ten Conference
19. Belmont 28-3 501 17 Ohio Valley Conference
20. VCU 23-7 451 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
21. St. John's 23-7 366 18 Big East Conference
22. Saint Louis 24-6 141 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. UAB 24-6 141 22 Conference USA
24. Clemson 23-8 121 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
25. Vermont 27-4 118 NR America East Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Oklahoma 18-11 93 Big 12 Conference
Brigham Young 23-9 52 West Coast Conference
Kent State 23-5 51 Mid-American Conference
Wright State 25-5 29 Horizon League
Wake Forest 22-8 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
Baylor 21-8 9 Big 12 Conference
Kansas 20-10 8 Big 12 Conference
Southern Illinois 26-7 4 Missouri Valley Conference
Villanova 20-9 3 Big East Conference

I love seeing Wichita State ranked in the top 15 and Southern Illinois finally receiving votes. Let's hope that translates into decent seeds in the NCAA tournament.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 29-4 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. VCU 23-7 1692 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. Wichita State 28-6 1685 3 Missouri Valley Conference
4. Saint Louis 24-6 1515 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Brigham Young 23-9 1475 4 West Coast Conference
6. UAB 24-6 1441 5 Conference USA
7. Belmont 28-3 1404 6 Ohio Valley Conference
8. Kent State 23-5 1263 9 Mid-American Conference
9. Wright State 25-5 1261 8 Horizon League
10. Southern Illinois 26-7 1190 10 Missouri Valley Conference
11. Southern Mississippi 22-8 991 13 Conference USA
12. Vermont 27-4 991 12 America East Conference
13. Saint Joseph's 21-8 884 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Rhode Island 23-7 782 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Bucknell 26-7 689 14 Patriot League
16. UC Santa Barbara 24-6 684 15 Big West Conference
17. UNLV 20-10 635 20 Mountain West Conference
18. UW Milwaukee 22-7 496 18 Horizon League
19. Oral Roberts 23-6 494 19 Summit League
20. Gonzaga 21-10 454 NR West Coast Conference
21. Weber State 23-5 427 22 Big Sky Conference
22. Louisiana Monroe 25-6 306 16 Sun Belt Conference
23. Georgia State 25-7 277 25 Sun Belt Conference
24. Princeton 23-7 217 NR Ivy League
25. Richmond 20-10 119 24 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
San Diego State 20-11 68 Mountain West Conference
Stephen F. Austin 23-7 59 Southland Conference
Dayton 20-10 31 Atlantic 10 Conference
Middle Tennessee 20-8 21 Conference USA
Cleveland State 21-10 20 Horizon League
Florida Gulf Coast 24-8 14 Atlantic Sun Conference
College of Charleston 22-9 11 Colonial Athletic Association
Marshall 20-10 3 Conference USA
Robert Morris 21-9 1 Northeast Conference

No changes here, as Saint Mary's and VCU continue to dominate the top of the mid-major poll.

[collegesportsfanms]

2016 Non-MVC Conference Tournaments

2016 America East Tournament

Maine lost to (4) New Hampshire 59-46 in the Quarterfinals.

2016 Big 12 Tournament

Kansas State laid a huge egg, losing to (7) Oklahoma 103-76 in the Quarterfinals

2016 Big West Tournament

Hawaii stunned (2) Long Beach State 75-60 in the first round, then fell short against (1) UC Santa Barbara 78-72. A note about the Big West tournament, I don't know if it is this way in real life too, but as far as FBCB goes, the teams are reseeded after the first round so that the highest seed is guaranteed to play the lowest seed in the semifinals, hence the reason Hawaii had to play UC Santa Barbara.

2016 Conference USA Tournament

Florida Atlantic missed a golden opportunity to get another win, losing to (14) Louisiana Tech 66-57 in the First Round.

2016 Pac 12 Tournament

Washington all but assured themselves of missing the NCAA tournament, as they also laid an egg in their first game, losing to (5) Arizona State 85-81.

[collegesportsfanms]

2016 Selection Sunday

MVC

Southern Illinois gets the 6th seed in the NCAA West Region and will face (11) Old Dominion in the First Round. Go figure, another mid major vs. mid major match-up in the NCAA Tournament First Round. Ugh!

Wichita State gets the 5th seed in the NCAA Midwest Region and will take on (12) Colorado in the First Round. Hey, alright, they don't have to play a mid-major first. Woo-hoo!

Not a major surprise, as no postseason for Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Indiana State, Illinois State, Loyola Chicago, Missouri State, or Northern Iowa. Only 2 of 10 MVC teams in the postseason is not going to cut it.

Non-MVC

Despite their early ousting in the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas State got the #1 seed in the NCAA West Region. They will await the play-in winner between High Point and UTPA.

Washington got the 2nd seed in NIT East Region and will face the Iowa/Wofford winner in the Quarterfinals.

No big surprise, no postseason for Maine, Hawaii, or Florida Atlantic.

[bbgunn]

B.B. probably saved his job with that Long Beach State victory.

[JAG]

Missouri State seems mired in mediocrity.

[britrock88]

The 9 straight losses to end the conference season were brutal for Loyola. At least we won the PIG.

[collegesportsfanms]

2016 NCAA First Round

Kansas State got by (16) UTPA 79-62.

Southern Illinois hammered (11) Old Dominion 64-37.

(12) Colorado took out Wichita State 90-75. Damn, would have been nice to see both our NCAA representatives in the MVC advance to the final 32 teams.

NIT Second Round

Washington beat (7) Iowa 71-57.

[collegesportsfanms]

2016 NCAA Second Round

Kansas State gets a 60-53 victory over (9) Milwaukee.

(3) Miami (FL) beats Southern Illinois, ending the MVC run in the 2016 postseason.

NIT Round of 16

Washington gets by (3) Belmont 53-48.

[collegesportsfanms]

2016 NCAA Sweet Sixteen

(12) Gonzaga continues their Cinderella run, knocking off Kansas State 80-72.

2016 NIT Round of 8

(4) Akron beat Washington 70-60, ending the postseason for all our MVC and FOFC coaches.

2016 Postseason Wrap-Up

The NCAA Final Four saw (3S) Kentucky edge Cinderella story (12W) Gonzaga 72-70. The other semifinal had (2MW) Tulsa beating (3E) Pittsburgh 98-89. The national championship saw Kentucky roll over Tulsa 78-62.

The NIT Final Four had (1W) Florida St. beat (4S) Akron 69-61, and (4E) BYU beat (5MW) Richmond, 91-80. BYU then won the NIT championship with a 72-63 victory.

(16) San Diego shocked everybody in the CBI, beat (6) Bowling Green 2 games to none in the CBI best of 3 championship. They won the first game 62-56 and the second game 73-61.

And finally, the CIT championship saw (4) UTEP beat (14) Mercer 73-63.

[collegesportsfanms]

We had 2 MVCers on the All-NCAA 2nd team. Wilbert Byron from Wichita State, and Stuart Clegg from Southern Illinois, both are seniors. Those were the only national awards for the MVC or FOFC non-MVC teams. Here's a look at the MVC awards:

2015-2016 MISSOURI VALLEY AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR C Wilbert Byron Wichita State 17.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.7 APG 0.5 SPG, 1.8 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SF Kevin Sayer Evansville 12.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.6 APG 0.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Barry Hinson Southern Illinois 27 - 8 (16 - 2)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Wilbert Byron Wichita State 17.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.8 BPG
PF SR Dorsey Roden Illinois State 10.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.5 BPG
SF SR Glenn Sterner Southern Illinois 17.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Stuart Clegg Southern Illinois 19.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Tony Delatorre Missouri State 11.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 8.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Silvano Mecurio Wichita State 9.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.0 BPG
PF SR Jonathan Wilson Northern Iowa 6.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.3 BPG
SF SR Willie Simpson Missouri State 11.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SG JR Gregg Buster Drake 12.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG JR Chris Cromwell Wichita State 11.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Howard Lea Indiana State 4.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PF FR Paul Short Missouri State 3.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SF FR Kevin Sayer Evansville 12.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SG FR Lamar Mingo Loyola Chicago 6.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Shayne Bernier Wichita State 1.2 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.0 BPG

No surprise at all that Barry Hinson got MVC coach of the year, I'll be shocked if he stays at Southern Illinois.

Maine put 2 on the all-America East freshman team, Dewitt Harrold and Jonathan Lejeune. This could be good news for the future of Cillian O'Reilly and the Black Bears.

Kansas State had JR Theron Nix on the all-Big 12 1st team, and put SRs Sheldon Flowers and Emanuel Krumm on the Big 12 2nd team.

Hawaii had all those awards last season that didn't pan out to a great season this year, and this year only 1 award. SR Tony Silverstein made 2nd team All-Big West.

Florida Atlantic had the Conference USA freshman of the year in James Jones. He was also of course on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team.

Washington put 2 seniors on the All-Pac 12 2nd Team in Vincenc Vavra and Fred Yan.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here is a look at the 2015-2016 MVC Recruiting Rankings:

2015-2016 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
54. Northern Iowa Missouri Valley SG Colby Laroche **** 0 1 2 0 0
60. Wichita State Missouri Valley SF Russel Sturtevant **** 0 1 1 0 1
78. Missouri State Missouri Valley PG Brian Vermillion *** 0 0 2 0 1
98. Drake Missouri Valley PG Reiner Lauterbach *** 0 0 2 1 0
106. Bradley Missouri Valley SG Adrián Morales *** 0 0 1 0 1
113. Loyola Chicago Missouri Valley PG Glenn Huey *** 0 0 1 1 2
116. Evansville Missouri Valley SG Lincoln Hill *** 0 0 2 0 1
117. Illinois State Missouri Valley PF Merrill Cardwell *** 0 0 1 0 0
255. Southern Illinois Missouri Valley PG Tristan McNamara *** 0 0 1 0 0
349. Indiana State Missouri Valley SG Colton Kucera * 0 0 0 0 1

Not bad overall, as Southern Illinois had a 3 star recruit leading to their 255th national ranking. But Indiana State continues to suck it up in recruiting, managing to pull a 1 star recruit and nothing else.

Maine had the 182th best recruiting class in the nation, good for 3rd in the America East, quite a bit ahead of the 6 schools behind them.

Kansas State had the 4th best recruiting class in the nation, tops in the Big 12.

Hawaii had the 77th best recruiting class in the nation, tops in the Big West. Let's hope this translates into some success down the road for Coach B.B. Gunn.

Florida Atlantic had the 81st best recruiting class in the nation, 2nd best in Conference USA. Also hoping this will give the Owls and Kuji Chagulia some future success.

Washington had the 24th best recruiting class in the nation, but the Pac 12 was solid this year. There were 5 Pac 12 teams that had better recruiting classes than the Huskies.

[collegesportsfanms]

Big news, as we have our first changes in conference movement since I started this dynasty. It doesn't affect any MVC schools, but Cillian O'Reilly and his Maine Black Bears will be happy to know that Vermont, who has pretty much dominated the America East, is on their way out. They have been promoted to the Northeast Conference. Taking their place is Bryant, a team that won 3 games last season and 7 the year before.

There were no coaches within the MVC or FOFC that were offered jobs. I have to say I'm shocked that Barry Hinson or Gregg Marshall weren't offered positions anywhere, but I'm very thrilled to have them in the MVC for another season.

[collegesportsfanms]

The MVC is still a prestige 4 conference, despite the lack of success last season. What I want to do now is go through the list of MVC teams and show their prestige changes since I started this dynasty. I will also do that with the FOFC non-MVC teams.

MVC Team Prestiges

Bradley started at 53, dropped to 51 last season, and is now back up to 53.

Drake started at 56, dropped to 54 last season, and is now back to 56.

Evansville started at 55, rose to 57 last season, and stays at 57 this season.

Illinois State started at 71, rose to 72 last season, but their awful performance last season drops them to a 69 this season.

Indiana State started at 61, rose to 64 last season, but dropped all the way down to 59 this season.

Loyola Chicago is interesting. They started at 43, dropped to 41 last season, and is still at 41 this season despite winning 9 more games last year.

Missouri State started at 60 and has continue to drop: 58 last season, 56 this season.

Northern Iowa has also dropped mightily. They started at 74, last season dropped to 70, and is now at 65.

Southern Illinois started at 56, remained a 56 last season, but with their performance last year is now a 62.

Wichita State started at 81, rose to 82 last year, and remains at 82 this year.

FOFC Non-MVC Team Prestiges

Maine started at 24, dropped to 21 last season, and dropped again to 19 this season.

Kansas State started at 85, dropped to 84 last season, but rose to 87 to start this season.

Hawaii started at 42, stayed at 42 last season, but dropped to 39 to start this season.

Florida Atlantic started at 33 and has stayed at 33 since I started this dynasty.

Washington started at 85, rose to 86, and is now back down to 85.

[collegesportsfanms]

2016-2017 MVC Hotseat Ratings

Cold Hotseat Ratings

Barry Hinson (Southern Illinois) completed a nice turnaround last season with a win in the NCAA tournament. What bothers me is they had the 2nd worst recruiting class in the MVC. I still think they can duplicate the success of last season.

Gregg Marshall (Wichita State) has taken the Shockers to the NCAA tournament 3 years in a row but has yet to win a game there. This season, I'm hoping they can finally get over that hump and get that NCAA win.

Cool Hotseat Ratings

Alex Donovan (Bradley) led the team to a .500 finish in the MVC last year and a .500 finish overall. They don't have a huge talent roster coming back, but have 6 or 7 solid players. I still would like to think they can avoid the play-in game this season, and maybe even finish above .500 overall.

Randolph Childress (Drake) finished a game better than they did last season, and have quite a bit coming back on their roster. Another top 100 recruiting class gives me hope that they can make the postseason this year.

Marty Simmons (Evansville) has led the Aces to a .500 or better conference record in all 3 seasons of this dynasty, and I see no reason why they can't do the same this season.

Jawouk Bafou (Loyola Chicago) had a much better season last year, even getting double digit wins. I don't care what the team prestiges say, I feel this is a team on the rise, as they have a ton of talent on the roster, now they need to produce. Staying out of the cellar is a must this season.

Warm Hotseat Ratings

Dan Muller (Illinois State) could easily be on the hotseat, as they have declined majorly over the last 2 years. They've got talent on the roster, and they need to produce. Anything less than competing for the MVC title (top 4 finish) and at least consideration for a postseason berth could cost Mr. Muller his job.

Score Galore (Missouri State) is tough. I wasn't sure really how to evaluate them. Their roster doesn't have a lot of talent as their recruiting hasn't been great, but they did have a nice recruiting class this season. The AD at Missouri State wants this team in the postseason, but he has no say over Mr. Galores job status, only I do. I'd like to see a major improvement though. If they can make the postseason, great, but a .500 record in the MVC is a must.

Patrick Hutt (Northern Iowa) also could easily be on the hotseat, and probably should be. But I am pretty forgiving when it comes to FOFCers, probably more than I should be. He's in the same boat as Dan Muller is at Illinois State: Top 4 finish in the Valley, and consideration for postseason, or he could be job hunting next season.

Hot Hotseat Rating

Greg Lansing (Indiana State) is on the hotseat for one major reason: his inability of him and his staff to recruit. Over the past 3 seasons, their recruiting rankings have been 289, 344, and 349. This is unacceptable. I don't care about anything else except for 1 thing: If Indiana State doesn't have a recruiting rating of 200 or better this season, Greg Lansing is out of a job.

2016-2017 Non-MVC Coach Hotseat Ratings

Cillian O'Reilly (Maine) -- The board at Maine sees something in Mr. O'Reilly, as do I. However since he is Non-MVC, it's not my call. Fortunately for him, the improvement from last season (even if team prestige didn't show it) and the America East shakeup gives all the America East coaches hope. His seat is cool, and a .500 conference record should be doable.

Rudy Arellano (Kansas State) -- A sweet sixteen appearance and the #4 recruiting class has Rudys seat pretty darn cold right now. He has nothing to worry about as long as the recruits produce. The board wants another Sweet Sixteen appearance.

B.B. Gunn (Hawaii) -- The recruiting class gives the board hope, but B.B. knows what must be done. His seat is warm, and a winning record should happen this season, or that seat may continue to get warmer.

Kuji Chagulia (Florida Atlantic) -- The board is adamant about getting that team prestige increased (apparently nothing else matters at FAU). That is the goal for Kuji, and a good recruiting class should help. His seat is pretty average right now, not really warm, but not really cool either.

Shannon Elliott (Washington) -- For now, his seat is cool. The recruiting class was good, but as I mentioned earlier, there were 5 teams with better recruiting classes in the Pac 12. The seat is cool for now, but seeing as how the board at Washington wants a Pac 12 championship this season, I can easily see that seat getting very warm next season.

[collegesportsfanms]

2016 Season Tournaments

MVC

Northern Iowa is the 4th seed in the Alaska Invitational and will take on (5) Pacific in the first round.

Missouri State is the 6th seed in the Anaheim Invitational and will take on (3) New Mexico in the first round.

Drake is the 12th seed in the 16 team Coaches Invitational and will take on (5) California in the first round.

Evansville gets the 4th seed in the 4 team College Classic and will open up with (1) Michigan State.

Loyola Chicago finally gets a season tournament, getting the 8th seed in the Las Vegas Challenge. They'll open up against (1) West Virginia, but should gain miles of experience.

Illinois State is the 4th seed in the 16 team Las Vegas Shootout, and will open up with (13) Idaho.

Wichita State will be the 4th seed in the Maui Shootout, and will take on (5) Mississippi in the first round.

Bradley will be the 5th seed in the Orlando Classic, and will take on (4) George Washington in the first round.

Southern Illinois has to feel disrespected, as they get the 11th seed in the 16 team Preseason NIT. They have a chance to prove themselves though, as they'll open with (6) UCLA.

Indiana State is the 5th seed in the Puerto Rico Challenge, and will open up with (4) Virginia Tech.

Non-MVC

Washington is the 4th seed in the Paradise Shootout and will take on (5) St. Johns in the first round.

Kansas State gets a 4 team tournament this season, as they are the top seed in the Travelers Invitational and will take on (4) St. Bonaventure in their first game.

No season tournaments for Maine, Hawaii, or Florida Atlantic.

[bbgunn]

Missouri State seems mired in mediocrity.
I like the alliteration there! :)

[Grover]

Big news, as we have our first changes in conference movement since I started this dynasty. It doesn't affect any MVC schools, but Cillian O'Reilly and his Maine Black Bears will be happy to know that Vermont, who has pretty much dominated the America East, is on their way out. They have been promoted to the Northeast Conference. Taking their place is Bryant, a team that won 3 games last season and 7 the year before.

There were no coaches within the MVC or FOFC that were offered jobs. I have to say I'm shocked that Barry Hinson or Gregg Marshall weren't offered positions anywhere, but I'm very thrilled to have them in the MVC for another season.

Whoooo!

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 2016 Tournament Wrap-Up

2016 Alaska Invitational

Northern Iowa lost their first game to (5) Pacific 96-91, then won the losers bracket semifinal game against (8) South Alabama 77-69, but fell to (3) Colorado 89-85 in the 5th place game.

2016 Anaheim Invitational

Not a good tournament for Missouri State, who lost their first game 66-61 to (3) New Mexico, then lost to (2) Cincinnati 69-56, and in the 7th place game lost to (4) South Carolina 62-55.

2016 Coaches Invitational

Drake had a short stay in this tournament, losing their first round game to (5) California 82-59.

2016 College Classic

Evansville shocked (1) Michigan State in the first round, 62-55, then won the College Classic championship with a win over (2) San Diego St. 67-59. Congrats to the Evansville Aces!

2016 Las Vegas Challenge

Loyola Chicago got their first taste of a season tournament as an MVC member, first losing to (1) West Virginia 84-57, then losing to (5) Nebraska 83-64, but salvaged a win in the 7th place game, beating (3) Alabama 81-80.

2016 Maui Shootout

Wichita State hammered (5) Mississippi 79-52 in the first round, then in the winners bracket semifinals beat (2) UConn 74-69, and won the championship over (2) Arizona 79-73, giving the MVC their second season tournament title in the 2016-2017 campaign!

2016 Orlando Classic

Bradley lost to (4) George Washington 63-47 in the first round, then lost a tough one to (8) San Jose State 66-64 in the loser bracket semifinals, but rallied to take 7th place, beating (7) Portland 59-43.

2016 Paradise Shootout

Washington beat (5) St. Johns 79-73 in the first round, then took out (1) Wisconsin 83-78 in the semifinals, and faced a surprising (6) LSU in the championship, beating them 76-65.

2016 Preseason NIT

Southern Illinois won their first round game against (6) UCLA 78-62, but couldn't build up any steam in a 73-49 quarterfinal loss to (3) Marquette.

2016 Puerto Rico Challenge

Indiana State lost their first round game to (4) Virginia Tech 69-52, then won their losers bracket game 62-50 against (8) Manhattan, but lost to (7) LaSalle 80-73 in the 5th place game.

2016 Travelers Invitational

Kansas State had an easy time of it in this 4 team showcase, hammering (4) St. Bonaventure 105-77, then in the championship game, hammered (3) UAB 73-39.

Well, the MVC did win 2 titles, our 2 FOFC non-MVC coaches won their tournaments, but still way too many finishes of 5th and below in the 8 team tournaments. Some improvement, but we need more.

[collegesportsfanms]

Just to let you guys know, aside from my what if sports season and this interactive dynasty, I have started another project on FBCB, just a single player dynasty where I have taken over Gardner Webb, and I have full conference movement on, kinda like a promotion/relegation type thing. I am currently reporting on that on the forums at grey dog software

I know I'm already reporting on 2 dynasties here on these boards, but would you guys be interested in reading up on my Gardner Webb FBCB dynasty? If so I can throw that on these boards as well. Let me know guys, thanks

[britrock88]

I'd check it out.

[bbgunn]

Me too.

[collegesportsfanms]

We highlight our December 2016 with the Las Vegas Shootout, and let's see how our resident MVC team did.

Illinois State won their first round game over (13) Idaho 70-53, then beat (5) Murray State 70-59. Unfortunately their undefeated run ended here, as (1) Kansas handed the Redbirds their first loss of the season 96-75.

Here are the MVC standings through Dec. 20, 2016



TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#20 Illinois State Redbirds 0 0 .000 10 1 .909 45 69
Wichita State Shockers 0 0 .000 8 3 .727 22 82
Evansville Aces 0 0 .000 6 4 .600 9 57
Southern Illinois Salukis 0 0 .000 4 4 .500 31 62
Northern Iowa Panthers 0 0 .000 4 6 .400 62 65
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 0 .000 4 5 .444 104 41
Indiana State Sycamores 0 0 .000 3 8 .273 115 59
Bradley Braves 0 0 .000 3 8 .273 205 53
Drake Bulldogs 0 0 .000 2 7 .222 87 56
Missouri State Bears 0 0 .000 2 8 .200 253 56


It's ugly in MVC land. I've got board members calling for my resignation. The MVC is up in arms right now, having only 3 teams out of 10 with winning records. They expect better, and they deserve better. Changes will be made!

Bradley (Alex Donovan) has lost 6 in a row. I can forgive losses to Purdue and Wisconsin, who are 2 of the better Big 10 teams, but losses to SIU Edwardsville and Southeast Missouri State. Come on Mr. Donovan, pick it up!

Drake (Randolph Childress) gets credit for playing a brutal non-conference schedule. Of their 9 games so far, 5 of them have been against teams that are either currently in the top 25, or receiving votes. I think they'll be alright come conference play.

Loyola Chicago (Jawouk Bafou) has had some really bad losses, but a win against Alabama, a 32 point victory over a .500 Toledo team, and taking care of business against 2 other teams which have combined to win 3 games so far gives me hope that Mr. Bafou will continue to rise Loyola to high standards.

Missouri State (Score Galore) also has a couple really pitiful losses to Western Illinois and Mississippi Valley State. They are 2-0 against teams from Texas (Rice and Texas A&M). Maybe if they could fill their OOC schedule with nothing but teams from Texas, they'd be undefeated right now. ;)

Northern Iowa (Patrick Hutt) doesn't really have any bad losses since their opening game loss to Pacific, and they do have quality wins against Ball State and Minnesota. But their closest defeat since the Pacific loss is 9, all their other losses are by double digits.

[collegesportsfanms]

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 7-4, 0-0 America East. O'Reilly is dancing an irish jig right now, as Maine is on a nice roll. What coach O'Reilly is most pleased about is that they kept Vermont on the schedule (if you recall, Vermont got promoted from the America East) and they won! There are very high hopes for Maine, as they have the best record of all America East teams right now.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 5-2, 0-0 Big 12. The Wildcats lost 2 in a row to Memphis and Michigan, but have recovered nicely with a big win over Nebraska.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 3-6, 0-0 Big West. It's been frustrating for B.B. in the early going, as the consistency just isn't there. The Warriors handed Creighton 1 of their 2 early season losses, then turned around and gave Fresno State 1 of their 2 early season wins! Losing their first 4 games certainly didn't help matters.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 0-7, 0-0 Conference USA. It's been rough and rougher for the Owls. They lost by a combined 11 points in their first 2 games to South Florida and Central Florida. Those 2 teams have a combined record of 18-3 so far. This gave hope to coach Chagulia, but their last 5 games have all been double digit losses, including a pitiful 10 point loss to Lipscomb.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 11-0, 0-0 Pac 12. The Huskies are ranked 3rd in the nation, but you've got to wonder if they deserve that high ranking. 4 of their opponents have RPI's of 273 or worse. What's impressive is that the opponent they've played with the best RPI: Maine at 17. While 11 wins in a row is impressive, let's see how they do in Pac 12 play.

Washington, we already knew, is ranked 3rd in the Top 25 poll, but we have a new MVC representative in Illinois State. Here's a look:

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (65) 9-0 1793 1 Big East Conference
2. Kansas (7) 10-1 1735 2 Big 12 Conference
3. Washington 11-0 1652 3 Pacific-12 Conference
4. Purdue 8-1 1573 4 Big Ten Conference
5. Syracuse 11-1 1481 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Ohio State 9-1 1433 6 Big Ten Conference
7. Texas 8-1 1350 7 Big 12 Conference
8. VCU 10-1 1221 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Kentucky 9-1 1200 5 Southeastern Conference
10. Gonzaga 9-1 1144 12 West Coast Conference
11. Indiana 10-1 1114 13 Big Ten Conference
12. South Florida 11-1 1069 14 American Athletic Conference
13. Notre Dame 9-1 930 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Pittsburgh 8-2 736 24 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. Michigan State 7-1 717 18 Big Ten Conference
16. Oklahoma 9-1 662 20 Big 12 Conference
17. Florida 8-2 562 NR Southeastern Conference
18. Duke 9-2 523 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
19. Saint Mary's 7-2 457 10 West Coast Conference
20. Illinois State 10-1 354 15 Missouri Valley Conference
21. Stanford 8-2 318 NR Pacific-12 Conference
22. Temple 9-1 295 25 American Athletic Conference
23. George Washington 10-1 174 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
24. California 8-2 167 NR Pacific-12 Conference
25. North Carolina State 7-1 160 NR Atlantic Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Connecticut 9-3 142 American Athletic Conference
Miami 8-4 110 Atlantic Coast Conference
Arkansas 9-1 82 Southeastern Conference
Memphis 7-2 62 American Athletic Conference
Belmont 8-1 43 Ohio Valley Conference
Georgetown 8-2 32 Big East Conference
Georgia State 7-1 31 Sun Belt Conference
James Madison 9-1 21 Colonial Athletic Association
Saint Joseph's 8-1 20 Atlantic 10 Conference
New Mexico 9-2 19 Mountain West Conference
Creighton 7-2 7 Big East Conference
Mercer 8-1 7 Southern Conference
North Carolina 7-3 4 Atlantic Coast Conference


Here's a look at the mid-major top 25:

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. VCU (63) 10-1 1791 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
2. Gonzaga (9) 9-1 1737 4 West Coast Conference
3. Saint Mary's 7-2 1589 2 West Coast Conference
4. Illinois State 10-1 1546 5 Missouri Valley Conference
5. George Washington 10-1 1488 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. New Mexico 9-2 1417 10 Mountain West Conference
7. Saint Joseph's 8-1 1380 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Georgia State 7-1 1331 18 Sun Belt Conference
9. Belmont 8-1 1253 15 Ohio Valley Conference
10. James Madison 9-1 1171 13 Colonial Athletic Association
11. Mercer 8-1 1081 20 Southern Conference
12. UW Milwaukee 11-2 981 NR Horizon League
13. Kent State 10-2 898 7 Mid-American Conference
14. Wichita State 8-3 811 6 Missouri Valley Conference
15. Bowling Green 7-3 754 8 Mid-American Conference
16. North Dakota State 8-2 679 NR Summit League
17. Holy Cross 9-2 604 NR Patriot League
18. Harvard 8-2 562 9 Ivy League
19. Pennsylvania 9-2 465 17 Ivy League
20. Idaho 6-2 373 16 Big Sky Conference
21. Wyoming 6-2 368 19 Mountain West Conference
22. Rhode Island 8-2 298 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
23. Southern Mississippi 5-3 231 NR Conference USA
24. South Dakota State 7-2 194 NR Summit League
25. UC Riverside 6-3 95 21 Big West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
UNLV 4-4 90 Mountain West Conference
Texas Southern 6-2 69 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Saint Louis 4-3 57 Atlantic 10 Conference
Morgan State 7-2 44 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Montana 5-2 29 Big Sky Conference
Davidson 9-3 14 Atlantic 10 Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 21-25, 2016

Games on Dec. 19 and 20 were covered in previous report.

Game Scores

Dec. 21, 2016

at Bradley 55, #20 Illinois State 52
Evansville 79, at Loyola Chicago 65
at Drake 67, Indiana State 47
at Southern Illinois 89, Missouri State 78

Dec. 24, 2016

Wichita State 77, at Northern Iowa 74
Evansville 62, at Bradley 50
#20 Illinois State 75, at Loyola Chicago 49
at Drake 70, Missouri State 55
at Southern Illinois 74, Indiana State 58

Here are the MVC standings after the first week of conference play:

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 1 0 1.000 9 3 .750 21 82
Evansville Aces 2 0 1.000 8 4 .667 13 57
Southern Illinois Salukis 2 0 1.000 6 4 .600 89 62
Drake Bulldogs 2 0 1.000 4 7 .364 133 56
Bradley Braves 1 1 .500 4 9 .308 160 53
Illinois State Redbirds 1 1 .500 11 2 .846 72 69
Northern Iowa Panthers 0 1 .000 4 7 .364 62 65
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 2 .000 4 7 .364 127 41
Indiana State Sycamores 0 2 .000 3 10 .231 140 59
Missouri State Bears 0 2 .000 2 10 .167 265 56

Obviously way too early to read anything into those, but that Bradley win over Illinois State was big.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Dec. 21-25, 2016

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 7-5, 0-0 America East. 1 more game before conference play, as the Black Bears lost at UMass 74-63.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 7-2, 0-0 Big 12. The Wildcats beat up on Idaho St. 77-61, then totally outclassed #1 Villanova 78-55 in their final tune-up before conference play.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 4-6, 0-0 Big West. 1 game this week for Hawaii, as they beat UNC Asheville 74-57.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 0-9, 0-0 Conference USA. It continues to be a struggle for the Owls, who lost at DePaul 83-61, then lost on a buzzer beater against Tulsa, 95-93.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 11-1, 0-0 Pac 12. The Huskies lost their first game of the season to Creighton, 76-66.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (59) 10-1 1784 1 Big East Conference
2. Purdue (9) 9-1 1701 4 Big Ten Conference
3. Syracuse (1) 12-1 1670 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Kansas 10-1 1586 2 Big 12 Conference
5. Ohio State (1) 11-1 1521 6 Big Ten Conference
6. Texas 9-1 1416 7 Big 12 Conference
7. Kentucky (2) 11-1 1353 9 Southeastern Conference
8. Washington 11-1 1333 3 Pacific-12 Conference
9. Gonzaga 11-1 1222 10 West Coast Conference
10. VCU 11-1 1137 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Oklahoma 10-1 1022 16 Big 12 Conference
12. Notre Dame 11-1 951 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Saint Mary's 9-2 915 19 West Coast Conference
14. Florida 9-2 749 17 Southeastern Conference
15. Stanford 9-2 720 21 Pacific-12 Conference
16. Pittsburgh 8-2 624 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. George Washington 12-1 590 23 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Connecticut 10-3 582 NR American Athletic Conference
19. Arkansas 11-1 558 NR Southeastern Conference
20. Indiana 10-2 506 11 Big Ten Conference
21. Temple 10-1 465 22 American Athletic Conference
22. South Florida 11-1 350 12 American Athletic Conference
23. Belmont 10-1 209 NR Ohio Valley Conference
24. North Carolina 8-3 155 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
25. Michigan State 8-2 110 15 Big Ten Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
West Virginia 8-2 49 Big 12 Conference
Creighton 8-2 42 Big East Conference
Duke 10-3 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
Southern California 8-2 21 Pacific-12 Conference
California 9-2 15 Pacific-12 Conference
Louisville 6-3 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
Illinois State 11-2 4 Missouri Valley Conference
Central Florida 8-2 2 American Athletic Conference
Kent State 10-2 2 Mid-American Conference
Tulane 7-2 2 American Athletic Conference
Wichita State 9-3 1 Missouri Valley Conference

Can't believe K-State isn't getting some votes, especially after that win over Villanova, but glad to see 2 MVC teams receiving votes.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Gonzaga (65) 11-1 1793 2 West Coast Conference
2. VCU (7) 11-1 1724 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. Saint Mary's 9-2 1660 3 West Coast Conference
4. George Washington 12-1 1582 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Belmont 10-1 1499 9 Ohio Valley Conference
6. Illinois State 11-2 1358 4 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Wichita State 9-3 1334 14 Missouri Valley Conference
8. Kent State 10-2 1285 13 Mid-American Conference
9. Saint Joseph's 8-2 1281 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. Rhode Island 9-2 1103 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Georgia State 8-2 1081 8 Sun Belt Conference
12. James Madison 10-2 968 10 Colonial Athletic Association
13. Pennsylvania 9-2 944 19 Ivy League
14. Wyoming 7-2 865 21 Mountain West Conference
15. Mercer 9-2 799 11 Southern Conference
16. Idaho 6-2 723 20 Big Sky Conference
17. Texas Southern 8-2 699 NR Southwestern Athletic Conference
18. UW Milwaukee 11-3 587 12 Horizon League
19. Davidson 9-3 521 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
20. Boston University 9-3 415 NR Patriot League
21. Denver 7-3 310 NR Summit League
22. Holy Cross 10-3 223 17 Patriot League
23. North Dakota State 8-3 212 16 Summit League
24. New Mexico 9-4 166 6 Mountain West Conference
25. Southern Mississippi 7-3 139 23 Conference USA

Others Receiving Votes:
South Dakota State 8-3 55 Summit League
UC Riverside 7-3 35 Big West Conference
UW Green Bay 8-3 18 Horizon League
Morgan State 7-3 11 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Saint Louis 5-3 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
Central Michigan 7-3 1 Mid-American Conference
Dayton 8-4 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
Evansville 8-4 1 Missouri Valley Conference


A bit surprised to see Evansville receiving a mid-major vote, but I'll take it.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 26, 2016- Jan. 1, 2017

Game Scores

Dec. 27, 2016

at Iowa 44, Indiana State 35 (non-conference)

Dec. 28, 2016

Southern Illinois 64, at Evansville 56
at Illinois State 78, Drake 44
at Northern Iowa 79, Bradley 70
at Wichita State 73, Loyola Chicago 60

Dec. 29, 2016

Missouri State 74, at Saint Louis 64 (non-conference)

Dec. 31, 2016

at Evansville 73, Drake 60
at Illinois State 74, Southern Illinois 66
at Northern Iowa 76, Loyola Chicago 70
at Wichita State 72, Bradley 40
at Indiana State 70, Missouri State 53

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 3 0 1.000 11 3 .786 18 82
#24 Illinois State Redbirds 3 1 .750 13 2 .867 74 69
Southern Illinois Salukis 3 1 .750 7 5 .583 54 62
Evansville Aces 3 1 .750 9 5 .643 26 57
Northern Iowa Panthers 2 1 .667 6 7 .462 76 65
Drake Bulldogs 2 2 .500 4 9 .308 147 56
Indiana State Sycamores 1 2 .333 4 11 .267 237 59
Bradley Braves 1 3 .250 4 11 .267 198 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 4 .000 4 9 .308 132 41
Missouri State Bears 0 3 .000 3 11 .214 275 56


Looks like it could be another tough race at the top. Poor Loyola, I really thought they would turn a corner this season.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Dec. 26, 2016-Jan. 1, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 9-5, 2-0 America East. Good start for the Black Bears, as they hammered New Hampshire 64-41 then hammered UMBC 85-57.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 8-3, 1-1 Big 12. A split this week, as the Cats beat West Virginia 89-76, but lost to ranked Oklahoma 70-49.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 5-7, 0-0 Big West. The Warriors got a huge win at Arizona State, probably the best win in coach Gunn's young career. They beat the Sun Devils 82-77, but couldn't follow that up, losing to UTEP 76-64.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 3-9, 0-0 Conference USA. What a week for the Owls, who won their first 3 games of the season, and all road games no less. They beat FGCU 78-69, beat East Tennessee State 74-58, and beat Auburn 71-68 in OT. We can hope for a nice winning streak now for the Owls.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 11-1, 0-0 Pac 12. No games this week for the Huskies, as coach Elliott sent his team home for the holidays.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (69) 12-1 1797 1 Big East Conference
2. Kansas (2) 12-1 1724 4 Big 12 Conference
3. Ohio State (1) 12-1 1656 5 Big Ten Conference
4. Purdue 10-2 1491 2 Big Ten Conference
5. Kentucky 12-1 1479 7 Southeastern Conference
6. Syracuse 12-2 1478 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Washington 11-1 1445 8 Pacific-12 Conference
8. Saint Mary's 11-2 1237 13 West Coast Conference
9. Florida 10-2 1175 14 Southeastern Conference
10. Notre Dame 12-1 1162 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Stanford 10-2 1081 15 Pacific-12 Conference
12. Gonzaga 12-2 963 9 West Coast Conference
13. Pittsburgh 9-2 838 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Temple 12-1 806 21 American Athletic Conference
15. Indiana 10-2 734 20 Big Ten Conference
16. VCU 12-2 698 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. North Carolina 10-3 583 24 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Texas 9-3 570 6 Big 12 Conference
19. Arkansas 11-1 540 19 Southeastern Conference
20. Oklahoma 11-2 516 11 Big 12 Conference
21. Louisville 8-3 368 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
22. Michigan State 9-2 339 25 Big Ten Conference
23. Connecticut 11-4 187 18 American Athletic Conference
24. Illinois State 13-2 146 NR Missouri Valley Conference
25. Duke 11-3 94 NR Atlantic Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
South Florida 12-2 87 American Athletic Conference
Southern California 9-2 79 Pacific-12 Conference
Wichita State 11-3 52 Missouri Valley Conference
Kent State 12-2 36 Mid-American Conference
Belmont 11-2 15 Ohio Valley Conference
George Washington 12-2 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
Oregon 8-2 5 Pacific-12 Conference
Mercer 11-2 2 Southern Conference
Xavier 10-3 2 Big East Conference

Still no respect for Kansas St, but Illinois State is back in the polls, and Wichita State is getting close.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (68) 11-2 1796 3 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga 12-2 1720 1 West Coast Conference
3. VCU (4) 12-2 1667 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 11-3 1540 7 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Kent State 12-2 1517 8 Mid-American Conference
6. Illinois State 13-2 1439 6 Missouri Valley Conference
7. George Washington 12-2 1361 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Belmont 11-2 1298 5 Ohio Valley Conference
9. Pennsylvania 10-2 1180 13 Ivy League
10. Mercer 11-2 1124 15 Southern Conference
11. UW Milwaukee 13-3 1103 18 Horizon League
12. Texas Southern 10-2 999 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference
13. Saint Joseph's 9-3 943 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Davidson 10-3 861 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Boston University 11-3 843 20 Patriot League
16. Georgia State 9-3 716 11 Sun Belt Conference
17. James Madison 11-3 611 12 Colonial Athletic Association
18. Rhode Island 9-3 573 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. South Dakota State 10-3 546 NR Summit League
20. Southern Mississippi 7-3 428 25 Conference USA
21. Oral Roberts 11-4 316 NR Summit League
22. Dayton 9-4 241 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. New Mexico 10-5 129 24 Mountain West Conference
24. Bowling Green 8-4 107 NR Mid-American Conference
25. Northern Illinois 9-4 103 NR Mid-American Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Elon 10-4 56 Colonial Athletic Association
Holy Cross 11-4 55 Patriot League
UC Santa Barbara 8-4 27 Big West Conference
Samford 10-4 26 Southern Conference
Eastern Kentucky 9-4 21 Ohio Valley Conference
UNLV 7-5 18 Mountain West Conference
North Dakota State 9-4 14 Summit League
Wofford 8-4 12 Southern Conference
Wyoming 7-4 6 Mountain West Conference
Southern Utah 7-4 4 Big Sky Conference

No big surprise as Evansville lost their mid-major vote, but Wichita State and Illinois State are both in the top 10.

[bbgunn]

That Arizona State win for Hawaii and B.B. Gunn has the potential to be a program-changer!

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 2-8, 2017

Game Scores

Jan. 4, 2017

at Indiana State 71, #24 Illinois State 64
Evansville 78, at Missouri State 46
Wichita State 79, at Drake 62
Northern Iowa 75, at Southern Illinois 58

Jan. 5, 2017

at Loyola Chicago 89, Lipscomb 86 (OT) (non-conference)

Jan. 7, 2017

Evansville 67, at Indiana State 57
#24 Illinois State 77, at Missouri State 75
at Bradley 77, Loyola Chicago 71
at Drake 65, Northern Iowa 57
Wichita State 56, at Southern Illinois 51

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#17 Wichita State Shockers 5 0 1.000 13 3 .813 27 82
Evansville Aces 5 1 .833 11 5 .688 28 57
Illinois State Redbirds 4 2 .667 14 3 .824 102 69
Northern Iowa Panthers 3 2 .600 7 8 .467 92 65
Southern Illinois Salukis 3 3 .500 7 7 .500 77 62
Drake Bulldogs 3 3 .500 5 10 .333 128 56
Indiana State Sycamores 2 3 .400 5 12 .294 199 59
Bradley Braves 2 3 .400 5 11 .313 222 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 5 .000 5 10 .333 166 41
Missouri State Bears 0 5 .000 3 13 .188 276 56


As far as overall records go, it looks like we will have 3 teams for sure going to postseason play, with 2 more likely. But those bottom 4 teams are ugly. Loyola Chicago and Missouri State are again at the bottom.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 2-8, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 10-6, 3-1 America East. The Black Bears had a setback at Binghamton, losing 78-66, but recovered to beat up America East newcomer Bryant on the road 64-54.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 9-4, 2-2 Big 12. Kansas State is struggling a bit, they did win at Oklahoma St. 87-76, but lost at ranked Texas 72-61.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 7-7, 2-0 Big West. A nice start to Big West play for the Warriors, as they beat Long Beach St. 86-77, then travelled to Cal St. Northridge and beat them 82-73.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 4-9, 0-0 Conference USA. Stop the presses, the Owls have won another game! Their winning streak is extended to 4 after this weeks non-conference win against a very good Tulane team, 78-69.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 12-2, 1-1 Pac 12. The Huskies tumbled in their Pac 12 opener, losing to Oregon 78-70, but they recovered to dismantle Colorado 85-66.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (70) 14-1 1798 3 Big Ten Conference
2. Syracuse (1) 14-2 1679 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Villanova (1) 13-2 1648 1 Big East Conference
4. Kansas 14-1 1643 2 Big 12 Conference
5. Saint Mary's 13-2 1495 8 West Coast Conference
6. Florida 12-2 1395 9 Southeastern Conference
7. Purdue 11-3 1368 4 Big Ten Conference
8. Gonzaga 14-2 1280 12 West Coast Conference
9. Kentucky 13-2 1195 5 Southeastern Conference
10. Washington 12-2 1179 7 Pacific-12 Conference
11. Texas 11-3 1027 18 Big 12 Conference
12. Notre Dame 13-2 1025 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Pittsburgh 10-3 916 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Michigan State 11-2 900 22 Big Ten Conference
15. Stanford 11-3 751 11 Pacific-12 Conference
16. VCU 13-2 746 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Wichita State 13-3 616 NR Missouri Valley Conference
18. Temple 13-2 462 14 American Athletic Conference
19. Indiana 11-3 407 15 Big Ten Conference
20. Kent State 14-2 401 NR Mid-American Conference
21. Oregon 10-2 287 NR Pacific-12 Conference
22. Miami 11-4 235 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
23. Arkansas 12-2 228 19 Southeastern Conference
24. Louisville 9-4 211 21 Atlantic Coast Conference
25. Belmont 13-2 138 NR Ohio Valley Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Oklahoma 11-3 90 Big 12 Conference
Connecticut 12-5 68 American Athletic Conference
George Washington 12-2 53 Atlantic 10 Conference
California 11-3 51 Pacific-12 Conference
Duke 12-4 46 Atlantic Coast Conference
South Florida 13-3 19 American Athletic Conference
Illinois 10-3 13 Big Ten Conference
Southern California 10-3 11 Pacific-12 Conference
Illinois State 14-3 8 Missouri Valley Conference
Georgetown 10-4 3 Big East Conference
North Carolina 10-5 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
Texas Southern 12-2 3 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Xavier 11-4 2 Big East Conference


Wichita St. is finally starting to get the respect I feel they've always deserved, while Illinois St. is still getting votes.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 13-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga 14-2 1724 2 West Coast Conference
3. VCU 13-2 1626 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 13-3 1596 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Kent State 14-2 1527 5 Mid-American Conference
6. George Washington 12-2 1419 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Belmont 13-2 1370 8 Ohio Valley Conference
8. Saint Joseph's 11-3 1272 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Illinois State 14-3 1233 6 Missouri Valley Conference
10. Texas Southern 12-2 1153 12 Southwestern Athletic Conference
11. Georgia State 11-3 1053 16 Sun Belt Conference
12. Rhode Island 11-3 982 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Pennsylvania 11-3 905 9 Ivy League
14. South Dakota State 12-3 856 19 Summit League
15. Southern Mississippi 9-3 797 20 Conference USA
16. UW Milwaukee 13-4 724 11 Horizon League
17. Boston University 12-4 651 15 Patriot League
18. Davidson 10-4 575 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Dayton 10-4 529 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
20. Holy Cross 13-4 447 NR Patriot League
21. James Madison 12-4 338 17 Colonial Athletic Association
22. Samford 11-4 259 NR Southern Conference
23. Evansville 11-5 194 NR Missouri Valley Conference
24. Wright State 11-5 129 NR Horizon League
25. Mercer 11-4 126 10 Southern Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Saint Louis 8-4 30 Atlantic 10 Conference
Bucknell 12-5 16 Patriot League
Bowling Green 9-5 14 Mid-American Conference
UNLV 8-6 11 Mountain West Conference
Oral Roberts 12-5 10 Summit League
UAB 8-5 10 Conference USA
Charlotte 8-5 8 Conference USA
Elon 11-5 7 Colonial Athletic Association
Duquesne 9-5 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
Vermont 11-5 4 Northeast Conference
La Salle 9-5 1 Atlantic 10 Conference


Take a look at Evansville in the mid-major top 25. Although it may not last all season, the fact that the MVC has 3 teams in this position is big. I just hope this isn't a bad omen.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 9-15, 2017

Game Scores

Jan. 9, 2017

Evansville 83, at Louisiana Monroe 48 (non-conference)

Jan. 11, 2017

at Northern Iowa 74, Indiana State 52
at #17 Wichita State 102, Missouri State 70
Drake 77, at Bradley 61
Southern Illinois 78, at Loyola Chicago 75

Jan. 14, 2017

Evansville 70, at Illinois State 58
at Northern Iowa 95, Missouri State 88 (OT)
at #17 Wichita State 62, Indiana State 44
at Bradley 78, Southern Illinois 69
Drake 67, at Loyola Chicago 58

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#15 Wichita State Shockers 7 0 1.000 15 3 .833 47 82
Evansville Aces 6 1 .857 13 5 .722 12 57
Northern Iowa Panthers 5 2 .714 9 8 .529 143 65
Drake Bulldogs 5 3 .625 7 10 .412 115 56
Illinois State Redbirds 4 3 .571 14 4 .778 130 69
Southern Illinois Salukis 4 4 .500 8 8 .500 118 62
Bradley Braves 3 4 .429 6 12 .333 217 53
Indiana State Sycamores 2 5 .286 5 14 .263 193 59
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 7 .000 5 12 .294 221 41
Missouri State Bears 0 7 .000 3 15 .167 261 56


Drake, Northern Iowa, and Evansville are the surprise teams in the conference right now, and Illinois State is starting to slip. Southern Illinois is a bit disappointing after their run last year, and then we have those 3 teams at the bottom.. yuck!

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 15, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 12-6, 5-1 America East. Maine continues to impress, this week winning their 2 games, both home games against UMass Lowell and Hartford. Both games were won by the same score of 70-57.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 10-5, 3-3 Big 12. The Cats continue to be just an average team after that upset win over Villanova. This week, another split. They hammered Texas Tech at home 97-63, then hosted Baylor and lost a heartbreaker, 75-73.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 8-8, 3-1 Big West. The Warriors went to Cal St. Fullerton and won 86-75, then dropped an unexpected one to UC Davis 66-62.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 5-10, 1-1 Conference USA. The Owls opened up conference play this week, travelling to Charlotte and losing 64-55, then travelled to UTEP and hammered them 96-75.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 14-2, 3-1 Pac 12. The Huskies hosted Utah this week and beat them 95-80, then travelled to a struggling Arizona team and beat them 77-70.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (66) 16-1 1794 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Villanova (6) 15-2 1734 3 Big East Conference
3. Syracuse 15-3 1629 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Saint Mary's 15-2 1559 5 West Coast Conference
5. Kansas 15-2 1527 4 Big 12 Conference
6. Kentucky 15-2 1369 9 Southeastern Conference
7. Gonzaga 16-2 1360 8 West Coast Conference
8. Washington 14-2 1260 10 Pacific-12 Conference
9. Texas 13-3 1239 11 Big 12 Conference
10. Michigan State 13-2 1160 14 Big Ten Conference
11. Notre Dame 15-2 1070 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Florida 13-3 1008 6 Southeastern Conference
13. Purdue 12-4 952 7 Big Ten Conference
14. VCU 15-2 913 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Wichita State 15-3 745 17 Missouri Valley Conference
16. Temple 15-2 718 18 American Athletic Conference
17. Pittsburgh 11-4 589 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Louisville 11-4 548 24 Atlantic Coast Conference
19. Oregon 12-2 521 21 Pacific-12 Conference
20. Belmont 15-2 366 25 Ohio Valley Conference
21. Stanford 12-4 331 15 Pacific-12 Conference
22. Illinois 12-3 306 NR Big Ten Conference
23. North Carolina 12-5 244 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Southern California 12-3 150 NR Pacific-12 Conference
25. Indiana 12-4 114 19 Big Ten Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Kent State 15-3 97 Mid-American Conference
Connecticut 13-6 34 American Athletic Conference
Arkansas 13-3 33 Southeastern Conference
Louisiana State 12-4 20 Southeastern Conference
South Florida 14-4 7 American Athletic Conference
Georgia State 13-3 3 Sun Belt Conference

A bad week for Illinois St. cost them their votes, and I hope it won't be long before them and maybe even Evansville get some votes back.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (71) 15-2 1799 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga 16-2 1724 2 West Coast Conference
3. VCU (1) 15-2 1646 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 15-3 1596 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Belmont 15-2 1492 7 Ohio Valley Conference
6. Kent State 15-3 1460 5 Mid-American Conference
7. Georgia State 13-3 1340 11 Sun Belt Conference
8. Southern Mississippi 11-3 1241 15 Conference USA
9. South Dakota State 14-3 1193 14 Summit League
10. Boston University 14-4 1121 17 Patriot League
11. Illinois State 14-4 1064 9 Missouri Valley Conference
12. Holy Cross 15-4 947 20 Patriot League
13. Texas Southern 13-3 914 10 Southwestern Athletic Conference
14. George Washington 12-4 810 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Evansville 13-5 742 23 Missouri Valley Conference
16. Rhode Island 12-4 721 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Wright State 13-5 655 24 Horizon League
18. James Madison 14-4 565 21 Colonial Athletic Association
19. Mercer 13-4 494 25 Southern Conference
20. UW Milwaukee 14-5 424 16 Horizon League
21. Saint Joseph's 11-5 358 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Bowling Green 11-5 300 NR Mid-American Conference
23. Dayton 11-5 201 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
24. Bucknell 14-5 166 NR Patriot League
25. Davidson 11-5 127 18 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Oral Roberts 14-5 87 Summit League
Vermont 13-5 69 Northeast Conference
Elon 13-5 48 Colonial Athletic Association
Eastern Washington 10-5 37 Big Sky Conference
Duquesne 11-5 28 Atlantic 10 Conference
North Texas 11-5 16 Conference USA
Colorado State 9-6 9 Mountain West Conference
North Dakota State 12-5 5 Summit League
Pennsylvania 11-5 1 Ivy League

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 16-22, 2017

Game Scores

Jan. 16, 2017

at #4 Saint Mary's 86, Southern Illinois 70 (non-conference)

Jan. 17, 2017

at Drake 74, Valparaiso 71

Jan. 18, 2017

at Evansville 76, #15 Wichita State 68
Northern Iowa 78, at Illinois State 69
at Indiana State 59, Bradley 54
at Missouri State 76, Loyola Chicago 58

Jan. 21, 2017

at Evansville 77, Northern Iowa 71
#15 Wichita State 72, at Illinois State 62
Loyola Chicago 86, at Indiana State 72
Bradley 63, at Missouri State 56
Southern Illinois 60, at Drake 52

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evansville Aces 8 1 .889 15 5 .750 10 57
#17 Wichita State Shockers 8 1 .889 16 4 .800 27 82
Northern Iowa Panthers 6 3 .667 10 9 .526 102 65
Southern Illinois Salukis 5 4 .556 9 9 .500 92 62
Drake Bulldogs 5 4 .556 8 11 .421 145 56
Bradley Braves 4 5 .444 7 13 .350 244 53
Illinois State Redbirds 4 5 .444 14 6 .700 141 69
Indiana State Sycamores 3 6 .333 6 15 .286 221 59
Missouri State Bears 1 8 .111 4 16 .200 285 56
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 1 8 .111 6 13 .316 260 41


The struggles continue for Illinois St. A team that won their first 11 games could be looking at the play-in round of the MVC tournament if they don't pick it up.. Yikes!

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 16-22, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 14-6, 7-1 America East. Rumor has it that Coach O'Reillys name is already being tossed around for higher profile jobs next season, as he is having a heck of a year at Maine so far. This week they won at Albany 71-60, then won at New Hampshire 59-43.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 11-6, 4-4 Big 12. Another 50/50 week for the Wildcats. They lost to top 5 team Kansas 84-70, then won at TCU 57-34.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 8-10, 3-3 Big West. Not a good week for the Warriors, who struggled big time. First they travelled to UC Riverside and lost 97-89, then got blasted at home by UC Irvine, 98-74.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 6-11, 2-2 Conference USA. The Owls got some revenge on Charlotte this week, beating them 71-56, then lost an "oh what could have been game" at Southern Miss, losing 66-65 at the buzzer to a team that has lost only 3 games all season. That would have been a big one.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 15-3, 4-2 Pac 12. The Huskies travelled to UCLA, another team that is struggling, and beat them 63-47, then lost at in-state rival Washington St. 89-87 in overtime.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (69) 18-1 1797 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Villanova (3) 17-2 1731 2 Big East Conference
3. Saint Mary's 17-2 1584 4 West Coast Conference
4. Kansas 17-2 1580 5 Big 12 Conference
5. Kentucky 17-2 1479 6 Southeastern Conference
6. Syracuse 16-4 1478 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Gonzaga 18-2 1391 7 West Coast Conference
8. Florida 15-3 1292 12 Southeastern Conference
9. Purdue 14-4 1264 13 Big Ten Conference
10. Washington 15-3 1089 8 Pacific-12 Conference
11. Texas 14-4 1060 9 Big 12 Conference
12. Michigan State 14-3 1025 10 Big Ten Conference
13. Notre Dame 16-3 940 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Pittsburgh 12-4 810 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. Oregon 14-2 758 19 Pacific-12 Conference
16. VCU 16-3 700 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Wichita State 16-4 640 15 Missouri Valley Conference
18. Temple 16-3 548 16 American Athletic Conference
19. Connecticut 15-6 542 NR American Athletic Conference
20. Southern California 14-3 452 24 Pacific-12 Conference
21. North Carolina 13-6 335 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
22. Illinois 13-4 202 22 Big Ten Conference
23. Belmont 16-3 187 20 Ohio Valley Conference
24. Stanford 13-5 187 21 Pacific-12 Conference
25. Miami 13-6 103 NR Atlantic Coast Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
South Florida 16-4 101 American Athletic Conference
Georgia State 15-3 44 Sun Belt Conference
Indiana 13-5 44 Big Ten Conference
Kent State 16-4 21 Mid-American Conference
Southern Mississippi 13-3 8 Conference USA
Evansville 15-5 3 Missouri Valley Conference
Boston University 16-4 2 Patriot League
Texas Southern 15-3 2 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Creighton 12-5 1 Big East Conference

Not surprised to see Evansville getting some votes in the top 25 poll now after their strong week.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 17-2 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga 18-2 1728 2 West Coast Conference
3. VCU 16-3 1624 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 16-4 1616 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Kent State 16-4 1469 6 Mid-American Conference
6. Belmont 16-3 1438 5 Ohio Valley Conference
7. Georgia State 15-3 1352 7 Sun Belt Conference
8. Boston University 16-4 1253 10 Patriot League
9. Southern Mississippi 13-3 1236 8 Conference USA
10. Evansville 15-5 1186 15 Missouri Valley Conference
11. Texas Southern 15-3 1051 13 Southwestern Athletic Conference
12. Davidson 13-5 957 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Bowling Green 13-5 918 22 Mid-American Conference
14. Oral Roberts 16-5 783 NR Summit League
15. Vermont 15-5 772 NR Northeast Conference
16. Bucknell 16-5 698 24 Patriot League
17. Holy Cross 16-5 556 12 Patriot League
18. Rhode Island 13-5 525 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Elon 15-5 386 NR Colonial Athletic Association
20. UW Milwaukee 15-6 384 20 Horizon League
21. Saint Joseph's 12-6 295 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. North Dakota State 14-5 276 NR Summit League
23. UNLV 11-7 234 NR Mountain West Conference
24. Eastern Washington 12-5 214 NR Big Sky Conference
25. Dayton 12-6 192 23 Atlantic 10 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Mercer 15-5 178 Southern Conference
Saint Louis 11-5 74 Atlantic 10 Conference
UC Riverside 12-5 47 Big West Conference
Rider 13-6 42 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
South Dakota State 14-5 36 Summit League
Illinois State 14-6 29 Missouri Valley Conference
Wright State 13-7 9 Horizon League
James Madison 14-6 8 Colonial Athletic Association
La Salle 12-6 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
Colorado State 10-7 7 Mountain West Conference
George Washington 12-6 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
UTEP 12-6 6 Conference USA
Montana 11-5 4 Big Sky Conference
North Texas 12-6 2 Conference USA

Illinois State has dropped out of the mid-major top 25 and really needs to pick it up again. I think it could only be a matter of time, if Maine keeps winning, that they will start receiving some votes as well.

[JAG]

At least we beat Loyola.

[britrock88]

At least we beat Loyola.

:rant:

[Grover]

Hey there, Black Bears.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 23-29, 2017

Game Scores

Jan. 25, 2017

#17 Wichita State 67, at Bradley 57
at Loyola Chicago 81, Northern Iowa 73
Evansville 81, at Drake 72
Illinois State 56, at Southern Illinois 42

Jan. 26, 2017

at Kansas State 79, Missouri State 53 (non-conference)

Jan. 28, 2017

Indiana State 72, at Missouri State 66
at Bradley 78, Northern Iowa 47
#17 Wichita State 88, at Loyola Chicago 79
Illinois State 70, at Drake 61
Evansville 74, at Southern Illinois 67

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evansville Aces 10 1 .909 17 5 .773 12 57
#15 Wichita State Shockers 10 1 .909 18 4 .818 35 82
Northern Iowa Panthers 6 5 .545 10 11 .476 161 65
Illinois State Redbirds 6 5 .545 16 6 .727 117 69
Southern Illinois Salukis 5 6 .455 9 11 .450 99 62
Bradley Braves 5 6 .455 8 14 .364 221 53
Drake Bulldogs 5 6 .455 8 13 .381 155 56
Indiana State Sycamores 4 6 .400 7 15 .318 224 59
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 2 9 .182 7 14 .333 248 41
Missouri State Bears 1 9 .100 4 18 .182 301 56


Unless one of the 2 teams totally collapses, the MVC is a battle between Evansville and Wichita State this season. On the contrary, unless 1 of the 2 goes on a nice run, Loyola Chicago and Missouri State will be battling for last and next to last in the Valley. As for the other 6 teams.. who knows.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC, Jan. 23-29, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 14-8, 7-3 America East. A collapse this week for the Black Bears, who lost 80-64 to Stony Brook, and 73-68 to Binghamton. Both were home games.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 13-6, 5-4 Big 12. Kansas State had a couple easy ones this week, as they hosted MVC opponent Missouri State and beat them 79-53, then went to Iowa St. and beat them 87-79.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 8-12, 3-4 Big West. The Warriors hosted Tulsa to start the week, a good non-conference game, but lost 82-68. Then they travelled to UC Santa Barbara and lost 80-67.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 6-13, 2-4 Conference USA. 2 blowout losses this week for the Owls, first hosting North Texas and losing 65-49, then hosting UTEP and losing 92-63.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 16-4, 5-3 Pac 12. The Huskies split this week, losing 75-63 at California, then hosting USC and winning 89-70.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (53) 20-1 1781 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Villanova (19) 19-2 1747 2 Big East Conference
3. Syracuse 18-4 1650 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Purdue 16-4 1533 9 Big Ten Conference
5. Gonzaga 20-2 1487 7 West Coast Conference
6. Saint Mary's 18-3 1442 3 West Coast Conference
7. Florida 16-4 1360 8 Southeastern Conference
8. Kentucky 18-3 1358 5 Southeastern Conference
9. Kansas 17-4 1223 4 Big 12 Conference
10. Notre Dame 17-4 963 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Texas 15-5 935 11 Big 12 Conference
12. Connecticut 15-6 930 19 American Athletic Conference
13. Pittsburgh 14-4 879 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. VCU 17-4 853 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Wichita State 18-4 837 17 Missouri Valley Conference
16. North Carolina 14-6 795 21 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. Miami 14-7 640 25 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Michigan State 15-4 639 12 Big Ten Conference
19. Washington 16-4 618 10 Pacific-12 Conference
20. Stanford 15-5 442 24 Pacific-12 Conference
21. Temple 17-3 414 18 American Athletic Conference
22. Illinois 15-4 327 22 Big Ten Conference
23. Oklahoma 15-5 188 NR Big 12 Conference
24. Missouri 14-6 98 NR Southeastern Conference
25. Oregon 15-3 74 15 Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Southern California 15-4 49 Pacific-12 Conference
Memphis 15-6 46 American Athletic Conference
Indiana 15-5 29 Big Ten Conference
Louisville 12-7 20 Atlantic Coast Conference
Southern Mississippi 15-3 12 Conference USA
Belmont 17-4 7 Ohio Valley Conference
Louisiana State 14-6 6 Southeastern Conference
South Florida 16-5 6 American Athletic Conference
Bowling Green 15-5 3 Mid-American Conference
Boston University 18-4 2 Patriot League
Cincinnati 15-6 2 American Athletic Conference
Evansville 17-5 2 Missouri Valley Conference
Marquette 14-7 2 Big East Conference
Kent State 17-5 1 Mid-American Conference


Good to see Evansville get some votes again, well deserved.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (58) 18-3 1784 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga (13) 20-2 1740 2 West Coast Conference
3. VCU (1) 17-4 1653 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 18-4 1591 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Kent State 17-5 1430 5 Mid-American Conference
6. Evansville 17-5 1422 10 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Boston University 18-4 1270 8 Patriot League
8. Davidson 15-5 1258 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Southern Mississippi 15-3 1179 9 Conference USA
10. Bowling Green 15-5 1060 13 Mid-American Conference
11. UNLV 13-7 1052 23 Mountain West Conference
12. Belmont 17-4 1031 6 Ohio Valley Conference
13. Saint Joseph's 14-6 927 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Vermont 17-5 780 15 Northeast Conference
15. Georgia State 16-4 751 7 Sun Belt Conference
16. Oral Roberts 17-5 727 14 Summit League
17. Bucknell 18-5 645 16 Patriot League
18. Dayton 14-6 627 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Texas Southern 17-3 486 11 Southwestern Athletic Conference
20. Illinois State 16-6 416 NR Missouri Valley Conference
21. Elon 16-5 296 19 Colonial Athletic Association
22. Mercer 17-5 269 NR Southern Conference
23. North Dakota State 16-5 207 22 Summit League
24. New Mexico 12-9 128 NR Mountain West Conference
25. Eastern Washington 14-5 112 24 Big Sky Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Rhode Island 14-6 103 Atlantic 10 Conference
Boise State 14-7 96 Mountain West Conference
UW Milwaukee 16-7 67 Horizon League
Murray State 14-7 65 Ohio Valley Conference
UTEP 14-6 51 Conference USA
North Texas 14-6 42 Conference USA
Colorado State 11-8 41 Mountain West Conference
Wright State 14-8 32 Horizon League
UAB 12-7 17 Conference USA
UC Santa Barbara 14-6 13 Big West Conference
Holy Cross 16-7 9 Patriot League
Manhattan 15-8 6 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Cornell 11-8 5 Ivy League
Rider 13-8 5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Iona 14-8 4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Siena 13-7 2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
George Washington 13-7 1 Atlantic 10 Conference


Illinois St. rejoins the mid-major top 25, now if we could just get 2 or 3 more teams to step up, go on a nice little run, and get themselves in position for postseason play. The problem is too much parity in the middle of the league, and not taking care of business in non-conference games.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2017

Game Scores

Feb. 1, 2017

at Evansville 67, Indiana State 56
at Illinois State 66, Missouri State 50
at Northern Iowa 94, Drake 87
at #15 Wichita State 64, Southern Illinois 55

Feb. 2, 2017

Bradley 55, at West Virginia 36 (non-conference)
Maine 66, at Loyola Chicago 58 (non-conference)

Feb. 4, 2017

at Evansville 73, Missouri State 55
at Illinois State 70, Indiana State 34
at Northern Iowa 71, Southern Illinois 63
Drake 70, at #15 Wichita State 68
at Loyola Chicago 60, Bradley 59

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evansville Aces 12 1 .923 19 5 .792 24 57
#18 Wichita State Shockers 11 2 .846 19 5 .792 47 82
Northern Iowa Panthers 8 5 .615 12 11 .522 163 65
Illinois State Redbirds 8 5 .615 18 6 .750 147 69
Drake Bulldogs 6 7 .462 9 14 .391 116 56
Bradley Braves 5 7 .417 9 15 .375 203 53
Southern Illinois Salukis 5 8 .385 9 13 .409 101 62
Indiana State Sycamores 4 8 .333 7 17 .292 215 59
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 3 9 .250 8 15 .348 262 41
Missouri State Bears 1 11 .083 4 20 .167 293 56


Drake beating Wichita St. sure threw a kink into the Shockers plans to repeat as MVC regular season champs. Missouri State has all but clinched dead last in the Valley. The hope for me now is that Northern Iowa keeps winning, as they might be our only chance to get a 4th team into postseason play. Unfortunately their schedule is not very favorable down the stretch, they still have games against Evansville, Illinois St., and Wichita St., and a non-conference game against a solid Bowling Green squad.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 15-9, 7-4 3rd America East. It was a split this week for Maine, who won a non-conference game at Loyola Chicago 66-58, then lost a tough one at UMass Lowell 65-61.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 15-6, 7-4, T-1st Big 12. 2 much needed wins for the Wildcats this week, as they won 73-59 against ranked Texas, then hosted Oklahoma St. and won 65-61 to force a 4 way tie for first in the Big 12 conference. As bad as the MVC is as far as parity, I think the big 12 has us beat. Whew!

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 9-13, 4-5 T-5th Big West. A bad loss to start the week at home to Cal Poly, 79-70, then the Warriors recovered to win at Long Beach St. 87-64.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 7-14, 3-5 T-9th Conference USA. The Owls split again this week, winning 79-71 at Marshall, then getting blown out at Western Kentucky, 105-72.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 17-5, 6-4 T-5th Pac 12. 2 games decided by 3 points this week for the Huskies, in a split. They lost 64-62 at home to UCLA, then travelled to Oregon and won on a buzzer beater 58-57.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (71) 22-1 1799 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Villanova (1) 20-3 1726 2 Big East Conference
3. Syracuse 20-4 1653 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Purdue 18-4 1535 4 Big Ten Conference
5. Gonzaga 22-2 1460 5 West Coast Conference
6. Saint Mary's 20-3 1449 6 West Coast Conference
7. Florida 18-4 1377 7 Southeastern Conference
8. Kentucky 20-3 1371 8 Southeastern Conference
9. Connecticut 17-6 1105 12 American Athletic Conference
10. Pittsburgh 16-4 1088 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Notre Dame 19-4 1073 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Kansas 18-5 1007 9 Big 12 Conference
13. North Carolina 16-6 977 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. VCU 19-4 917 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Stanford 17-5 773 20 Pacific-12 Conference
16. Miami 15-8 691 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. Temple 19-3 669 21 American Athletic Conference
18. Wichita State 19-5 610 15 Missouri Valley Conference
19. Washington 17-5 517 19 Pacific-12 Conference
20. Indiana 17-5 402 NR Big Ten Conference
21. Illinois 16-5 350 22 Big Ten Conference
22. Memphis 17-6 273 NR American Athletic Conference
23. Texas 15-7 173 11 Big 12 Conference
24. Michigan State 15-6 156 18 Big Ten Conference
25. Southern Mississippi 17-3 88 NR Conference USA

Others Receiving Votes:
Kent State 19-5 34 Mid-American Conference
Louisiana State 16-6 29 Southeastern Conference
Southern California 16-5 28 Pacific-12 Conference
Evansville 19-5 23 Missouri Valley Conference
Louisville 13-8 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
Missouri 15-7 11 Southeastern Conference
Davidson 17-5 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
Oklahoma 15-6 5 Big 12 Conference
Cincinnati 16-7 3 American Athletic Conference
Arkansas 17-5 2 Southeastern Conference
Florida State 14-7 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
Boston University 19-5 1 Patriot League
Dayton 16-6 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
South Florida 16-6 1 American Athletic Conference
Texas Southern 19-3 1 Southwestern Athletic Conference

Evansville continues to climb the ladder, and that Wichita State loss to Drake knocked them down a couple spots.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (70) 20-3 1798 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga (1) 22-2 1726 2 West Coast Conference
3. VCU (1) 19-4 1659 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 19-5 1581 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Kent State 19-5 1489 5 Mid-American Conference
6. Evansville 19-5 1409 6 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Davidson 17-5 1343 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Southern Mississippi 17-3 1288 9 Conference USA
9. Saint Joseph's 16-6 1180 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. Boston University 19-5 1056 7 Patriot League
11. Bucknell 20-5 999 17 Patriot League
12. Dayton 16-6 985 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Vermont 19-5 881 14 Northeast Conference
14. UNLV 14-8 834 11 Mountain West Conference
15. Texas Southern 19-3 772 19 Southwestern Athletic Conference
16. Illinois State 18-6 716 20 Missouri Valley Conference
17. Oral Roberts 18-6 595 16 Summit League
18. Boise State 16-7 536 NR Mountain West Conference
19. Rhode Island 16-6 465 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
20. North Dakota State 18-5 462 23 Summit League
21. Georgia State 17-6 333 15 Sun Belt Conference
22. Eastern Washington 16-5 321 25 Big Sky Conference
23. Bowling Green 15-7 231 10 Mid-American Conference
24. Murray State 16-7 169 NR Ohio Valley Conference
25. UW Milwaukee 17-7 134 NR Horizon League

Others Receiving Votes:
Elon 17-6 116 Colonial Athletic Association
Belmont 17-6 87 Ohio Valley Conference
New Mexico 13-10 45 Mountain West Conference
UAB 14-7 39 Conference USA
UTEP 15-7 31 Conference USA
George Washington 15-7 30 Atlantic 10 Conference
Cornell 13-8 27 Ivy League
Colorado State 12-9 16 Mountain West Conference
South Dakota State 17-6 12 Summit League
Mercer 17-7 11 Southern Conference
UC Santa Barbara 15-7 6 Big West Conference
North Texas 15-7 5 Conference USA
Wright State 15-9 5 Horizon League
Manhattan 16-8 4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Robert Morris 16-9 4 Northeast Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 6-12, 2017

Game Scores

Feb. 8, 2017

#18 Wichita State 73, at Indiana State 59
Northern Iowa 94, at Missouri State 78
at Drake 74, Loyola Chicago 66
at Southern Illinois 87, Bradley 78 (OT)
Illinois State 82, at Chicago State 79 (non-conference)

Feb. 11, 2017

at Evansville 69, Illinois State 60
Northern Iowa 69, at Indiana State 52
#18 Wichita State 84, at Missouri State 64
at Drake 77, Bradley 68
at Southern Illinois 57, Loyola Chicago 49

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evansville Aces 13 1 .929 20 5 .800 17 57
#16 Wichita State Shockers 13 2 .867 21 5 .808 54 82
Northern Iowa Panthers 10 5 .667 14 11 .560 162 65
Illinois State Redbirds 8 6 .571 19 7 .731 131 69
Drake Bulldogs 8 7 .533 11 14 .440 119 56
Southern Illinois Salukis 7 8 .467 11 13 .458 123 62
Bradley Braves 5 9 .357 9 17 .346 223 53
Indiana State Sycamores 4 10 .286 7 19 .269 220 59
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 3 11 .214 8 17 .320 288 41
Missouri State Bears 1 13 .071 4 22 .154 293 56


The play-in games are becoming close to being decided, the only question at this point is who will finish 3rd-6th. OK, there is still a chance Bradley or Indiana St. could play their way out of the play-in round, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I'm still hoping for 4 teams in postseason, which would double the amount of teams we had last season. Southern Illinois is on the cusp, their schedule is very favorable down the stretch, they could sneak in as the 5th team.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 6-12, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 17-9, 9-4 T-2nd America East. A good week for Maine, as they beat UMBC on a buzzer beater 78-77, then hammered Albany 77-56.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 17-6, 9-4, T-1st Big 12. The Wildcats have now won 7 in a row after 2 more wins this week, first winning at Baylor 69-61, then going to Texas Tech and winning 94-69.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 10-14, 5-6 5th Big West. Another split for the Warriors, who lost to Cal St. Northridge 74-66, but beat Cal St. Fullerton 80-72.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 8-15, 4-6 T-9th Conference USA. A split for the Owls this week, as they went to Middle Tennessee and lost 69-60, but recovered to beat UAB at home 74-64.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 18-6, 7-5 T-4th Pac 12. The Huskies hosted Arizona and won 80-70, but lost in overtime at USC 78-73.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (34) 22-3 1761 2 Big East Conference
2. Ohio State (37) 23-2 1760 1 Big Ten Conference
3. Syracuse (1) 22-4 1663 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Purdue 20-4 1557 4 Big Ten Conference
5. Saint Mary's 22-3 1489 6 West Coast Conference
6. Gonzaga 24-2 1460 5 West Coast Conference
7. Florida 20-4 1388 7 Southeastern Conference
8. Connecticut 19-6 1241 9 American Athletic Conference
9. Pittsburgh 18-4 1200 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Kentucky 20-5 1144 8 Southeastern Conference
11. Kansas 20-5 1090 12 Big 12 Conference
12. Stanford 19-5 929 15 Pacific-12 Conference
13. Notre Dame 20-5 911 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Miami 17-8 852 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. North Carolina 17-7 810 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Wichita State 21-5 736 18 Missouri Valley Conference
17. VCU 20-5 660 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Temple 20-4 634 17 American Athletic Conference
19. Indiana 19-5 540 20 Big Ten Conference
20. Washington 18-6 339 19 Pacific-12 Conference
21. Texas 17-7 337 23 Big 12 Conference
22. Michigan State 17-6 268 24 Big Ten Conference
23. Kent State 21-5 164 NR Mid-American Conference
24. Memphis 18-7 116 22 American Athletic Conference
25. Louisiana State 18-6 80 NR Southeastern Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Louisville 15-8 79 Atlantic Coast Conference
Kansas State 17-6 74 Big 12 Conference
Cincinnati 18-7 39 American Athletic Conference
Evansville 20-5 25 Missouri Valley Conference
Southern Mississippi 18-4 19 Conference USA
Oregon 17-5 17 Pacific-12 Conference
Southern California 17-6 8 Pacific-12 Conference
Bucknell 22-5 4 Patriot League
Dayton 18-6 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
Texas Southern 21-3 2 Southwestern Athletic Conference

Welcome back Kansas St. who is receiving top 25 votes for the first time in about.. 4 or 5 weeks.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (63) 22-3 1791 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga (9) 24-2 1737 2 West Coast Conference
3. VCU 20-5 1648 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 21-5 1589 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Kent State 21-5 1506 5 Mid-American Conference
6. Evansville 20-5 1418 6 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Saint Joseph's 18-6 1341 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Dayton 18-6 1249 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Southern Mississippi 18-4 1172 8 Conference USA
10. Bucknell 22-5 1153 11 Patriot League
11. Vermont 21-5 1024 13 Northeast Conference
12. Davidson 17-7 946 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Texas Southern 21-3 887 15 Southwestern Athletic Conference
14. Boston University 20-6 846 10 Patriot League
15. North Dakota State 20-5 750 20 Summit League
16. Oral Roberts 20-6 690 17 Summit League
17. Georgia State 19-6 583 21 Sun Belt Conference
18. Eastern Washington 18-5 536 22 Big Sky Conference
19. Bowling Green 17-7 462 23 Mid-American Conference
20. Murray State 18-7 462 24 Ohio Valley Conference
21. Rhode Island 17-7 362 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. UNLV 14-9 338 14 Mountain West Conference
23. Illinois State 19-7 302 16 Missouri Valley Conference
24. Belmont 19-6 228 NR Ohio Valley Conference
25. Boise State 17-8 167 18 Mountain West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Elon 18-7 65 Colonial Athletic Association
Cornell 15-8 50 Ivy League
UW Milwaukee 18-8 44 Horizon League
New Mexico 14-11 17 Mountain West Conference
San Diego State 14-10 10 Mountain West Conference
UTEP 16-8 9 Conference USA
Robert Morris 18-9 6 Northeast Conference
Mercer 18-8 5 Southern Conference
North Texas 16-8 3 Conference USA
Holy Cross 19-8 2 Patriot League
George Washington 16-8 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
UC Santa Barbara 16-7 1 Big West Conference

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 13-19, 2017

Game Scores

Feb. 13, 2017

Southern Illinois 66, at #21 Texas 54 (non-conference)

Feb. 15, 2017

Evansville 85, at Northern Iowa 65
at #16 Wichita State 76, Illinois State 54
at Bradley 77, Missouri State 59
Indiana State 72, at Loyola Chicago 58

Feb. 17, 2017

at Northern Iowa 66, Illinois State 55
Evansville 58, at #16 Wichita State 56
Indiana State 84, at Bradley 73
at Loyola Chicago 67, Missouri State 65
at Southern Illinois 68, Drake 58

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evansville Aces 15 1 .938 22 5 .815 10 57
#17 Wichita State Shockers 14 3 .824 22 6 .786 44 82
Northern Iowa Panthers 11 6 .647 15 12 .556 137 65
Illinois State Redbirds 8 8 .500 19 9 .679 119 69
Southern Illinois Salukis 8 8 .500 13 13 .500 96 62
Drake Bulldogs 8 8 .500 11 15 .423 134 56
Indiana State Sycamores 6 10 .375 9 19 .321 196 59
Bradley Braves 6 10 .375 10 18 .357 265 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 4 12 .250 9 18 .333 320 41
Missouri State Bears 1 15 .063 4 24 .143 315 56


The Evansville win over Wichita State gives the Aces the MVC regular season title. Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois are still making their postseason pushes.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 13-19, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 18-10, 10-5 3rd America East. A split this week for the Black Bears, who beat Bryant 62-59, but lost at league leader Stony Brook 78-49.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 19-6, 11-4 1st Big 12. The Wildcats are in sole possession of first place at the moment after 2 wins this week. First they hosted TCU and won 71-69, then they hosted a top 10 ranked Kansas and won 85-79.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 12-14, 7-6 5th Big West. 2 big wins this week for the Warriors, as they won at UC Davis 76-74, then hosted UC Riverside and got a huge win 84-75.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 9-16, 5-7 T-10th Conference USA. A split this week for the Owls, as they lost to league leader Southern Miss 86-69 then beat Rice 66-63.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 19-7, 8-6 5th Pac 12. The Wildcats hosted Oregon St. and won 58-43, then dropped the ball at Colorado, losing 94-70.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (53) 24-3 1781 1 Big East Conference
2. Ohio State (19) 25-2 1747 2 Big Ten Conference
3. Syracuse 24-4 1651 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Purdue 22-4 1586 4 Big Ten Conference
5. Saint Mary's 23-4 1493 5 West Coast Conference
6. Gonzaga 25-3 1400 6 West Coast Conference
7. Kentucky 22-5 1370 10 Southeastern Conference
8. Connecticut 21-6 1268 8 American Athletic Conference
9. Florida 21-5 1268 7 Southeastern Conference
10. Pittsburgh 19-5 1174 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Stanford 21-5 1084 12 Pacific-12 Conference
12. Kansas 21-6 932 11 Big 12 Conference
13. North Carolina 19-7 930 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Indiana 21-5 777 19 Big Ten Conference
15. Miami 18-9 767 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. VCU 22-5 763 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Wichita State 22-6 649 16 Missouri Valley Conference
18. Notre Dame 20-6 618 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
19. Temple 21-5 522 18 American Athletic Conference
20. Kansas State 19-6 301 NR Big 12 Conference
21. Kent State 23-5 249 23 Mid-American Conference
22. Creighton 18-7 228 NR Big East Conference
23. Michigan State 18-7 189 22 Big Ten Conference
24. Louisiana State 20-6 132 25 Southeastern Conference
25. Washington 19-7 103 20 Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Oregon 19-5 101 Pacific-12 Conference
Louisville 16-9 97 Atlantic Coast Conference
Evansville 22-5 95 Missouri Valley Conference
Cincinnati 19-7 34 American Athletic Conference
Southern Mississippi 20-4 34 Conference USA
Southern California 19-6 28 Pacific-12 Conference
Memphis 19-8 15 American Athletic Conference
Vermont 23-5 13 Northeast Conference
Illinois 18-7 1 Big Ten Conference


While Kansas State continues to move up in the rankings, Washington keeps sliding.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (67) 23-4 1795 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga (4) 25-3 1731 2 West Coast Conference
3. VCU (1) 22-5 1652 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 22-6 1586 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Kent State 23-5 1482 5 Mid-American Conference
6. Evansville 22-5 1461 6 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Southern Mississippi 20-4 1338 9 Conference USA
8. Saint Joseph's 19-7 1236 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Vermont 23-5 1225 11 Northeast Conference
10. Bucknell 23-6 1105 10 Patriot League
11. North Dakota State 22-5 1055 15 Summit League
12. Oral Roberts 22-6 942 16 Summit League
13. Bowling Green 19-7 869 19 Mid-American Conference
14. Dayton 18-8 834 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Boston University 21-7 773 14 Patriot League
16. Belmont 21-6 737 24 Ohio Valley Conference
17. Boise State 19-8 619 25 Mountain West Conference
18. Davidson 17-9 529 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Texas Southern 21-4 477 13 Southwestern Athletic Conference
20. Rhode Island 18-8 448 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
21. Georgia State 20-7 399 17 Sun Belt Conference
22. Eastern Washington 19-6 356 18 Big Sky Conference
23. Elon 20-7 223 NR Colonial Athletic Association
24. George Washington 18-8 122 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
25. UTEP 18-8 104 NR Conference USA

Others Receiving Votes:
San Diego State 16-10 87 Mountain West Conference
Illinois State 19-9 38 Missouri Valley Conference
Murray State 18-9 37 Ohio Valley Conference
Cal State Northridge 18-8 31 Big West Conference
UW Milwaukee 19-9 24 Horizon League
Mercer 19-8 23 Southern Conference
Cornell 16-9 21 Ivy League
UNLV 14-11 15 Mountain West Conference
Siena 18-8 12 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Robert Morris 19-9 7 Northeast Conference
Holy Cross 20-9 3 Patriot League
North Texas 17-9 2 Conference USA
Iona 18-10 1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Wright State 17-11 1 Horizon League

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 20-26, 2017

Game Scores

Feb. 21, 2017

at #17 Wichita State 85, #20 Kansas State 68 (non-conference)

Feb. 22, 2017

at Evansville 79, Bradley 43
at Illinois State 79, Loyola Chicago 51
Drake 55, at Indiana State 54
Southern Illinois 65, at Missouri State 55
Northern Iowa 85, at San Francisco 67 (non-conference)

Feb. 25, 2017

at #25 Evansville 87, Loyola Chicago 60
at Illinois State 82, Bradley 81
Northern Iowa 76, at #19 Wichita State 53
at Indiana State 78, Southern Illinois 66
at Missouri State 66, Drake 65

Final Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#25 Evansville Aces 17 1 .944 24 5 .828 11 57
#19 Wichita State Shockers 14 4 .778 23 7 .767 36 82
Northern Iowa Panthers 12 6 .667 17 12 .586 88 65
Illinois State Redbirds 10 8 .556 21 9 .700 122 69
Southern Illinois Salukis 9 9 .500 14 14 .500 119 62
Drake Bulldogs 9 9 .500 12 16 .429 156 56
Indiana State Sycamores 7 11 .389 10 20 .333 202 59
Bradley Braves 6 12 .333 10 20 .333 242 53
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 4 14 .222 9 20 .310 302 41
Missouri State Bears 2 16 .111 5 25 .167 315 56


Congratulations to Evansville who had an unbelievable season. Overall it wasn't a bad year for the MVC. We should have 4 teams for sure going to the postseason. Southern Illinois really needs to win their non-conference game against Appalachian St. and probably win their first game of the MVC tournament. That may not even be enough.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 20-26, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 18-11, 10-6 3rd America East. The Black Bears lost their final regular season game at Hartford 68-46. They'll be the 3rd seed in the America East Tournament.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 19-8, 11-5 T-1st Big 12. It's a 3 way tie for first in the Big 12 again, as the Wildcats had a bad week. First they lost a non-conference game to Wichita St. 85-68, then had an embarrassing 66-65 home loss to an Iowa St. team that has won 8 games this season.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 12-15, 7-7 5th Big West. Only 1 game this week for the Warriors, who went to UC Irvine and got hammered 103-75.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 9-18, 5-9 T-11th Conference USA. 2 tough losses this week for the Owls, both at home. First an 81-57 loss to FIU, then a 78-63 loss to UTSA.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 21-7, 10-6 4th Pac 12. 2 good wins this week for the Huskies. First they hosted Washington St. and won 60-55, then beat up on a 3 win Utah team, 81-53.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (38) 27-2 1763 2 Big Ten Conference
2. Villanova (33) 25-3 1759 1 Big East Conference
3. Syracuse (1) 25-4 1648 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Purdue 24-4 1598 4 Big Ten Conference
5. Saint Mary's 25-4 1474 5 West Coast Conference
6. Gonzaga 27-3 1456 6 West Coast Conference
7. Pittsburgh 21-5 1363 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Connecticut 22-7 1206 8 American Athletic Conference
9. Kentucky 23-6 1204 7 Southeastern Conference
10. Florida 22-6 1196 9 Southeastern Conference
11. North Carolina 21-7 1049 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Stanford 23-5 989 11 Pacific-12 Conference
13. Kansas 23-6 971 12 Big 12 Conference
14. Miami 20-9 914 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. Indiana 22-6 715 14 Big Ten Conference
16. VCU 23-6 683 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Temple 23-5 665 19 American Athletic Conference
18. Notre Dame 21-7 454 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
19. Wichita State 23-7 452 17 Missouri Valley Conference
20. Kent State 25-5 422 21 Mid-American Conference
21. Washington 21-7 396 25 Pacific-12 Conference
22. Creighton 20-7 281 22 Big East Conference
23. Memphis 20-8 279 NR American Athletic Conference
24. Oregon 21-5 192 NR Pacific-12 Conference
25. Evansville 24-5 174 NR Missouri Valley Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Louisiana State 21-7 75 Southeastern Conference
Vermont 25-5 20 Northeast Conference
North Dakota State 24-5 1 Summit League
Southern California 20-7 1 Pacific-12 Conference

Welcome Evansville to the national top 25, as Kansas St. loses all their votes.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (49) 25-4 1777 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga (23) 27-3 1751 2 West Coast Conference
3. VCU 23-6 1650 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 23-7 1555 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Kent State 25-5 1533 5 Mid-American Conference
6. Evansville 24-5 1454 6 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Vermont 25-5 1339 9 Northeast Conference
8. Saint Joseph's 20-8 1233 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. North Dakota State 24-5 1186 11 Summit League
10. Dayton 20-8 1134 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. Bucknell 23-6 1072 10 Patriot League
12. Bowling Green 21-7 988 13 Mid-American Conference
13. Southern Mississippi 20-6 939 7 Conference USA
14. Boston University 22-7 840 15 Patriot League
15. Oral Roberts 23-7 749 12 Summit League
16. Belmont 22-7 644 16 Ohio Valley Conference
17. Boise State 20-9 632 17 Mountain West Conference
18. George Washington 20-8 580 24 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Elon 22-7 526 23 Colonial Athletic Association
20. Rhode Island 19-9 363 20 Atlantic 10 Conference
21. Cornell 18-9 296 NR Ivy League
22. Eastern Washington 20-7 214 22 Big Sky Conference
23. San Diego State 17-10 197 NR Mountain West Conference
24. Texas Southern 22-5 192 19 Southwestern Athletic Conference
25. Illinois State 21-9 164 NR Missouri Valley Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Georgia State 20-8 91 Sun Belt Conference
Siena 20-8 65 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Davidson 17-11 64 Atlantic 10 Conference
Mercer 21-8 58 Southern Conference
New Mexico 17-12 42 Mountain West Conference
Cal State Northridge 19-9 15 Big West Conference
Montana 19-7 14 Big Sky Conference
UNLV 15-12 9 Mountain West Conference
Murray State 19-10 8 Ohio Valley Conference
Robert Morris 20-10 8 Northeast Conference
Manhattan 20-10 5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Northern Illinois 19-10 4 Mid-American Conference
Cleveland State 18-11 3 Horizon League
UAB 17-10 3 Conference USA
UC Riverside 19-8 2 Big West Conference
Holy Cross 20-9 1 Patriot League

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 27-March 5, 2017

3 MVC teams finished off the regular season with non-conference games on Feb. 27th, lets look at those.

at Western Illinois 68, Loyola Chicago 58
at Southern Illinois 58, Appalachian State 54
Bowling Green 82, at Northern Iowa 75

2017 MVC Tournament

2017 MVC Play-in Round

(10) Missouri State beat (7) Indiana State 73-55.
(8) Bradley beat (9) Loyola Chicago 64-49.

2017 MVC Quarterfinals

(8) Bradley shocked (1) Evansville 79-71
(4) Illinois St. beat (5) Southern Illinois 66-57
(6) Drake beat (3) Northern Iowa 73-57.
(2) Wichita St. beat (10) Missouri St. 82-45.

2017 MVC Semifinals

(4) Illinois St. ends (8) Bradley's run 70-53.
(2) Wichita St. hammered (6) Drake 76-47.

2017 MVC Championship

(4) Illinois St. guarantees themselves an NCAA berth by beating (2) Wichita St. 65-58.

MVC Postseason Predictions

We know that Illinois St. is dancing. Wichita St. and Evansville should be too. But based on the rules, since Evansville won the MVC regular season, if they don't get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, they are guaranteed a berth in the NIT. Northern Iowa might sneak into the NIT, but it's more than likely CBI or CIT for them. Southern Illinois is probably done for the season, but they could sneak into the CIT. For sure, Drake, Indiana St., Bradley, Loyola Chicago, and Missouri St are done.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 27-March 5, 2017

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- The Black Bears had their conference tournament this week, that will be covered in the next post.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 20-9, 12-6 T-1st Big 12. The Wildcats lost a chance to win the Big 12 outright with a 102-94 loss at West Virginia. They did recover to win 84-81 at Oklahoma. They will be the 2nd seed in the Big 12 tournament.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 13-16, 8-8 5th Big West. The Warriors split this week, hosting UC Santa Barbara and winning 87-78, then losing 89-65 at Cal Poly. They'll be the 5th seed in the Big West Tournament.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 10-19, 6-10 T-10th Conference USA. The Owls lost at Louisiana Tech 74-60 to begin the week, but finished with an 87-79 win at Old Dominion. They'll be the 10th seed in the C-USA Tournament.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 22-8, 11-7 4th Pac 12. A huge 82-51 win at Arizona St. to start the week, then a tough loss to ranked Stanford at home, 68-64. They'll get the 4th seed in the Pac 12 Tournament.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (64) 29-2 1790 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Villanova (7) 27-3 1731 2 Big East Conference
3. Syracuse (1) 27-4 1650 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Purdue 26-4 1597 4 Big Ten Conference
5. Saint Mary's 27-4 1505 5 West Coast Conference
6. Gonzaga 28-4 1414 6 West Coast Conference
7. Pittsburgh 22-6 1277 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Connecticut 23-7 1257 8 American Athletic Conference
9. Kentucky 25-6 1251 9 Southeastern Conference
10. Florida 24-6 1247 10 Southeastern Conference
11. Stanford 25-5 1089 12 Pacific-12 Conference
12. North Carolina 22-8 956 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Kansas 24-7 883 13 Big 12 Conference
14. Miami 21-9 839 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. Temple 25-5 816 17 American Athletic Conference
16. VCU 25-6 789 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Indiana 23-7 622 15 Big Ten Conference
18. Creighton 22-7 621 22 Big East Conference
19. Kent State 25-5 451 20 Mid-American Conference
20. Wichita State 25-8 372 19 Missouri Valley Conference
21. Washington 22-8 312 21 Pacific-12 Conference
22. Notre Dame 22-8 270 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
23. Vermont 27-5 216 NR Northeast Conference
24. Memphis 21-9 195 23 American Athletic Conference
25. Oregon 22-6 123 24 Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Louisiana State 22-8 63 Southeastern Conference
Evansville 24-6 34 Missouri Valley Conference
Illinois 21-8 14 Big Ten Conference
Bowling Green 22-7 8 Mid-American Conference
Southern Mississippi 22-6 4 Conference USA
Georgetown 19-10 2 Big East Conference
Bucknell 25-6 1 Patriot League
Texas 20-10 1 Big 12 Conference


Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Saint Mary's (72) 27-4 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga 28-4 1723 2 West Coast Conference
3. VCU 25-6 1660 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Wichita State 25-8 1563 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Kent State 25-5 1532 5 Mid-American Conference
6. Evansville 24-6 1424 6 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Vermont 27-5 1355 7 Northeast Conference
8. Saint Joseph's 22-8 1267 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Bucknell 25-6 1170 11 Patriot League
10. Southern Mississippi 22-6 1124 13 Conference USA
11. Bowling Green 22-7 1092 12 Mid-American Conference
12. Dayton 21-9 975 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. North Dakota State 24-6 907 9 Summit League
14. Belmont 24-7 858 16 Ohio Valley Conference
15. Oral Roberts 24-7 737 15 Summit League
16. Illinois State 24-9 651 25 Missouri Valley Conference
17. Boise State 21-9 612 17 Mountain West Conference
18. Rhode Island 21-9 593 20 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Boston University 23-8 497 14 Patriot League
20. San Diego State 19-10 455 23 Mountain West Conference
21. George Washington 21-9 360 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Georgia State 22-8 325 NR Sun Belt Conference
23. Mercer 23-8 237 NR Southern Conference
24. Elon 22-8 163 19 Colonial Athletic Association
25. Cornell 19-10 94 21 Ivy League

Others Receiving Votes:
Texas Southern 23-6 52 Southwestern Athletic Conference
UNLV 17-12 34 Mountain West Conference
Eastern Washington 21-8 31 Big Sky Conference
Montana 21-7 31 Big Sky Conference
New Mexico 18-12 21 Mountain West Conference
Siena 21-9 19 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Davidson 18-12 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
Robert Morris 22-10 10 Northeast Conference
UW Milwaukee 21-11 5 Horizon League
Lafayette 21-10 3 Patriot League
Northern Illinois 20-10 3 Mid-American Conference
Cleveland State 18-11 2 Horizon League
Iona 21-11 1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

[JAG]

I'm surprised I wasn't fired mid-season.

[bbgunn]

Tournament time, baby!

[collegesportsfanms]

JAG, I know that coaches being fired mid-season does happen, but very rarely will it happen with me. I usually wait until after the season to make those changes. That's not to say it'll never happen, but this season it didn't.

However, (spoiler alert), there will be at least 1, maybe 2, MVC coaches looking for new jobs next season.

[collegesportsfanms]

2017 Non-MVC Conference Tournaments

2017 America East Tournament

Maine hammered (6) Bryant 68-35 in the Quarterfinals, but fell short to (2) Binghamton 50-48. They have probably done enough to earn at least a CBI bid.

2017 Big 12 Tournament

Kansas State won their quarterfinal game over (10) TCU 74-66 in overtime, then got by (3) Oklahoma St. 74-66 in the semifinals. In the championship, they blasted (5) Texas 81-63 to win the Big 12 tournament and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

2017 Big West Tournament

Hawaii took (4) UC Santa Barbara to overtime, but lost 84-76, ending their season. It's funny, out of the 8 teams in this tournament, they were the only lower seed NOT to win their quarterfinal game. Oh what could have been! Instead they'll end their season with a 13-17 record.

2017 Conference USA Tournament

Florida Atlantic won their second round game 74-70 against (7) UAB, then shocked (2) Western Kentucky 71-59 in the quarterfinals. Their run ended there, as they lost in the semifinals to (6) Louisiana Tech 77-66, ending their season with a 12-20 record.

2017 Pac 12 Tournament

Washington won their quarterfinal game over (5) Arizona 82-75, then got hammered by surprising (9) Colorado, 68-44 in the semifinals. They are still considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament.

[collegesportsfanms]

2017 Selection Sunday

MVC

Evansville will be the 7th seed in the NCAA West Region and will play (10) Texas in the first round.

Wichita St. will be the 8th seed in the NCAA Midwest Region and will play (9) Marquette in the first round.

Illinois St. will be the 14th seed in the NCAA Midwest Region (seriously, they couldn't have put them in a different region) and will play (3) Kentucky in the first round.

Un-frikkin-belivable! Northern Iowa, with a 17-14 record and a 117 RPI, gets left out of the postseason. There are teams with worse records and RPIs still playing, but the Panthers aren't! To say I'm heated right now is an understatement. There are teams from the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC playing in the CBI. I dunno what to say right now. Obviously, I didn't expect Southern Illinois, Bradley, Drake, Indiana St., Loyola Chicago, or Missouri St. to get a postseason berth, but I thought for sure Northern Iowa would. Fortunately, I've talked to the president of the MVC, and he doesn't hold me accountable for this games failures, but he will be bringing it up at an NCAA board meeting.

Non-MVC

Washington will be the 7th seed in the NCAA Midwest Region (way to stack this region with MVC/FOFC teams, NCAA committee!) and will play (10) Illinois in the first round.

Kansas State will be the 7th seed in the NCAA East Region and will play Vermont in the first round.

Maine becomes our first FOFC, non-MVC team other than Washington or Kansas State to get a postseason berth. They get the 7th seed in the NIT East Region and will host (10) Florida Gulf Coast in the first round.

No big shock, but no postseason for Hawaii or Florida Atlantic. Sorry bbgunn, but I feel that your teams will keep improving.

[Grover]

NIT! Heady times for the Black Bears!

[Zinto]

Boo that Northern Iowa didn't make the post season!

[bbgunn]

Don't worry about my coaches. We're in it for the long haul!

[collegesportsfanms]

2017 NCAA First Round

(10) Texas beat Evansville 79-67.

Wichita State beat (9) Marquette 74-62.

(10) Illinois beat Washington 75-62.

Illinois State upset (3) Kentucky 61-54. Yes!

Kansas State beat (10) Vermont 67-53.


NIT First Round

(10) Florida Gulf Coast beat Maine 73-48.

[collegesportsfanms]

2017 NCAA Second Round

(1) Purdue beat Wichita State 60-52. Heck of an effort by the Shox.

(11) Oklahoma State beat Illinois State 65-52, ending the run for the MVC.

Out of our 3 teams in the postseason, all were in the NCAA tournament, and 2 of them won a game. I'm still pissed about Northern Iowa being left out, but maybe 2 wins, including an upset, in the NCAA tournament will get our conference more respect.

(2) Pittsburgh beat Kansas State 74-56, ending the run for the FOFC teams as well.

2017 Postseason Wrap-Up

The NCAA Final Four saw (6W) Oregon beat (6S) St. Marys 69-68, and (5E) Indiana beat (1MW) and conference rival Purdue 61-56. In the championship game, Oregon routed Indiana 74-52.

The NIT Final Four saw (4S) Cleveland St. beat (1W) Davidson 68-67 and (2MW) Louisville beat (1E) Oklahoma 63-49. In the NIT championship, Cleveland St. beat Louisville 65-62.

The CBI championship series saw (13) Tulane beat (14) Wisconsin 2 games to none. Tulane won the first game 71-68 and the second game 79-53.

And finally, the CIT championship saw (2) Prairie View A&M beat (12) Valparaiso 80-64.

[collegesportsfanms]

Marty Simmons from Evansville was named the national coach of the year, what a treat for him. Also, SR Chris Cromwell from Wichita St. was named to the all-NCAA 1st team. FR Gerald Jack of Washington was named the NCAA freshman of the year, as well as being on the all-NCAA Freshman team. Now we take a look at the MVC awards:

2016-2017 MISSOURI VALLEY AWARDS

Player of the Year:

SR PG Chris Cromwell Wichita State 16.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.3 APG 1.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Brian Vermillion Missouri State 19.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.6 APG 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Marty Simmons Evansville 24 - 7 (17 - 1)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Silvano Mecurio Wichita State 9.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 3.2 BPG
PF SR Lawrence Duvall Southern Illinois 8.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG
SF JR Cole Abram Illinois State 12.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.8 BPG
SG JR Gregory Williams Loyola Chicago 24.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Chris Cromwell Wichita State 16.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Edward Hanrahan Illinois State 13.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.2 BPG
PF SR Albert Reading Evansville 4.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG
SF SO Kevin Sayer Evansville 15.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR William Carr Wichita State 13.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Carlton Bradley Evansville 16.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR James Murphy Missouri State 4.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG
PF FR Efrain Kistler Drake 5.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.7 BPG
SF FR Russel Sturtevant Wichita State 7.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG FR Brian Vermillion Missouri State 19.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Tristan McNamara Southern Illinois 9.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG


Maine had the America East freshman of the year in Roosevelt Moore. Moore was also named All-America East 2nd Team. JR Fredrick Baldwin was named to the America East 1st Team.

Kansas State coach Rudy Arellano was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year. JR Kirk Corbett was named to the Big 12 1st Team, and FR Fred Christie was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Hawaii freshman Kurt Shoobert was the Big West freshman of the year, and also named to the All-Big West 2nd Team. JR Merv Turnbull was also named to the All-Big West 2nd Team.

Bad news for Florida Atlantic as they were shut out come Conference USA award time.

Washington freshman Gerald Jack was named the Pac 12 Freshman of the Year, and was also an All-Pac 12 2nd team member. SR Theron Carter and JR Ronald Bowe joined Gerald Jack on the all-Pac 12 2nd Team.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here is a look at the 2016-2017 MVC recruiting rankings:

2016-2017 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
81. Wichita State Missouri Valley PG Eugene Thomas **** 0 1 0 0 1
94. Northern Iowa Missouri Valley SG Clayton Snodgrass **** 0 1 0 1 0
107. Evansville Missouri Valley PG Antone Dawes **** 0 1 0 0 0
118. Drake Missouri Valley C Mario Hicks *** 0 0 1 2 0
164. Loyola Chicago Missouri Valley PF Michael Hall *** 0 0 1 1 1
181. Illinois State Missouri Valley SG Eric Castorena *** 0 0 1 0 0
233. Missouri State Missouri Valley C Sean Wood *** 0 0 1 0 0
325. Southern Illinois Missouri Valley PF Valentin Novoseltsev ** 0 0 0 1 0
340. Bradley Missouri Valley PF Garrett Radtke * 0 0 0 0 3
350. Indiana State Missouri Valley 0 0 0 0 0


Not as good as last year, but still pretty solid, with 2 teams in the top 100, and a couple more not far from it. Take a look at Indiana St. I'm not hinting, but that doesn't bode well for Greg Lansing.

Maine took a major step back in recruiting this year, getting only the 321st best class in the nation, and 8th best in the America East.

Kansas State also took a huge step back, getting the 146th best class in the nation, and 9th best in the Big 12.

Hawaii had the 34th best class in the nation, tops in the Big West by a large margin. The next best was Long Beach St. at 85, followed by UC Irvine at 137, then UC Riverside at 202.

Florida Atlantic had the 214th best class in the nation, good for just 9th best in Conference USA.

Washington had the 41st best class in the nation, and 5th best in the Pac 12.

[collegesportsfanms]

2016-2017 Coach Evaluations

I will do coach evaluations after the end of the season for those coaches who's seats were either warm or hot. In the MVC, we had 4 of those coaches, so let's take a look.

Dan Muller (Illinois St.) -- His seat was warm to start the season, but the Redbirds responded in a big way, going 25-10 and making it to the NCAA Tournament. His job is safe for now.

Score Galore (Missouri State) -- Missouri States win total decreased by 8 games this season, and the Bears are declining every year. Sorry JAG, but you have been fired from Missouri St.

Patrick Hutt (Northern Iowa) -- It was a crying shame that Northern Iowa didn't get a postseason berth last season. They did enough to earn one. I'm not going to hold that against Coach Hutt. Northern Iowa has a good roster coming back, and Hutts job is safe for now. Doesn't mean his seat is much cooler though.

Greg Lansing (Indiana State) -- Easiest decision I've had to make so far. I said before the season that coach Lansing and his staff needed to get out and recruit and bring home a top 200 recruiting class this season. Not only did they fail to do that, they failed to even sign a recruit. Lansing is gone, he can go somewhere else and not recruit there either.

[collegesportsfanms]

Only 1 swap as far as conference movement this season: Murray St. goes from the Ohio Valley to the Sun Belt, and Arkansas-LR goes from the Sun Belt to the Ohio Valley.

Coaching Movement Round 1

I have 2 coaches to hire, and I have some specific rules on hiring new coaches:

I will be looking for top head coaches from lower prestige schools, because they deserve to move up the ladder. I will also be looking for recently fired head coaches or coaches without a job. And I will also be looking for assistant coaches from prestige 4 and 5 schools. More often than not, an assistant at a lower prestige school wouldn't be offered a head coaching job at a high prestige school.

I have made an in-house rule that assistant coaches deserve to be head coaches too, so when it comes to hiring, every other coach i hire must be an assistant at a prestige 4 or 5 school. So for every one coach without a job, or small school coach i hire, the next coach must be an assistant coach. Hope that makes sense.

So I've got 2 coaches to hire, 1 at Indiana St. and 1 at Missouri St. Since I'm running low on time, I'm just going to announce those hirings.

I have hired Daniel Adams to be the head coach at Indiana St. He has an 80 in recruiting and 94 in scouting, along with a 91 in coaching defense. How he doesn't have a job is beyond me, but he is a free agent and I want him at Indiana St. Here is his coach card:

COACH DETAILS

Daniel Adams - Head Coach - Indiana State
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age: 33
High School: Monroe Central High School
Hometown: Woodsfield, OH
Alma Mater: Yale

Current Level: 9
Career Record: 0 - 0

Recruiting: 80
Scouting: 94
Offense: 15
Defense: 91


Coaching History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Team Position W L CW CL Postseason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No awards won.

Job Movement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Move
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017 Hired by Indiana State (Head Coach)


Luke Hui will be the new coach at Missouri St. He was the recruiting coordinator at UConn for the past 2 seasons, getting the #60 and #23 nationally ranked recruiting classes in the past 2 seasons. Before that he was the head coach for 1 season at Washington, before I gave that job to Shannon Elliott. Now Luke will be coaching in the MVC, because he deserves to be a head coach. Here's his coach card.

COACH DETAILS

Luke Hui - Head Coach - Missouri State
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age: 37
High School: Armwood High School
Hometown: Seffner, FL
Alma Mater: Harvard

Current Level: 9
Career Record: 25 - 11

Recruiting: 100
Scouting: 100
Offense: 78
Defense: 2


Coaching History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Team Position W L CW CL Postseason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016 Connecticut Assistant 26 9 14 4 Loss in NCAA Round of 32
2015 Connecticut Assistant 29 6 15 3 Loss in NCAA Round of 32
2013 Washington Head Coach 25 11 12 6 NIT Champion

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013 NIT Champion

Job Movement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Move
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017 Hired by Missouri State (Head Coach)
2017 Quit job with Connecticut
2015 Hired by Connecticut (Recruiting Coordinator)
2013 Hired by Washington (Head Coach)

JAG, just to update Score Galore's status, he was offered the job at Bryant. They play in the America East conference, and you would be dueling with Grover, as he has his coach Cillian O'Reilly at Maine. Do you want to take this position or look for something else? Let me know, as I'll give you some time to think about it.

[JAG]

He was thinking about opening a car dealership, but if those guys are so desperate to want to hire him, he'll take the job at Bryant for some additional start-up funds.

[collegesportsfanms]

You sure JAG? If you want, you can hold out for other jobs, and if none come open, I can put you at Bryant. Just let me know.

[bbgunn]

Hawaii had the 34th best class in the nation, tops in the Big West by a large margin. The next best was Long Beach St. at 85, followed by UC Irvine at 137, then UC Riverside at 202.

:eek:

Uhh... come on in, boys! There will be competition for all positions!

[Grover]

Don't be scared of the Black Bears, JAG!

[JAG]

You sure JAG? If you want, you can hold out for other jobs, and if none come open, I can put you at Bryant. Just let me know.

Bryant is fine.

[collegesportsfanms]

The Missouri Valley is now a prestige 3 league.. ugh! However, I've been told my job as MVC athletic director is nowhere near being on the line, as the MVC commish feels like we've gotten screwed majorly as far as getting teams into the postseason. Plus, he is interested to see what I do with the new coaches at Indiana St. and Missouri St. As far as coaching moves, JAG, I've got you at Bryant. No other MVC or FOFC coaches got job offers (I'm surprised Gregg Marshall hasn't yet.)

[collegesportsfanms]

2017-2018 MVC Coach Hotseat Ratings

Cold Hotseat Ratings

Daniel Adams (Indiana St.) -- Being a new coach in the MVC, he automatically starts with a cold seat. I look for a major increase in recruiting for the Sycamores this season.

Luke Hui (Missouri St.) -- Ditto for Luke, who is also new to the Valley. Missouri St. should be a lot better recruiting and definitely needs double digit victories this season.

Gregg Marshall (Wichita St.) -- Consistency has been key for the Shockers, who somehow still have Coach Marshall. Wichita St. finally won their first NCAA tournament game under my regime last season, and I fully expect they'll be dancing again this season.

Cool Hotseat Ratings

Randolph Childress (Drake) -- The Bulldogs have a talented roster, and the improvement has been slow but steady. I think Randolph might be able to break his career high of 14 season wins this year.

Marty Simmons (Evansville) -- Evansville had a great season last year, and a huge prestige jump. They lost some key pieces though, but I still expect them in the postseason.. maybe not the NCAA, but the NIT is a real possibility.

Dan Muller (Illinois St.) -- Coming into the season, the Redbirds are actually getting some votes to knock Wichita St. off the throne as MVC champs, so postseason play is a very real possibility again. I'd say top 3, if they don't win the Valley.

Barry Hinson (Southern Illinois) -- This one was a little tough, as they didn't exactly perform last season, and the recruiting wasn't great. Things definitely have to change this season though. Even with the roster they have, I think they can stay out of the play-in round. If they are playing on Thursday in the Valley Tournament, Barry's seat may be warm next year.

Average Hotseat Ratings (not warm, but not cool either)

Alex Donovan (Bradley) -- Recruiting is hurting the Braves, but Mr. Donovan refuses to fire his inept (at best) recruiting assistant. This may cost him his job, as Bradley has to have a good recruiting year. I'd like to see them work hard and get a 3 star recruit this season, and come close to .500 in the Valley.

Jawouk Bafou (Loyola Chicago) -- Loyola has a few potential studs on their roster, including 1 that should dominate this season. It's time for Loyola to start moving up the ladder.

Patrick Hutt (Northern Iowa) -- Simply put, the Panthers need to improve from last year and earn a postseason berth. Missing the postseason won't cost Hutt his job, but it will put him on the hotseat for next season.

2017-2018 Non-MVC Coach Hotseat Ratings

Score Galore (Bryant) -- Unfortunately, there is no pass for first year FOFC, non-MVC coaches. Bryant is expected to avoid last place in the America East, but Mr. Galore is still on a cool seat right now.

Cillian O'Reilly (Maine) -- The bar has been set for Maine basketball, in a big way. The AD at Maine wants them in the NCAA tournament. This is doable, but I think it's still a lofty goal. Another trip back to the NIT would suffice if it were up to me. Oh yeah, and his seat is cool.

Rudy Arellano (Kansas State) -- The Sweet Sixteen is still expected for the Wildcats this season, and Mr. Arellano still has a cool seat.

B.B. Gunn (Hawaii) -- Another school with lofty goals, as the Hawaii AD also wants them in the NCAA tournament. B.B. has an average seat right now, and if I were B.B. I'd concentrate on a postseason berth.

Kuji Chagulia (Florida Atlantic) -- The ante has been lowered for Kuji, who is getting a lot of leeway over at FAU (too bad some of the other ADs don't feel the same way.) Instead of the normal goal of improving the team prestige (which usually means winning a lot more than you lose), the goal this year is to finish with a .500 record. Kuji's seat is average.

Shannon Elliott (Washington) -- Though they won't admit it over at Washington, Mr. Elliott's seat is getting warmer. It's still average right now, but the conference championship has eluded the Huskies, and that's the goal this year, to win the Pac 12.

[Grover]

One first round NIT appearance and now I have to win America East and get into the big tourny?

Hoo boy.

[JAG]

Is there a less impressive goal than dont finish last? Win at least one game? :)

[britrock88]

JAG, there is a goal for independent schools to "Improve the team's prestige."

[collegesportsfanms]

ntndeacon has added a second coach, so we welcome Roy Rogers to High Point. Here is Roy's coach card:

Roy Rogers - Head Coach - High Point
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age: 38
Alma Mater: Alabama

Current Level: 7
Career Record: 0 - 0

Recruiting: 90
Scouting: 30
Offense: 70
Defense: 50


Coaching History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Team Position W L CW CL Postseason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No awards won.

Job Movement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Move
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017 Hired by High Point (Head Coach)

[collegesportsfanms]

2017 Season Tournaments

MVC

Illinois State will be the 7th seed in the 2017 Coaches Invitational and will take on (10) Murray State in the first round.

Drake will be the 8th seed in the 2017 GDS Classic and will face (9) TCU in the first round.

Bradley is the 7th seed in the 2017 Las Vegas Challenge and will face (2) Texas in their first game.

Evansville is the 3rd seed in the 4 team 2017 Legends Invitational and will face (2) Miami (FL) in the first round.

Loyola Chicago is the 7th seed in the 2017 Orlando Classic and will open up against (2) Iowa.

Indiana State is the 7th seed in the 2017 Paradise Shootout and will open up with (2) Michigan State. How about that irony?

Wichita State is the 4th seed in the 2017 Philadelphia Invitational and will open up against (5) BYU.

Northern Iowa is the 9th seed in the 2017 Preseason NIT and will face (8) Belmont in the first round.



Non-MVC

Hawaii is the 3rd seed in the 4 team 2017 Boulder Classic and will face (2) Hofstra in the first round.

Washington is the 4th seed in the 2017 Coaches Invitational and will face (13) Wyoming in the first round.

Kansas State is the top seed in the 4 team 2017 College Classic and will face (4) San Diego in the first round.

No tournaments for Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Bryant, Maine, High Point, or Florida Atlantic.

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 2017 Tournament Wrap-Up

2017 Boulder Classic

Hawaii opened up with an 83-70 loss to (2) Hofstra, then lost the third place game to (1) South Alabama, 85-70.

2017 Coaches Invitational

Illinois State got hammered by (10) Murray St. 84-64 in the first round.

Washington won their first round game 84-73 over (13) Wyoming, then beat upset minded (12) Ohio 72-61, but fell to (1) Pittsburgh 77-68 in the semifinals.

2017 College Classic

Kansas State beat (4) San Diego 87-72 in the first round, then lost the championship to (3) Georgia Tech 56-51.

2017 GDS Classic

Drake beat (9) TCU 73-65 in the first round, then was just minutes away from a huge upset win, but fell in the quarterfinals to (1) Louisville 70-66.

2017 Las Vegas Challenge

Bradley lost to (2) Texas 72-63 in their first game, then in the consolation semifinals they beat (6) Bowling Green 75-53, but fell to (4) College of Charleston 79-64 in the 5th place game.

2017 Legends Invitational

Evansville lost their first round game 74-55 to (2) Miami FL. They recovered to win the 3rd place game 72-65 over (4) Rhode Island.

2017 Orlando Classic

Loyola Chicago lost their first game 69-64 to (2) Iowa, then lost the consolation semifinals to (3) Weber State 92-84. They got a tough draw in the 7th place game, playing hard but losing to (1) N.C. State.

2017 Paradise Shootout

Indiana State lost their first game to (2) Michigan St. 74-50. In the consolation semifinals they lost to (3) Missouri 80-59, then lost to (8) Oregon St. in the 7th place game, 74-73 in OT. Ugh!

2017 Philadelphia Invitational

Wichita State lost their first round game to (5) BYU 62-61, then lost the consolation semifinal to (8) St. Bonaventure 65-59, but salvaged 7th place by beating (6) Arkansas 64-56.

2017 Preseason NIT

Northern Iowa lost to (8) Belmont 60-46 in the first round.

An absolutely dismal tournament month for the MVC. By my count we were 4-14 in preseason tournament games. And we wonder why we have dropped in conference prestige? Even our top teams (Wichita State especially) stunk it up. I have a feeling it's going to be another long season with 1 or 2 postseason teams from the MVC. Well, 1 for sure.. other than that, I don't know.

[collegesportsfanms]

No MVC or FOFC teams played in any Dec. 2017 tournaments, so we'll just go right to the MVC standings through Dec. 19, 2017:


TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evansville Aces 0 0 .000 9 1 .900 65 63
Wichita State Shockers 0 0 .000 8 4 .667 77 83
Southern Illinois Salukis 0 0 .000 8 2 .800 256 61
Missouri State Bears 0 0 .000 7 2 .778 273 52
Illinois State Redbirds 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 42 71
Indiana State Sycamores 0 0 .000 5 5 .500 307 58
Drake Bulldogs 0 0 .000 4 7 .364 85 57
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 0 0 .000 4 7 .364 128 41
Northern Iowa Panthers 0 0 .000 4 3 .571 194 65
Bradley Braves 0 0 .000 3 6 .333 165 52


Given the way the MVC performed in preseason tournaments, these standings surprise me. We've only got 3 teams with losing records so far and at one time Missouri State was ranked in the top 25. However, we know what happens when MVC play starts... all bets are off.

Bradley (Alex Donovan) doesn't have a key win during non-conference play. They did play Texas and Indiana tough, but their 3 wins have come against Bowling Green, Western Michigan, and SE Missouri State.

Drake (Randolph Childress) has had some tough luck, playing teams like Louisville and UNLV tough. They got a nice win against Valparaiso in their last game, but just too many losses by 20+ points, even if their schedule has been pretty tough.

Loyola Chicago (Jawouk Bafou) really does look like an improved team. They did lose by 19 at Kansas and by 22 at #16 Notre Dame, but they've beat a Milwaukee team that has already won 9 games, as well as an Illinois-Chicago team that has won 6 games. They also lost by just 9 points combined against Big Ten teams Indiana and Michigan St. Keep an eye on them, they have the potential to win a few games in MVC play.

Northern Iowa (Patrick Hutt) had their 4 game winning streak snapped at Tulsa, a tough 2 point loss. Their schedule hasn't been great, with their best win being at Butler so far. They are 1 of 2 MVC teams that did not play in a preseason tournament, so their schedule is a little light compared to some of the other teams.

[collegesportsfanms]

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 5-7, 0-0 America East. Through 12 games, Mr. Galore has already led Bryant to their second highest win total since I started this dynasty. Their highest win total is 7, and you gotta think Bryant will win at least 2 games in conference play. While the schedule hasn't been tough, it hasn't exactly been cupcake central either.. although their best win has come against a 3 win C. Connecticut State team. Still, Score Galore seems to be on the right path at Bryant.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 6-4, 0-0 America East. Maine had a nice 4 game winning streak early in the season, beating the likes of Cornell and Princeton, both on the road. Cornell was a really good win, as they are 56 in the RPI. However, they missed a chance for a really quality win by getting hammered against Vermont early in the season. Vermont is 15 in RPI and 8-2 at the moment. However, Maine is still favored to win the America East.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 7-3, 0-0 Big 12. The Wildcats have won 6 of the last 8, with the only 2 losses being at nationally ranked Marquette, and a home loss to Minnesota. They even have a 14 point win over MVC and in-state foe Wichita State.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 0-12, 0-0 Big South. It's been a rough start to the coaching debut of Roy Rogers, who is still seeking his first win. Their last game was encouraging, as they lost on a buzzer beater at Arkansas. Losing by 7 at Wake Forest is also encouraging, as well as single digit losses at MAC members Kent St. and Akron, both nationally ranked. There is hope.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 1-8, 0-0 Big West. It's been a bit of a struggle so far for the Warriors, as their only win was a 37 point blowout against Towson, who has 1 of the worst RPIs in the NCAA currently. They have had close calls at Santa Clara, Ohio, St. Bonaventure, and Indiana St. but just can't get over the hump.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 7-1, 0-0 Conference USA. The Owls are the surprise team right now, they won their first 7 games before losing to nationally ranked Central Florida, who is #10 in RPI. Quality wins so far include a win at South Florida, a win at Mercer, a win at McNeese State, and a home win vs. Bethune Cookman. Those may not sound like quality wins, but the last 3 teams I mentioned are all in the top 130 of the RPI right now.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 10-1, 0-0 Pac 12. The Huskies only blemish has been that loss to Pittsburgh in their preseason tournament. Aside from that, pretty much all their games have been played out west. Some of the road games include Idaho, Pacific, and Nevada.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Villanova (65) 11-0 1793 1 Big East Conference
2. Alabama (7) 11-0 1735 2 Southeastern Conference
3. Miami 8-2 1639 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Southern California 10-0 1574 5 Pacific-12 Conference
5. Oregon 9-0 1462 7 Pacific-12 Conference
6. Ohio State 10-1 1451 8 Big Ten Conference
7. Louisville 9-1 1315 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Syracuse 9-1 1313 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Illinois 10-1 1235 9 Big Ten Conference
10. Stanford 9-1 1198 11 Pacific-12 Conference
11. Georgetown 7-1 1041 4 Big East Conference
12. San Diego State 7-0 1008 12 Mountain West Conference
13. Washington 10-1 929 19 Pacific-12 Conference
14. Texas A&M 8-1 814 21 Southeastern Conference
15. Pittsburgh 10-2 790 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Notre Dame 8-1 673 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. Kentucky 7-2 648 24 Southeastern Conference
18. Tennessee 9-2 443 NR Southeastern Conference
19. Akron 10-2 368 NR Mid-American Conference
20. Purdue 7-2 337 NR Big Ten Conference
21. Temple 8-1 287 18 American Athletic Conference
22. Marquette 9-2 266 NR Big East Conference
23. Kent State 10-1 236 13 Mid-American Conference
24. Central Florida 8-1 131 NR American Athletic Conference
25. Memphis 8-3 117 NR American Athletic Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Evansville 9-1 106 Missouri Valley Conference
North Carolina 8-3 106 Atlantic Coast Conference
Oakland 10-1 105 Horizon League
Michigan 9-2 91 Big Ten Conference
Florida State 8-1 63 Atlantic Coast Conference
UCLA 9-2 54 Pacific-12 Conference
Wisconsin 8-2 20 Big Ten Conference
Georgia 7-1 18 Southeastern Conference
Georgia Southern 8-1 16 Sun Belt Conference
Florida Atlantic 7-1 15 Conference USA
Oklahoma State 8-2 3 Big 12 Conference

Great to see Evansville and Florida Atlantic getting votes, let's hope both teams stay strong.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. San Diego State (72) 7-0 1800 1 Mountain West Conference
2. Akron 10-2 1722 5 Mid-American Conference
3. Kent State 10-1 1643 2 Mid-American Conference
4. Evansville 9-1 1564 10 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Oakland 10-1 1491 13 Horizon League
6. Florida Atlantic 7-1 1456 3 Conference USA
7. Georgia Southern 8-1 1375 4 Sun Belt Conference
8. Boise State 7-3 1199 22 Mountain West Conference
9. UNLV 7-3 1124 21 Mountain West Conference
10. Old Dominion 9-2 1066 7 Conference USA
11. Southern Mississippi 5-2 1015 20 Conference USA
12. Vermont 8-2 945 9 Northeast Conference
13. Gonzaga 8-3 919 12 West Coast Conference
14. New Mexico State 9-2 841 14 Western Athletic Conference
15. American 8-2 805 NR Patriot League
16. USC Upstate 10-2 711 NR Atlantic Sun Conference
17. Fairfield 8-2 700 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
18. Denver 8-2 648 11 Summit League
19. The Citadel 9-2 538 15 Southern Conference
20. Southern Illinois 8-2 499 NR Missouri Valley Conference
21. Longwood 8-2 398 16 Big South Conference
22. Wyoming 5-2 320 NR Mountain West Conference
23. Missouri State 7-2 216 17 Missouri Valley Conference
24. Incarnate Word 7-3 214 18 Southland Conference
25. Cal State Fullerton 5-2 153 NR Big West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
George Mason 7-3 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
Lafayette 8-3 7 Patriot League
Nevada 7-3 4 Mountain West Conference
Saint Louis 9-3 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
Santa Clara 7-3 1 West Coast Conference

Nice early representation in the mid-major top 25 for MVC teams, with 3.

[bbgunn]

Go Owls!

On the other hand... what in the world is going on with the 'Bows?

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 20-24, 2017

Games on Dec. 18 and 19 were covered in previous post.

Game Scores

Dec. 20, 2017

at Northern Iowa 58, Bradley 47
Missouri State 95, at Southern Illinois 72
at Loyola Chicago 88, Evansville 83
Illinois State 74, at Indiana State 64

Dec. 23, 2017

Wichita State 61, at Drake 50
at Northern Iowa 86, Missouri State 78 (OT)
at Southern Illinois 95, Bradley 93 (OT)
Illinois State 69, at Loyola Chicago 58
Evansville 92, at Indiana State 88

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wichita State Shockers 1 0 1.000 9 4 .692 101 83
Illinois State Redbirds 2 0 1.000 7 4 .636 24 71
Northern Iowa Panthers 2 0 1.000 6 3 .667 118 65
Missouri State Bears 1 1 .500 8 3 .727 182 52
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 1 1 .500 5 8 .385 107 41
Evansville Aces 1 1 .500 10 2 .833 79 63
Southern Illinois Salukis 1 1 .500 9 3 .750 251 61
Indiana State Sycamores 0 2 .000 5 7 .417 289 58
Drake Bulldogs 0 1 .000 4 8 .333 75 57
Bradley Braves 0 2 .000 3 8 .273 116 52


Good starts for Northern Iowa and Illinois State.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Dec. 20-24, 2017

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 5-8, 0-1 America East. Bryant lost their first conference game to Albany, 75-60.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 6-6, 0-1 America East. A non-conference road loss to Coastal Carolina, 62-51, followed by a conference loss at Stony Brook 81-64 has the Black Bears on a 4 game losing streak.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 8-3, 0-0 Big 12. The Cats hammered Central Arkansas 84-49 in their last game before Big 12 play.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 1-12, 0-0 Big South. High Point has their first win of the season after a 77-69 victory at UNC Greensboro.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 1-10, 0-0 Big West. 2 more pitiful losses this week, as the Warriors lost 63-54 at Southeast Missouri State, and then lost 85-59 at Cornell.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 9-1, 0-0 Conference USA. The Owls rebounded nicely after their first loss of the season, hosting Stetson and winning 84-64, then beating a tough North Dakota State team on the road, 82-76.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 11-1, 0-0 Pac 12. The Huskies hosted Purdue this week in a pretty solid non-conference challenge, and looked sharp in an 82-63 victory.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Alabama (69) 11-0 1797 2 Southeastern Conference
2. Villanova (3) 12-1 1731 1 Big East Conference
3. Ohio State 12-1 1640 6 Big Ten Conference
4. Illinois 11-1 1545 9 Big Ten Conference
5. Louisville 10-1 1505 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Southern California 10-0 1358 4 Pacific-12 Conference
7. Georgetown 8-1 1343 11 Big East Conference
8. Oregon 11-0 1255 5 Pacific-12 Conference
9. Miami 9-2 1217 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Syracuse 10-1 1214 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Washington 11-1 1161 13 Pacific-12 Conference
12. Texas A&M 9-1 994 14 Southeastern Conference
13. Pittsburgh 10-2 931 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Temple 10-1 806 21 American Athletic Conference
15. Notre Dame 9-1 784 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Marquette 9-2 660 22 Big East Conference
17. North Carolina 9-3 523 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Stanford 9-2 465 10 Pacific-12 Conference
19. Tennessee 9-2 460 18 Southeastern Conference
20. Kent State 11-1 444 23 Mid-American Conference
21. Wisconsin 9-2 384 NR Big Ten Conference
22. Connecticut 11-2 316 NR American Athletic Conference
23. Florida State 9-1 298 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Oakland 11-1 222 NR Horizon League
25. Georgia 8-1 120 NR Southeastern Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Oklahoma State 8-2 109 Big 12 Conference
Florida Atlantic 9-1 64 Conference USA
UCLA 9-2 38 Pacific-12 Conference
Purdue 7-3 15 Big Ten Conference
San Diego State 9-2 1 Mountain West Conference

Dissapointed none of our MVC teams are receiving votes, but good for FAU finally starting to turn the corner.


Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (62) 11-1 1790 3 Mid-American Conference
2. Oakland (1) 11-1 1708 5 Horizon League
3. Florida Atlantic (9) 9-1 1658 6 Conference USA
4. Akron 10-2 1539 2 Mid-American Conference
5. San Diego State 9-2 1513 1 Mountain West Conference
6. Old Dominion 10-2 1447 10 Conference USA
7. American 10-2 1324 15 Patriot League
8. Evansville 10-2 1318 4 Missouri Valley Conference
9. USC Upstate 11-2 1243 16 Atlantic Sun Conference
10. Denver 8-2 1178 18 Summit League
11. Wyoming 7-2 1091 22 Mountain West Conference
12. George Mason 7-3 871 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Lafayette 10-3 780 NR Patriot League
14. Santa Clara 9-3 733 NR West Coast Conference
15. Nevada 8-3 702 NR Mountain West Conference
16. Loyola Marymount 9-3 545 NR West Coast Conference
17. Southern Mississippi 6-3 539 11 Conference USA
18. UNLV 7-3 526 9 Mountain West Conference
19. Gonzaga 9-4 483 13 West Coast Conference
20. Vermont 9-3 470 12 Northeast Conference
21. Saint Louis 9-3 445 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Louisiana Monroe 9-3 374 NR Sun Belt Conference
23. New Mexico State 9-3 291 14 Western Athletic Conference
24. Illinois State 7-4 190 NR Missouri Valley Conference
25. Tennessee Martin 8-3 168 NR Ohio Valley Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Southern Illinois 9-3 117 Missouri Valley Conference
Longwood 8-3 103 Big South Conference
Georgia Southern 8-3 67 Sun Belt Conference
Western Michigan 7-3 59 Mid-American Conference
Northern Iowa 6-3 38 Missouri Valley Conference
Charlotte 5-3 36 Conference USA
Missouri State 8-3 31 Missouri Valley Conference
Incarnate Word 8-3 14 Southland Conference
Princeton 5-3 8 Ivy League
Saint Joseph's 7-4 1 Atlantic 10 Conference

Having 5 of our 10 MVC teams receiving votes is awesome, even if it is just the mid-major poll. And how about FAU, who received 9 first place votes. Interesting to see teams like VCU, St. Marys, and Gonzaga way down this season so far.

[Zinto]

I am glad Northern Iowa started strong. We need to make the post season!

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Dec. 25-31, 2017

Game Scores

Dec. 25, 2017

Evansville 66, at Grambling State 56 (non-conference)

Dec. 27, 2017

Indiana State 78, at Missouri State 60
Loyola Chicago 82, at Bradley 67
Northern Iowa 70, at Drake 50
Southern Illinois 54, at Wichita State 45

Dec. 30, 2017

Loyola Chicago 70, at Missouri State 62
Indiana State 76, at Bradley 66
Southern Illinois 72, at Drake 59
Northern Iowa 68, at Wichita State 59
Illinois State 75, at Evansville 59

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 3 0 1.000 8 4 .667 5 71
Northern Iowa Panthers 4 0 1.000 8 3 .727 107 65
Southern Illinois Salukis 3 1 .750 11 3 .786 215 61
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 3 1 .750 7 8 .467 105 41
Indiana State Sycamores 2 2 .500 7 7 .500 202 58
Evansville Aces 1 2 .333 11 3 .786 113 63
Wichita State Shockers 1 2 .333 9 6 .600 100 83
Missouri State Bears 1 3 .250 8 5 .615 216 52
Drake Bulldogs 0 3 .000 4 10 .286 96 57
Bradley Braves 0 4 .000 3 10 .231 172 52


Wichita State is struggling, big time, and Missouri State after a great start is starting to falter. Loyola Chicago is doing their part to finish .500, but a long way to go.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Dec. 25-31, 2017

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 5-10, 0-3 America East. Looks like I might have spoke too soon about Bryant turning the corner a bit, as they lost both their games this week. Both were close though, an 82-73 loss at Hartford and an 82-74 loss at Binghamton.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 7-6, 1-1 America East. Just 1 game this week for Maine, as they went to New Hampshire and won 72-53.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 10-3, 2-0 Big 12. 2 good road victories to start Big 12 play, as the Cats won 71-63 at Texas Tech, and won 62-58 at Baylor.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 1-14, 0-2 Big South. Conference play started with a whimper, as the Panthers lost at home 79-60 to Coastal Carolina, and lost at Liberty 72-56.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 2-10, 0-0 Big West. The Warriors dominated a very good USC Upstate team at home this week, winning 82-55. USC Upstate was 11-2 coming into that game. Hopefully that'll get Hawaii going.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 11-1, 0-0 Conference USA. 2 more wins this week have the Owls on a 4 game winning streak. First an 80-67 win at home vs. Florida Gulf Coast, then a 60-58 win at Jacksonville.

Washington (Shannon Elliot) -- 11-1, 0-0 Pac 12. The Huskies got to go home for the week, as Mr. Elliott scheduled smart, giving his team the holiday break off.


Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Alabama (26) 12-1 1728 1 Southeastern Conference
2. Louisville (31) 12-1 1716 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Villanova (7) 13-2 1649 2 Big East Conference
4. Ohio State (4) 12-1 1587 3 Big Ten Conference
5. Illinois 12-1 1473 4 Big Ten Conference
6. Georgetown 10-1 1411 7 Big East Conference
7. Southern California (4) 12-0 1391 6 Pacific-12 Conference
8. Miami 10-2 1270 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Syracuse 11-1 1206 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Oregon 12-0 1193 8 Pacific-12 Conference
11. Pittsburgh 12-2 1096 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Washington 11-1 1084 11 Pacific-12 Conference
13. Texas A&M 9-1 888 12 Southeastern Conference
14. Temple 11-1 856 14 American Athletic Conference
15. Marquette 11-2 813 16 Big East Conference
16. Wisconsin 10-2 632 21 Big Ten Conference
17. Connecticut 13-2 588 22 American Athletic Conference
18. Kent State 12-1 516 20 Mid-American Conference
19. Stanford 9-2 504 18 Pacific-12 Conference
20. Oakland 13-1 410 24 Horizon League
21. Oklahoma State 10-2 380 NR Big 12 Conference
22. Georgia 10-1 376 25 Southeastern Conference
23. Florida Atlantic 11-1 213 NR Conference USA
24. North Carolina 10-4 196 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
25. UCLA 10-2 167 NR Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Akron 12-2 33 Mid-American Conference
Old Dominion 11-2 15 Conference USA
Penn State 9-2 4 Big Ten Conference
Tennessee 9-3 4 Southeastern Conference
Michigan 9-2 1 Big Ten Conference

Welcome Florida Atlantic back to the top 25! Unfortunately, the MVC teams are still being shut out, and why not? In the offseason, the conference prestige dropped from 4 to 3, so they have a lot to prove to the AP pollsters.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (60) 12-1 1783 1 Mid-American Conference
2. Oakland (2) 13-1 1714 2 Horizon League
3. Florida Atlantic (10) 11-1 1667 3 Conference USA
4. Akron 12-2 1578 4 Mid-American Conference
5. Old Dominion 11-2 1529 6 Conference USA
6. San Diego State 10-3 1341 5 Mountain West Conference
7. Gonzaga 11-4 1336 19 West Coast Conference
8. Nevada 10-3 1251 15 Mountain West Conference
9. Loyola Marymount 11-3 1157 16 West Coast Conference
10. Vermont 11-3 1092 20 Northeast Conference
11. Evansville 11-3 960 8 Missouri Valley Conference
12. Southern Mississippi 8-3 947 17 Conference USA
13. American 11-3 940 7 Patriot League
14. Illinois State 8-4 925 24 Missouri Valley Conference
15. Southern Illinois 11-3 788 NR Missouri Valley Conference
16. Tennessee Martin 10-3 768 25 Ohio Valley Conference
17. New Mexico State 10-3 736 23 Western Athletic Conference
18. Northern Iowa 8-3 580 NR Missouri Valley Conference
19. USC Upstate 11-3 556 9 Atlantic Sun Conference
20. Wyoming 8-3 474 11 Mountain West Conference
21. Western Michigan 8-3 440 NR Mid-American Conference
22. Incarnate Word 10-3 290 NR Southland Conference
23. George Mason 8-4 254 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
24. UNLV 8-4 108 18 Mountain West Conference
25. Boise State 9-4 106 NR Mountain West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Lafayette 11-4 36 Patriot League
Murray State 9-4 24 Sun Belt Conference
Saint Louis 9-4 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
Lipscomb 10-4 8 Atlantic Sun Conference
Rhode Island 6-4 1 Atlantic 10 Conference

Florida Atlantic gained another first place vote in the mid-major poll, while Missouri State lost all their votes after a bad week.

[bbgunn]

FAU! FAU!

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan, 1-7, 2018

Game Scores

Jan. 1, 2018

Northern Iowa 66, at USC Upstate 51 (non-conference)
at Long Beach State 59, Southern Illinois 50 (non-conference)

Jan. 3, 2018

at Evansville 61, Bradley 58
at Illinois State 81, Missouri State 62
Wichita State 72, at Loyola Chicago 70
at Indiana State 63, Drake 62

Jan. 6, 2018

Missouri State 92, at Evansville 91 (OT)
at Illinois State 58, Bradley 45
Southern Illinois 77, at Northern Iowa 69
Drake 68, at Loyola Chicago 54
at Indiana State 62, Wichita State 61

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 5 0 1.000 10 4 .714 11 71
Southern Illinois Salukis 4 1 .800 12 4 .750 154 61
Northern Iowa Panthers 4 1 .800 9 4 .692 83 65
Indiana State Sycamores 4 2 .667 9 7 .563 175 58
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 3 3 .500 7 10 .412 166 41
Evansville Aces 2 3 .400 12 4 .750 126 63
Wichita State Shockers 2 3 .400 10 7 .588 97 83
Missouri State Bears 2 4 .333 9 6 .600 141 52
Drake Bulldogs 1 4 .200 5 11 .313 100 57
Bradley Braves 0 6 .000 3 12 .200 161 52


It's still early in the conference race, but a nice logjam at the top early on. 7 of our 10 MVC teams have winning records overall, that's huge!

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 1-7, 2018

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 6-11, 1-4 America East. The Bulldogs got their first America East win of the season over UMBC 70-54, then just missed a big win, losing 64-62 to Stony Brook.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 10-6, 3-1 America East. A busy week for the Black Bears started with a 72-63 non-conference win at Quinnipiac, then 2 conference wins, the first against UMass Lowell 77-72 in overtime, and an 84-75 win at UMBC.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 11-3, 3-0 Big 12. Only 1 game this week for the Cats, an 88-69 win at Texas.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 2-15, 1-3 Big South. A split this week for the Panthers, as High Point won at Longwood 75-70, then lost at Presbyterian 73-71.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 4-10, 2-0 Big West. With the Big West wide open, Hawaii looks to get on the right track, and they got a good start this week with an 85-68 win against UC Davis, and a 74-66 win at UC Santa Barbara.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 12-1, 0-0 Conference USA. 1 more non-conference game this week for the Owls, a 79-76 win at a very good New Mexico State team.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 12-2, 1-1 Pac 12. The Huskies started conference play by absolutely hammering Arizona State at home, 95-56, then hosted Stanford and lost 92-79.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (13) 14-1 1693 4 Big Ten Conference
2. Villanova (20) 15-2 1658 3 Big East Conference
3. Georgetown (12) 12-1 1651 6 Big East Conference
4. Illinois (5) 14-1 1645 5 Big Ten Conference
5. Southern California (22) 14-0 1630 7 Pacific-12 Conference
6. Syracuse 13-1 1370 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Pittsburgh 13-2 1329 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Alabama 13-2 1304 1 Southeastern Conference
9. Louisville 13-2 1186 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Oregon 13-1 1185 10 Pacific-12 Conference
11. Temple 13-1 1111 14 American Athletic Conference
12. Connecticut 15-2 931 17 American Athletic Conference
13. Oklahoma State 12-2 915 21 Big 12 Conference
14. Stanford 11-2 895 19 Pacific-12 Conference
15. Washington 12-2 810 12 Pacific-12 Conference
16. Kent State 14-1 704 18 Mid-American Conference
17. UCLA 12-2 660 25 Pacific-12 Conference
18. Oakland 15-1 594 20 Horizon League
19. Miami 11-3 547 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. Florida Atlantic 12-1 428 23 Conference USA
21. Akron 14-2 289 NR Mid-American Conference
22. Wisconsin 11-3 241 16 Big Ten Conference
23. Kentucky 11-3 170 NR Southeastern Conference
24. Penn State 11-2 143 NR Big Ten Conference
25. Old Dominion 12-2 117 NR Conference USA

Others Receiving Votes:
North Carolina 11-5 89 Atlantic Coast Conference
Kansas 10-4 69 Big 12 Conference
Arkansas 11-3 13 Southeastern Conference
Gonzaga 13-4 12 West Coast Conference
Marquette 11-4 9 Big East Conference
Notre Dame 11-3 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
Texas A&M 9-3 1 Southeastern Conference

Lots of parity so far, I thought it was interesting that the team that got the most first place votes is also the only undefeated team, and they are ranked 5th. It can be that kind of season.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (61) 14-1 1784 1 Mid-American Conference
2. Oakland (2) 15-1 1714 2 Horizon League
3. Florida Atlantic (9) 12-1 1634 3 Conference USA
4. Akron 14-2 1604 4 Mid-American Conference
5. Old Dominion 12-2 1514 5 Conference USA
6. Gonzaga 13-4 1462 7 West Coast Conference
7. Illinois State 10-4 1352 14 Missouri Valley Conference
8. Wyoming 10-3 1256 20 Mountain West Conference
9. Tennessee Martin 12-3 1238 16 Ohio Valley Conference
10. San Diego State 11-4 1152 6 Mountain West Conference
11. Nevada 11-4 1055 8 Mountain West Conference
12. Vermont 12-4 969 10 Northeast Conference
13. Evansville 12-4 882 11 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Southern Illinois 12-4 782 15 Missouri Valley Conference
15. Murray State 11-4 760 NR Sun Belt Conference
16. American 12-4 697 13 Patriot League
17. Saint Louis 10-4 589 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Southern Mississippi 8-4 564 12 Conference USA
19. Northern Iowa 9-4 494 18 Missouri Valley Conference
20. USC Upstate 12-4 420 19 Atlantic Sun Conference
21. Rhode Island 9-4 355 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Western Michigan 9-4 253 21 Mid-American Conference
23. Georgia Southern 11-4 203 NR Sun Belt Conference
24. George Mason 9-5 122 23 Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Incarnate Word 11-4 98 22 Southland Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Mississippi Valley State 10-4 94 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Boise State 10-5 74 Mountain West Conference
Iona 12-5 65 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Fairfield 12-5 63 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
UNLV 9-5 39 Mountain West Conference
Loyola Marymount 11-5 34 West Coast Conference
Lafayette 12-5 24 Patriot League
UW Milwaukee 12-5 21 Horizon League
Louisiana Monroe 11-5 12 Sun Belt Conference
North Texas 9-4 12 Conference USA
Fairleigh Dickinson 10-5 4 Northeast Conference
George Washington 9-5 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
Loyola Maryland 11-5 2 Patriot League


This is what I like to see, 4 MVC teams in the mid-major top 25. Obviously I'd like to see us having more respect in the AP top 25, but hey, we're on the right path. Great for FAU being near the top, even if they did lose 1 first place vote this season. Still amazing not to see teams like Gonzaga, St. Marys, and VCU at the top. Definitely a weird year in college basketball.

[Grover]

Excellent week for the Black Bears!

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 8-14, 2018

Game Scores

Jan. 8, 2018

Missouri State 80, at Grand Canyon 79 (OT)

Jan. 10, 2018

Evansville 81, at Drake 70
Illinois State 70, at Wichita State 66
at Northern Iowa 68, Loyola Chicago 61
Indiana State 82, at Southern Illinois 60
at Saint Mary's 75, Bradley 64 (non-conference)

Jan. 13, 2018

Missouri State 82, at Bradley 54
Illinois State 64, at Drake 56
Evansville 69, at Wichita State 68
at Northern Iowa 75, Indiana State 71
at Southern Illinois 101, Loyola Chicago 91

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 7 0 1.000 12 4 .750 13 71
Northern Iowa Panthers 6 1 .857 11 4 .733 86 65
Southern Illinois Salukis 5 2 .714 13 5 .722 156 61
Indiana State Sycamores 5 3 .625 10 8 .556 105 58
Evansville Aces 4 3 .571 14 4 .778 110 63
Missouri State Bears 3 4 .429 11 6 .647 116 52
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 3 5 .375 7 12 .368 155 41
Wichita State Shockers 2 5 .286 10 9 .526 119 83
Drake Bulldogs 1 6 .143 5 13 .278 140 57
Bradley Braves 0 7 .000 3 14 .176 198 52


A bad week for Wichita State, who really needs to get it going. MVC still in good shape as a conference, and we could still have a major race on our hands.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 8-14, 2018

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 6-13, 1-6 America East. Tough week for the Bulldogs, who lost at Maine 69-57, then lost at New Hampshire 74-61.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 11-7, 4-2 America East. The Black Bears beat Bryant 69-57, then got hammered at home against Binghamton 82-56.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 11-5, 3-2 Big 12. 2 tough home losses this week for the Wildcats, who lost 66-62 to Oklahoma St. and then lost 78-75 to Kansas.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 3-16, 2-4 Big South. The Panthers split at home this week, losing 87-69 to UNC Asheville, then beating Winthrop 71-63.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 5-11, 3-1 Big West. The Warriors defended their home turf, beating Cal Poly 72-69, then lost at UC Irvine 76-68.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 14-1, 2-0 Conference USA. The run continues for the Owls, who won at UTEP 80-73, then won at FIU 65-42. It's been a great run no matter what happens the rest of the season, as coming into this season, the highest win total for Florida Atlantic was 12. Not only has that been beaten early in January, but it has a chance to be smashed!

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 12-4, 1-3 Pac 12. An ugly week for the Huskies, who lost 90-86 in OT at Cal, then got hammered at a 3 win Colorado team 92-73.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (65) 16-1 1792 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Georgetown (6) 14-1 1722 3 Big East Conference
3. Villanova (1) 16-3 1646 2 Big East Conference
4. Southern California 15-1 1559 5 Pacific-12 Conference
5. Pittsburgh 15-2 1514 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Oregon 15-1 1391 10 Pacific-12 Conference
7. Illinois 15-2 1349 4 Big Ten Conference
8. Temple 15-1 1309 11 American Athletic Conference
9. Syracuse 14-2 1283 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Alabama 14-3 1133 8 Southeastern Conference
11. Kent State 16-1 1030 16 Mid-American Conference
12. Oklahoma State 14-2 1023 13 Big 12 Conference
13. Oakland 16-1 853 18 Horizon League
14. UCLA 13-3 772 17 Pacific-12 Conference
15. North Carolina 12-5 739 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Miami 12-4 729 19 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. Florida Atlantic 14-1 697 20 Conference USA
18. Memphis 13-4 482 NR American Athletic Conference
19. Old Dominion 14-2 467 25 Conference USA
20. Michigan 12-3 448 NR Big Ten Conference
21. Connecticut 15-4 354 12 American Athletic Conference
22. Marquette 12-4 318 NR Big East Conference
23. Louisville 13-4 285 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Arizona 12-4 167 NR Pacific-12 Conference
25. Akron 15-3 118 21 Mid-American Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Missouri 12-4 86 Southeastern Conference
Gonzaga 14-4 63 West Coast Conference
Washington 12-4 27 Pacific-12 Conference
Stanford 11-4 17 Pacific-12 Conference
Illinois State 12-4 13 Missouri Valley Conference
Wisconsin 12-4 8 Big Ten Conference
Tennessee Martin 14-3 4 Ohio Valley Conference
Kansas 11-5 2 Big 12 Conference


More often than not, whenever an MVC team gets some votes in the national polls, they end up losing next week. We'll see what happens with Illinois St. Washington is out of the top 25 after a 2 loss week.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (59) 16-1 1781 1 Mid-American Conference
2. Oakland (1) 16-1 1706 2 Horizon League
3. Old Dominion (4) 14-2 1595 5 Conference USA
4. Florida Atlantic (4) 14-1 1591 3 Conference USA
5. Gonzaga (4) 14-4 1567 6 West Coast Conference
6. Illinois State 12-4 1428 7 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Akron 15-3 1392 4 Mid-American Conference
8. San Diego State 13-4 1291 10 Mountain West Conference
9. Nevada 13-4 1209 11 Mountain West Conference
10. Tennessee Martin 14-3 1155 9 Ohio Valley Conference
11. Evansville 14-4 1053 13 Missouri Valley Conference
12. American 14-4 978 16 Patriot League
13. Saint Louis 12-4 911 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Murray State 13-4 860 15 Sun Belt Conference
15. Wyoming 11-4 829 8 Mountain West Conference
16. Northern Iowa 11-4 733 19 Missouri Valley Conference
17. Fairfield 14-5 675 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
18. Georgia Southern 12-4 558 23 Sun Belt Conference
19. Vermont 13-5 442 12 Northeast Conference
20. Southern Illinois 13-5 358 14 Missouri Valley Conference
21. Southern Mississippi 9-5 293 18 Conference USA
22. George Mason 10-6 215 24 Atlantic 10 Conference
23. Louisiana Monroe 12-5 208 NR Sun Belt Conference
24. Rhode Island 10-5 142 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Idaho 10-5 66 NR Big Sky Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
North Carolina Central 12-5 65 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Fresno State 11-6 56 Mountain West Conference
Boise State 11-6 46 Mountain West Conference
Western Michigan 10-5 41 Mid-American Conference
USC Upstate 13-5 33 Atlantic Sun Conference
Saint Joseph's 9-6 28 Atlantic 10 Conference
Stony Brook 11-5 27 America East Conference
UW Milwaukee 13-6 18 Horizon League
Incarnate Word 12-5 17 Southland Conference
Iona 12-6 14 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Loyola Marymount 12-6 10 West Coast Conference
George Washington 10-6 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
North Texas 10-5 2 Conference USA

Not sure what's up with these polls. Florida Atlantic wins 2 games, yet loses 5 first place votes and drops a spot? Weird. I've never been one to put much stock into the polls though, to me they are just a number.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 15-21, 2018

Game Scores

Jan. 17, 2018

at Missouri State 95, Wichita State 85
at Bradley 69, Drake 61
at Evansville 88, Northern Iowa 69
at Illinois State 86, Southern Illinois 68
Loyola Chicago 77, at Northern Kentucky 62 (non-conference)

Jan. 18, 2018

Indiana State 66, at Bethune Cookman 58 (non-conference)

Jan. 20, 2018

at Missouri State 73, Drake 65
at Bradley 78, Wichita State 65
at Evansville 75, Southern Illinois 69
Northern Iowa 61, at Illinois State 56
Indiana State 91, at Loyola Chicago 75

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 8 1 .889 13 5 .722 9 71
Northern Iowa Panthers 7 2 .778 12 5 .706 55 65
Evansville Aces 6 3 .667 16 4 .800 64 63
Indiana State Sycamores 6 3 .667 12 8 .600 107 58
Missouri State Bears 5 4 .556 13 6 .684 108 52
Southern Illinois Salukis 5 4 .556 13 7 .650 141 61
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 3 6 .333 8 13 .381 159 41
Bradley Braves 2 7 .222 5 14 .263 207 52
Wichita State Shockers 2 7 .222 10 11 .476 134 83
Drake Bulldogs 1 8 .111 5 15 .250 154 57


No clue what is up with Wichita State, but they really need to get it together. The national poll jinx comes back as Illinois State loses their first MVC game, but still a heck of a season going on.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 15-21, 2018

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 6-15, 1-8 America East. While the Bulldogs are playing hard, they just can't seem to defend their home court, with 2 more losses at home this week: 66-64 to UMass Lowell, and 59-50 to Hartford.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 13-7, 6-2 America East. 2 big wins this week for the Black Bears, who won 83-62 at Albany, then returned home to beat New Hampshire 55-43.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 12-6, 4-3 Big 12. The Wildcats split on the road this week, losing 81-76 at Oklahoma, then winning 74-61 at West Virginia.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 3-17, 2-5 Big South. More struggles for the Panthers, who lost 87-77 at Charleston Southern this week.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 6-11, 4-1 Big West. 1 game this week for the Warriors, who hosted Cal St. Fullerton and won 83-75.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 15-2, 3-1 Conference USA. The Owls lost 75-60 to Southern Miss to begin the week, but recovered to beat Louisiana Tech 76-75 on a buzzer beater.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 12-6, 1-5 Pac 12. Wow, what a struggle it's been in Pac 12 play for the Huskies, who lost 2 more this week. First a 90-66 loss to top 10 team Oregon, then a 90-81 loss to Utah.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Georgetown (70) 16-1 1798 2 Big East Conference
2. Syracuse 16-2 1701 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Southern California (2) 17-1 1666 4 Pacific-12 Conference
4. Illinois 17-2 1556 7 Big Ten Conference
5. Villanova 17-4 1529 3 Big East Conference
6. Pittsburgh 16-3 1418 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Ohio State 16-3 1345 1 Big Ten Conference
8. Miami 14-4 1222 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Oregon 16-2 1155 6 Pacific-12 Conference
10. Temple 16-2 1139 8 American Athletic Conference
11. Kent State 18-1 1049 11 Mid-American Conference
12. Oklahoma State 15-2 1011 12 Big 12 Conference
13. North Carolina 13-5 980 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Alabama 15-4 877 10 Southeastern Conference
15. Marquette 14-4 806 22 Big East Conference
16. Memphis 15-4 804 18 American Athletic Conference
17. Louisville 15-4 669 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Arizona 14-4 580 24 Pacific-12 Conference
19. Connecticut 16-4 533 21 American Athletic Conference
20. Florida Atlantic 15-2 363 17 Conference USA
21. UCLA 14-4 266 14 Pacific-12 Conference
22. Old Dominion 15-3 214 19 Conference USA
23. Purdue 11-6 168 NR Big Ten Conference
24. Arkansas 14-4 105 NR Southeastern Conference
25. Wisconsin 14-4 101 NR Big Ten Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Stanford 12-5 100 Pacific-12 Conference
Oakland 16-3 85 Horizon League
San Diego State 15-4 51 Mountain West Conference
Illinois State 13-5 37 Missouri Valley Conference
Akron 16-4 36 Mid-American Conference
Kentucky 13-5 19 Southeastern Conference
American 16-4 8 Patriot League
Kansas 12-6 7 Big 12 Conference
Murray State 15-4 2 Sun Belt Conference

So Washington has lost all their votes, Illinois State keeps their votes and adds a few more, and Florida Atlantic drops 3 spots but are still ranked.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (72) 18-1 1800 1 Mid-American Conference
2. Old Dominion 15-3 1679 3 Conference USA
3. San Diego State 15-4 1577 8 Mountain West Conference
4. Florida Atlantic 15-2 1570 4 Conference USA
5. Illinois State 13-5 1522 6 Missouri Valley Conference
6. Oakland 16-3 1467 2 Horizon League
7. Akron 16-4 1375 7 Mid-American Conference
8. Evansville 16-4 1243 11 Missouri Valley Conference
9. Gonzaga 14-6 1240 5 West Coast Conference
10. Saint Louis 14-4 1122 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
11. American 16-4 1075 12 Patriot League
12. Murray State 15-4 1057 14 Sun Belt Conference
13. Nevada 13-5 942 9 Mountain West Conference
14. Tennessee Martin 15-4 881 10 Ohio Valley Conference
15. George Mason 12-6 774 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Vermont 15-5 690 19 Northeast Conference
17. Southern Mississippi 11-5 685 21 Conference USA
18. Northern Iowa 12-5 585 16 Missouri Valley Conference
19. Georgia Southern 14-4 486 18 Sun Belt Conference
20. Fairfield 15-6 441 17 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
21. Loyola Marymount 14-6 327 NR West Coast Conference
22. Stony Brook 13-5 235 NR America East Conference
23. UW Green Bay 14-6 178 NR Horizon League
24. Pepperdine 14-7 154 NR West Coast Conference
25. Wyoming 11-6 89 15 Mountain West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
USC Upstate 14-6 43 Atlantic Sun Conference
North Carolina Central 13-6 30 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
North Texas 12-5 25 Conference USA
Missouri State 13-6 22 Missouri Valley Conference
Fresno State 12-7 21 Mountain West Conference
Lipscomb 13-6 20 Atlantic Sun Conference
Cornell 12-7 16 Ivy League
George Washington 11-7 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
Boise State 12-7 9 Mountain West Conference
UW Milwaukee 14-7 7 Horizon League
Loyola Maryland 13-7 3 Patriot League

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 22-28, 2018

Game Scores

Jan. 24, 2018

at Northern Iowa 81, Wichita State 76
at Southern Illinois 65, Drake 55
Missouri State 66, at Loyola Chicago 61
Bradley 64, at Indiana State 62
at Illinois State 72, Tulsa 64 (non-conference)

Jan. 27, 2018

Evansville 90, at Illinois State 84
Drake 69, at Northern Iowa 60
at Southern Illinois 78, Wichita State 62
at Loyola Chicago 65, Bradley 58
at Indiana State 73, Missouri State 64

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois State Redbirds 8 2 .800 14 6 .700 15 71
Northern Iowa Panthers 8 3 .727 13 6 .684 79 65
Evansville Aces 7 3 .700 17 4 .810 42 63
Indiana State Sycamores 7 4 .636 13 9 .591 119 58
Southern Illinois Salukis 7 4 .636 15 7 .682 128 61
Missouri State Bears 6 5 .545 14 7 .667 94 52
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 4 7 .364 9 14 .391 172 41
Bradley Braves 3 8 .273 6 15 .286 178 52
Wichita State Shockers 2 9 .182 10 13 .435 116 83
Drake Bulldogs 2 9 .182 6 16 .273 142 57


It is very, very tight, as there are 6 teams right now that have a legit chance to win the Valley regular season title. Those 6 teams should be in the postseason for sure, and I still have no clue what's going on with Wichita State.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 22-28, 2018

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 8-15, 2-8 America East. With 2 wins this week, Bryant becomes the second of our FOFC coaches this season to break the record for overall wins in a season. Coming into this season, the best Bryant had was a 7 win season. They hammered UMKC at home 89-73 in a non-conference game, then won a conference game 75-67 at UMBC.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 14-8, 7-3 America East. A tough 73-71 loss at Hartford started the week, but they got the road split with a 60-58 win at UMass Lowell.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 14-6, 6-3 Big 12. 2 home wins this week for the Wildcats, as they beat Iowa St. 78-70, then hammered TCU 95-65.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 3-19, 2-7 Big South. The Panthers lost 2 games by a combined 6 points this week, just can't get over the hump. First, a 75-72 loss at home against Longwood, then a 66-63 loss at Coastal Carolina.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 7-12, 5-2 Big West. A split this week for the Warriors, who lost 80-69 at Cal St. Northridge, then recovered to beat conference leader UC Riverside 84-71.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 16-3, 4-2 Conference USA. Another split this week for the Owls, who beat Middle Tennessee 69-67, then lost in OT 89-86 at Marshall.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 13-7, 2-6 Pac 12. The Huskies finally got another Pac 12 win, beating California 76-64, then got hammered at ranked UCLA 86-63.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Georgetown (69) 18-1 1797 1 Big East Conference
2. Villanova (1) 18-4 1710 5 Big East Conference
3. Southern California (2) 19-1 1625 3 Pacific-12 Conference
4. Ohio State 18-3 1602 7 Big Ten Conference
5. Pittsburgh 18-3 1535 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Syracuse 16-4 1408 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Miami 15-5 1270 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Memphis 16-4 1224 16 American Athletic Conference
9. Marquette 16-4 1154 15 Big East Conference
10. Oklahoma State 17-2 1085 12 Big 12 Conference
11. North Carolina 14-6 1029 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Louisville 17-4 1007 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Illinois 17-4 981 4 Big Ten Conference
14. Temple 17-3 920 10 American Athletic Conference
15. Alabama 16-5 797 14 Southeastern Conference
16. Oregon 17-3 792 9 Pacific-12 Conference
17. Connecticut 17-4 782 19 American Athletic Conference
18. Kent State 19-2 571 11 Mid-American Conference
19. Arizona 15-5 537 18 Pacific-12 Conference
20. UCLA 16-4 440 21 Pacific-12 Conference
21. San Diego State 17-4 272 NR Mountain West Conference
22. Purdue 12-7 212 23 Big Ten Conference
23. Akron 18-4 204 NR Mid-American Conference
24. Michigan 14-5 133 NR Big Ten Conference
25. Stanford 13-6 77 NR Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Florida Atlantic 16-3 54 Conference USA
Evansville 17-4 44 Missouri Valley Conference
Gonzaga 16-6 39 West Coast Conference
Penn State 14-5 33 Big Ten Conference
Arkansas 15-5 25 Southeastern Conference
Murray State 17-4 22 Sun Belt Conference
Illinois State 14-6 9 Missouri Valley Conference
South Carolina 14-6 3 Southeastern Conference
American 17-5 2 Patriot League
Central Florida 14-6 2 American Athletic Conference
Oakland 17-4 2 Horizon League
Nevada 15-5 1 Mountain West Conference


Good news for the MVC, who now has a 2nd team receiving votes in the national polls. Bad news for Florida Atlantic who has dropped just outside the top 25. No matter, as it's still a remarkable season for the Owls.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (47) 19-2 1758 1 Mid-American Conference
2. Gonzaga (20) 16-6 1695 9 West Coast Conference
3. San Diego State (5) 17-4 1659 3 Mountain West Conference
4. Illinois State 14-6 1554 5 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Akron 18-4 1522 7 Mid-American Conference
6. Evansville 17-4 1385 8 Missouri Valley Conference
7. George Mason 14-6 1300 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Nevada 15-5 1284 13 Mountain West Conference
9. Oakland 17-4 1190 6 Horizon League
10. Florida Atlantic 16-3 1149 4 Conference USA
11. Murray State 17-4 1120 12 Sun Belt Conference
12. Old Dominion 15-5 1018 2 Conference USA
13. Fairfield 17-6 889 20 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
14. Saint Louis 15-5 842 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. American 17-5 747 11 Patriot League
16. Tennessee Martin 17-4 680 14 Ohio Valley Conference
17. Vermont 16-5 656 16 Northeast Conference
18. Loyola Marymount 16-6 655 21 West Coast Conference
19. Fresno State 14-7 463 NR Mountain West Conference
20. Southern Mississippi 12-6 414 17 Conference USA
21. Boise State 14-7 363 NR Mountain West Conference
22. Cornell 14-7 245 NR Ivy League
23. Saint Mary's 14-9 204 NR West Coast Conference
24. Northern Iowa 13-6 175 18 Missouri Valley Conference
25. Wyoming 12-6 103 25 Mountain West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Georgia Southern 15-5 51 Sun Belt Conference
Saint Joseph's 11-8 50 Atlantic 10 Conference
Stony Brook 14-5 37 America East Conference
Pepperdine 14-9 34 West Coast Conference
UW Green Bay 15-7 34 Horizon League
North Carolina Central 15-6 33 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Southern Illinois 15-7 25 Missouri Valley Conference
Loyola Maryland 15-7 22 Patriot League
UW Milwaukee 15-8 12 Horizon League
George Washington 12-8 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
The Citadel 15-7 8 Southern Conference
San Diego 13-9 7 West Coast Conference
Missouri State 14-7 6 Missouri Valley Conference
New Mexico State 13-7 1 Western Athletic Conference

[bbgunn]

Fatigue's starting to set in for the Owls. No biggie... they'll come around for March Madness. Sweet 16 baby!

[JAG]

2 conference wins, yes! (Having Missouri State flashbacks)

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2018

Game Scores

Jan. 31, 2018

at Missouri State 93, Evansville 88
Illinois State 66, at Bradley 54
Loyola Chicago 66, at Drake 60
Indiana State 88, at Wichita State 79

Feb. 1, 2018

at Miami Ohio 66, Northern Iowa 54

Feb. 3, 2018

Illinois State 82, at Missouri State 57
at Bradley 85, Evansville 75
Indiana State 71, at Drake 63
at Wichita State 81, Loyola Chicago 77
at Southern Illinois 91, Northern Iowa 57

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#25 Illinois State Redbirds 10 2 .833 16 6 .727 16 71
Indiana State Sycamores 9 4 .692 15 9 .625 118 58
Southern Illinois Salukis 8 4 .667 16 7 .696 98 61
Northern Iowa Panthers 8 4 .667 13 8 .619 87 65
Evansville Aces 7 5 .583 17 6 .739 55 63
Missouri State Bears 7 6 .538 15 8 .652 74 52
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 5 8 .385 10 15 .400 203 41
Bradley Braves 4 9 .308 7 16 .304 149 52
Wichita State Shockers 3 10 .231 11 14 .440 134 83
Drake Bulldogs 2 11 .154 6 18 .250 187 57


Still in great position to have 6 postseason teams, and it's still a close race at the top, with 5 teams separated by 3 games.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2018

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 9-16, 3-9 9th America East. The Bulldogs started the week with a nice 74-56 win at Albany, then lost at home to Maine 67-48.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 16-8, 9-3 1st America East. A good week for Maine, who hammered Stony Brook at home 85-61, then won at Bryant 67-48.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 15-6, 7-3 2nd Big 12. Only 1 game this week for the Wildcats, a tough hard fought home win vs. Texas, 81-73.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 3-20, 2-8 5th Big South, North Division. Only 1 game this week for High Point, who lost at home to Charleston Southern 68-57.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 8-13, 6-3 T-2nd Big West. A split this week for Hawaii, who lost 68-54 at Long Beach State, but hammered UC Davis on the road, 96-70.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 17-4, 5-3 T-3rd Conference USA. Another split this week for the Owls, who lost in OT at home against Charlotte, 65-60, then recovered to beat FIU at home, 75-54.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 13-9, 2-8 11th Pac 12. The dismal conference season continues for the Huskies, who lost 66-51 at home against UCLA, then went to Stanford and lost 102-82.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Georgetown (71) 19-2 1799 1 Big East Conference
2. Villanova (1) 19-5 1701 2 Big East Conference
3. Pittsburgh 20-3 1652 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Marquette 18-4 1506 9 Big East Conference
5. Miami 17-5 1463 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Louisville 19-4 1333 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Oregon 19-3 1305 16 Pacific-12 Conference
8. Southern California 19-3 1246 3 Pacific-12 Conference
9. Syracuse 17-5 1195 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Oklahoma State 19-2 1193 10 Big 12 Conference
11. Ohio State 19-4 1170 4 Big Ten Conference
12. Illinois 19-4 1028 13 Big Ten Conference
13. Temple 19-3 1016 14 American Athletic Conference
14. Memphis 17-5 875 8 American Athletic Conference
15. North Carolina 15-7 785 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Kent State 21-2 663 18 Mid-American Conference
17. Connecticut 18-5 660 17 American Athletic Conference
18. Purdue 14-7 617 22 Big Ten Conference
19. Alabama 17-6 551 15 Southeastern Conference
20. San Diego State 19-4 457 21 Mountain West Conference
21. Akron 20-4 313 23 Mid-American Conference
22. Arizona 16-6 258 19 Pacific-12 Conference
23. Wisconsin 16-6 217 NR Big Ten Conference
24. UCLA 17-5 206 20 Pacific-12 Conference
25. Illinois State 16-6 74 NR Missouri Valley Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Penn State 16-5 55 Big Ten Conference
Gonzaga 18-6 30 West Coast Conference
Stanford 15-6 13 Pacific-12 Conference
Oakland 19-4 9 Horizon League
Florida Atlantic 17-4 7 Conference USA
Florida 13-8 2 Southeastern Conference
Michigan 15-6 1 Big Ten Conference


Good for Illinois St. cracking the national top 25, while Florida Atlantic continues to lose votes every week they split.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (53) 21-2 1766 1 Mid-American Conference
2. San Diego State (9) 19-4 1700 3 Mountain West Conference
3. Gonzaga (5) 18-6 1660 2 West Coast Conference
4. Illinois State (5) 16-6 1594 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Akron 20-4 1554 5 Mid-American Conference
6. Oakland 19-4 1404 9 Horizon League
7. Saint Louis 17-5 1290 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Fairfield 19-6 1249 13 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
9. Nevada 16-6 1178 8 Mountain West Conference
10. Florida Atlantic 17-4 1089 10 Conference USA
11. Vermont 18-5 1085 17 Northeast Conference
12. Old Dominion 16-6 1054 12 Conference USA
13. Evansville 17-6 927 6 Missouri Valley Conference
14. George Mason 14-8 849 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Tennessee Martin 18-5 714 16 Ohio Valley Conference
16. Cornell 16-7 660 22 Ivy League
17. Fresno State 15-8 630 19 Mountain West Conference
18. American 18-6 609 15 Patriot League
19. Loyola Marymount 16-7 477 18 West Coast Conference
20. Murray State 17-6 472 11 Sun Belt Conference
21. Southern Mississippi 13-7 307 20 Conference USA
22. Southern Illinois 16-7 284 NR Missouri Valley Conference
23. UW Milwaukee 17-8 208 NR Horizon League
24. San Diego 15-9 187 NR West Coast Conference
25. Georgia Southern 17-5 114 NR Sun Belt Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Boise State 14-8 83 Mountain West Conference
Saint Mary's 15-10 49 West Coast Conference
Saint Joseph's 12-9 42 Atlantic 10 Conference
Loyola Maryland 16-8 37 Patriot League
Mercer 14-8 29 Southern Conference
Missouri State 15-8 25 Missouri Valley Conference
Stony Brook 15-7 19 America East Conference
Brigham Young 15-10 14 West Coast Conference
North Carolina Central 16-7 13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
UW Green Bay 16-8 12 Horizon League
George Washington 13-9 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
Northern Iowa 13-8 4 Missouri Valley Conference
UNC Greensboro 15-8 3 Southern Conference
Wyoming 12-8 3 Mountain West Conference
North Dakota State 15-8 2 Summit League


The mid-major top 25 is a toss up at first place again, as 4 teams receive first place votes, including MVC representative Illinois St.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 5-11, 2018

Game Scores

Feb. 6, 2018

at #4 Marquette 88, Bradley 62 (non-conference)

Feb. 7, 2018

Wichita State 69, at Evansville 56
at #25 Illinois State 84, Drake 59
at Loyola Chicago 76, Southern Illinois 56
at Indiana State 77, Northern Iowa 68

Feb. 8, 2018

at Gonzaga 55, Bradley 49 (non-conference)
Iowa State 94, at Missouri State 72 (non-conference)

Feb. 10, 2018

Bradley 75, at Missouri State 63
at Evansville 71, Drake 62
at #25 Illinois State 75, Wichita State 60
Northern Iowa 95, at Loyola Chicago 89
at Indiana State 58, Southern Illinois 52

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#24 Illinois State Redbirds 12 2 .857 18 6 .750 20 71
Indiana State Sycamores 11 4 .733 17 9 .654 93 58
Northern Iowa Panthers 9 5 .643 14 9 .609 75 65
Evansville Aces 8 6 .571 18 7 .720 73 63
Southern Illinois Salukis 8 6 .571 16 9 .640 110 61
Missouri State Bears 7 7 .500 15 10 .600 108 52
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 6 9 .400 11 16 .407 210 41
Bradley Braves 5 9 .357 8 18 .308 111 52
Wichita State Shockers 4 11 .267 12 15 .444 109 83
Drake Bulldogs 2 13 .133 6 20 .231 196 57


A little bit of separation this week, as Illinois State and Indiana State have gotten a nice push away from the pack. Good week for Wichita State who needs to try and make a late season run.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 5-11, 2018

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 11-16, 5-9 7th America East. A great week for the Bulldogs, who have gotten double digit win totals for the first time since I started this dynasty. First they beat Binghamton at home, 95-87, then they won at UMass Lowell 55-42.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 18-8, 10-3 T-1st America East. The Black Bears hosted Bucknell in a non-conference game and won 101-90, then hammered Albany at home, 73-46.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 15-8, 7-5 3rd Big 12. 2 road losses this week for the Wildcats, who lost at Kansas 80-57, and at Oklahoma St. 72-63.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 4-21, 3-9 T-4th in North Division of Big South Conference. The Panthers rolled over Campbell 55-30 to begin the week, then returned home, losing to Radford 53-44.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 10-13, 8-3 2nd Big West. A good week for the Warriors who are into the double digit win column, as they won 72-62 at home against UC Santa Barbara, then hammered Cal Poly on the road, 85-55.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 18-5, 6-4 T-4th Conference USA. The splits continue for the Owls, who won at home against UTEP, 76-62, then lost at Louisiana Tech 76-60.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 14-10, 3-9 T-10th Pac 12. All in all, a good week on the road for the Huskies, who hammered Arizona State 81-56, then went to Oregon and took the nationally ranked Ducks to the wire before losing 78-76.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Georgetown (71) 21-2 1798 1 Big East Conference
2. Pittsburgh (1) 22-3 1725 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Villanova 20-6 1622 2 Big East Conference
4. Marquette 20-4 1531 4 Big East Conference
5. Southern California 21-3 1469 8 Pacific-12 Conference
6. Oregon 21-3 1444 7 Pacific-12 Conference
7. Miami 18-6 1359 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Syracuse 19-5 1353 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Ohio State 21-4 1275 11 Big Ten Conference
10. Oklahoma State 20-3 1105 10 Big 12 Conference
11. Illinois 20-5 1008 12 Big Ten Conference
12. Kent State 23-2 917 16 Mid-American Conference
13. Alabama 19-6 898 19 Southeastern Conference
14. Connecticut 20-5 884 17 American Athletic Conference
15. Memphis 18-6 817 14 American Athletic Conference
16. North Carolina 16-8 658 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. UCLA 19-5 602 24 Pacific-12 Conference
18. Arizona 18-6 569 22 Pacific-12 Conference
19. Louisville 19-6 559 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. Temple 19-5 537 13 American Athletic Conference
21. Akron 22-4 413 21 Mid-American Conference
22. San Diego State 20-5 255 20 Mountain West Conference
23. Gonzaga 20-6 252 NR West Coast Conference
24. Illinois State 18-6 174 25 Missouri Valley Conference
25. Oakland 21-4 61 NR Horizon League

Others Receiving Votes:
Purdue 14-9 52 Big Ten Conference
Stanford 16-7 31 Pacific-12 Conference
Arkansas 18-6 23 Southeastern Conference
Vermont 20-5 6 Northeast Conference
South Carolina 17-7 2 Southeastern Conference
Florida Atlantic 18-5 1 Conference USA

While Illinois St. moves up a spot, Florida Atlantic continues to lose votes. Another split next week may cost them their remaining vote.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (49) 23-2 1762 1 Mid-American Conference
2. Gonzaga (18) 20-6 1702 3 West Coast Conference
3. San Diego State (5) 20-5 1656 2 Mountain West Conference
4. Illinois State 18-6 1588 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Akron 22-4 1569 5 Mid-American Conference
6. Oakland 21-4 1437 6 Horizon League
7. Vermont 20-5 1327 11 Northeast Conference
8. Saint Louis 18-6 1256 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Nevada 17-7 1198 9 Mountain West Conference
10. Florida Atlantic 18-5 1108 10 Conference USA
11. Cornell 17-7 1028 16 Ivy League
12. Old Dominion 17-7 1026 12 Conference USA
13. Evansville 18-7 916 13 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Fairfield 19-8 813 8 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
15. UW Milwaukee 19-8 731 23 Horizon League
16. American 19-7 661 18 Patriot League
17. San Diego 17-9 626 24 West Coast Conference
18. Tennessee Martin 19-6 623 15 Ohio Valley Conference
19. Murray State 18-7 508 20 Sun Belt Conference
20. Fresno State 15-9 425 17 Mountain West Conference
21. George Mason 14-10 264 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Georgia Southern 18-6 251 25 Sun Belt Conference
23. Brigham Young 17-10 228 NR West Coast Conference
24. Indiana State 17-9 136 NR Missouri Valley Conference
25. Boise State 15-9 114 NR Mountain West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Iona 16-9 66 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Pepperdine 16-11 65 West Coast Conference
Saint Joseph's 13-10 65 Atlantic 10 Conference
Stony Brook 17-7 47 America East Conference
Loyola Marymount 16-9 41 West Coast Conference
UNC Greensboro 17-8 39 Southern Conference
Southern Illinois 16-9 20 Missouri Valley Conference
Southern Mississippi 13-9 19 Conference USA
UAB 15-9 15 Conference USA
Northern Iowa 14-9 14 Missouri Valley Conference
North Dakota State 16-9 12 Summit League
Maine 18-8 11 America East Conference
Saint Mary's 15-11 11 West Coast Conference
Cal State Bakersfield 16-9 10 Western Athletic Conference
Northwestern State 15-8 4 Southland Conference
UW Green Bay 17-9 4 Horizon League
Mercer 15-9 3 Southern Conference
Wyoming 13-9 1 Mountain West Conference

Let's welcome Maine into the mid-major top 25 polls, at least they are receiving votes now. Speaking of votes, Illinois State with a great week lost all their first place votes. And there's Gonzaga back in the mix.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 12-18, 2018

Game Scores

Feb. 13, 2018

Indiana State 86, at Alabama State 66 (non-conference)

Feb. 14, 2018

at Drake 61, Missouri State 42
at Wichita State 75, Bradley 67
#24 Illinois State 70, at Northern Iowa 37
at Southern Illinois 77, Evansville 68

Feb. 17, 2018

at Drake 70, Bradley 60
at Wichita State 55, Missouri State 47
at Northern Iowa 88, Evansville 80
#24 Illinois State 76, at Southern Illinois 52
at Indiana State 60, Loyola Chicago 50

Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#20 Illinois State Redbirds 14 2 .875 20 6 .769 15 71
Indiana State Sycamores 12 4 .750 19 9 .679 79 58
Northern Iowa Panthers 10 6 .625 15 10 .600 65 65
Southern Illinois Salukis 9 7 .563 17 10 .630 87 61
Evansville Aces 8 8 .500 18 9 .667 75 63
Missouri State Bears 7 9 .438 15 12 .556 149 52
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 6 10 .375 11 17 .393 213 41
Wichita State Shockers 6 11 .353 14 15 .483 107 83
Bradley Braves 5 11 .313 8 20 .286 161 52
Drake Bulldogs 4 13 .235 8 20 .286 212 57


The situation is pretty simple going into the last week of MVC play.. An Illinois State win or an Indiana State loss gives the Redbirds the MVC regular season title. Going down the line, Indiana State can clinch the #2 seed with a win or a Northern Iowa loss this week. Drake looks to be established in the play-in round yet again.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 12-18, 2018

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 11-17, 5-10 7th America East. Only 1 game this week for the Bulldogs, who lost 90-63 at Stony Brook.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 19-9, 11-4 2nd America East. The Black Bears started off the week with a really bad loss at home against UMBC, a team that has won only 6 games all season. They lost 82-75. They took out their frustrations on Hartford, dismantling them at home, 88-48.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 17-8, 9-5 T-2nd Big 12. Good week for the Wildcats, who defended their home turf twice this week, first beating West Virginia 97-83, then beating Oklahoma 76-55.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 5-22, 4-10 4th in North Division of Big South Conference. The Panthers started the week with a 61-50 win at Winthrop, then returned home and lost 67-59 to Gardner Webb.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 12-13, 9-3 T-1st Big West. Hawaii is making a push for the conference title, helped by a 79-55 win at home vs. UC Irvine. They also played a non-conference game at Robert Morris and won 87-83.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 19-6, 7-5 T-4th Conference USA. The win one, lose one weeks continue for the Owls. They lost 86-73 at UAB, then won 85-82 in overtime at North Texas.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 15-11, 4-10 T-10th Pac 12. The Huskies got a big win at home against Arizona, 64-58, then lost at Utah 72-69.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Georgetown (71) 23-2 1799 1 Big East Conference
2. Pittsburgh (1) 24-3 1728 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Villanova 21-7 1621 3 Big East Conference
4. Oklahoma State 22-3 1516 4 Big 12 Conference
5. Oregon 23-3 1502 5 Pacific-12 Conference
6. Syracuse 21-5 1496 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Ohio State 23-4 1302 7 Big Ten Conference
8. Southern California 22-4 1252 8 Pacific-12 Conference
9. Connecticut 22-5 1196 9 American Athletic Conference
10. Miami 19-7 1175 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Memphis 20-6 1142 11 American Athletic Conference
12. North Carolina 18-8 969 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Kent State 24-3 888 13 Mid-American Conference
14. Illinois 21-6 884 14 Big Ten Conference
15. Akron 24-4 752 15 Mid-American Conference
16. Marquette 20-6 720 16 Big East Conference
17. Alabama 20-7 683 17 Southeastern Conference
18. Temple 20-6 582 18 American Athletic Conference
19. San Diego State 22-5 532 19 Mountain West Conference
20. Illinois State 20-6 471 20 Missouri Valley Conference
21. Wisconsin 19-7 353 21 Big Ten Conference
22. Oakland 23-4 313 22 Horizon League
23. Louisville 19-8 237 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
24. UCLA 19-7 140 24 Pacific-12 Conference
25. Stanford 17-8 87 25 Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Vermont 22-5 28 Northeast Conference
Arkansas 19-7 16 Southeastern Conference
Kentucky 18-8 8 Southeastern Conference
Arizona 18-8 5 Pacific-12 Conference
Gonzaga 20-8 2 West Coast Conference
Florida Atlantic 19-6 1 Conference USA

Illinois State moves up a few spots in the polls, and Florida Atlantic continues to get just 1 vote. Now I'm getting a little suspicious.. are you voting for yourself Coach Chagulia? *shakes finger at you* (just a little humor to add to this report, I did think it was kind of funny that FAU continues to get just 1 vote).

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (20) 24-3 1732 1 Mid-American Conference
2. Illinois State (37) 20-6 1714 2 Missouri Valley Conference
3. San Diego State (15) 22-5 1670 3 Mountain West Conference
4. Akron 24-4 1638 4 Mid-American Conference
5. Gonzaga 20-8 1478 5 West Coast Conference
6. Oakland 23-4 1477 6 Horizon League
7. Vermont 22-5 1354 7 Northeast Conference
8. Nevada 19-7 1278 8 Mountain West Conference
9. Cornell 19-7 1184 9 Ivy League
10. San Diego 19-9 1087 10 West Coast Conference
11. Florida Atlantic 19-6 1058 11 Conference USA
12. Fairfield 20-8 964 12 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
13. Murray State 20-7 891 13 Sun Belt Conference
14. Tennessee Martin 21-6 874 14 Ohio Valley Conference
15. UW Milwaukee 20-9 729 15 Horizon League
16. Saint Louis 18-8 704 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. George Mason 16-10 603 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. American 20-8 525 18 Patriot League
19. Indiana State 19-9 483 19 Missouri Valley Conference
20. Boise State 17-9 440 20 Mountain West Conference
21. Old Dominion 17-9 375 21 Conference USA
22. Evansville 18-9 250 22 Missouri Valley Conference
23. Stony Brook 19-7 195 23 America East Conference
24. UNC Greensboro 19-8 169 24 Southern Conference
25. Fresno State 16-10 134 25 Mountain West Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Brigham Young 18-11 108 West Coast Conference
UAB 17-9 85 Conference USA
Georgia Southern 19-7 49 Sun Belt Conference
Iona 17-10 30 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
North Dakota State 18-9 30 Summit League
Mercer 17-9 28 Southern Conference
Saint Joseph's 14-11 23 Atlantic 10 Conference
Southern Illinois 17-10 12 Missouri Valley Conference
Northern Iowa 15-10 10 Missouri Valley Conference
Saint Mary's 16-12 6 West Coast Conference
Loyola Marymount 17-10 5 West Coast Conference
Northwestern State 17-8 4 Southland Conference
Pepperdine 16-12 3 West Coast Conference
Cal State Bakersfield 17-10 1 Western Athletic Conference

Still a lot of MVC representation in the mid-major polls, which I would think would bode well for postseason selections. Nice to see Illinois St. all the way up at #2, receiving a lot of first place votes. That loss to UMBC appears to have cost Maine all their votes.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 19-25, 2018

Game Scores

Feb. 21, 2018

Northern Iowa 91, at Missouri State 89
at Bradley 60, Southern Illinois 57
Loyola Chicago 75, at Evansville 64
at #20 Illinois State 67, Indiana State 49

A couple upsets today, and Illinois St. clinches the MVC regular season title with that win.

Feb. 24, 2018

Southern Illinois 78, at Missouri State 70
Northern Iowa 73, at Bradley 48
at Wichita State 62, Drake 47
Indiana State 84, at Evansville 75
at #20 Illinois State 72, Loyola Chicago 54

Final Missouri Valley Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#17 Illinois State Redbirds 16 2 .889 22 6 .786 13 71
Indiana State Sycamores 13 5 .722 20 10 .667 59 58
Northern Iowa Panthers 12 6 .667 17 10 .630 56 65
Southern Illinois Salukis 10 8 .556 18 11 .621 107 61
Evansville Aces 8 10 .444 18 11 .621 94 63
Wichita State Shockers 7 11 .389 15 15 .500 122 83
Missouri State Bears 7 11 .389 15 14 .517 160 52
Loyola Chicago Ramblers 7 11 .389 12 18 .400 186 41
Bradley Braves 6 12 .333 9 21 .300 157 52
Drake Bulldogs 4 14 .222 8 21 .276 233 57


A late season collapse by Missouri State has them in a familiar place.. the play-in round. Wichita State wins 5 of their last 6 after a dismal 8 game losing streak to keep their faint postseason hopes alive. I think they will have to win at least their first game in the MVC tournament to have a chance, and with their prestige, they might get a postseason bid with a .500 record.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 19-25, 2018

Bryant (Score Galore) -- 12-17, 6-10 7th America East. The Bulldogs finish off their regular season with a 62-55 win at home against New Hampshire and will get the 7th seed in the America East tournament.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- 19-10, 11-5 T-2nd America East. A little bit of a letdown for the Black Bears, who had a chance to get 2nd place outright, but lost 76-68 at Binghamton. Losing 2 of their last 3 probably cost Maine a chance to win the regular season title, but due to tiebreakers, they get the #2 seed anyways.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 18-9, 10-6 T-2nd Big 12. The Wildcats took care of business at TCU, getting a 93-68 win, but dropped a 74-66 game at Iowa State, with 1 more week of Big 12 play to go.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- 6-23, 5-11 4th in North Division of Big South Conference. The Panthers lost a heartbreaker at UNC Asheville 67-65, but finished off the regular season by crushing Liberty at home, 90-73. Not quite understanding why the Big South has split divisions, yet when it comes to the conference tournament teams aren't seeded by division. Nevertheless, High Point is the 8th seed in the Big South tournament.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 12-15, 9-5 2nd Big West. Tough week for the Warriors, who dropped 2 games in bad fashion, losing 79-63 at Cal St. Fullerton, then returning home and losing to Cal St. Northridge 73-53. Despite that, they still have a chance to win the Big West regular season title, but they MUST win both their games next week.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 21-6, 9-5 T-3rd Conference USA. The Owls buck the trend this week and actually win both their games for the week. They won 76-65 at Western Kentucky, and then returned home to beat Rice 78-76. Next week will be a test though, as they face conference leader UTSA, and finish up with an Old Dominion team that has several big wins on their schedule, including the likes of Virginia, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Virginia Tech.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 16-12, 5-11 10th Pac 12. The Huskies battled hard at 8th ranked USC, but ended up losing 74-66. They then travelled to Washington St. and won 81-67 and have a chance to build some momentum with 2 winnable games in the last week of conference play next week.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Georgetown (71) 25-2 1799 1 Big East Conference
2. Pittsburgh (1) 26-3 1729 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Syracuse 23-5 1630 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Oklahoma State 24-3 1566 4 Big 12 Conference
5. Oregon 25-3 1514 5 Pacific-12 Conference
6. Ohio State 25-4 1389 7 Big Ten Conference
7. Memphis 22-6 1302 11 American Athletic Conference
8. Villanova 21-8 1295 3 Big East Conference
9. North Carolina 20-8 1245 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Connecticut 23-5 1157 9 American Athletic Conference
11. Southern California 23-5 1080 8 Pacific-12 Conference
12. Miami 20-8 1044 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Kent State 26-3 975 13 Mid-American Conference
14. Wisconsin 21-7 789 21 Big Ten Conference
15. Akron 25-5 728 15 Mid-American Conference
16. Illinois 22-7 695 14 Big Ten Conference
17. Illinois State 22-6 614 20 Missouri Valley Conference
18. Marquette 21-7 570 16 Big East Conference
19. Alabama 21-8 537 17 Southeastern Conference
20. Temple 21-7 498 18 American Athletic Conference
21. UCLA 21-7 435 24 Pacific-12 Conference
22. San Diego State 23-6 333 19 Mountain West Conference
23. Louisville 20-8 228 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Gonzaga 22-8 108 NR West Coast Conference
25. Stanford 18-9 38 25 Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Missouri 19-9 25 Southeastern Conference
Oakland 23-6 23 Horizon League
Vermont 23-6 17 Northeast Conference
Kentucky 19-9 15 Southeastern Conference
Tennessee Martin 23-6 11 Ohio Valley Conference
Penn State 19-8 9 Big Ten Conference
Florida Atlantic 21-6 2 Conference USA

Illinois St. continues to move up the ladder, and Florida Atlantic gets another vote (has to be from either Coach Gunn over at Hawaii, or coach Chagulia's twin brother.. hmm..)

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kent State (37) 26-3 1757 1 Mid-American Conference
2. Illinois State (29) 22-6 1751 2 Missouri Valley Conference
3. Akron 25-5 1619 4 Mid-American Conference
4. San Diego State (5) 23-6 1593 3 Mountain West Conference
5. Gonzaga (1) 22-8 1560 5 West Coast Conference
6. Oakland 23-6 1367 6 Horizon League
7. Nevada 20-7 1328 8 Mountain West Conference
8. Vermont 23-6 1278 7 Northeast Conference
9. Florida Atlantic 21-6 1143 11 Conference USA
10. Fairfield 22-8 1106 12 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
11. San Diego 20-9 1104 10 West Coast Conference
12. Murray State 22-7 964 13 Sun Belt Conference
13. Tennessee Martin 23-6 955 14 Ohio Valley Conference
14. Cornell 20-8 932 9 Ivy League
15. George Mason 18-10 788 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. UW Milwaukee 22-9 766 15 Horizon League
17. Boise State 19-9 683 20 Mountain West Conference
18. Old Dominion 19-9 563 21 Conference USA
19. American 21-8 518 18 Patriot League
20. Indiana State 20-10 420 19 Missouri Valley Conference
21. North Dakota State 20-9 277 NR Summit League
22. UNC Greensboro 20-9 217 24 Southern Conference
23. Saint Mary's 18-12 155 NR West Coast Conference
24. Northern Iowa 17-10 145 NR Missouri Valley Conference
25. UAB 18-10 65 NR Conference USA

Others Receiving Votes:
UW Green Bay 20-10 53 Horizon League
Stony Brook 19-8 46 America East Conference
Pepperdine 18-12 39 West Coast Conference
Saint Louis 18-10 39 Atlantic 10 Conference
Brigham Young 18-12 38 West Coast Conference
Georgia Southern 20-8 37 Sun Belt Conference
New Mexico State 18-9 22 Western Athletic Conference
Mercer 18-10 19 Southern Conference
Iona 18-11 17 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Saint Joseph's 15-12 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
Southern Mississippi 16-10 12 Conference USA
Northwestern State 18-9 5 Southland Conference
Evansville 18-11 3 Missouri Valley Conference
Cal State Bakersfield 18-10 2 Western Athletic Conference
Rider 16-11 2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Illinois St. is very, very close to taking the top spot in the mid-major poll, and we welcome Northern Iowa back into the mid-major top 25. Sadly, Evansville has lost almost all their votes.

[bbgunn]

Is Coach Chagulia voting for himself? Of course? If he doesn't do it, no one will.

[collegesportsfanms]

MVC Feb. 26-March 4, 2018

1 game involving an MVC team before the conference tournament, that took place on Feb. 26, lets look at it.

at Northern Iowa 92, Binghamton 79

2018 MVC Tournament

2018 MVC Play-in Round

(7) Missouri State beat (10) Drake 72-56
(9) Bradley beat (8) Loyola Chicago 59-56.

2018 MVC Quarterfinals

(1) Illinois St. hammered (9) Bradley 80-55.
(5) Evansville beat (4) Southern Illinois 87-70.
(6) Wichita St. beat (3) Northern Iowa 78-67.
(7) Missouri St. beat (2) Indiana St. 68-60.

2018 MVC Semifinals

(1) Illinois St. beat (5) Evansville 75-70.
(7) Missouri St. beat (6) Wichita St. 96-93.

2018 MVC Championship

(1) Illinois St. beat (7) Missouri St. 73-58.

MVC Postseason Predictions

Illinois St. wins the auto berth for the second straight season and will be going to the NCAA tournament. Indiana St. and Northern Iowa have pretty solid resumes and could also be dancing. At the very least we'll see them in the NIT. Evansville should also be in the NIT. Southern Illinois could get into the NIT, but more than likely it's the CBI or CIT for them. Same with Missouri St. who should have done enough to get into the CBI or CIT. Will the prestige of Wichita St. get them into the postseason with a 16-16 record? Based on the performance of the MVC as a whole in the last few years, I say no. Definitely a no for Loyola Chicago, Bradley, and Drake.

[collegesportsfanms]

Non-MVC Feb. 26-March 4, 2018

Bryant (Score Galore) -- The Black Bears had the America East tournament this week, which will be covered in the next post.

Maine (Cillian O'Reilly) -- Ditto for them.

Kansas State (Rudy Arellano) -- 20-9, 12-6 2nd Big 12. Ironically, the Wildcats finished with exactly the same regular season record as they did last season. They won both their games this week, both at home, beating Texas Tech 102-62 then beating Baylor 87-76. They'll be the 2nd seed in the Big 12 tournament.

High Point (Roy Rogers) -- The Panthers also played their conference tournament this week.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 13-16, 10-6 T-2nd Big West. The Warriors split this week, winning at UC Riverside 86-62, then losing to Long Beach St. at home, 90-70. That loss cost them the 2nd seed in the Big West tournament, instead they'll be the 3rd seed.

Florida Atlantic (Kuji Chagulia) -- 23-6, 11-5 3rd Conference USA. A great finish for the Owls, who won at UTSA 92-91, then got a huge win at home against Old Dominion, beating them 79-65. They'll be the 3rd seed in the C-USA tourney.

Washington (Shannon Elliott) -- 17-13, 6-12 10th Pac 12. The dismal regular season ends with a split for the Huskies. They had 2 home games this week, beating Oregon St. 93-75 and losing to Colorado, 83-70. They'll be the 10th seed in the Pac 12 tourney.

Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Georgetown (71) 27-2 1799 1 Big East Conference
2. Pittsburgh (1) 27-4 1721 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Syracuse 25-5 1629 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Oklahoma State 26-3 1567 4 Big 12 Conference
5. Oregon 27-3 1505 5 Pacific-12 Conference
6. North Carolina 22-8 1417 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Ohio State 26-5 1393 6 Big Ten Conference
8. Villanova 23-8 1351 8 Big East Conference
9. Kent State 26-3 1099 13 Mid-American Conference
10. Illinois 24-7 1092 16 Big Ten Conference
11. Southern California 24-6 1030 11 Pacific-12 Conference
12. Connecticut 24-6 1002 10 American Athletic Conference
13. Louisville 22-8 911 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
14. Miami 20-9 854 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. Illinois State 25-6 813 17 Missouri Valley Conference
16. Alabama 23-8 727 19 Southeastern Conference
17. Memphis 22-8 693 7 American Athletic Conference
18. Akron 25-5 685 15 Mid-American Conference
19. Marquette 22-8 506 18 Big East Conference
20. Temple 22-8 385 20 American Athletic Conference
21. UCLA 22-8 362 21 Pacific-12 Conference
22. Wisconsin 21-9 258 14 Big Ten Conference
23. Gonzaga 24-8 218 24 West Coast Conference
24. San Diego State 23-7 161 22 Mountain West Conference
25. Arizona 21-9 89 NR Pacific-12 Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Missouri 21-9 41 Southeastern Conference
Florida Atlantic 23-6 36 Conference USA
Vermont 25-6 27 Northeast Conference
Oakland 24-6 18 Horizon League
Murray State 24-7 6 Sun Belt Conference
Stanford 19-10 5 Pacific-12 Conference

Nice to see Florida Atlantic get some more respect, as they got a lot of extra votes this week after another great week. Illinois St. could be a top 4 or 5 seed in their region in the NCAA tournament.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Illinois State (38) 25-6 1764 2 Missouri Valley Conference
2. Kent State (29) 26-3 1752 1 Mid-American Conference
3. Gonzaga (5) 24-8 1632 5 West Coast Conference
4. Akron 25-5 1609 3 Mid-American Conference
5. San Diego State 23-7 1514 4 Mountain West Conference
6. Oakland 24-6 1396 6 Horizon League
7. Vermont 25-6 1352 8 Northeast Conference
8. Nevada 21-8 1267 7 Mountain West Conference
9. Florida Atlantic 23-6 1246 9 Conference USA
10. Murray State 24-7 1144 12 Sun Belt Conference
11. Cornell 22-8 1068 14 Ivy League
12. Tennessee Martin 24-7 944 13 Ohio Valley Conference
13. Fairfield 22-9 891 10 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
14. UW Milwaukee 22-9 820 16 Horizon League
15. San Diego 20-10 794 11 West Coast Conference
16. George Mason 19-11 751 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. American 23-8 708 19 Patriot League
18. Boise State 20-10 638 17 Mountain West Conference
19. Old Dominion 20-10 524 18 Conference USA
20. Georgia Southern 23-8 425 NR Sun Belt Conference
21. Indiana State 20-11 287 20 Missouri Valley Conference
22. North Dakota State 21-10 198 21 Summit League
23. Cal State Bakersfield 20-10 137 NR Western Athletic Conference
24. UNC Greensboro 21-10 104 22 Southern Conference
25. UW Green Bay 20-10 87 NR Horizon League

Others Receiving Votes:
Northern Iowa 18-11 66 Missouri Valley Conference
Brigham Young 19-13 44 West Coast Conference
Stony Brook 21-9 39 America East Conference
UAB 19-11 38 Conference USA
Rider 19-11 28 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Pepperdine 19-13 24 West Coast Conference
Saint Mary's 18-13 24 West Coast Conference
Southern Mississippi 17-11 20 Conference USA
Iona 19-12 11 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
New Mexico State 19-10 11 Western Athletic Conference
Mercer 18-11 9 Southern Conference
Loyola Maryland 20-12 8 Patriot League
Saint Louis 19-11 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
Wyoming 17-11 7 Mountain West Conference
Saint Joseph's 16-13 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
Northwestern State 19-10 4 Southland Conference
Evansville 19-12 1 Missouri Valley Conference




Absolutely great to see Illinois St. at the top of the mid-major polls.

[collegesportsfanms]

2018 Non-MVC Conference Tournaments

2018 America East Tournament

Bryant ends their season with a loss to (2) Maine, 78-73, but they've got something to build on for next season.

Maine beat (7) Bryant 78-73 in the quarterfinals, then lost to (3) Hartford in the semifinals, but should have done enough to get another NIT berth.

2018 Big 12 Tournament

Kansas State beat (7) West Virginia 81-65 in the quarterfinals, then beat (3) Texas 85-75 in the semifinals, and earned an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament by shocking (1) Oklahoma St. 65-54! Congrats to the Wildcats who have gotten hot at the right time.

2018 Big South Tournament

High Point finishes a dismal season with an 85-74 loss to (9) Presbyterian, and will have to improve next year.

2018 Big West Tournament

Hawaii won their quarterfinal game 78-65 over (6) UC Riverside, but lost in the semifinals 76-66 to (2) Cal St. Northridge. The Warriors end their season with a 14-17 record.

2018 Conference USA Tournament

Florida Atlantic beat (11) Charlotte 92-84 in the quarterfinals, then lost a heartbreaker 80-78 to (10) Marshall in the semifinals. Despite that, they are still on the bubble for an NCAA tournament berth.

2018 Pac 12 Tournament

Washington beat (7) California 71-69 in the first round, then in the quarterfinals beat (2) Arizona 65-62. They hammered (6) Arizona St. 73-53 in the semifinals, but couldn't complete the Cinderella run, losing 83-74 to (5) Stanford in the championship. A good run late, but more than likely they'll be a top seed in the NIT.

[collegesportsfanms]

2018 Selection Sunday

MVC

Illinois St. gets the 6th seed in the NCAA West Region and will take on (11) George Mason in the First Round.

Indiana St. is the top seed in the NIT West Region and will open up with the winner of the Nicholls St./USC Upstate first round game.

Southern Illinois is the 7th seed in the NIT West Region and will take on (10) Eastern Washington in the first round.

Northern Iowa is the top seed in the NIT Mid West Region and gets the winner of the Samford/Maine first round game.

Evansville is the 3rd seed in the NIT South Region and will take on (6) Northwestern State in the second round.

Missouri St. is the 4th seed in the CIT and will take on (13) Longwood in the first round.

No postseason for Wichita St., Loyola Chicago, Bradley, or Drake.

I'm very pleased to have 6 of our 10 teams in postseason play, now I just hope we can win a few games and maybe we can get that conference prestige back up to 4.

Non-MVC

Washington will be in a first four game against Butler for the right to be the 12th seed in the NCAA West Region.

Florida Atlantic also will be in a first four game, taking on Milwaukee for the right to be the 12th seed in the NCAA South Region.

Kansas State is the 9th seed in the NCAA East Region and will open up with (8) South Carolina.

Maine gets the 9th seed in the NIT Midwest Region and will face (8) Samford in the first round.

No postseason for Bryant, High Point, or Hawaii.

[Grover]

We've moved up a single seed!

Disappointed the Black Bears can't do better in America East. We should be on easy street with Vermont out of the picture!

[collegesportsfanms]

2018 NCAA First Four

Washington beat Butler 71-56.

Florida Atlantic beat Milwaukee 73-68.


2018 NCAA First Round

(5) Florida beat (12) Washington 63-59 in overtime.

(6) Illinois State beat (11) George Mason 73-70.

(12) Florida Atlantic beat (5) Alabama 67-53.

(9) Kansas State beat (8) South Carolina 81-66.


NIT First Round

(7) Southern Illinois beat (10) Eastern Washington 89-64.

(9) Maine beat (8) Samford 71-62.


CIT First Round

(4) Missouri State beat (13) Longwood 80-77.

[collegesportsfanms]

2018 NCAA Second Round

(3) Illinois beat Illinois State 77-67.

(13) Murray State beat Florida Atlantic 100-97.

(1) Georgetown beat Kansas State 54-39.


2018 NIT Second Round

(1) Indiana State beat (8) Nicholls State 63-61 in overtime.

(2) Tulane beat Southern Illinois 63-51.

Maine hammered (1) Northern Iowa 95-67. Ouch! Good for Maine, bad for the MVC.

(6) Northwestern State beat (3) Evansville 79-61.


2018 CIT Second Round

Missouri State beat (5) Lafayette 59-52.

[collegesportsfanms]

2018 NIT Round of 16

(5) UNC Greensboro beat Indiana State 84-67.

(4) Green Bay beat Maine 70-68.


2018 CIT Semifinals

(16) Robert Morris beat Missouri State 80-72.

And that brings an end to all our MVC and FOFC teams in the postseason. Another tough postseason overall.

2018 Postseason Wrap-up

The NCAA Final Four was really solid this year, with (1S) Syracuse beating (1W) Pitt 73-57 in the first semifinal, then (3E) Oklahoma St. beating (2MW) Memphis 63-55 in the second semifinal. Oklahoma St. beat Syracuse 61-54 to win the national title.

It wasn't the case in the NIT, as (3W) Virginia hammered (6S) St. Louis 89-63 in one semifinal, and surprising teams met in the second semifinal as (5E) North Dakota St. beat (6MW) Western Michigan 65-48. Virginia hammered North Dakota State 97-74 in the NIT championship.

(12) Florida St. beat (6) NC Central 2 games to none in the CBI championship series. The Seminoles won the first game 70-68 and the second game 72-64.

(16) Robert Morris ran the table in the CIT, dominating the CIT championship, 93-61 over (10) South Dakota State.

[collegesportsfanms]

Only 1 national award of note for our MVC/FOFC players, as SR Edward Hanrahan from Illinois State was named to the all-NCAA 2nd team. Here's a look at the MVC awards in full:

2017-2018 MISSOURI VALLEY AWARDS

Player of the Year:

SR C Edward Hanrahan Illinois State 13.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.8 APG 0.7 SPG, 3.0 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PG Eugene Thomas Wichita State 9.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.3 APG 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Dan Muller Illinois State 26 - 7 (16 - 2)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Edward Hanrahan Illinois State 13.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 3.0 BPG
PF JR Kevin Sayer Evansville 18.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SF SR Cole Abram Illinois State 14.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.9 BPG
SG SR Daniel Walker Southern Illinois 19.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG JR Tommy Stephens Illinois State 9.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.6 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Rosendo Merrifield Northern Iowa 10.2 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.5 BPG
PF SO Morton Reynolds Evansville 16.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SF JR Brandon Turner Missouri State 10.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Gregory Williams Loyola Chicago 23.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Jerome Williams Northern Iowa 9.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C
PF FR Jerry Lapoint Northern Iowa 7.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SF FR Joshua Winton Bradley 9.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG FR Clayton Snodgrass Northern Iowa 9.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Eugene Thomas Wichita State 9.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Bryant put JR Karl Williams on the all-America East second team.

Maine head coach Cillian O'Reilly won America East coach of the year, and JR Jonathan Williams and SO Roosevelt Moore were named all-America East first team.

Kansas State had multiple awards. SO Pedro Profit and SR Milton Alvarado were named to the all-Big 12 first team, while SR Ronald May was named to the second team, and Brice Roussel was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team.

High Point put SO Terrance Click on the All-Big South first team.

Hawaii has set themselves up nicely for the future. SR Merv Turnbull was named all-Big West first team. SO Kurt Shoobert was named to the all-Big West second team. Norm Shill, Xiao Huo, and Philppe Deffrenne were all named to the Big West All-freshman team, and Shill was Big West Freshman of the Year. If all of those players (except for Turnbull who will graduate) produce as well next season as they did season, the Warriors could be looking at a postseason berth.

Florida Atlantic head coach Kuji Chagulia was named Conference USA Coach of the year, and SR Alex Wise was named to the All-League 2nd Team.

Washington had the Pac 12 Player of the year in SO Gerald Jack. He also made the all-Pac 12 first team, along with SR Richard Williams. Thomas Peter was named to the Pac 12 all-freshman team.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here is a look at the 2017-2018 MVC Recruiting Rankings:



# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
82. Loyola Chicago Missouri Valley PG Robin Burkhart *** 0 0 2 1 1
85. Drake Missouri Valley PF Matthew Bowler *** 0 0 2 0 0
110. Wichita State Missouri Valley PF Rueben Reeves **** 0 1 0 0 0
151. Indiana State Missouri Valley SG Daren Davis *** 0 0 1 0 3
229. Northern Iowa Missouri Valley SG Boyd Fahey *** 0 0 1 1 0
232. Missouri State Missouri Valley PG Lawerence Perez *** 0 0 1 0 0
254. Bradley Missouri Valley PF Robert Phelps *** 0 0 1 0 0
346. Illinois State Missouri Valley PF Chris Keel * 0 0 0 0 1
349. Evansville Missouri Valley 0 0 0 0 0
351. Southern Illinois Missouri Valley 0 0 0 0 0


Ugh, really? Both Evansville and Southern Illinois fail to pick up a recruit. Not good. On the other hand, what a difference a new coach makes for Indiana St. who can actually take pride in picking up 4 recruits this season. Granted, 3 of them are 1 star recruits, but it's a far cry from the years where they were shut out in recruiting. Good for Loyola Chicago and Drake to be in the top 100 recruiting classes nationally, and Wichita State looks to get back on track as they sign the MVCs' only 4 star recruit.

Bryant had the top recruiting class in the America East, and 150th best in the nation.

Maine was right behind them with the 2nd best recruiting class in the America East, but only 239th best in the nation.

Kansas St. had the 11th best class in the nation, but only good for 3rd best in the Big 12.

High Point had the 338th best class in the nation, next to last in the Big South.

Hawaii does it again. 56th best class in the nation, easily tops in the Big West for the second straight year. It's all about coaching and player development now for B.B. Gunn.

Florida Atlantic had the 211th best class in the nation, good for only 10th in Conference USA.

Washington had the 33rd best class in the nation, good for 5th best in the Pac 12.

[collegesportsfanms]

There were no MVC coaches on the hotseat this year, and no NCAA conference movement to speak of. The MVC remains a prestige 3 conference, but I'm hopeful that another year like last year will get us back up to a 4.

Coaching Movement Round 1

2 of our 6 MVC non-FOFC coaches have departed:

Marty Simmons, in a WTF move, has taken the job at Western Michigan.

Dan Muller has taken the job at Purdue.

This means the Evansville and Iliinois St. jobs are open.

We also have 2 FOFC coaches with offers.

Cillian O'Reilly, in an interesting twist of fate, has been offered the job at Vermont. Grover, let me know ASAP whether you want to take the Vermont job, stay at Maine and wait for another offer, or stay committed to Maine and decline all further job offers this season.

Patrick Hutt has received several job offers, 2 of those being the open MVC positions, Evansville and Illinois St. He has also received offers from Air Force, BYU, Cornell, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, and Youngstown St. Zinto, think about it and let me know what you want to do, and if you are curious about any of the schools you were offered to, let me know.

For those wondering, normally I would not let an MVC coach move from one MVC school to another, but in game, the Northern Iowa coach was actually offered the jobs at Evansville and Illinois St. Had the game not offered those 2 jobs, they wouldn't be an option for Zinto.

As it stands, until I hear back from Grover and Zinto, this is as far as I can go with this dynasty report.

[bbgunn]

As it stands, until I hear back from Grover and Zinto, this is as far as I can go with this dynasty report.
No problem, because that gives me more time to gloat. Chagulia got FAU to the freakin' tournament (and beat Bama in the process)! And B.B. Gunn is setting up a dynasty in the west... Far West. Watch out, D-I!

[Grover]

I'll stay at Maine for now and wait for another offer.

I was away this weekend, sorry guys!

EDIT: AWESOME showing by the Black Bears in the NIT. No way will I leave the team unless its a BIG step up.

[Zinto]

Sorry! Are any of the jobs better than Northern Iowa? Does the team look good for next season?

[collegesportsfanms]

Grover, I will keep you at Maine, BUT if another offer comes up, I'll be sure to let you know about it.

Zinto, you've got 2 players back that were on the all-MVC freshman team last season, and you've got a couple others that should be really good. Other than that, it's an average team at best. You could stay in the MVC and jump to Illinois St. but I wouldn't recommend it. Right now they have only 8 players on their roster. 4 of them should be really good, but 2 of those 4 are seniors. Evansville doesn't appear to have a lot coming back either. Of the 3 MVC jobs you could go to, it's close, but I'd have to give Northern Iowa the edge. That being said, BYU has a STACKED roster. They have 12 players with either blue or green potential (not sure which exactly is better, I'd have to find the help files again, but those are by far the best 2 colors to have). Only 3 of those 12 players are seniors, so you'd have a good roster to work with.

If I were you, I would have a real tough time deciding between Northern Iowa and BYU. Those are the only 2 schools I would even be looking at. Either going to BYU or staying at Northern Iowa I personally think would be good choices, it's completely up to you.

[Zinto]

I will jump ship to BYU

[collegesportsfanms]

Zinto (Patrick Hutt) is leaving Northern Iowa to take the BYU position. This means I have 3 MVC jobs to fill before the upcoming season. At this point I'm going to open this up to you guys..

Since you guys have graciously signed up to be a part of this (and some have even thrown in a second coach), I would be fine if any of you want to add another coach. For those non-MVC coaches (JAG, bbgunn, Grover) that would like to take one of the open MVC jobs, you can create a new coach and get one of those jobs.

On the flip side for those MVC coaches (sirfozzie, britrock88) that would like to create a coach and take a job outside the MVC, you can. Ntndeacon, I didn't include you because you have an MVC coach and a non-MVC coach right now, but if you really wanted to add a third coach, go for it. The more interaction I get from you guys the better. I know it's memorial day weekend and some of you may be gone, so I'll hold off on any further reports for a few days, until Tuesday or so, give you guys a chance to get a new coach if you want to. At that point I'll get going again.

[bbgunn]

Well, if you insist... :)

I want to put in a coach named DeShawn St. John for Evansville, but... let me find that signup thread to figure out the ratings. I'll get back to you.

[britrock88]

Any conferences other than the MVC with multiple coaches?

[Grover]

Any conferences other than the MVC with multiple coaches?

America East, baby!

[britrock88]

Zinto! Give Ekeje Bafou (Jawouk's cousin) the worst job in the AEast! :D

[collegesportsfanms]

Wow! Great to see all the messages and replies in the past couple of days. Jag, Grover, I got your messages, and you'll have your new coaches in this upcoming season.

bbgunn, you have 240 points to spread between offense, defense, recruiting, and scouting. Figured I'd help you out a bit there because I believe the sign-up thread is fairly far down.

britrock88, yes the MVC and America East are the only 2 conferences with multiple FOFC coaches. There are a few conferences that have 1 FOFC coach in them, but if you want the America East, you got it, although I think Bryant is the worst team in the America East, and they are already taken. I won't have a chance to fire up FBCB again until tomorrow, but when I do I'll let you know. In the meantime, if you want to give me some ratings and info for Ekeje Bafou, please do so. As I told bbgunn, you have 240 points to spread between offense, defense, recruiting, and scouting. I'll try to get all the new coaches in the game tomorrow, it might not be until Thursday though, but I'll get the new season started this week for sure!