Does the MVC get better next year?

[Wizkid]

If we can agree that the MVC is at or near rock bottom right now, we have to hope things improve next year. Team by team, which teams should be better or worse next year if you look at things objectively based on who is lost and who returns or will be added.

Better - Bradley, Creighton, Illinois St, Evansville, So. Illinois, Drake
Worse - UNI, Missouri St, Indiana State
Uncertain - Wichita St

If 6 or 7 of the teams are better next year, maybe we're moving in the right direction as the young guys who are already leaders of their teams like Rice, McDermott, and Odum get even better.

A lot Better- Creighton, Indiana State, Drake
A little bit better- Evansville, Illinois St.
Same- Wichita State, Southern Illinois, Bradley
Worse- UNI, Missouri State

[Aargh]

I'm having trouble seeing WSU as the same or even as uncertain.

WSU loses Durley, Ellis, Blair, and Hatch. That's the highest scoring front court player (Durley), best front court defender (Ellis), energy, punch, scoring, and rebounding starting or off the bench (Blair) and a hustle player who actually knows how to box out (Hatch - look at VCU's offensive boards when Hatch wasn't in the lineup - that was brutal).

To replace that group we've got a JuCo PF with a heart condition (Carl Hall), a Fr (Jake White), and Orukpe (PROJECT - lower case doesn't quite cut it for Orukpe's level of "project"). Durley and Hatch can shoot from 3. Hall and Orukpe can't and White is an unknown. More signings are expected. Jerome Hamilton (6'7" RS Fr) apparently struggled both on and off the court and is (in my opinion) unlikely to return.

WSU should be down next year. Maybe those who say WSU will be the same are factoring in WSU's under-performance this year and thinking that a drop in talent should put WSU's results next year at about the same level as this year's squad has achieved.

[cu8493]

The question to me is will the league schedule better next year? If we have another year of schedules like most of our teams did this year, then it isn't going to matter if the players are better. We will still have a horrible nonconfernece SOS, which will drag down the conference RPI and reputation, regardless if most of our teams improve in talent.

[Aces0976]

For Evansville, we should be better, but the big unknown is gonna be our bigs. We lose both PVT and Hopf, while neither are spectacular, they're both solid defenders that know the system. We have a juco transfer coming in and a couple freshmen, so I have no idea what to expect from the center position. The only other player we lose is Lacey and I dont think we should see a drop off from the pg position. But I will say Lacey's improved play went hand in hand with our improvement as a team. I'd say I'm cautiously optimistic, we should be more talented, but you never know when you lose leadership and experience who is going to step up and be the leaders. As far as the schedule goes, I know we have Butler, UNC, and Indiana again. I'm not sure about the rest of the schedule.

[Drakey]

The Valley will be better next year overall, and hopefully at the top. We have 3 200+ RPI teams this year. I don't think that has happened this decade. Of course if everybody plays all cupcakes out of conference again we could end up with the same thing next year. I thinl all of the teams mentioned originally will be better. the question is can two or three of them be really good. The potential is there.

[BirdmanBB]

ISU's '11-'12 non-con schedule for next year looks about full. The one game that is looking better than originally thought is our game against Rutgers in Cancun. Not sure what they lose next year, but they have pulled off a couple good wins this year and a few close ones. After seeing the CAA play pretty well this year, I am liking our home game against UNC-W. Morehead state will graduate Kenneth Faried this year. I think we are doing some favors with the Fresno St. game since we don't get a return, but I guess they told us we are guaranteed a home game for the MWC challenge in 12-13. We lost to Western Mich, but they seemed about our equal and only lose 1 senior next season (currently lead their division in the MAC).


vs. SIU-E (Cancun Challenge @ home)
vs. Lipscomb (Cancun Challenge @ home)
vs. Rutgers (Cancun Challenge @ Cancun)
vs. UIUC/Richmond (Cancun Challenge @ Cancun)
vs. UNC-W (finishing home/home)
vs. UALR (finishing home/home)
vs. Bracketbuster (we host in 11-12)
@ Morehead St. (return BB from 09-10)
@ Fresno St. (replacing MVC/MWC challenge)
vs. Western Michigan (sounds like BB this year will be returned next year)
+ 2 more unknown games

The schedule will be slightly better, but hopefully we are able to do something with the last couple games to give it more of a boost.

[Snaggletooth]

ISU's '11-'12 non-con schedule for next year looks about full. The one game that is looking better than originally thought is our game against Rutgers in Cancun. Not sure what they lose next year, but they have pulled off a couple good wins this year and a few close ones. After seeing the CAA play pretty well this year, I am liking our home game against UNC-W. Morehead state will graduate Kenneth Faried this year. I think we are doing some favors with the Fresno St. game since we don't get a return, but I guess they told us we are guaranteed a home game for the MWC challenge in 12-13. We lost to Western Mich, but they seemed about our equal and only lose 1 senior next season (currently lead their division in the MAC).


vs. SIU-E (Cancun Challenge @ home)
vs. Lipscomb (Cancun Challenge @ home)
vs. Rutgers (Cancun Challenge @ Cancun)
vs. UIUC/Richmond (Cancun Challenge @ Cancun)
vs. UNC-W (finishing home/home)
vs. UALR (finishing home/home)
vs. Bracketbuster (we host in 11-12)
@ Morehead St. (return BB from 09-10)
@ Fresno St. (replacing MVC/MWC challenge)
vs. Western Michigan (sounds like BB this year will be returned next year)
+ 2 more unknown games

The schedule will be slightly better, but hopefully we are able to do something with the last couple games to give it more of a boost.

Hypothetically speaking - ISU wins all or but 1 of these games and finishes 3rd in the MVC - would this schedule get them at-large?

[pafan]

For Evansville, we should be better, but the big unknown is gonna be our bigs. ... As far as the schedule goes, I know we have Butler, UNC, and Indiana again. I'm not sure about the rest of the schedule.

Also TCU in the MVC-MWC challenge, and the return BB game with Illinois-Chicago. I suspect they'll try to schedule Murray State's return game next year. I wouldn't object if they got Middle Tennessee back either...

[BirdmanBB]

ISU's '11-'12 non-con schedule for next year looks about full. The one game that is looking better than originally thought is our game against Rutgers in Cancun. Not sure what they lose next year, but they have pulled off a couple good wins this year and a few close ones. After seeing the CAA play pretty well this year, I am liking our home game against UNC-W. Morehead state will graduate Kenneth Faried this year. I think we are doing some favors with the Fresno St. game since we don't get a return, but I guess they told us we are guaranteed a home game for the MWC challenge in 12-13. We lost to Western Mich, but they seemed about our equal and only lose 1 senior next season (currently lead their division in the MAC).


vs. SIU-E (Cancun Challenge @ home)
vs. Lipscomb (Cancun Challenge @ home)
vs. Rutgers (Cancun Challenge @ Cancun)
vs. UIUC/Richmond (Cancun Challenge @ Cancun)
vs. UNC-W (finishing home/home)
vs. UALR (finishing home/home)
vs. Bracketbuster (we host in 11-12)
@ Morehead St. (return BB from 09-10)
@ Fresno St. (replacing MVC/MWC challenge)
vs. Western Michigan (sounds like BB this year will be returned next year)
+ 2 more unknown games

The schedule will be slightly better, but hopefully we are able to do something with the last couple games to give it more of a boost.

Hypothetically speaking - ISU wins all or but 1 of these games and finishes 3rd in the MVC - would this schedule get them at-large?

I would think they would be in the discussion. If we assume the one loss is to either Rutgers or Richmond/UIUC, 3rd place in the valley would most likely get a decent bracketbuster win. As always, it would depend on whats happening in the valley at that point too. For example, what the 1st and 2nd place teams have done and if we won games against them.

I think the main issue is winning the big games that are scheduled. It's something the valley has done more than any other "mid-major" in the past and what earned us a lot of respect (probably why quality teams don't want to give the MVC an even trade or 2-1's in many cases). It's something that maybe only UNI has done this year and Eville to an extent. The other issue is the amount of quality games that are being played. Teams aren't leaving themselves outs by scheduling more quality games in the non-con. We are putting all of our eggs in one basket (1-2 games) in the non-con and hopeing to plow through the MVC to secure an at-large. Whats happening is teams aren't winning those games, but still plowing through like this year and you can see what the result has been. Either this or it seems that weaker teams are relying on our better teams to "schedule hard" so that we can try and sneak a few quality wins out of them........this doesn't help now that it seems only 1-2 valley teams are scheduling hard. When we got 4 teams in, not only did those teams schedule well, but our weaker teams were scheduling well and winning a lot of tougher games (150RPI rule).

A lot of people talk about the need to schedule hard in the non-con to prepare your team for the MVC grind. When the MVC isn't that strong this year and you think you are playing tough teams and getting cred and all the sudden run into the CAA wall.

What bothers me is that many of these conferences like the CAA and Horizon had seen what we did to get 4 teams in the NCAA tourney and are trying to replicate it with success (see CAA). We have since then taking away the top 150 scheduling rule and become a 1 bid league.

[DoubleJayAlum]

It isn't just scheduling though. This year, if teams had put together tougher non-con schedules it would have just meant more losses. The problem is far deeper.....