Bigger Better Deeper Missouri Valley Conference

A Deeper League

(St. Louis, MO) – Loyola Chicago is gone, but the Missouri Valley Conference may be better than ever. League coaches believe the addition of Belmont, Murray State and Illinois Chicago more than offsets the loss of the Ramblers.

The now, twelve-team league will play a 20-game conference schedule including two, pre-end-of-the year league contests.

Bringing in the Ohio Valley’s top two teams and an up-and-coming Horizon League team, has bolstered the 115-year-old league that could have been sent reeling by the Loyola departure. Instead, two perennial mid-major powers in Belmont and Murray State replace Loyola’s reputation and UIC replaces the Ramblers in the Chicago market.

While the three new teams will be adjusting to a new league, two of the remaining nine Valley teams include squads with new coaches. With all those changes, it is a bigger, better, deeper and changing Valley.

New Teams – Great Tradition

Belmont and Murray State are consistent 20-game winners and post-season participants. Their addition to the Valley strengthens every other Valley team’s schedule broadens the league’s reach into Tennessee and Kentucky.

Bradley head coach Brian Wardle says getting games with those quality opponents helps in scheduling and gives his team a well-needed strength-of-schedule boost.

“Adding quality opponents to our league was huge,” said Wardle. “Those are games I (previously) couldn’t get in the non-conference.”

Belmont is making the move the season after losing five, fifth-year seniors. Replacing, Nick Muszynski, Grayson Murphy and Luke Smith will be extremely difficult and coach Casey Alexander admits the transition will be challenging. The fourth year Belmont head coach says the Bruins have to get better just to maintain their current standard of excellence.

 

 

Belmont has won 20 or more games in twelve consecutive seasons and has played post season basketball in 15 of the last seventeen seasons.

Murray State is no slouch. While the two OVC rivals were butting heads, both were obliterating the competition. The Racers have been to eleven post season tournaments since 2002 and won ten regular season conference titles since 2000. They’ve won eight OVC Tournament titles this millennium.

Murray State’s Steve Prohm is beginning his second tour of duty with the Racers and says that MSU’s move to the Valley was one of the reasons he wanted to ‘come home’ to lead the Murray program. While success in the Valley isn’t guaranteed, Prohm says recruiting Murray State type of players should bring the right kind of results.

 

 

Valley Opportunities

Loyola Chicago is gone, but the Chicago market is not. UIC lacks the heavy resume associated with Belmont and Murray, but appears to be a program poised for success. Former Illinois State assistant Luke Yaklich is at the helm after successful assistant stops at Michigan and Texas.

‘Coach Yak’ says joining the Valley has improved the Flames’ ability to attract talent to the former Horizon League school.

 

 

Alexander is aggressive about his non-conference scheduling and notes that joining the Valley will allow his Bruins to enhance their NCAA Tournament metrics.

 

 

One hundred four of Prohm’s 201-career wins came during his previous four-year tenure in Murray, Kentucky. He believes the Murray State fans will make their voices heard in Valley arenas and at Arch Madness.

 

 

Missouri State coach Dana Ford believes Valley officials did a great job in bringing UIC, Belmont and Murray State to the league. As a player he faced the Flames with regularity and believes the UIC can be very good. His history with the Bruins and Racers produced a great respect for those programs.

“I’m excited about it,” said Ford. “I coached against Belmont and Murray State when I was in the OVC. Those programs have always been two of the better programs in the country at any level. Our league has done a fantastic job in replacing the loss of Loyola.”

Bigger Better Deeper Tournament

All twelve Valley teams will be invited to the post season tournament. Arch Madness will begin with four games on Thursday, March 2 featuring the league’s bottom eight teams. The top four seeded teams will earn a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals.

The Valley’s conference season kicks off before the end of 2022. Each MVC squad will play two, league games beginning November 30 and another in early December. Many of the teams will return to some non-conference action later in December before playing their final 18 conference games.

Illinois State and Evansville have new coaches and the league has three new, quality programs. This truly could be a bigger, better, deeper and interesting Missouri Valley Conference.

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