Biggest Missouri Valley Weekend Yet

(St. Louis, MO) – The most important three-day period of the non-conference season awaits the Missouri Valley Conference basketball teams. If the Valley has any hope of getting multiple teams into next Spring’s NCAA Tournament, the league members must be successful between now and Monday.

There are eleven games that can shape the season narrative for the eleventh ranked collegiate conference.

The HyVee Big Four Classic – Saturday 3:30 & 6 pm

Northern Iowa and Drake play their annual double header with Iowa and Iowa State respectively. The Panthers (5-4) own victories over ‘power 6’ opponents Arizona State and Oklahoma and a third such victory would do volumes for the UNI resume. Ben Jacobson has developed a reputation for such feats. ‘Jake the Giant Killer’ routinely knocks off Top 25 teams and the Panthers have won two straight games and this annual event in Des Moines.

Drake (1-8) will be playing their second game under interim head coach Jeff Rutter who was formerly an assistant at Iowa State. The Cyclones (6-3) have dropped three of their last four including the last time out to the Hawkeyes. Drake is attempting to play a more up tempo game under Rutter.

Oklahoma State @ Wichita State – Saturday 6 pm

For the second weekend in-a-row, the Shockers take on a Big 12 team from the state of Oklahoma. Last week WSU (9-2) defeated OU in Oklahoma City, this week they entertain Oklahoma State at INTRUST Bank Arena (not their typical home venue).

Gregg Marshall’s squad could use a ‘money conference’ win too. Their RPI is a pedestrian 62 (for them), and a victory over OSU (8-2) with an RPI of 40, would be the boost they need to reach into the national Top 25 polls and strengthen their post season credentials.

Mid-Major Show Downs

Evansville, Indiana State, Loyola and Missouri State all play games Saturday that are bigger than some would think. All four are regional rivalry games that matter to the fan base, recruiting and in some cases credibility.

Loyola (9-2), who is just starting to get noticed (read our recent story ‘How Good Are the Loyola Ramblers?’) travels to Illinois-Chicago (5-5) for a Chi-Town rivalry game. The Flames are coming off a victory over DePaul, so a victory for the Ramblers strengthens their legitimacy to the basketball fans throughout the Windy City.

Evansville (7-4) travels to Austin Peay and Missouri State (6-3) hosts Southeast Missouri in regional match ups with lower echelon OVC squads. Neither team can afford a hiccup here. The Purple Aces have won five straight and the Bears are looking to sweep the Redhawks whom they defeated in Cape Girardeau. The Bears and SEMO are long time regional adversaries dating back to days when they were both Division 2 teams in the MIAA Conference.

Indiana State’s game at Valparaiso is gigantic. The Sycamores (5-5) have had a roller coaster ride season. They own a Top 25 win over Butler and two near misses with ‘power 6’ schools. Four of their five losses have come by a total of 10 points. They were great against Butler and awful against Western Kentucky and this week, starting center TJ Bell left the team. Valpo (8-2) is a perennial mid-major power house (RPI of 36) and are fourth in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. Winning in Valparaiso, Indiana would be an enormous lift for Greg Lansing’s team and would be an RPI lift for the MVC.

A-10, Mountain West & SEC

Three other games of note that occur beyond Saturday, are very important. Illinois State’s (5-3) home game with St. Joseph’s of the A-10 is significantly important since the Valley combats the A-10 for national respect. Loyola lost to the Hawks and SIU and Missouri State have already defeated Saint Louis University. Another MVC victory over the A-10 (seventh in Conference RPI) seems like a little thing, but in the ratings game, it is not.

Speaking of the Salukis (6-5), Monday they travel to Las Vegas for a game with UNLV. This is the final game of the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge. The MVC holds a 5-4 edge in the Challenge this year, and like that vieing for position with the A-10 another solid win over a Mountain West (ninth in Conference RPI) team would do wonders for the collective image and RPI of the Valley.

It is a long shot, but Brian Wardle’s ‘Baby Braves’ (5-5) head to Oxford, Mississippi for a game with the SEC’s University of Mississippi. If the Braves could shock the world and win, there would be significant ramifications.

We are less than two weeks away from the conference season and the games will all about MVC standings, but for now league members are pulling for one another and trying to build the brand.

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