MVC & OVC Favorites Collide

(St. Louis, MO) – MVC and OVC favorites collide Saturday night in Nashville. Preseason Ohio Valley Conference favorite Belmont entertains the Missouri Valley Conference contender Illinois State. Several polls have picked the Redbirds to win the Valley, while others have selected reigning champion Loyola.

The legendary Rick Byrd (687 career wins) leads a Belmont team anchored by preseason ‘Player of the Year’ Dylan Windler and all-conference contender Kevin McClain. Illinois State counters with two preseason all-conference selections in Milik Yarbrough and Phil Fayne. Coach Dan Muller’s team tied for the MVC championship two seasons ago.

After a 24-9 season and finishing second in the OVC, the Bruins were named the preseason favorite to regain their seeming stranglehold on the conference crown. Illinois State was 18 and 15 and finished tied for third in the Valley.

These two teams are loaded with talent.

Belmont’s Youth and Talent

When favorites collide you want to take a look at all the variables to evaluate the possible outcome. Byrd has one of the youngest teams Bruin fans can remember. As many as six freshmen could play significant minutes on this year’s team.

While Belmont will be young, it is the senior Dylan Windler that will lead the way. The 6’7 wing led the OVC in rebounding and was the only Division 1 player to average at least 17 points and nine rebounds per game (17.3 ppg & 9.3 rebounds). Windler connected on over 42% of his three-point attempts and recorded 15 double-doubles on his way to all conference honors.

Byrd says while Windler is talented, he also has that innate ability to know how to play and how to win almost any game.

 

 

Fellow senior McClain averaged 12.6 points per game. Sophomore Nick Hopkins is coming off a back injury and if healthy, should provide leadership, scoring and athleticism to a Bruin team that wants to pick up the tempo of play compared to last season.

What about those freshmen?

Byrd says outsiders might be surprised by his rookies’ talent level. Two freshmen Grayson Murphy and Caleb Hollander took medical redshirts last season. Hollander who sat out with a sports hernia, was twice named as the nation’s best homeschooled high school player. Byrd expects Murphy (foot injury) to replace all conference guard Austin Luke at the point. 6’10 Nick Muszynski brings some needed size to Belmont’s ‘one in, four out’ offense.

 

 

Another redshirt freshman Tate Pierson, and true freshmen Adam Kunkel, Derek Sabin and Mitch Listau all could find meaningful minutes in Byrd’s rotation. Murphy was a three-star player coming out of Independence High School.

Illinois State’s Experience and Proven Talent

Illinois State (1-0) had three players named to the Valley’s preseason first and second team all-conference squads. Guard Keyshawn Evans landed on the second team. Those three are joined in the the lineup by fellow senior William Tinsley.

Yarbrough, Fayne and Evans all averaged over 15 points per game last season and Yarbrough was the MVC’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’. They are joined by electric junior college transfers Zach Copeland and Josh Jefferson. Both were tabbed as top-100 players by jucorecruiting.com.

In ILS’ opening win over Florida Gulf Coast, Yarbrough, Fayne and Jefferson each scored 17 points. The Redbirds have a lineup of proven talent. Evans is coming off an injury and slowly working into game shape. Three-star transfer Matt Chastain is doing the same. Freshman Taylor Bruninga is out with a foot injury.

These are two heavy-weights in the MVC and OVC worlds. This is one of twelve scheduled contests between our two leagues. Saturday afternoon Southeast Missouri visits Bradley.

Upper echelon Missouri Valley squads like Illinois State are desperately attempting to build resumes to gain an opportunity as at-large teams in the NCAA Tournament. Belmont however, is looking to integrate freshmen into the competitive NCAA D1 environment. The Bruins are preparing for conference action.

The Redbirds have more experience and are more athletic, while the Bruins are practically unbeatable at home. Belmont was 14-2 at the Curb Event Center in 2017-18 and Illinois State won just three of  last season’s thirteen road games.

What’s At Stake?

A win, on-the-road would be huge for Illinois State. Winning this early season test would be less important to the Bruins, but would be another feather in the cap of the legendary Byrd.

Saturday is loaded with important games for these two leagues. Valley teams battle the likes of Xavier and UT Arlington, while OVC teams square off with challenging Syracuse, Lipscomb, Western Kentucky and Wright State.

These two teams tip at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN3.

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