MVC With 8 Games Left

Guard Play is Key

(St. Louis, MO) – No preseason prognostigators predicted this Missouri Valley Conference set of standings. Not yours truly, not ‘Street & Smith’s’, not the Valley coaches and media, not ‘Blue Ribbon’. NOT A SOUL!

What everyone got right, was that the MVC would be unpredictable, wide-open and great theater. In one of the most entertaining half seasons of Valley basketball, it is not outlandish to say there are six different teams still in contention for the regular season title. Nor is it crazy to say nine different teams have the same chance be in the bottom four come tournament time.

When Wichita State left the conference many opined that all ten teams would feel empowerd to believe they could become the new conference champion. No one took that to heart more than the Loyola Ramblers and Drake Bulldogs.

Under first-year head coach Niko Medved, Drake has crafted an effective offensive scheme, played enough defense, combined with outstanding shooting to find themselves, not in tenth place, as predicted by so many, but tied for second. Senior guards are the primary reason for efficiency on the offensive end. Seniors Reed Timmer, Graham Woodward, C.J. Rivers, De’Antae McMurray and Ore Arogundade  don’t get rattled, find the open man (they lead the league in assists) and they get the ball to their only inside threat Nick McGlynn in spots where he can be successful.

Loyola has put together an impressive half season (8-2) with a 4-1 road record in conference play and their signature non-conference victory coming at nationally ranked Florida. Porter Moser’s team is deep, balanced and shoots the ball with amazing consistency.

The Ramblers have already played preseason favorite Missouri State, second place Drake, perennial power Northern Iowa and reigning champion Illionois State on the road. They have the luxury of hosting those teams during the back half of the schedule. Point guard Clayton Custer has quietly placed his name in consideration for player of the year, as the Ramblers are 16-1 when he is in the lineup and 2-3 when he is not.

Custer is a redshirt junior, senior Ben Richardson (Custer’s high school teammate) and junior Marques Townes give the Ramblers a dynamic back court that can make use of the special talents of forwards Donte Ingram, Aundre Jackson and freshman center Cameron Krutwig. Loyola leads the league in field goal percentage and they are second in the conference in assists.

If Niko Medved isn’t the coach of the year in the Valley, maybe Barry Hinson is. By keeping his Southern Illinois M.A.S.H. unit afloat, the veteran MVC coach has proven, again that he is an effective leader. The Salukis (14-9, 6-4) seem to find ways to stay alive as veteran guards Sean Lloyd, Aaron Cook and Marcus Bartley continually manufacture advantageous circumstances for leading scorer Armon Fletcher (14.5 ppg) and Kavion Pippen (11.7 ppg).

The losses of Thik Bol, Eric McGill and Jonathan Wiley to season ending injuries decimated the Salukis, but Hinson’s steady hand and veteran guards have propelled SIU to unexpected heights.

If the Bulldogs are the biggest positive surprise, the struggles of Northern Iowa would be the most significant negative surprise. The Panthers (11-11, 3-7) dropped their first five conference games after a pretty solid non-conference showing.

Struggling more than we thought they would, the Missouri State Bears, the preseason favorite, find themselves in a three way tie for fifth at 5-5. Guard play has been an issue for MSU. Their strength is in the front court where preseason player of the Year, Alize Johnson is shining and Reggie Curry and Obediah Church create a formidable trio, but guards Ronnie Rousseau, JT Miller and have not run the Bear offense in such a way as to maximize the up front talent. The Bears are third worst in the league in assists and are dead last in steals and turnover margin.

It’s the same issue at UNI. Ben Jacobson’s guards are learning on the job and the team is not making use of its best offensive weapons. Guards Isaiah Brown, Tywhon Pickford, Juwan McCloud and Wyatt Lohaus all bring significant attributes to the table, but the signature UNI offense seems to be lacking a ‘lead guard’ to make it run. The Panthers are last in scoring, last in assists, last in field goal percentage and second last in turnover margin.

The league is tight. Anyone, minus Northern Iowa, Valparaiso and Evansville can probably still win the title. Bradley seems improve by the hour. That mostly junior-laden lineup is guard heavy as Darrell Brown and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye have seemed to figure out what Missouri Valley guard play is all about. ‘DLO’ and senior post Donte Thomas have recently grabbed the leadership reins and the Braves are trending upwards.

No one gave Indiana State much of a look in the offseason, but their backcourt of Brenton Scott and Jordan Barnes is turning heads now. The Sycamores are in the hunt (10-12, 5-5) despite going 3 and 7 in games determined by five or less points. If they can begin to win some of those ‘coin-flip’ games, they will be a threat.

Do Good