2023-24 Around The Valley

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Now those are interesting matchups.

Belmont loses to InSU and then to UNI at home. Can the prolific Bruin offense score enough to beat the resurgent Bradley team? It is tough enough to handle the expected physicality of Bradley?

Bradley with a miracle comeback with at SIU. Just how dangerous are the Braves when healthy?

UNI looked very good at Belmont. That team is rounding into form. I looked at our box score for the UNI game. UNI was 1/15 from three in that game which was an 11-point win. Heise did very little against ISU, but he played great basketball last night. The Panthers definitely have some pieces that make them dangerous.

SIU leads Bradley by 21 at the half and loses by one. Can the Salukis banish that second half from the memory banks and get a tough road win?
Possibly the most mysterious team in the league.
 

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Now those are interesting matchups.

Belmont loses to InSU and then to UNI at home. Can the prolific Bruin offense score enough to beat the resurgent Bradley team? It is tough enough to handle the expected physicality of Bradley? - Belmont needs Gilespie back.

Bradley with a miracle comeback with at SIU. Just how dangerous are the Braves when healthy? They go as Connor Hickman goes.

UNI looked very good at Belmont. That team is rounding into form. I looked at our box score for the UNI game. UNI was 1/15 from three in that game which was an 11-point win. Heise did very little against ISU, but he played great basketball last night. The Panthers definitely have some pieces that make them dangerous. - Agree but not our problem anymore with a W @UNI and only had to play them once this year.

SIU leads Bradley by 21 at the half and loses by one. Can the Salukis banish that second half from the memory banks and get a tough road win?
Possibly the most mysterious team in the league. - Just keep Xavier Johnson under his avg and you probably win.
 
CBS Sports recognizing Jacobson tying Henry Iba for all time MVC conference wins.

knew he was getting close to Iba but I hadn't realized he caught him... I was betting later this season.

on the OSU site; they credit the 1943-44 and 1944-45 seasons as titles seasons, awarded by the league coaches... their media guide lists 0-0 for conf records both years... given WW II, the conference likely agreed to a vote to award championships
 
Weird game over in carbondale. That is the type of game that could spiral SIUs season to a mid-pack team (which is what I think they are) but on the flip side it could catapult Bradley into playing some pretty good ball. Bradley did win their last 10 regular season games last season to capture the crown.
 
Weird game over in carbondale. That is the type of game that could spiral SIUs season to a mid-pack team (which is what I think they are) but on the flip side it could catapult Bradley into playing some pretty good ball. Bradley did win their last 10 regular season games last season to capture the crown.

That is a game that gets you fired. The bottom line is the coaches have to manage their roster and they haven't developed a second scorer to take any pressure of Johnson. He played hero ball that last 2 minutes and it was just turnovers and missed shots.

I only watched the last 4 but their forum confirms what I figured happened -- the ole Valley Prevent Offense was out in full force and they didn't score from the 7:30 to 2 minute mark doing this. We all have PTSD from those days.
 

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Our team is so good this year...

There's 33 pages of "2023-24 Around The Valley" and it's only January 18th.
 
Looks like the MVC is starting to take shape. You have: Tier 1: Indiana State, Drake, Bradley. Tier 2: Murray State, SIU, Belmont, UNI, Missouri State, Tier 3: Evansville, Illinois State, UIC, Valpo. Murray has had a pretty weak MVC schedule thus far but here is who the top 4 teams have played so far.

Indiana State:
SIU, @Bradley, Evansville, @UNI, @Drake, Belmont, Missouri State

Drake:
@Valpo, Missouri State, Illinois State, @Belmont, Indiana State, @SIU, @Illinois State

Bradley:
@Murray, Indiana State, @Valpo, Missouri State, Evansville, @UIC, @SIU

Murray State:
Bradley, @Illinois State, UIC, @Evansville, @Missouri State, UNI, @UIC

Looking at this we have definitely played the toughest schedule thus far as we have only played 1 bottom team (evansville). Everyone else has played 3 each. Also being done with @Drake and @Bradley is huge as our 4 games against those 2 will be done and over with before they ever tip-off against one another. These next 5 games for us are HUGE if we can go 5-0 we are running away with the conference and it isn't close.
 
Looks like the MVC is starting to take shape. You have: Tier 1: Indiana State, Drake, Bradley. Tier 2: Murray State, SIU, Belmont, UNI, Missouri State, Tier 3: Evansville, Illinois State, UIC, Valpo. Murray has had a pretty weak MVC schedule thus far but here is who the top 4 teams have played so far.

Indiana State:
SIU, @Bradley, Evansville, @UNI, @Drake, Belmont, Missouri State

Drake:
@Valpo, Missouri State, Illinois State, @Belmont, Indiana State, @SIU, @Illinois State

Bradley:
@Murray, Indiana State, @Valpo, Missouri State, Evansville, @UIC, @SIU

Murray State:
Bradley, @Illinois State, UIC, @Evansville, @Missouri State, UNI, @UIC

Looking at this we have definitely played the toughest schedule thus far as we have only played 1 bottom team (evansville). Everyone else has played 3 each. Also being done with @Drake and @Bradley is huge as our 4 games against those 2 will be done and over with before they ever tip-off against one another. These next 5 games for us are HUGE if we can go 5-0 we are running away with the conference and it isn't close.
My take as a self admitted cocky Sycamore fan:

Tier 1: ISU
Tier 2: Who Gives
Tier 3: A F^*k
 

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COME ON BELMONT! Get a road win today!!! Give us another game on Bradley.
So torn on how Bradley does. They give us our one and only quad 1 (and probably will be out only one at the end of the season). It's pretty important not to be 0-fer in quad 1 come selection Sunday. But at the same time I'd love for them to lose as well....
 

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Probably best if Bradley wins. But I want them to earn it and squeak it out. Don't want that team believing they have a chance against us with a blowout of Belmont.
 
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