2024-25 Around The Valley

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You are missing all the games in between those 2. They barely won against ILST and got throttled by UIC.
What am I missing? I was stating how crazy basketball is that you can play a certain way one night and that style can just go away. It’s not an argument…basketball is a crazy game was the point.
 
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Matthew Graves burner account 🤣🤣
When you learn from a guy who secretly ask its admins access to a Facebook group with 4,000 members talking about you and then act like you don't even know the group exists in press conferences and also state "im not very good with social media thing." But has a social media history of being one of the best coaches connecting on social media. You create a SP burner
 
Sunday's MVC Scoreboard:

  • Aces stay hot beating Belmont 80-75 in Nashville. Connor Turnbull (UE) 14pts,6 rebs..........Carter Whitt (Bel) 8pts, 10 assts
  • Northern Iowa blows out Bradley 83-69. Jaquan Johnson (BU) with 27pts, 7rebs......Tytan Anderson (UNI) 17pts, 9 rebs, 4 assts
 
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What am I missing? I was stating how crazy basketball is that you can play a certain way one night and that style can just go away. It’s not an argument…basketball is a crazy game was the point.
It wasn’t an argument. I was just pointing out the games you missed between those games that supports your point even more.
 
When you learn from a guy who secretly ask its admins access to a Facebook group with 4,000 members talking about you and then act like you don't even know the group exists in press conferences and also state "im not very good with social media thing." But has a social media history of being one of the best coaches connecting on social media. You create a SP burner

HA! Indeed sir, indeed!
 

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Just a smidge over the halfway point in the conference season. here are my brief thoughts on every team.

1. Drake: 20-2 (10-2) - Has blew every expectation out of the water. 1st D1 to 20 wins with a "D2" roster is wild. After the Sycamore snub last season and now a 20-2 Drake team (with multiple P5 victories) is hardly on the bubble is pretty disheartening though going forward with college basketball.

2. Bradley: 18-5 (9-3) - solid season, solid team but man something is going on in Peoria right now. BU is DAMN lucky to be sitting 1 game back as they could easily be 7-5 or even 6-6 and people would be calling for Wardle's perfectly trimmed head.

3. UNI: 14-9 (8-4) - This appears to be the Jacobsen landing spot in the portal era. Good team that is going to finish top half of the conference but not really making any noise to win the conference.

4. Belmont: 15-8 (7-5) - Belmont has done well with the transition to the MVC, they constantly put out a good product. With their losses it's a nice job by Alexander this season. losing at home to Eville yesterday is a bit of a head scratcher and could come back to haunt a top 4 finish.

5. UIC: 14-8 (7-5) - One of the more surprising programs to put together a quality campaign this year. All the MVC needs is for UIC to be top 150 and they are doing just that.

6. Illinois State: 14-9 (6-6) - I don't know what to think about Pedon. This was suppose to be a year the redbirds challenge at the top again and they are just nowhere near it. If he losses Kinsinger and Walker it could spell doom for RP. I think he gets 1 more year until his seat becomes pretty darn hot.

7. Evansville: 9-14 (6-6) - How the hell is eville 6-6 in conference?

8. Indiana State: 11-12 (5-7) - We are well documented here on S. We've had highs and lows but in all honesty with our roster; being 5-7 and in the mix of the "mushy middle" is right where you would expect. Every team can say it but man we are so close to being 7-5 right now and in position for top 4.

9. Murray State 11-12 (5-7) - Prohm with one of the more disappointing teams this year. MSU has quickly found out this isn't the OVC anymore. In all honesty if MSU would have stayed Prohm would probably have a couple of conference titles and maybe an AQ or two to the NCAAs in the last 3 seasons and life would be great.

10. Southern Illinois 10-13 (5-7) - Is Nagy doing a great job? Is Nagy doing a horrible job? no one can tell. I will say the loss of Elliot was a mighty blow to the Salukis

11. Valpo: 10-13 (3-9) - This is the surprising one for me. VU been in a TON of games and are a tough out, but to be 3-9 and at the bottom of the conference has to be mind-f****** the Beacons.

12. Missouri State: 8-15 (1-11) - The conference rejoices.
 
1. Drake: 20-2 (10-2) - Has blew every expectation out of the water. 1st D1 to 20 wins with a "D2" roster is wild. After the Sycamore snub last season and now a 20-2 Drake team (with multiple P5 victories) is hardly on the bubble is pretty disheartening though going forward with college basketball.

Not to mention that Drake has also been to the tournament 3 of the past 4 seasons and they still aren't being talked about as an at-large contender (yet). With a NET of 56 currently they probably need to finish the regular season at 27-3 (currently 21-2) to be in serious consideration. I kind of doubt a hypothetical 28-5 MVC team with a sub-50 NET would make it. Also two of their wins are against non-D1 teams.
 
Action in The Valley on Saturday:

(12-12) ISU at (21-2) Drake

(14-9) UIC at (11-13) Southern Illinois
(11-13) Murray State at (10-14) Valpo
(8-16) Missouri State at (16-8) Belmont
(15-9) Illinois State at (15-9) UNI
(18-6) Bradley at (9-15) Evansville
 
Bradley @ Evansville is intriguing. Bradley isn't playing good and Eville has looked better. If you are BU a date with the purple pimps sounds like a great way to get out of a slump. But man if they lose this one....
 

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Bradley @ Evansville is intriguing. Bradley isn't playing good and Eville has looked better. If you are BU a date with the purple pimps sounds like a great way to get out of a slump. But man if they lose this one....
Brian Wardle would blow a head gasket
 
Not to mention that Drake has also been to the tournament 3 of the past 4 seasons and they still aren't being talked about as an at-large contender (yet). With a NET of 56 currently they probably need to finish the regular season at 27-3 (currently 21-2) to be in serious consideration. I kind of doubt a hypothetical 28-5 MVC team with a sub-50 NET would make it. Also two of their wins are against non-D1 teams.
Yeah that's the root of their issue. I think Drake deserves to make the tourney, but the NET and advanced metrics really don't like this Drake team. Kenpom for example has them at 61. 2 of their wins are non-D1 like you said, and they have another 3-4 wins that actually caused them to slide back a few spots. They're winning games, but they're also BARELY winning quite a few games that they should win comfortably (needing OT to beat 210 ranked Indiana State at home for example). They've also only won 4 games against teams in the top 100 of Kenpom, And their 2 losses are pretty ugly.


ISU last year, when they were winning, they were winning comfortably. The advanced metrics love that, especially when looking at home/road splits. Also until the Illinois State/SIU back to back disaster, all of ISU's losses were on the road to 14, 16, and 53 in Kenpom.
 
Yeah that's the root of their issue. I think Drake deserves to make the tourney, but the NET and advanced metrics really don't like this Drake team. Kenpom for example has them at 61. 2 of their wins are non-D1 like you said, and they have another 3-4 wins that actually caused them to slide back a few spots. They're winning games, but they're also BARELY winning quite a few games that they should win comfortably (needing OT to beat 210 ranked Indiana State at home for example). They've also only won 4 games against teams in the top 100 of Kenpom, And their 2 losses are pretty ugly.


ISU last year, when they were winning, they were winning comfortably. The advanced metrics love that, especially when looking at home/road splits. Also until the Illinois State/SIU back to back disaster, all of ISU's losses were on the road to 14, 16, and 53 in Kenpom.
The fact that we were "in" until some last minute bid steelers last year was, in my opinion, based on the potential storyline, not any metrics. Same with Drake this year. Unless they absolutely crash and burn down the stretch of 6-7 bid steelers enter the picture again, "scrappy DII underdogs who had real jobs lined up taking DI by storm" is a pretty much impossible to resist story.
 
The fact that we were "in" until some last minute bid steelers last year was, in my opinion, based on the potential storyline, not any metrics. Same with Drake this year. Unless they absolutely crash and burn down the stretch of 6-7 bid steelers enter the picture again, "scrappy DII underdogs who had real jobs lined up taking DI by storm" is a pretty much impossible to resist story.
You are underestimating that "mediocre P4 team that barely went .500 in conference and coach is on the hot seat" storyline that the committee is suckers for
 
You are underestimating that "mediocre P4 team that barely went .500 in conference and coach is on the hot seat" storyline that the committee is suckers for
There wasn't 1 storyline better than ours so I don't I don't buy the storyline angle.
 

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The fact that we were "in" until some last minute bid steelers last year was, in my opinion, based on the potential storyline, not any metrics. Same with Drake this year. Unless they absolutely crash and burn down the stretch of 6-7 bid steelers enter the picture again, "scrappy DII underdogs who had real jobs lined up taking DI by storm" is a pretty much impossible to resist story.
Nah, last year's ISU team was legitimately deserving. Top 25 NET, 43 in Kenpom after Arch Madness, spent pretty much the entire conference season in the top 50, ranked at one point. Out of 6 losses only 1 was at home, 1 was neutral, and 4 were true road games. Only 3 of the 6 losses were games we were supposed to win. The games they won, they won by a lot.

Even if Drake only loses 1-2 more, our resume was way better by all the metrics.
 
Drake is "31st" in the AP Poll. I haven't looked at a poll this season, but I had no idea at how dominant the SEC has been. They have 4 of the top 5 spots in the poll, and 10 teams total in the Top 25. And since when did Alabama become a basketball state?

1 Auburn
2 Alabama
T3 Florida
T3 Duke
5 Tennessee

One thing that stuck out to me is that Memphis is 14th, so if they don't win the American Tournament then that league will steal a bid.
 
Drake is "31st" in the AP Poll. I haven't looked at a poll this season, but I had no idea at how dominant the SEC has been. They have 4 of the top 5 spots in the poll, and 10 teams total in the Top 25. And since when did Alabama become a basketball state?

1 Auburn
2 Alabama
T3 Florida
T3 Duke
5 Tennessee

One thing that stuck out to me is that Memphis is 14th, so if they don't win the American Tournament then that league will steal a bid.

When they hired two recruiters with big ass budgets. Both coaches also happen to be good at coaching hoops, too.
 
When they hired two recruiters with big ass budgets. Both coaches also happen to be good at coaching hoops, too.

Don't forget the added benefit that their ($ec) historic cheating is now "legal" under the NIL guise.

I'd state that give Pearl another few seasons and he'd have them on probation but as there are no more rules, Pearl's deep foundations in cutting corners isn't going to hold them back.
 
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