Around The Valley 2018-2019

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MVC is up to 12th in the conference rankings, better but still not where we should be
 

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Great news! There are now 3 MVC teams in the mid major top 25! Drake is 25th, Loyola is receiving votes and ISU is 44th!
 
You are excited about being 44th in the top 25????

Wow. He said GREAT NEWS. He NEVER said he was so excited he was ready to shoot off fireworks and ring Church bells.

You keep this kind of SNIPING up, you're going to make someone's cronies list. He's makin' a list, checkin' it twice...goin' find out who's sniping or nice...Hohoho!
 

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yes, I was being sarcastic about my excitedness about being in the mid major poll. And I did word it wrong. Anyway, this new NET poll that the ncaa is supposedly using instead of RPI now is even worse.

here is the poll

http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2019/net

The only teams inside the top 75 that are not BCS + Big East are Houston, Nevada, Gonzaga, Buffalo, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Lipscomb, Utah State, Belmont, North Texas, Fresno State, Central Florida, Furman, Murray State, Penn, VCU, UNC-Greensboro, Temple, Wofford, Charleston, Liberty, Toledo, Old Dominion, St Louis, and St Mary's.

I wonder how many of these teams would get at large bids if they don't win their conference tourney? I don't really know the formula for how they come up with these new NET rankings?

And looking at RPI, just us and Drake are top 100

MVC NET rankings at this point
100. Drake
112. Indiana State
121. Loyola
127. Southern Illinois
173. Evansville
190. Bradley
200. Illinois State
205. Valpo
230. Missouri State
249. Northern Iowa
 
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We're 31st in RPI. It's pretty easy to see why the NCAA uses the NET now. It basically puts the screws to mid majors.
 
I think the jury is still out on the NET. Currently there about 7 or 8 mid majors in the top 50. And Penn is 51st.

Of the "true" mid majors, (teams from conferences that will probably only get one bid), there are only about 20 or so in the top 75, and nearly all of them are outside the top 30.

Nevada,
Gonzaga,
Buffalo,
San Francisco,
Lipscomb,
Utah State,
Belmont,
North Texas,
Fresno State,
Furman,
Murray State,
Penn,
VCU,
UNC-Greensboro,
Wofford,
Charleston,
Liberty,
Toledo,
Old Dominion,
St Mary's.
 
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with the non conference schedule nearly over, here are the rest of the MVC games until we start MVC play, only 3 vs D1 teams

Dec. 25th
Indiana State vs TCU

Dec. 29th
Purdue Northwest at Valpo
McKendree at Drake
Stony Brook at Northern Iowa

Dec. 30th
Evansville at Miami (Ohio)
William Woods at Missouri State
 

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From Drakenation, comparing RPI and NET

NET RPI School RPI-SOS

112 31 Indiana State 33

100 34 Drake 104

127 117 Southern Ill 88

121 148 Loyola 74

200 175 Illinois State 147

249 182 Northern Iowa 50

190 214 Bradley 297

173 238 Evansville 208

205 257 Valparaiso 308

230 283 Missouri State 306
 
with the non conference schedule nearly over, here are the rest of the MVC games until we start MVC play, only 3 vs D1 teams

Dec. 25th
Indiana State vs TCU

Dec. 29th
Purdue Northwest at Valpo
McKendree at Drake
Stony Brook at Northern Iowa

Dec. 30th
Evansville at Miami (Ohio)
William Woods at Missouri State


As I peruse these games I see only one that shouts out and says "you gotta see this one!". Incidental that game is tonight 9:00 on ESPN 2.
 
My MVC preseason picks now that almost everyone is wrapped up with their non-conference schedule.

1) Drake
2) Loyola
3) ISU
4) SIU
5) BU
6) ILST
7) UNI
8) MSU
9) UE
10) VU
 
There isn't a single Valley team that is head and shoulders better than the rest like there has been for the greater part of a decade. If the league has ever sought parity, it's here this year. Whatever team gels the quickest and can play consistent ball will win it this year.
 

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I think everyone should take a moment and be proud of your contributions on here, and for what it does to help our Beat Writer to create stories and generate thoughts for him to write.....

https://www.tribstar.com/sports/loc...cle_6c7adf4a-6562-599e-b046-2f970efd1886.html

We're lucky to have a beat writer. A Final Four team from our conference doesn't have one. The Horizon league is chock full of schools without one.

As for a Valley prediction now that the non-con is just about complete for all Valley teams....

1) Indiana State 14-4
2) Bradley 10-8
3) SIU 10-8
4) Drake 10-8
5) Loyola 10-8
6) Illinois State 9-9
7) Valpo 9-9
8) UNI 8-10
9) Evansville 6-12
10) MSU 4-14
 
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We're lucky to have a beat writer. A Final Four team from our conference doesn't have one. The Horizon league is chock full of schools without one.

You're creating an argument about nothing, or at the very least critiquing, a person's post...just for the sake of disputation.

Happy New Year TT
 
We're lucky to have a beat writer. A Final Four team from our conference doesn't have one. The Horizon league is chock full of schools without one.

As for a Valley prediction now that the non-con is just about complete for all Valley teams....

1) Indiana State 14-4
2) Bradley 10-8
3) SIU 10-8
4) Drake 10-8
5) Loyola 10-8
6) Illinois State 9-9
7) Valpo 9-9
8) UNI 8-10
9) Evansville 6-12
10) MSU 4-14

Besides the fact that our "beat writer" pretty much refuses to really ackowledge this place even on his DownInTheValley blog posts... He reads this forum to get a general idea of what fans are thinking - of course I'm sure he's got other ways to get a feel for how Sycamore nation is feeling about things but he most certainly doesn't avoid this place all together.
 
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