With the entirety of the 2021-22 Missouri Valley Conference First Team departing in the offseason and Loyola-Chicago exiting the league, most expected the Valley to lose a step in 2022. However, the addition of Belmont and Murray State from the Ohio Valley Conference and Illinois-Chicago from the Horizon League makes this year a story of addition rather than subtraction.
Among the changes to the league is a 20-game season and a new format for the men’s conference tournament in St. Louis. With a new-look Valley, all 12 teams will be on an even playing field navigating the recent changes.
Despite the transfer portal’s best efforts to deplete the Valley of its top stars, the MVC’s strength is the top-level talent that chose to stay. Conference tournament runner-up and preseason favorite Drake is one of the oldest teams in the country, but will use sensational sophomore Tucker DeVries to drive its offense.
Reigning conference champion Northern Iowa loses star A.J. Green and Second Team selection Noah Carter, but head coach Ben Jacobson brings back the Sixth Man of the Year sophomore Bowen Born to lead his squad.
Both Bradley and Southern Illinois were selected as the top two squads to challenge the Bulldogs and both teams returned three starters to help them in their pursuit of a Valley title.
For how we expect the Valley to shake up, Co-Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Michel and Sports Co-Editors Mason Klemm and Matt Lucas have compiled our rankings to bring you our comprehensive take on where each team will end up come March.
#1 DRAKE
Being tabbed as the MVC’s preseason favorite, head coach Darian DeVries knows that his group is the team to beat.
Winning 25 games last year, the Bulldogs return three starters from that team but should take a large step forward. Led by DeVries’ son Tucker (13.9 ppg), Drake also sees the return of graduate guards Roman Penn, Garret Sturtz and DJ Wilkins for yet another season.
With an average age of 21.5, Drake is one of the oldest groups in Division I. That advantage will help them as they navigate a new-look Valley. Time and time again, experience has been an important factor come March so DeVries’ team should be locked and loaded for a title run in 2022-23.
Anything less than a top three finish will be largely disappointing for this squad. With all the talent and experience that returns, there is no debate on why the Bulldogs are deemed the top dog.
#2 BRADLEY
Bradley hasn’t won the MVC regular season since 1996 but the squad eighth-year head coach Brian Wardle brings back will likely be the closest he’s been to the top of the mountain in the regular season
Finishing 17-14 last season, the Braves return three starters and sport nine upperclassmen for the preseason’s No. 2 team. Preseason first-team all-conference forward Rienk Mast will be the most important to the group’s success, but the forward is expected to miss the first four to eight weeks with an MCL sprain.
Aiding in the Braves’ pursuit for a title and postseason berth will be a collage of returning stars and transfers. Among the group are forwards Ja’Shon Henry and Malevy Leons as well as guards Connor Hickman, Duke Deen and James ‘Pop’ Weathers.
With two SEC powerhouses on the non-conference schedule this year, the Braves will have their chances to knock down some quality wins early. Expect the team to increase their production whenever Mast returns, but this is a quality and deep group nonetheless.
#3 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Picked third in the preseason poll, fans in Carbondale should be excited for the talent that fourth-year head coach Bryan Mullins retained.
Finishing 16-15 a year ago, the Salukis return three starters and picked up a couple of meaningful transfers to construct an intimidating squad.
Forward Marcus Domask (15.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG) and guard Lance Jones (14.8 PPG, 1.9 SPG) both return for their senior seasons. Evansville transfer Jawaun Newton stays in the MVC and brings 12.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game to SIU. Indiana transfer Xavier Johnson (12.1 PPG) will be another face to watch.
Games at Oklahoma State and Saint Louis will give the Salukis great opportunities early on. You can bet that Mullins and SIU are in good position to earn a first-round bye come Arch Madness.
#4 NORTHERN IOWA
Reigning regular season champions Northern Iowa faces a fresh season without departed stars A.J. Green and Noah Carter.
Ben Jacobson, who begins his 17th year as the Panthers head coach, faces a challenging task at building around a team that returns one starter from their 20-12 campaign a season ago. If the Panthers are to finish towards the top of the league, they’ll have to rely on sophomores Bowen Born and Nate Heise.
Both Born and Heise bring back averages of over seven points per game last year, but what is largely unknown is the status of redshirt senior forward Austin Phyfe. Phyfe has dealt with health issues in the past and is not cleared to resume basketball activities.
If he is unavailable for the season, the Panthers will have to look elsewhere for their man in the middle. Nonetheless, expect the winningest head coach in Panthers’ history to get his group to the top half of the conference.
#5 BELMONT
When Belmont left the Ohio Valley Conference in July and opted to join the MVC, the Bruins entered a far tougher field than they’ve seen the last 10 years.
Belmont fans are set to see a new-look squad after finishing 25-8 last year. Head coach Casey Alexander enters his fourth year and will have to rely on his one returning starter from the prior season: 6-foot-6 senior guard Ben Sheppard.
Sheppard averaged 16.2 points per game last year and helped power the Bruins to an NIT berth. Now, the senior will be tasked with uniting a core led by strong transfers Keishawn Davidson and Drew Frieberg.
The Bruins have not won less than 20 games since 2010, but are looking for their first March Madness appearance since 2019. Make no mistake: despite the new faces, the Bruins will be a good team that will be a tough out in St. Louis. Expect Belmont to fight for a first round bye in March.
#6 MURRAY STATE
Possibly the most intriguing addition to the MVC are the Murray State Racers. After former head coach Matt McMahon became the new leader at LSU, the Racers hired a familiar face in Steve Prohm.
Prohm coached the Racers from 2011-2015 and compiled a 104-29 record before accepting the same position at Iowa State. Coaching the Cyclones to a 2-22 finish in 2020, both parties decided to mutually part ways. Prohm has now returned to the Racers and will have to reconstruct the team after their 31-3 record a year ago.
Junior D.J. Burns will be the piece Prohm will have to rely on as the only returning starter. Transfers Brian Moore Jr. and Quincy Anderson will also need to perform well if the Racers want to make a mark in year one in the Valley.
Expect an up-and-down year for Murray State. There is enough talent to finish in the middle of the league but that all rests on how long it takes the roster and staff to get used to each other on the court.
#7 MISSOURI STATE
Springfield, Missouri was home to one of the more exciting groups in the Valley last year, but 14 new players to the roster after a mass exodus due to the transfer portal has left the Bears as a question mark.
Head coach Dana Ford begins his fifth season with the Bears but will have to make changes to keep momentum after the 23-11 finish last year. To help Ford is the lone remaining starter: senior guard Donovan Clay (8.4 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 2021-22).
Incoming transfers Bryan Trimble Jr. (10.4 PPG) from Akron and Kendle Moore (6.5 PPG) from Colorado State will look to be Ford’s building blocks to aid Clay.
Despite the vastly different group in Springfield, expect Ford to once again get his group prepared for battle in a deep Valley. The Bears should be favored to finish in the top half of the league, but anything is on the table with so many new faces
#8 INDIANA STATE
Retaining four starters from last year’s 11-20 squad, the Indiana State Sycamores should take a leap forward in head coach Josh Schertz’s second year at the helm.
Among the impressive list of returnees are senior Cooper Neese and redshirt senior Cameron Henry. Neese leads the pack with 15 points per game last season, while Henry came down with more than five boards while averaging nearly as many points as his counterpart
Other talented playmakers include sophomore Julian Larry, redshirt junior Xavier Bledson and Bradley transfer Jayson Kent. Freshman Robbie Avila is also a post player to watch to make an impact in his first year with the Sycamores.
While the team includes several talented stars, Schertz and the Sycamores will likely be in a fight in the middle of the MVC.
#9 ILLINOIS STATE
After firing 10-year head coach Dan Muller during an abysmal 13-20 record a season ago, Illinois State now welcomes a plethora of new players and new head coach Ryan Pedon, who comes over from an assistant role at Ohio State.
Losing guard Antonio Reeves (20.1 PPG) to the transfer portal was disappointing for Redbird fans during the offseason, but looking to heal the wounds is returning senior Kendall Lewis. Lewis will welcome in Western Illinois standout guard Coltan Sandage (13.4 PPG) and BYU transfer Seneca Knight (7.4 PPG) to help jump start the group.
Pedon will face an uphill battle in his first year in Normal, but a new sense of pride among the program seems to have things looking brighter further east on I-74. The non-conference schedule is very favorable but this team is young. Expect a rebuild-type season for the Redbirds, but a breakout is possible.
#10 VALPARAISO
Leading the Beacons into their sixth season in the MVC, head coach Matt Lottich needs to capitalize on the talent he returns.
Forward Ben Krikke and guard Kobe King both bring at least 14 points per game from last season’s 14-18 campaign. Both veterans will have to lead the Beacons who return eight letterwinners, but lose three starters.
Valparaiso has only finished one season in the MVC over .500. Lottich retained the two biggest factors to create a second occurrence, but he’ll need to hope that the lineup depth develops quickly. The Beacons are top-heavy but are not as deep as other teams in the Valley. This team will likely go as Krikke and King go.
#11 ILLINOIS-CHICAGO
Entering their first year in the Valley, UIC hopes to create a spark in their new home.
Third-year head coach Luke Yaklich will have his hands full after returning just one starter from the team that went 14-16 in the Horizon League a year ago.
Sophomore guard Jace Carter will headline the returning group for the Flames after averaging over eight points and five boards per game. Sophomore forward Filip Skobalj and Idaho graduate transfer Tre Anderson will need to step up if the Flames want to make a strong impression in year one.
While UIC has a talented group coming in, the team is largely new to each other, and foreign faces in a foreign conference may make it tough on Yaklich and the Flames.
#12 EVANSVILLE
Looking for its first double-digit win season since 2018-19 and their first winning season since 2017-18, the Purple Aces are expected to be a cellar dweller in the Valley after another staff shakeup.
Head coach David Ragland enters his first year in Evansville but will have to navigate a program that has been the punching bag in the conference lately.
The Aces return one starter from last year’s six-win team. Junior guard Blaise Beauchamp brings back eight points per game and will likely team up with sharpshooter Antoine Smith Jr. The latter shot 45% from three last year, so the Aces do possess a scoring ability from the outside.
With 10 newcomers to the squad, Ragland will begin to rebuild the program this season. Evansville should again be towards the bottom two spots in the standings.
