Who will be this year's Surprise Team in the Valley?

[Future Walk-On]

Even spending an extra year at BU to be a Super-ST!

And a chance is all I can ask or hope for against the Almighty Illini.

I'll make sure to kick the back of Sam's plane seat all the way to Mexico.

I was gonna hope for a nice flight for you....

Now I am hoping ML is sitting behind you like you were dying for

[KMart]

Since Missouri State lost all but one starter, I think BU can actually sneak into the top 3 alongside Creighton and Wichita St. With a healthy Taylor Brown, DSE and a good recruiting class Bradley should be able to surprise a lot of teams if they can stay healthy and get some production from more than one freshman.

[SFP]

I believe BU has a chance if our 3 pt shooting is better then what is on paper and AT steps up and becomes that player we all believe he is capable of. I'd also have to believe GF's system will benefit AT.

[wily coyote]

My heart tells me BU but my gut tells me ISU red. I have said it before on here and I will say it again. I love the guards they brought in and lord knows they needed them.

We need someone to step up and give us some outside shooting and we also need someone to spell JP. Without either we will struggle for another year but I love what Geno is doing. It just may take a year or two. We need to be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day and we were close to ruins. Well maybe thats a stretch but last time I checked we were last in the Valley.

[AZ BU Fan]

Hopefully we will be surprised with BU playing hard and smart for 40 minutes a game throughout the season!

Hopefully we will be surprised with BU's FT Shooting and Rebounding!






Hopefully we will be surprised with a lot more fans showing up at the PCC to support the Braves!

Hopefully we will be surprised with improved officiating in the MVC this coming season!

[LittleBrave]

I voted for UE; I think they will be a top 5 team. I would have said Drake, but the SVD injury has me bearish on them now.

EU will make it difficult on opposing teams all season. I don't know about a Top 5 finish, but they are capable if everyone does a little extra. They are a small team, so that will prevent them from hanging with the likes of WSU & CU, and even ISU (blue).
You could shuffle the middle-pack teams ( 4 - 8 ) and have a better chance of picking the finishing order this season.

BU, EU, ISU (red), Indy St., DU (with healthy Van Deest) are all on about the same level IMO. Some may disagree, especially about ISU (blue), but I don't see them finishing Top 3 like seemingly everyone in Terre Haute firmly believes.

Still think SIU will be the surprise team - finish #5 or #6.

[45otseoj]

I don't see them finishing Top 3 like seemingly everyone in Terre Haute firmly believes.

Got that right

[SycamoreFanatic]

Got that right

Me thinks you all got it wrong........................a senior laden team and the best PG in the league..........give me a break. Indiana State, Creighton & Wichita State and then all the rest not in any particular order.


GO SYCAMORES!

[LittleBrave]

Me thinks you all got it wrong
GO SYCAMORES!

No...I think we pretty much got it right - seemingly everyone in Terre Haute firmly believes the Sycs will finish Top 3, and you just proved my point.

[LittleBrave]

Indiana State, Creighton & Wichita State and then all the rest not in any particular order.


GO SYCAMORES!

And I don't think those 3 are far and away vastly better than the middle-pack Valley teams this year. Pretty weak top of the Valley this year, especially if Indy St. is picked in the Top 3 unless Larry Bird is making a comeback. (just joking there...then again, isn't Odum the next Bird???)
But CU & WSU have to prove themselves with the players they have - I'll admit, there is a lot to work with, but the NIT Shockers lost the bulk of production to graduation, and CU only finished a couple games above .500 last year, and will not have the MVC pre-season POY of a year ago.

Comparing CU & BU,

AY + DM = DSE + TB, while the other key players for both teams are comparable - only CU has Echenique, which makes them better than BU...on paper.

[TheGuy]

Sycs are going to live and die by the 3 next year. I also think by now valley teams will have a good idea on how to shut down Jake. Shut down Jake, you shut down the Sycs. Very close to being an average valley team next season and to be quite honest I thought caught lightning in a bottle at the valley tourney and in no way was the best team representing the valley in the tourney.

Also you will miss the Porter Moser lookalike more than you know.

[LittleBrave]

Sycs are going to live and die by the 3 next year. I also think by now valley teams will have a good idea on how to shut down Jake. Shut down Jake, you shut down the Sycs. Very close to being an average valley team next season and to be quite honest I thought caught lightning in a bottle at the valley tourney and in no way was the best team representing the valley in the tourney.

Also you will miss the Porter Moser lookalike more than you know.

Would you be referring to AC? If not, I have no idea.

I do like Mahurin and McWhorter from what I saw last year, but if you take UNI in their Sweet 16 season, Jake Koch & Sonnen were even better in their freshman years, but their weaknesses came to the forefront as they had to play bigger roles.

Anyhow, I pick Indy St. to finish #4 - BU #5, but it wouldn't surpise me if Indy St. winds up between 3-7, and Shocked (no pun intended) to see them over take CU and WSU for the MVC title. Sorry to say that their winning of the Valley tourney was more of a meltdown by the teams they beat rather than them playing like Champs.

[Chibearsfan10125]

I feel like BU will be a surprise team, but top 3? That's a little higher than I think they'll be. I think they'll be a top 5 team, but not top 3. With a healthy TB, DSE continuing to improve, and a very talented freshman class, this team will be a very competitive team. One of the best teams in the valley? No, but probably in the upper half, in my opinion.

[Future Walk-On]

I really think all you guys downplaying how good WSU will be......will be very surprised.

They will be hands down better than everyone else.

[sousaman2089]

I'd be surprised if BU were a top 3 team, but since usual powers (Creighton, NIU) are a little weaker now, I would not be shocked.