Strength of the MVC

[Braves2006]

I don't know that the MVC has actually improved. They were the #11 conference in RPI in 2013-14, and currently they are #10. But that probably has more to do with the decline of the Mountain West....

I agree with that DC. I certainly think the Mountain West has declined a little but it is a great conference and still viewed as a really good conference with some fantastic programs.

[Da Coach]

San Jose State, in their 2nd season in the Mountain West, is having about as bad a year as a mid-major team can have. They are 2-19 overall, 0-19 against D1 teams (their only 2 wins were against very weak non-D1 teams- Bethesda and St. Katherine's) and they are 0-9 in the conference and unlikely to win a game because they are so bad. Their RPI is 335 and they are usually getting blown out by 30 points or more most games. SJSU alone is pulling down the MWC like Loyola did to the MVC last year.

Also, they had 5 players suspended from the team in December- all 5 were major contributors to the team-

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sjsu/2014/12/13/five-san-jose-state-basketball-players-suspended-indefinitely/

Coach Dave Wojcik had to recruit players from the football team to help fill his roster-

http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/unlv-rebels/basketball/injuries-and-mass-suspensions-make-rough-season-san-jose-state

Later, 2 of those players were kicked off the team, and a third player left and transferred-

http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_27300829/two-san-jose-state-basketball-players-kicked-off

[tornado]

San Jose State - has been really bad for a very long time - and even that might be an understatement..

They have had only one (17-16) winning season in more than 2 decades...and have done it only 3 times since the 70's,
and have regularly finished at or very near the bottom of their conference.

[tornado]

all of the combined MVC teams have just 5 wins over TOP 50 RPI teams - and two of those are the games that UNI lost to UE & the game WSU lost to Wichita when both were Top 50 teams so one was going to lose no matter what.
So it is surprising how few top teams have been scheduled and have been beaten this season by the MVC

we had more last year (including some key wins over BCS), and the year before (2012-13) we had as a conference,
a whopping 24 wins over Top 50 RPI opponents (24-50), & we had 16 in 2011-12.

[AZ BU Fan]

Hopefully MVC strength is cyclical like most everything in life. Certainly the bottom teams structurally have the ability to improve (facilities, commitment) so it is a matter of coaching and recruiting.

MVC headwinds of city sizes/locations, lack of FB in some spots (although several non football east coast teams do OK), TV exposure, and limited NCAA Tournament slots will be a way of life into the future.

Scheduling better teams has been and will be more difficult unless MVC gets better or worse.. In the middle is too big a risk for BCS schools. Hopefully MVC can keep improving and finding quality players others miss.

[tornado]

...our premier program the last few years, Wichita State, not only lost over the weekend but got humbled and looked beatable.......

saw a comment by one of the PJS guys saying NOBODY would have ever though we'd hang within even double digits of Wichita...

well, there have been plenty of people here on this board saying clearly that we have the talent and that Wichita is beatable!!!

Of course we did not beat them because we still shot poorly, didn't defend the lane and turned it over...
but the fact remains that I know several Bradley people who not only believed we would hang with them but said so in advance

[BUspartan]

but the fact remains that I know several Bradley people who not only believed we would hang with them but said so in advance

Wow, that's impressive. I'll eat crow for thinking this would be a 20+ victory for WSU, especially after the halftime score.

Proud of BU, but the same issues plagued us and resulted in a similar outcome. I don't want moral victories, i want real ones. But hey, maybe it could be a step in the right direction, who knows.

[Da Coach]

... I don't want moral victories, i want real ones...

Yes, I completely agree. Moral victories are OK in the first year of a rebuilding, and maybe year 2 in some situations. But it is absurd to even think that we are talking about moral victories after 4 years.

And after talking to other season ticket holders, several thought last night was the "highlight" of the home schedule so far.
I think that is a pretty sad statement about how bad this year has been for the fans, when the "highlight" is a closer-than-expected loss.

[AZ BU Fan]

Last night a lot better statement than a blow out home loss to the leader of the MVC.

Why pile on a good effort, possibly the best of the season by BU, when everyone already knows the overall season has been a huge disappointment for BU?

No one is hanging their hat on this one game, but, they have played a lot harder/better since GF finally held players accountable for their actions.

No one is settling for moral victories, but, it is a lot better than not competing at all.

Hopefully darkest before the dawn situation for BU this year.



"Angry, bitter, and disappointed in BU MBB is no way to go through life son!"

[Da Coach]

...

"Angry, bitter, and disappointed in BU MBB is no way to go through life son!"

It is however, the only way for fans to express their dissatisfaction, and move Bradley closer to a change. If not for the fans' sentiments expressed through letters, message board opinions, dropping season tickets, dropping donations, etc., there is no doubt we'd still be looking at more of the same.

[Vent]

The Valley has a history of schools leaving for football and/or basketball upgrades. The next time it happens, I believe it will really shake the make up of the MVC. If all of the state schools were to leave, say to the, MAC, Sun Belt and Mountain West, it may be a good idea for BU to form a conference with private schools, similar to the Big East. For instance...Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Loyola, Oral Roberts, Detroit, Valparaiso, Belmont? I don't know of how many options BU would have. The other option of the state schools would be to turn the Missouri Valley Football Conference into a BCS football conference. That would cost a lot more money for schools such as Western, as they would have to upgrade their football facility.

[tornado]

According now to some sites that keep track of this stuff, the MAC has now passed the MVC in Conference RPI,
dropping the Valley to 11th best and we are now close to dropping behind the Mountain West Conference as well into 12th

[Da Coach]

Here is perhaps the most frequently updated site, and it is free-

http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2015/conferencerpi

[Chico]

No way would anyone actually think this team would come close to Wichita. I'll take a moral victory just to show our suspended players they are replaceable besides being a cancer to this team. IMO, all 3 should have been ex-Braves.