Predictions for 2023-24 season

[Da Coach]

With the first regular season game less than 7 weeks away, here is one of the early preseason predictions for the final standings of the 2023-24 season.
Feel free to add your comments.

https://twitter.com/MidMajorcentral/status/1704103993419379009

1. Drake
2. Indiana State
3. Bradley
4. Murray State
5. Belmont
6. Northern Iowa
7. Illinois State
8. Missouri State
9. Evansville
10. Southern Illinois
11. UIC
12. Valparaiso

[Da Coach]

IMO, Indiana State and Murray State may be picked a little too high.

Interview with Drake's Tucker DeVries-

https://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/drakes-tucker-devries/

Full video interview-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1JfOpAnqDY

[64NIT]

SIU picked 10th??? Ouch!!!! I know they'll be in a rebuilding year with a lot of unknowns, but 10th, and below Evansville, is almost insulting.

[BraveBird]

Indy State and Evansville too high; Northern Iowa and Missouri State too low.

[Da Coach]

With the first regular season game less than 7 weeks away, here is one of the early preseason predictions for the final standings of the 2023-24 season.
Feel free to add your comments.

https://twitter.com/MidMajorcentral/status/1704103993419379009

1. Drake
2. Indiana State
3. Bradley
4. Murray State
5. Belmont
6. Northern Iowa
7. Illinois State
8. Missouri State
9. Evansville
10. Southern Illinois
11. UIC
12. Valparaiso

Mid-Major Central is posting brief profiles of each MVC team-

https://twitter.com/MidMajorcentral

3. Bradley- Losing Mast will hurt, but Leons is my DPOY pick, and I think he can replace him pretty well. I’ve always liked Duke Deen and I love the adds of Thomas and Pettigrew. Wardle and the Braves should be in the same tier as Indiana State.

[Da Coach]

The Almanac, a preseason college basketball publication compiled by some of the best college basketball writers, picks the MVC like this-
1. Drake
2. Bradley
3. Northern Iowa
4. Missouri State
5. Indiana State
6. Belmont
7. Murray State
8. Southern Illinois
9. Illinois State
10. UIC
11. Evansville
12. Valparaiso

[bradleyfan124]

The Almanac, a preseason college basketball publication compiled by some of the best college basketball writers, picks the MVC like this-
1. Drake
2. Bradley
3. Northern Iowa
4. Missouri State
5. Indiana State
6. Belmont
7. Murray State
8. Southern Illinois
9. Illinois State
10. UIC
11. Evansville
12. Valparaiso

This is closer to the top 3 but out of order somewhat

[Da Coach]

The Almanac, a preseason college basketball publication compiled by some of the best college basketball writers, picks the MVC like this-
1. Drake
2. Bradley
3. Northern Iowa
4. Missouri State
5. Indiana State
6. Belmont
7. Murray State
8. Southern Illinois
9. Illinois State
10. UIC
11. Evansville
12. Valparaiso

More predictions from The Almanac, probably the best and most comprehensive preseason preview of college basketball ever produced...

Postseason Awards-

• Player of the Year: Tucker DeVries, Drake
• Defensive Player of the Year: Malevy Leons, Bradley
• Newcomer of the Year: Isaiah Swope, Indiana State
• Coach of the Year: Darian DeVries, Drake

All-Conference-

First Team

Northern Iowa	Bowen Born	Guard
Murray St.	Rob Perry	Guard
Drake	Tucker DeVries	Guard/Forward
Missouri St.	Donovan Clay	Guard/Forward
Bradley	Malevy Leons	Forward

Second Team

Indiana St.	Isaiah Swope	Guard
UIC	Toby Okani	Guard
Belmont	Cade Tyson	Guard/Forward
Northern Iowa	Tytan Anderson	Guard/Forward
Drake	Darnell Brodie	Forward

The Coaches’ Poll- Answers taken from an anonymous poll of the league’s coaches

• Breakout Player: Michael Duax, Northern Iowa
• Player Who Scares You the Most: Bowen Born, Northern Iowa
• Best Pro Prospect: Cade Tyson, Belmont
• Hardest Team to Prepare For: Belmont
• Sleeper Team: Missouri State
• Best Development Staff: Southern Illinois

And their prediction for the NCAA Tournament is that the MVC will be a one-bid league. They have Drake in as a #11 seed.

[Da Coach]

Anyone have their own thoughts about the picks above?

[PhiAlphaBoy]

Anyone have their own thoughts about the picks above?

Bradley needs to have another player make that first two team list if we're going to have a successful season. I'm not sure who that player will be for Bradley but I think someone will step up this year to have an All-MVC worthy season.

[bradleyfan124]

Bradley needs to have another player make that first two team list if we're going to have a successful season. I'm not sure who that player will be for Bradley but I think someone will step up this year to have an All-MVC worthy season.

I think Bradley has several candidates that will step up

[yoda]

Best Development Staff: Southern Illinois
.

can someone explain this one? It's had me laughing for the last 1/2 hour while I checked the stats on all their players the past 3-4 years.
Sorry to sound so cynical, but Bradley has developed multiple players way better than SIU - guys like Mast, Hannah, Zek, Ville, Hickman, Deen, Leons, Ja'Shon, Roberts, Childs, East, DB, Koch - all developing into league championship caliber players


The only really good players SIU has had over the past few years are Lance Jones & Marcus Domask.
Both excelled as freshmen and sophs then never got any better after that. In fact, in many regards, they got worse...
Domask never had as good of FG% or 3-pt% after his soph year and Jones likewise - got worse every year after his 1st & 2nd season,
no development at all!

Dalton Banks had a decent freshman year then his numbers tanked each of the next two seasons then they ran him off.
How about Trent Brown, D'Amico or highly touted Foster Wonders who even had a whole redshirt year to develop...(so did Mulia & Ebube)
and not one of them showed any hint of development...despite SIU sorely lacking and searching for a 3rd scorer to help out Domask & Jones.
D'Amico, Banks, Wonders, Mulia, Ebube, Brown all shot poorly and averaged 3ppg or less with non-existent rebounding - barely more production than their walk-ons... and these are their guys who have mostly been there 3-4 years. Where's the "development"?

[64NIT]

Nice write-up about Bradley from College Hoops Top 50: https://collegehoopstop50.com/2023/0...radley-braves/

Also, The Almanac ranks BU as the #13 mid-major program:

image.png

https://twitter.com/BradleyUMBB/status/1707409840312599016

[bradleyfan124]

Good article!..

[Da Coach]

Good article!..

Yes, well researched and quite thorough. And quite long. I didn't do a word count, but must be a couple thousand words. But a nice writeup.