For the third straight year, Drake has been picked as the preseason favorite in the Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball race by a voting panel consisting of coaches, sports information directors and media.
Drake is the defending MVC Tournament champion; Bradley is the defending MVC regular-season champion.
Drake received 24 first-place votes and 558 total points while edging UNI in the rankings. The Panthers were the second choice with 19 first-place votes and 524 total points. Bradley earned three first-place tallies and 487 points, while Indiana State (4th, 402), Belmont (5th, 400), and Missouri State (6th, 386) were tightly bunched for the next three positions.
In March 2024, The Valley will conduct its 34th St. Louis-based postseason men’s basketball championship. With 34-straight years at the same neutral site, Arch Madness is the second-longest neutral site tenured collegiate tourney in the nation (following only the Big East in New York City).
Pollsters have accurately predicted the league’s regular-season champ only six of the past 11 years, and only 18 times out of 38 total polls (beginning with the 1985-86 preseason picks). A total of 32 of those 38 predicted champs have gone on to post-season play, with 22 of those 32 playing in the NCAAs.
#1 DRAKE BULLDOGS
- Coming off its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years, Drake men’s basketball has reloaded for the 2023-24 campaign. There is still a core group of returners led by 2022-23 MVC Larry Bird Player of the Year Tucker DeVries. The junior guard/forward from Waukee, Iowa, became the fifth Drake student-athlete to hoist the Larry Bird Trophy joining Jeff Halliburton, Curt Smith, Lewis Lloyd (twice) and Adam Emmenecker.
- Returning with DeVries are redshirt-sophomore point guard Conor Enright, redshirt-senior forward Nate Ferguson, junior forward Eric Northweather and graduate student forward Darnell Brodie. Brodie earned a spot on the 2022-23 MVC Most Improved Team and will put on the Drake uniform again after putting up 20 points, nine rebounds and two blocks against Miami in the 2023 NCAA Tournament First Round.
- Ten total newcomers will call Des Moines home for the first time. Transferring from UT Arlington, Kyron Gibson will provide veteran leadership in the backcourt as will the sharpshooting guard from CSUN, Atin Wright. 2022-23 Patriot League Freshman of the Year at Army Ethan Roberts arrives to solidify the guard position. The last transfer secured by the Bulldogs was athletic forward Carlos Rosario from Washington State.
#2 UNI PANTHERS
- After a year of growth and development a season ago, UNI looks to take a large step forward as it aims to retake the MVC crown following an offseason of roster additions.
- The Panthers finished the 2022-23 season with a 14-18 record and 9-11 mark in league play for an eighth-place finish in the MVC standings. For a third straight season, the Panthers grabbed a win in their first game of the MVC Tournament against Illinois State before a quarterfinal exit. UNI posted a 6-2 record during the month of January, but struggled against the conference’s upper tier down the stretch.
- UNI will be greatly tested as it competes in the 2023 edition of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. Competing in the tournament for the third time, UNI will open its Thanksgiving tournament against North Carolina before taking on Villanova or Texas Tech. Other tournament participants this year include Stanford, Memphis, Michigan and Arkansas.
- UNI returns much of its core from last season, led by Second Team All-MVC guard Bowen Born, who led the Panthers with 17.9 points per game. Tytan Anderson, captain of last year’s MVC Most Improved Team after leading the league with 11 double-doubles also returns, as does MVC All-Freshman forward Michael Duax. Sophomore Trey Campbell posted a solid freshman campaign with 7.5 points a game, with Landon Wolf seeing his first action as a Panther and shooting 36.2% from beyond the three-point arc. Guard Nate Heise also returns after missing most of last season with a hand injury.
#3 BRADLEY BRAVES
- Bradley University men's basketball, under the leadership of head coach Brian Wardle (9th year) is fresh off its first Missouri Valley Conference regular season title in nearly 30 years. The Braves bring back 10 student-athletes and three core starters from last season's squad, which includes 60% of their 3pt production and three of their top five scorers.
- The Braves are highlighted by reigning Missouri Valley Conference Defensive player of the year Malevy Leons, who returns for his fifth year to go alongside the starting backcourt duo of Duke Deen and Connor Hickman. BU also returns key rotation players with SR forwards Darius Hannah, JR guard Christian Davis and SO center Ahmet Jonovic.
- In the offseason, the Braves filled their five open scholarships by dipping into both the transfer portal and high school ranks. Transfers include Kyle Thomas from Eastern Illinois, Trey Pettigrew from Nevada, and Emarion Ellis from Marquette. Bradley also welcomes two true freshmen to the 2023-24 roster with Almar Atlason from Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas and Demarion Bruch from Milwaukee-Hamilton High School in Wisconsin.
#4 INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
- Indiana State men’s basketball heads into head coach Josh Schertz’s third year at the helm with a boost of excitement and rightly so as the Sycamores come off a 23-win season and the program’s first postseason berth since 2014. The Sycamores return a breadth of depth and experience, as well as key transfers that highlight a program poised to take the next step in leading the Sycamores back to national prominence.
- The Sycamore success will start with the returners as ISU welcomes back Xavier Bledson, Robbie Avila, Julian Larry, Jayson Kent, and Masen Miller among others that saw increased playing time and experience on the court last season.
- Avila is the headliner of the group as the heralded recruit became one of the top freshmen in program history in the 2022-23 season averaging 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
#5 Belmont BRUINS
- Another year. Another year of milestones and achievement for Belmont Basketball. After setting a standard of excellence in the Atlantic Sun Conference and later, the Ohio Valley Conference, Belmont entered its inaugural season in the Missouri Valley Conference with uncertainty, unknowns and intrigue. Ben Sheppard ranked among the most impactful players in college basketball in 2022-23. He led Belmont to its 18th consecutive season of 19 or more wins – and 13th straight of 20 or more – as the Bruins again contended for a conference crown. The only player in the MVC named First Team All-MVC and All-MVC Defensive Team, Sheppard was selected No. 26 by the Indiana Pacers in the 2023 NBA Draft.
- While the Belmont roster composition is unprecedented for a program used to fourth and fifth-year players – only Keishawn Davidson and Jayce Willingham have higher than sophomore standing – the Bruins have several known commodities. Cade Tyson, the reigning MVC Freshman of the Year, is among the most versatile and committed wings in the nation. Fellow sophomore Ja’Kobi Gillespie also proved formidable in MVC play, gaining confidence and playing his best basketball at the end of last season. The experience of Davidson – who was slowed in 2023 due to a shoulder injury – and Willingham – a 1,000-point scorer at Division II Lee University – will provide stability.
- Vanderbilt transfer Malik Dia adds a true presence inside. Isaiah Walker shined during Belmont’s foreign tour of Spain and is expected to see an increased role. Since Alexander took the helm at his alma mater, only eight programs in America have won more games. Belmont has ranked in the Top 25 nationally in 3-point field goals made per game every year but one since becoming an NCAA Division I member institution in 1996. Currently, no program has made more 3-pointers than Belmont (7,885) since the Bruins went Division I.
#6 MISSOURI STATE BEARS
- Missouri State returns three starters and one of the league's top reserves for Dana Ford's sixth season in Springfield. Included in Ford's returning nucleus are All-MVC pillar Donovan Clay, Alston Mason and Damien Mayo Jr., and MVC All-Bench standout Chance Moore.
- While leading the team in scoring (11.9 ppg), Clay became the first Bear in four years to reach the century mark in assists with a team-high 108. He was also one of the league's top defenders, earning a spot on the MVC All-Defensive Team.
- One of the best-kept secrets in the MVC, Moore averaged 10.6 points and knocked down a team-high 50 three-pointers last season and was MoState's top scorer a team-high 11 times.
- The Bears have won 12 or more Valley games in three straight seasons, the first time in program history that Missouri State has reached that milestone in any league in any era. Under Ford, the Bears have also earned a win at Arch Madness four straight years, an active streak matched only by Drake in that span.
#7 Murray State RACERS
- Experience is valuable and the Murray State Racers gained a lot of it in their first season in the Missouri Valley Conference in the 2022-23 season.
- Under Coach Steve Prohm, who began his second era with the Racers, There was a near-complete overhaul of the roster. For the first time in 98 seasons, the Racers signed 12 new players. Even so, they slugged above their weight class and posted an 11-9 record in their first try at The Valley and earned a winning season at 17-15.
- Rob Perry led the Racers with a scoring average of 14.3 points per game for ninth place on The Valley list, as he earned All-MVC Third Team honors. Other key pieces, all guards, are back to push the Racers including JaCobi Wood, Brian Moore and Quincy Williams. A year ago, the Racers had a new team and a new conference and returning only six points per game. Summer 2023 brought a greater sense of confidence in knowing that MSU has an average of 44.4 points returning.
- Perry, Moore, and Anderson give the Racers three returning players that have 1,000 career points with Perry and Moore having the chance to reach 2,000 points and 1,500 points. Perry enters the 2023-24 season with 1,531 points and Anderson has 1,090 points.
#8 ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- After his first season as head coach of the Illinois State men’s basketball team, second-year head coach Ryan Pedon has re-tooled the roster, adding to a strong returning group that includes returning four of the team’s five top scorers with four NCAA Division I transfers and three freshmen that combined for six First Team All-State honors during their prep careers.
- Back for the Redbirds is leading scorer Darius Burford, who averaged 12.9 points with a team-high 76 assists. Also returning is Kendall Lewis who averaged 10.9 points, while finishing third in the MVC in rebounds per game (7.3) and led the team with 46 steals. Malachi Poindexter – the Illinois State single-season free throw percentage record holder – returns after averaging 9.4 points with Luke Kasubke scoring 6.8 points with 50 assists last year.
- Among the newcomers include transfers Dalton Banks, Myles Foster, Jordan Davis, and Brandon Lieb in addition to freshmen Ty Pence, Johnny Kinziger and Chase Walker. Banks spent three seasons at Southern Illinois where he played in 89 games for the MVC school while dishing out 167 assists. Foster started 33 games last season for Monmouth, where he averaged 12.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game with 59 assists and 40 steals. Davis had 18 starts last season for Wisconsin, averaging 5.1 points with 3.5 rebounds per game. Lieb, a 7-1 forward, saw action in 31 games for Illinois with 27 points and 30 rebounds.
#9 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- Southern Illinois and fifth-year head coach Bryan Mullins will have a new look entering the 2023-24 season after finishing 23-10 a year ago. The Salukis will look to replace the firepower of two All-MVC standouts in Marcus Domask and Lance Jones who wrapped up four-year careers at Southern.
- The Salukis return three starters from last year's squad in Xavier Johnson (G), Trent Brown (G), and Clarence Rupert (F) while also bringing back five letterwinners from 2022-23.
- Xavier Johnson, a 6-foot-2 guard, started in 32 games in his first season at SIU last year, averaging seven points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. The MVC All-Defensive honoree was second on the team and sixth in the MVC in steals (50). He scored a season-high 23 at Saint Louis and entered double-digits in nine games. Forward Clarence Rupert saw action in all 33 games last season while entering the starting lineup 23 times for the Salukis. He averaged 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in just 16 minutes per game. The Salukis also return veteran guard Trent Brown this season. Brown played in 32 games while making 19 starts in the backcourt. Brown shot 32.1 percent from behind the arc (26-81), averaging three points per contest.
#10 UIC FLAMES
- UIC returns seven letterwinners for its second season in the Missouri Valley Conference, led by a pair of starters in senior guard Toby Okani (11.0 ppg., 7.1 rpg., 2.3 apg.) and junior forward Filip Skobalj (7.7 ppg., team-high 61 three-pointers). Okani scored in double figures a career-high 18 times last year, highlighted by a career-best 29 points at Valparaiso. Skobalj, a first-team MVC Scholar-Athlete, connected at a .365 clip from three-point range last season (.377 in conference play), and posted 10 double-digit scoring nights, led by a career-best 18 points at Missouri State.
- Four of the other five returning Flames, all sophomores, earned valuable starting experience during their first seasons at UIC. Guard CJ Jones (6.2 ppg.) split time in the lineup and as UIC’s sixth man, starting 19 times, while center Cameron Fens (2.5 ppg.) earned 12 starts. Forward Jaden Brownell (3.6 ppg., .400 3FG%) earned the starting nod four times, while guard Steven Clay (3.1 ppg.) made the lineup on three occasions. Senior guard Griffin Yaklich (0.9 ppg.) also adds veteran leadership after appearing in a career-high 16 games last season.
- The Flames also have several newcomers this season, highlighted by six transfers.
#11 EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
- Kenny Strawbridge Jr. enters this season on the cusp of scoring 1,000 points in his college career. After two seasons at Alabama State, Strawbridge transferred to UE prior to the 2022-23 campaign. He begins the season with 973 points, just 27 shy of reaching the mark.
- Gage Bobe is set to begin his fifth season with the Purple Aces program. Last season, he had his top performance with an average of 5.6 points per game while seeing 26 minutes of action. Bobe was originally a walk-on with the UE program.
- Evansville welcomes 12 new players to its roster for 2023-24. Eight comprise the freshman class for UE while reigning Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year Cam Haffner will be a sophomore for the Aces. Evansville also added junior Tanner Cuff, senior Ben Humrichous, and fifth-year player Antonio Thomas, who opened his college career at Bradley.
#12 VALPARAISO BEACONS
- A new era of Valpo basketball is set to begin in 2023-24 as head coach Roger Powell Jr. embarks upon his first season leading the program. Powell, who has reached the national title game as both a player and assistant coach, will guide a roster comprised of 11 newcomers (nine scholarship) and four returning players (three scholarship).
- Senior Connor Barrett is the team’s leading returning scorer and the longest-tenured member of the program. He is joined by senior Jerome Palm, in his second year at Valpo, and junior Darius DeAveiro, in his third year in the program, to form the trio of returning scholarship players.
- A young group will feature six freshmen, five of whom come directly from either high school or prep school and one redshirt freshman transfer. Sherman Weatherspoon IV, Kaspar Sepp, Cooper Schwieger and Lucas Scroggins are all prep school freshmen, while Jahari Williamson is a high school freshman. Lual Manyang is a redshirt freshman after spending his true rookie season at Hofstra.
- Isaiah Stafford, a junior guard with prior stops at John A. Logan and Southern Indiana, has joined the program as a transfer, as has sophomore forward Ola Ajiboye (Central Michigan) and sophomore guard Jaxon Edwards (Murray State). A trio of nonscholarship players round out the roster – Lake Land transfer Luke Carroll, former Valpo football player Anthony Sciarroni and returning walk-on Joe Vick.