The MVC in 2019-2020

[siudawgs]

Virtually an entirely new squad and a shakeup with the assistants. ISU is probably the biggest wild card in the MVC heading into 2019-2020. Guessing they'll be picked in the 6-8 range. Would another Thursday finish mark the end of the line for Muller?

I think a lot of fans would like that to be the case. From the Athletic Dept perspective, I'm not so sure though. Yes, inability to break the NCAA Tournament drought is thinning many people's patience. But, Muller has remained competitive and towards the top of the league in most of his time at ISU, with his first Thursday appearance being last year and caused by tie breakers and two half court buzzer beaters. The teams was snake bitten last season and it was fitting for them to go out on Friday in STL.

I don't think Muller is in tournament or bust mode quite yet, but I do think the AD told him to make sure the assistant coach hires were good ones to help steer the team in the right direction. Duhon was useless and I think was hired by his name, not his abilities. I felt for the amount of work Mullins' had to do here. He was academic coordinator, recruiting coordinator, and lead scout for opposing teams. All Duhon is credited for is that BS offense the Birds ran last year.

So, No. It's not NCAA's or bust....yet. If you ask other fans, you'll probably get a different answer.

Thanks for the response. Some good insights. For the record, though, I was asking more along the lines of what if they are a Thursday team again, not just what if they don't make the NCAAs, which would be a real longshot, given what Mo State, Loyola, Bradley and others have coming back.

[Adunk33]

Thanks for the response. Some good insights. For the record, though, I was asking more along the lines of what if they are a Thursday team again, not just what if they don't make the NCAAs, which would be a real longshot, given what Mo State, Loyola, Bradley and others have coming back

Ah, my mistake. Similar answer nonetheless. Two Thursday night finishes in a row would be unacceptable. I expect last year to be an anomaly and for the Birds to be at worst the middle of the pack. Administration would probably give him another year to right the ship, most fans wouldn't be so willing.

[siudawgs]

Thanks for the response. Some good insights. For the record, though, I was asking more along the lines of what if they are a Thursday team again, not just what if they don't make the NCAAs, which would be a real longshot, given what Mo State, Loyola, Bradley and others have coming back

Ah, my mistake. Similar answer nonetheless. Two Thursday night finishes in a row would be unacceptable. I expect last year to be an anomaly and for the Birds to be at worst the middle of the pack. Administration would probably give him another year to right the ship, most fans wouldn't be so willing.

It'll be quite interesting. Not that preseason rankings count for much, but based on last year and returnees, I can't see Illinois State picked any better than sixth, behind Missouri State, Loyola, Bradley, Drake and UNI. Indiana State is borderline, coming off a poor year but returning Barnes, Key, etc.

[isumvc1]

Thanks for the response. Some good insights. For the record, though, I was asking more along the lines of what if they are a Thursday team again, not just what if they don't make the NCAAs, which would be a real longshot, given what Mo State, Loyola, Bradley and others have coming back

Ah, my mistake. Similar answer nonetheless. Two Thursday night finishes in a row would be unacceptable. I expect last year to be an anomaly and for the Birds to be at worst the middle of the pack. Administration would probably give him another year to right the ship, most fans wouldn't be so willing.

It'll be quite interesting. Not that preseason rankings count for much, but based on last year and returnees, I can't see Illinois State picked any better than sixth, behind Missouri State, Loyola, Bradley, Drake and UNI. Indiana State is borderline, coming off a poor year but returning Barnes, Key, etc.

but remember, Lansing is still our coach = another poor year sadly.

[Adunk33]

Thanks for the response. Some good insights. For the record, though, I was asking more along the lines of what if they are a Thursday team again, not just what if they don't make the NCAAs, which would be a real longshot, given what Mo State, Loyola, Bradley and others have coming back

Ah, my mistake. Similar answer nonetheless. Two Thursday night finishes in a row would be unacceptable. I expect last year to be an anomaly and for the Birds to be at worst the middle of the pack. Administration would probably give him another year to right the ship, most fans wouldn't be so willing.

It'll be quite interesting. Not that preseason rankings count for much, but based on last year and returnees, I can't see Illinois State picked any better than sixth, behind Missouri State, Loyola, Bradley, Drake and UNI. Indiana State is borderline, coming off a poor year but returning Barnes, Key, etc.

Just based off history and Muller's teams typically out perform their preseason rankings, I would agree they are picked 6th or so and end up finishing in the 4/5 spot. I could also see them picked 8th or 9th. But again, who knows. I think Evansville has a lot of talent and no idea what to expect out of Valpo (similarly to ILST). SIU has landed some really solid players and I think will be competitive right away but who knows if those will translate to wins.

[siudawgs]

What’s up with Bradley recruit Rienk Mast? Seeing on social media he may have had a significant injury?

[tribecalledquest]

What’s up with Bradley recruit Rienk Mast? Seeing on social media he may have had a significant injury?

Sounds like an ACL injury. Would be surprised if he plays this season. It stinks as he was playing really well for his pro team in Holland. Hurts inside depth for sure for Bradley. Only three returning interior players on the roster (Childs, Bar, Boya).

[Majik45]

What’s up with Bradley recruit Rienk Mast? Seeing on social media he may have had a significant injury?

We have not seen anything definitive out there. He did something to his knee in semi finals of his league. Hard to get information for average fan half a world away since he is in Europe. I think most Bradley fans not expecting much out of him now.

[siudawgs]

What’s up with Bradley recruit Rienk Mast? Seeing on social media he may have had a significant injury?

Sounds like an ACL injury. Would be surprised if he plays this season. It stinks as he was playing really well for his pro team in Holland. Hurts inside depth for sure for Bradley. Only three returning interior players on the roster (Childs, Bar, Boya).

That's too bad, as it seems like Mast is a nice prospect. Bradley will need Boya/Bar to provide some good minutes to compete with Mo State, Loyola, etc., at the top of the conference.

[Mikovio]

It's a blow, but you've still got Henry inside too and Gabriel is expected to be able to contribute right away. Mast is expected to step into the stretch 4 shoes of Van Bree.

The question is if he's ready to go by January or February, do you take off the redshirt? Him being an international player who's already played professionally leads me to think you wouldn't, plus the grad transfer issue, but I haven't talked to the kid.