MVC Games Week 9

[smidge34]

We Racer fans realize the conference competition will be elevated next season with far fewer nights off. With that said, there’s a flip side to that coin. The returning MVC teams will have two extra tough teams to face as well. I’m stoked!

[Kyle_Saluki_17]

We Racer fans realize the conference competition will be elevated next season with far fewer nights off. With that said, there’s a flip side to that coin. The returning MVC teams will have two extra tough teams to face as well. I’m stoked!

The main point is don’t go into a “bottom feeder” school assuming a win like you can now. I still remember the absolute ass kicking SIU got from Illinois State last season. Even Valpo beat both Drake and Loyola last year. This conference is wild. I can’t wait for Murray to come to Carbondale for a conference game!!

[Loyola_Fan]

We Racer fans realize the conference competition will be elevated next season with far fewer nights off. With that said, there’s a flip side to that coin. The returning MVC teams will have two extra tough teams to face as well. I’m stoked!

The main point is don’t go into a “bottom feeder” school assuming a win like you can now. I still remember the absolute ass kicking SIU got from Illinois State last season. Even Valpo beat both Drake and Loyola last year. This conference is wild. I can’t wait for Murray to come to Carbondale for a conference game!!

Valpo was 0-2 against Loyola last year

[VUGrad1314]

We Racer fans realize the conference competition will be elevated next season with far fewer nights off. With that said, there’s a flip side to that coin. The returning MVC teams will have two extra tough teams to face as well. I’m stoked!

We're all stoked! And I echo the sentiments stated multiple times: once both programs get to the MVC there are no more free lunches. You're going to have to come to work and earn it every single night if you want to win. I expect Murray State and Belmont to be competitive from the jump but it would be more than a little optimistic to guarantee top 3 for either of them. Our league is better with them here than without but we may want to hold off on any pre-MVC coronations\anointings until after these teams get here.

This is exactly why I feel like people who think they are coming in and both finishing top 3 next season are crazy. The bottom of this conference plays close games with the top quite often, and unfortunately probably costs us at-large bids sometimes. No off nights, as stated above.

This is definitely true, and part of the reason why I think it's okay if we invite a team that isn't a guaranteed world-beater on day one. Obviously you don't want a complete boat anchor, but in the words of Judge Smails, "the world needs ditch diggers too."

I agree that we can probably take a chance on a program with potential too now that we have what should be two very solid basketball adds in the fold. I don't think we should ever turn down any good program that wants to join regardless of location\market but as I've stated in another thread the potential with a program like UIC now that I've seen a bit more information about them and have become receptive to it instead of dismissing it out of hand looks more real and less theoretical. They look like they have the resources and if they can use them to enhance their competitiveness they could be very good in a few years and keep the MVC presence in Chicago very strong post-Loyola.

[VUGrad1314]

We Racer fans realize the conference competition will be elevated next season with far fewer nights off. With that said, there’s a flip side to that coin. The returning MVC teams will have two extra tough teams to face as well. I’m stoked!

The main point is don’t go into a “bottom feeder” school assuming a win like you can now. I still remember the absolute ass kicking SIU got from Illinois State last season. Even Valpo beat both Drake and Loyola last year. This conference is wild. I can’t wait for Murray to come to Carbondale for a conference game!!

Valpo was 0-2 against Loyola last year

Right. We played them really tough @Loyola after getting absolutely embarrassed by them at home earlier in the season but just like last night's game we still lost and a loss is a loss no matter how the more optimistic among out fanbase try to spin it.

[Kyle_Saluki_17]

The main point is don’t go into a “bottom feeder” school assuming a win like you can now. I still remember the absolute ass kicking SIU got from Illinois State last season. Even Valpo beat both Drake and Loyola last year. This conference is wild. I can’t wait for Murray to come to Carbondale for a conference game!!

Valpo was 0-2 against Loyola last year

Right. We played them really tough @Loyola after getting absolutely embarrassed by them at home earlier in the season but just like last night's game we still lost and a loss is a loss no matter how the more optimistic among out fanbase try to spin it.

Right. Excuse me, not really sure what I was thinking of. Maybe it was just the Drake upset. I thought they had beaten both.

[BruinGrad]

While I don't expect Belmont to come in as a bottom feeder, I also feel that there will be a talent dip for the Bruins next year. There are 5 players on our roster that are listed as Graduate Student. They have a year of eligibility, but the are already in the masters program and will not return for the next year. Three of those players are starters.

We have some great young talent and some solid looking recruits coming in next year, but we're losing a lot of talent after the season is over. Belmont has surprised me in the past when I expected a rebuilding year, but i think we're losing too much and will be too young. I expect we will be competitive most nights, but I expect to finish anywhere from sixth to tenth in the league next year.

[BEARZ77]

The one thing you can't overlook is any team can come out of the spring/summer significantly improved than projected at seasons end simply because of the transfer portal. If you need help at almost any position or roster aspect , it's there to be had, but you could also lose a piece you hadn't planned on as well.

[BCPanther]

Next year's projection--

1-???
2-???
3-???
4-???
5-???
6-???
7-???
8-???
9-???
10-???
11-UIC
12-Evansville

[BEARZ77]

Next year's projection--

1-???
2-???
3-???
4-???
5-???
6-???
7-???
8-???
9-???
10-???
11-UIC
12-Evansville

That's probably as accurate as one can get till you see what rosters and coaching staffs look like in the summer.