MVC Games Week 14 2024-25

[SycamoreBLUE02]

I didn't say it was equal. There is more pecking today than at any point in the past. The entire all conference teams of last year were pecked. When has that happened before?

Heck, Indiana State lost its coach and a couple of its stars to St. Louis! That's a big smack in the face of the MVC.

And next year, the P6 schools can pay 15 players per team.

But yes, the MVC is weaker this year because of the pecking. When we peck, most of it is from lower divisions and lower conferences not from the P6, and what does come down from the P6 is nothing like a Mary Simmons or a Scott Haffner as it was before.

Maybe Indiana State should have found the money like other Valley schools have or should have vetted the hire a little better. Indiana State had the choice to try and make the money work and they couldn't get it done.

You're living in a world that died 40 years ago, which I guess is completely understandable if you are an Evansville basketball fan.

The league is OBJECTIVELY better than last year. Efficiency and player rankings are up, only one team worse than 250 in the NET, a better shot at two bids.

Just because your feelings don't like it doesn't make it untrue.

Just to set the record straight, we found the money. We offered him a 5 year deal to put him in the upper echelon of the conference in Salary. That's unheard of money for Indiana State. Turns out Schertz just wasn't being honest about what it would take to keep him. He already had a deal with SLU and was lying about it. He threw out numbers to the administration thinking we'd never get to them, but we did. There were staff members who were certain he was coming back because they were able to reach what was said he needed. We all know how that turned out. Don't get me wrong, he's doing just fine for himself there at $2 mill a year, but look at what would have been available to him this year had he not signed that MOU that he "never signed". LOL It sucks we lost what could have been, but we are all behind Matthew Graves who is a heck of a guy, just will need some time to build this roster back. As a lifelong Sycamore, I've had a lot to be pissed about in regards to this athletic department, but this isn't one of them. We raised money that had never been seen before around here and that needs acknowledged. Hard to put this on Indiana State....just a guy who saw a billionaire's dollars and jumped on it. This may sound like a bitch fest, but I don't mean for it to. I love my school, always will and that's where my loyalty lies. Just felt like I needed to back them up on this one. Go Sycamores

[BCPanther]

I didn't say it was equal. There is more pecking today than at any point in the past. The entire all conference teams of last year were pecked. When has that happened before?

Heck, Indiana State lost its coach and a couple of its stars to St. Louis! That's a big smack in the face of the MVC.

And next year, the P6 schools can pay 15 players per team.

But yes, the MVC is weaker this year because of the pecking. When we peck, most of it is from lower divisions and lower conferences not from the P6, and what does come down from the P6 is nothing like a Mary Simmons or a Scott Haffner as it was before.

Maybe Indiana State should have found the money like other Valley schools have or should have vetted the hire a little better. Indiana State had the choice to try and make the money work and they couldn't get it done.

You're living in a world that died 40 years ago, which I guess is completely understandable if you are an Evansville basketball fan.

The league is OBJECTIVELY better than last year. Efficiency and player rankings are up, only one team worse than 250 in the NET, a better shot at two bids.

Just because your feelings don't like it doesn't make it untrue.

Just to set the record straight, we found the money. We offered him a 5 year deal to put him in the upper echelon of the conference in Salary. That's unheard of money for Indiana State. Turns out Schertz just wasn't being honest about what it would take to keep him. He already had a deal with SLU and was lying about it. He threw out numbers to the administration thinking we'd never get to them, but we did. There were staff members who were certain he was coming back because they were able to reach what was said he needed. We all know how that turned out. Don't get me wrong, he's doing just fine for himself there at $2 mill a year, but look at what would have been available to him this year had he not signed that MOU that he "never signed". LOL It sucks we lost what could have been, but we are all behind Matthew Graves who is a heck of a guy, just will need some time to build this roster back. As a lifelong Sycamore, I've had a lot to be pissed about in regards to this athletic department, but this isn't one of them. We raised money that had never been seen before around here and that needs acknowledged. Hard to put this on Indiana State....just a guy who saw a billionaire's dollars and jumped on it. This may sound like a bitch fest, but I don't mean for it to. I love my school, always will and that's where my loyalty lies. Just felt like I needed to back them up on this one. Go Sycamores

Didn't mean for it to come off negative to Indiana State and it does read that way. Apologies.

Graves seems like he's building in a more sustainable way. The more good teams this league has, the better off we all are so I hope he succeeds!

[agernes]

Look at most of the talking heads saying Drake needs to win Arch Madness this year despite freakin' running the table in the non-conference, including some decent meat on the bone with Vandy and K-State.

The margin of error for MVC-type schools to get an at-large has gotten ludicrously thin. Go run the table in non-conference (with shrinking opportunities on neutral floors) and then go 18-2 in a good conference and then get to your championship game and lose by 4 points or less, and then you have a fighting chance to get in. Cool.

There is zero evidence Drake “only has a fighting chance” at 30-3. (In fact, all precedent indicates Drake would be cleanly in.)

This is just you taking a hypothetical and passing off your worst case scenario speculation as fact. You don’t know whether Drake “only has a fighting chance” in that hypothetical. It hasn’t even played out.

Talking heads are not evidence. They’re irrelevant.

Yeah, I just did the math and a Drake team that finishes 30-3 would finish with about 2.8 wins above bubble, which would have been 20th in the nation last year. Indiana State got left out at 26th, but they had 1.9 wins above bubble - a whole win less. and I'm pretty convinced adding WAB was because they got left out last year.

28-5 Drake might have issues, which is a bummer. But 30-3 Drake would likely be in (and let's not forget about the narrative aspect of this, which the committee says they don't care about but absolutely is a subliminal factor)

[bluestreak]

I didn't say it was equal. There is more pecking today than at any point in the past. The entire all conference teams of last year were pecked. When has that happened before?

Heck, Indiana State lost its coach and a couple of its stars to St. Louis! That's a big smack in the face of the MVC.

And next year, the P6 schools can pay 15 players per team.

But yes, the MVC is weaker this year because of the pecking. When we peck, most of it is from lower divisions and lower conferences not from the P6, and what does come down from the P6 is nothing like a Mary Simmons or a Scott Haffner as it was before.

Maybe Indiana State should have found the money like other Valley schools have or should have vetted the hire a little better. Indiana State had the choice to try and make the money work and they couldn't get it done.

You're living in a world that died 40 years ago, which I guess is completely understandable if you are an Evansville basketball fan.

The league is OBJECTIVELY better than last year. Efficiency and player rankings are up, only one team worse than 250 in the NET, a better shot at two bids.

Just because your feelings don't like it doesn't make it untrue.

Just to set the record straight, we found the money. We offered him a 5 year deal to put him in the upper echelon of the conference in Salary. That's unheard of money for Indiana State. Turns out Schertz just wasn't being honest about what it would take to keep him. He already had a deal with SLU and was lying about it. He threw out numbers to the administration thinking we'd never get to them, but we did. There were staff members who were certain he was coming back because they were able to reach what was said he needed. We all know how that turned out. Don't get me wrong, he's doing just fine for himself there at $2 mill a year, but look at what would have been available to him this year had he not signed that MOU that he "never signed". LOL It sucks we lost what could have been, but we are all behind Matthew Graves who is a heck of a guy, just will need some time to build this roster back. As a lifelong Sycamore, I've had a lot to be pissed about in regards to this athletic department, but this isn't one of them. We raised money that had never been seen before around here and that needs acknowledged. Hard to put this on Indiana State....just a guy who saw a billionaire's dollars and jumped on it. This may sound like a bitch fest, but I don't mean for it to. I love my school, always will and that's where my loyalty lies. Just felt like I needed to back them up on this one. Go Sycamores

This is "spot-on".

[Bulldog4life24]

Look at most of the talking heads saying Drake needs to win Arch Madness this year despite freakin' running the table in the non-conference, including some decent meat on the bone with Vandy and K-State.

The margin of error for MVC-type schools to get an at-large has gotten ludicrously thin. Go run the table in non-conference (with shrinking opportunities on neutral floors) and then go 18-2 in a good conference and then get to your championship game and lose by 4 points or less, and then you have a fighting chance to get in. Cool.

There is zero evidence Drake “only has a fighting chance” at 30-3. (In fact, all precedent indicates Drake would be cleanly in.)

This is just you taking a hypothetical and passing off your worst case scenario speculation as fact. You don’t know whether Drake “only has a fighting chance” in that hypothetical. It hasn’t even played out.

Talking heads are not evidence. They’re irrelevant.

Yeah, I just did the math and a Drake team that finishes 30-3 would finish with about 2.8 wins above bubble, which would have been 20th in the nation last year. Indiana State got left out at 26th, but they had 1.9 wins above bubble - a whole win less. and I'm pretty convinced adding WAB was because they got left out last year.

28-5 Drake might have issues, which is a bummer. But 30-3 Drake would likely be in (and let's not forget about the narrative aspect of this, which the committee says they don't care about but absolutely is a subliminal factor)

Good stuff Gernes! Rocco Miller backs you up, for folks who want to exist in solely the doom and gloom area, surrounded by eye test rather than metrics

[MissouriValleyUnite]

Saw that Northern Iowa will have hot tubs on the court for students tomorrow, for those who want to drive up to UNI, barter for a student ID from a student, and watch the game with coeds from a hot tub.

[municup14]

Sounds to me a lot of people have Drake winning the rest of the valley games.

[BCPanther]

Sounds to me a lot of people have Drake winning the rest of the valley games.

The only one that's even in question in my mind is the trip to Cedar Falls. They're going to be near double digit favorites in their other 6.

[municup14]

The Valley is a wacky conference. Just when you think a team will win a game,they lose.Drake plays 3 games on the road,Illinois St,N.Iowa,and Evansville. The Evansville game is 2 days after they play N.Iowa,plus its Evansvilles last home game.

[agernes]

Sounds to me a lot of people have Drake winning the rest of the valley games.

Might be misinterpreting others but I'm not betting on that. I'm just discussing the hypothetical that others are afraid of, where Drake runs the table in the regular season, loses on Sunday in St Louis, and gets left out. *If* that were to occur, I think they're still a lock to get in.

Overall, math says they're about 1 in 6 to run the table in the regular season, and 43% to finish 17-3 or better. I think i would personally would say theyre about 25% to go 18-2, 60% to finish with 17 wins or better. we've seen the offense get stagnant and we've seen some going through the motions on the road. they've handled athleticism better recently but it still can be a concern.