Official 2019-20 MVCfans.com Prediction - 5th Place

[BuBrave2006]

Also, it's not like Drake lost their three best players or anything off of last years team and had their fourth best player shoot someone in the head. I'm sure they won't have a drop off at all and clearly still consistently beat teams that have significantly improved like Bradley and MSU by double digits.

Let me look at this from a different perspective (keeping in mind that Drake didn't lose their 3 best players off last season's championship team....they played the whole conference season without Norton, so they had already lost him prior to conference season....and, it's debatable as to whether Ellingson was the one of the top 3 players on the team last season). Can't really count Norton as a loss, since he was already gone for the whole conference season.

Let's look at the Drake team that played in the MVC tournament last season and came within a last second buzzer beater of making it to the championship game. A team that was very competitive in the MVC tournament. That team loses one player (Ellingson). McGlynn was injured and didn't play. Norton was long gone by then. To that team, they add DJ Wilkins (injured), Roman Penn (sat out as transfer), Issa Samake, Joe Yesufu, Nate Ferguson, Okay Djamgouz, Brady Ernst, Jonah Jackson and Connor Gholson.

The Drake team that was very competitive in the MVC tourney loses one player and adds nine. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that this season's Drake team will be better than the Drake team that played well in last season's MVC tournament. This season's team should certainly have a lot more depth.

Wasn't Ellingson something like second team all valley? I think that qualifies as being one of the 3 best players on the team. And yes, sure you were competitive. You did a really good job of beating a Thursday ISU team and then losing to the 6 seed.

I do not understand any argument how this year's Drake team can be better than last season's. I'll take bets with anyone that the 2019-2020 Drake team finishes worse than in kenpom than where they finished last season (135).

[Mikovio]

To be fair, Drake was down to 6 scholarship players for the Southern Utah game, and one of them (Noah Thomas) was cramping so bad toward the end of the game that he had to carried to the bench by Tremell during a time-out. And, he never left the game, because there was nobody else to put in.

The box score from Southern Utah shows the same 7 players that played vs UNI. Seems like the big difference is Tremell shot much worse.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... =401123957
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... =401121580

Now obviously adding Wilkins will make that team better off the bat, and I do think Penn and Jackson will challenge for all newcomer/frosh teams. Dunno about the others.

[BCPanther]

To play devil's advocate, when you talk about "played well in the MVC Tournament" you're really just talking about a win over a dysfunctional ISUr team with tired legs and what was a very spirited effort by the Murphys against UNI. And you have to remember that Drake then lost at Southern Utah which had a NET of 258. Do we even know yet how Drake/Devries is going to handle the Tremell incident?

I did pick Drake 5th and they certainly have the talent to finish higher. Penn and Jackson will be newcomers to watch.

To be fair, Drake was down to 6 scholarship players for the Southern Utah game, and one of them (Noah Thomas) was cramping so bad toward the end of the game that he had to carried to the bench by Tremell during a time-out. And, he never left the game, because there was nobody else to put in.

As far as Tremell, no word yet. FYI, DeVries will not be the one making the decision, nor will anybody else in the athletic department. This decision will be handed down by the Dean of Students. Whatever the decision is, it's pretty unfair to keep Tremell, the coaches, the team and the fans in limbo for as long as they have.

Good point, Tremell and the program are definitely the victims here not the kid minding his own business and getting shot in the head.

[sivert]

...
Good point, Tremell and the program are definitely the victims here not the kid minding his own business and getting shot in the head.

--sigh--

He wasn't saying Tremell is a victim. He just meant that since there's no further information coming, it is fairest to Tremell and the school and basketball program to go ahead and decide one way or the other. Why are they waiting?

[DUBulldog]

...
Good point, Tremell and the program are definitely the victims here not the kid minding his own business and getting shot in the head.

--sigh--

He wasn't saying Tremell is a victim. He just meant that since there's no further information coming, it is fairest to Tremell and the school and basketball program to go ahead and decide one way or the other. Why are they waiting?

Thank you.

[DUBulldog]

I do not understand any argument how this year's Drake team can be better than last season's. I'll take bets with anyone that the 2019-2020 Drake team finishes worse than in kenpom than where they finished last season (135).

I'll take that.

[DUBulldog]

It will be great for the Valley if Drake can elevate it's play to be consistently in the top half of the Valley. Too many people here still think of Drake as a play-in team though which is probably why they are getting picked 5th. They also lost more this past year then the 4 teams above them.

An argument could easily be made that Loyola lost more than anybody else....they lost the last 2 MVC players-of-the-year

[BuBrave2006]

I do not understand any argument how this year's Drake team can be better than last season's. I'll take bets with anyone that the 2019-2020 Drake team finishes worse than in kenpom than where they finished last season (135).

I'll take that.

If Drake finishes 136+, then you pay for me to try the Emmenecker challenge at Jethro's, and if they don't, I'll pay for you to try the Bacci challenge down at Bradley.

[DUBulldog]

I do not understand any argument how this year's Drake team can be better than last season's. I'll take bets with anyone that the 2019-2020 Drake team finishes worse than in kenpom than where they finished last season (135).

I'll take that.

If Drake finishes 136+, then you pay for me to try the Emmenecker challenge at Jethro's, and if they don't, I'll pay for you to try the Bacci challenge down at Bradley.

Sounds fair....and I'm going to have to look up the Bacci challenge

[TheDrake]

...
Good point, Tremell and the program are definitely the victims here not the kid minding his own business and getting shot in the head.

--sigh--

He wasn't saying Tremell is a victim. He just meant that since there's no further information coming, it is fairest to Tremell and the school and basketball program to go ahead and decide one way or the other. Why are they waiting?

Haha, the --sigh-- sums up my reaction to so many of this guy's posts.