Copied over from the Saluki board in the name of consistency.
1. Drake - Ultra-veteran, athletic, quality point guard play and extremely well-coached ... not a bad combo. If the coach's son is all that as a new ingredient, agree they could be in the top 25 mix. The Samake summer ACL tear, though, is one concern, as they don't have reliable big-man depth behind Brodie.
2. Loyola - Like Drake, Loyola is likely to be Exhibit B of what an "old" team with talent can accomplish. Their defense will keep them in every game, and with all that depth, they're bound to find some offensive combos that click. If Kennedy takes another step forward offensively, look out.
3. Missouri State - Probably the most high-end talent in the league. Obviously Prim and Mosley are handfuls, but I also really like Sharp as an underrated PG who can help get them organized, and they have ample firepower and athleticism to win the league (and win in the NCAA, if they get there). Ford, though, has to prove he can get the most out of what will be his most talented squad to date.
4. Northern Iowa - With a healthy Green, this would be one helluva fourth-place squad. If Green is back to being great, that takes a bunch of pressure off guys like Berhow, Phyfe and Born to click as secondary scoring threats. Another team with excellent depth and loads of experience.
5. SIU - Agree with the comment in the Three Man Weave prediction that most years, this is a roster that would be picked in the top three, but the league is just stacked. The recipe for the Salukis to exceed expectations and hang with the big boys is Domask to play his best ball yet, Jones to be more efficient and one or two of the other guys making a bigger impact than is expected (Muila? Banks? Wonders?) Plus, Southern absolutely has to tighten the screws on defense.
6. Bradley - I'm higher on Bradley than some. The frontcourt is going to be pretty darn good with Mast, Boya and the touted JUCO newcomer, and I like Ja'Shon Henry as a rugged senior leader on the wing. So, it'll come down to guardplay - if one or two of the newcomers there are solid right away, like the JUCO from Florida that Southern was recruiting, they will not be a fun team to deal with. Would also help if Tahvanainen rediscovers his shooting stroke.
7. Valpo - Interesting roster for sure with all the transfers on top of holdovers like Krikke and Edwards. Valpo has just been a hard program to trust under Lottich, and they don't have the homecourt edge most teams in the league do, which matters in college hoops. Still, it'll be interesting to see how they do or don't gel, especially once King becomes eligible.
8. Indiana State - I'm actually pretty intrigued by this team. Sometimes teams with first-year coaches have some mojo/good energy right out of the gate, and the return of Key and Neese provide legit veteran scoring punch. Kailex Stephens (hurt last year) sounds like a nice piece as well, but it'll come down to how much they get out of the newcomers, including the three kids who came with the new coach from Lincoln Memorial.
9. Evansville - Veteran squad with pretty decent guardplay and proven shooting, but interior athleticism and overall team defense remain large question marks, and it's not a good year in the MVC to have roster holes. I'm not as big a Lickliter fan as some, especially when it comes to recruiting, which is more than half the battle.
10. Illinois State - As last-place teams go, they could be decent. They'll be pretty athletic and capable in the backcourt and on the wings, but like Evansville, don't have many promising options in the paint, relative to most Valley teams. And the halfcourt offense in the Muller era has often been tough to watch.
First Team All-MVC
Penn (Drake)
Mosley (Mo State)
Green (UNI)
Williamson (Loyola)
Prim (Mo State)
Second Team All-MVC
Jones (SIU)
Key (Indiana State)
King (Valpo)
Domask (SIU)
Phyfe (UNI)
Third Team All-MVC
Norris (Loyola)
Freeman (Illinois State)
Sharp (Mo State)
Hemphill (Drake)
Brodie (Drake)
Freshman of the year: DeVries (Drake)
Newcomer of the year: Leons (Bradley)
Coach of the year: DeVries (any team that wins the MVC this year probably deserves it)