STF Conference Reports: The Missouri Valley

Well. I don't think anyone saw this coming. I certainly didn't. In a league filled with turnover and turmoil, the Southern Illinois Salukis were the easy choice for preseason top team, and even made our STF top 30 before any games were played.

Where are they now? Dead last in the MVC, tied with lowly Evansville and Indiana State at 4-5 on the season. Granted, the Salukis have challenged themselves, playing at USC and Indiana, but they've also lost games we expect a top-25 contender to win - at Charlotte, St. Louis, and last night's fateful game at Western Michigan.

Creighton has been as good as we expected, sitting at 7-1, and Illinois State has justified their selection as my sleeper in the conference, but it's the state of Iowa that's riding high against all logic. Drake is an amazing 9-1 with a new coach, and Northern Iowa has played well enough to come in third at 7-2.

So let's take stock of the early going:

Team of the Month - Clearly the Drake Bulldogs. Keno Davis has taken over for his legendary father, Tom, and done so in fine fashion. Following an early loss at St. Mary's, Drake has taken care of Duquesne from the Atlantic 10, Iowa State from the Big 12, and then took the fight to Iowa, winning 56-51 last Friday. Guards Josh Young and Leonard Houston are playing lights-out, and 6'8" forward Jonathan Cox is crashing the boards to the tune of almost 9 per game.

Player of the Month - Daniel Ruffin. The 5'10" senior Guard from Peoria is not an easy choice, because a lot has happened this month. But his efforts - for a Bradley team that has played some big games - has been excellent. He started the season with 14 points and 14 assists in a loss to Illinois-Chicago, then put up a season-high 24 with 5 steals and 7 assists vs. Iowa. He chipped in 6 boards in a neutral-court loss to Vandy, and nearly led his team to an upset of Michigan State. In brief, Ruffin will do anything his team needs him to do.

Team with the Worst Month - Southern Illinois. They're killing their at-large profile, which they might need if they can't right the ship and dominate Valley play. The Salukis started out 3-0, but fell off the rails in December, losing to Indiana, Charlotte, St. Louis, and Western Michigan. Worst of all, opponents are running up the score on a team that was renowned for their tough-as-nails defense last season. It doesn't get any better, either - they face 8-3 Western Kentucky and 9-1 Butler before finally diving into MVC play.

Games to Watch

Butler at Southern Illinois - December 28, ESPNU
Wichita State at Missouri State - January 8, ESPN2
Bradley at Southern Illinois - January 8, ESPNU
Creighton at Northern Iowa - January 15, ESPN2