1. The New Arch Madness Format
We won’t see if the 1 and 2 seeds getting double byes makes a real difference in one year, but there are other ways that the new format will impact the best conference tournament in mid-major basketball. Usually the tournament has great attendance, but with the top teams not playing until Saturday, could that change? It could impact the regular season as well considering that getting a top-two seed is more important than ever plus one team misses the tournament entirely. Maybe injured players will try to come back from injury sooner as a result of the new format. Could teams that are locked into a certain range rest some guys in the last game or two in preparation for playing more games in St. Louis? Only time will tell.
2. Murray State’s Expectations
As Matt Norlander reported last week, Murray State spent more money than almost every mid-major team in the nation and outspent every other team in the Valley by a decent amount. The Racers bring back Roman Domon and made a handful of other high-level additions this past spring. Ryan Miller’s team cratered at the end of last season but will enter this one as the favorite to win the conference and make the NCAA Tournament. Murray State is now tasked with answering the question of will they win the league and can they do it in runaway fashion?
Listen to the Missouri Valley men’s basketball preview:
Listen to the Missouri Valley women’s basketball preview:
3. A new face at Northern Iowa
For the first time since George W. Bush was in the Oval Office, Ben Jacobson will not be running the Northern Iowa program. It will be former UNI assistant Kyle Green, who has plenty of experience in Cedar Falls despite not being there for five years. While he was not being on Jacobson’s bench since the COVID pandemic, Green didn’t go far. He called Ames and Iowa State home while the program underwent its rise into one of the better programs in college basketball. Now, Green will get his shot as a Division-I head coach for the first time ever and he has a team that should be solid offensively.
4. Evan Bradds replaces Casey Alexander at Belmont
Belmont is defending the Missouri Valley regular-season title this season, but it will have a new face leading the program in that battle. Casey Alexander left Belmont to take the job at Kansas State, and the Bruins replaced him with a familiar face. Evan Bradds played four seasons at Belmont in the mid 2010s and now will run the program in its fifth season in the Missouri Valley. Bradds locked up a solid nucleus of players who played important roles for the Bruins’ championship team a season ago. As a result, his program should instantly be competitive in the league. He has worked under some brilliant offensive minds like Brad Stevens, Will Hardy and Jon Scheyer while being known as a terrific offensive coach himself.
5. Johnny Kinziger & Chase Walker return for redemption
Last season, Illinois State fell short of their league-winning expectations. The Redbirds did not have a bad season, but they finished third and were knocked out of Arch Madness in the quarterfinals. Despite falling short of the lofty expectations set for them, Johnny Kinziger and Chase Walker made the decision to return to Normal for their senior seasons. The pairing, alone with Mason Klabo and some transfers will be a contender in the league once again. If things click for the Redbirds, playing on Saturday for the first time in Ryan Pedon’s tenure is in the cards.