Great article w/Elgin

[Panthers to the Bone]

http://pjstar.com/stories/012107/KIR_BC5GAR9O.077.php

Talks about how many bids the Valley might get.

[UNI MadCat]

Sadly, since this article was posted the MVC has slipped to 5th in conference RPI. I know at one point there were posters on the board guaranteeing a top 4 finish and I have to question that now. I dont see the RPI going anywhere but down -- mind you, this still is almost a guaranteed top 7 finish and perhaps still even 5 or 6... that is still awesome!!

[Deke3]

Here is the article:

Sunday, January 21, 2007

You have to love Doug Elgin.

The Missouri Valley Conference commissioner was in Peoria on Saturday night to take in the Bradley-Wichita State game. Twenty minutes after the Braves had disposed of the Shockers, 78-63, Elgin stood courtside in the dimmed light of Carver Arena, punching madly at his cell phone to get updates from the Southern Illinois-Creighton game.

"Creighton by one, less than a minute left," he said, interrupting our conversation and then picking up right where he had left off.

"I think the strength of the league is critical in how the (NCAA tournament selection) committee values wins and losses in the league," Elgin said. And he smiled, knowing the MVC tipped off its Saturday schedule ranked in the RPI as the fourth strongest league in the land; up there exchanging elbows with the ACC, the SEC, the Big Ten.

"But when you get to Selection Sunday," Elgin continued, "each team is on its own. The committee weighs each on its own merits, and it's just way, way too early to know how that

will go."

He punched at his cell phone again.

"Whoa! SIU just went ahead"

The SIU-Creighton game, played before a record crowd of more than 17,000 fans in Omaha, was big. SIU, despite an RPI rank of 16, entered the game with three losses, one more than Valley leaders Creighton (RPI 31) and Northern Iowa (53). The Salukis were desperate to stay in the title hunt.

But they were no more desperate than Bradley (34), which stayed two out on the loss side with its victory. And nobody in the league is more desperate right now than Wichita State (59), one of the preseason favorites but now the not-so-proud holder of a 3-6 league record.

How the Shockers, who rose as high as No. 8 in The Associated Press poll in December, have fallen into such disarray is the story du jour in Wichita. The Shocks looked positively awful for the first 21 minutes Saturday, as they fell behind by 21 points. Then they looked Sweet 16 splendid for 12 minutes, cutting the Bradley lead all the way down to four points before the Braves regrouped for the win.

And a fine win it was, too.

These Braves are a gritty bunch. They got outhorsed on the boards again, and they gave up 16 second-chance points. Wichita State also held up reasonably well under Bradley's defensive quickness, committing only 11 turnovers, which are about two-thirds the number the average Braves opponent books. But Bradley, as it has on a number of occasions this season, found a way to win.

Zach Andrews stayed out of foul trouble and posted a double-double, with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Danny Adams and Will Franklin combined for nine 3-pointers. Daniel Ruffin played a solid all-around game.

Picked in the preseason to finish eighth or ninth in the Valley, Bradley is 5-4. Thanks in part to their own efforts, and in part to MVC balance, the Braves are in the hunt. Your eyes tell you this shouldn't be possible, but reality says otherwise.

BU coach Jim Les said he challenged his team to distance itself from the Shockers, who came in one game behind the Braves inthe Valley standings. Done. Now the margin over the defending champs is two.

Les also challenged the Braves to "close out what they started."

"I want them to be rewarded when this is all said and done," Les said. "Tonight was a tremendous response to a big game, to a home game, to continue to establish our homecourt advantage. But how this (Valley race) shakes out could be the last man standing."

And that kind of war of attrition could spell some odd trouble when on March 12, when the NCAA committee finalizes the 65-team tournament field.

This is a wonderful thing the Valley is experiencing. After grabbing the nation's attention by placing four teams in the NCAA tournament and advancing two to the Sweet 16 last spring, this season has been all about statements by MVC programs. Their non-conference victims litter the landscape of marquee names from the power leagues. There is simply no question the Valley is even stronger this year than it was last.

As strong as the league is, as many as six teams could be serious contenders for tournament bids.

But as strong as the league is, if some of these teams don't get some traction and begin to separate themselves from the middle, it is entirely possible the Valley winds up with only three in the NCAA.

Elgin punched at his cell phone.

"SIU won," he said. Then he punched up the league standings and returned to my comment about only three bids. And he smiled.

"What's incredible," Elgin said, "is that in 2007, you're saying we could wind up with only three. Think about that."

Yes, please do. The meaning is clear.

The Valley has arrived in the top echelon. For real.

[Matt Trump]

Unless it is an insider article, please don't post entire article content. It kind of goes against that whole "copyright" thing

[DWadle1983]

Sadly, since this article was posted the MVC has slipped to 5th in conference RPI. I know at one point there were posters on the board guaranteeing a top 4 finish and I have to question that now. I dont see the RPI going anywhere but down -- mind you, this still is almost a guaranteed top 7 finish and perhaps still even 5 or 6... that is still awesome!!

It should be either 5th or 6th. In the bet with OhNewby, I guessed 6th, but when you look at non-conference SOS, the MVC may beat out both the Big 12 and Big East.

At the time I posted a response from Ken Pomeroy that he thought the MVC would finish no lower than 6th. If that occurs, and it should, then irregardless of what people like the guy who wrote the article being discussed about the MVC being overrated says, if the Big East deserves 8+ bids, then the MVC deserves 4.

Even though it appeared on another thread, the Big 12, currently 6th in RPI, for instance deserving more bids because of non-conference SOS is total BS.

Do you know what the Big 12's non-conference SOS is per team? The average as of yesterday is 151, and the median is 143.

What the MVC's? Average of 148.7, and the median is 145.5.

Yup, the Big 12 is sure a superior conference.

The Big East has Notre Dame with a non-conference SOS of 263, West Virginia with an even more stellar 312, Seton Hall at 199, UConn 249, St. John's 279, and South Florida challenging West Virginia with a 311.

Just to hit the highlights of the Big East's NCAA bid contenders Notre Dame has played, ready for this, 8 non-conference teams with an RPI under 200, and possibily a 9th if Rider at 194 goes down.

West Virginia playing a much tougher non-conference schedule has only played 7 teams with RPI's below 200, and UConn 5, or the same as UNI although UNI's may go down to 4 if UW-Milwaukee at 213 improves as they should.

[DWadle1983]

Article about MVC parity today

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news;_ylt=AozanXVFXqIgRMadMhflwn_evbYF?slug=ap-balancedmvc&prov=ap&type=lgns