Missouri Valley Conference - Preseason polls

The Missouri Valley Conference released its composite poll for the upcoming men's basketball season Tuesday (10/28). Here's how the conglomeration of sports information directors, media and coaches voted:

School (First Place Votes)	Points
1. Creighton (36)	386
2. Southern Illinois (2)	322
3. Illinois State (1)	309
4. Drake	274
5. Bradley	219
6. UNI	186
7. Indiana State	137
8. Evansville	122
9. Wichita State	105
10. Missouri State	85

For the full press release, check it out here: MVC Press Release

I will publish my rankings in reverse order throughout the next nine days. Do I think there is a team in the Valley that can do what Drake did last year (picked 9th, finished 1st)? What do I consider the different tiers of the conference? (Clearly, some of the teams look much weaker on paper than others.) Tune in starting Monday to see what I think of the MVC teams this season.