4. Bradley

Preseason poll: 5th

Bradley has won 20 games each of the last three seasons. If coach Jim Les wants the Braves to make that four in a row, all of his newcomers will need to step up.

Daniel Ruffin and Jeremy Crouch graduated, so the Braves will desperately need leadership and shooting help. Guard Sam Maniscalco (6'0" So.) was forced into point guard duties as Ruffin missed time for varying reasons. Though this scenario hurt Bradley in the short term, Maniscalco earned valuable experience that should give Braves fans confidence in his ability to take over for Ruffin. His shooting ability can be streaky but Maniscalco really excels in slashing to the hoop and getting layups. The better he gets, the better Bradley will play.

Bradley's best all-around player also returns in forward Theron Wilson (6'5" Sr.). This junior college transfer was the last signee for Les going into last season but has proven to be the best of the bunch. Wilson's long, athletic frame gives him the ability to be a tenacious rebounder as well as cutting through the lane and drawing contact on offense. If he has any weakness it is at the free throw line. Wilson only shot 60? percent last season, which is disheartening considering how often he got to the line (??? attempts).

The third returning starter is guard Andrew Warren (6'5" Jr.). The team's best pure scorer, Warren has a solid inside-outside game. The only concern about Warren going into the season is the foot surgery he had for a stress fracture. Bradley hopes to have him back by the beginning of the season, but these types of injuries can often take longer than expected to heal.

Bradley also has two interior players returning in center David Collins (7'0" Sr.) and forward Sam Singh (6'9" Sr.). Collins played very well during the 2008 postseason and will hopefully build on that success. He has a nice shooting touch for such a big guy, but can often play soft around the hoop.

Singh is one of those players that seem to have been around for a decade. This season is Singh's fifth after his Bradley career has been radically shortened by a series of injuries. He doesn't have the biggest skill set on the court, but Singh does provide a big body who can rebound, score close to the basket and knock down free throws.

Coach Jim Les will need to infuse a group of transfers and freshman into the remainder of the lineup and rotation. Considering their experience, expect junior college transfer guards Dodie Dunson (6'3 Jr.) and Chris Roberts (6'4 Jr.) to make the biggest splash.

Dunson is considered to be a tenacious defender and will be the Braves "stopper." Whatever Dunson can provide on the offensive end will just add to his value.

Roberts fits the mold of many "tweeners" that Les likes to recruit. The early comparisons of Roberts go to former Brave Lawrence Wright, who could nearly jump out of the building. The biggest question is how that athleticism translates to actual basketball skills.

Forward/center Will Egolf (6'9 So.) will be expected to be a bigger contributor this season. The Alaskan native has a load of talent but seemed scared by the bright lights of Division I basketball last season. Hopefully with a year under his belt he will be better for the Braves.

Center Anthony "Sticks" Thompson (6'10" R-Fr.) redshirted last season and has put on weight to his slender frame. He was a highly touted recruit out of high school — can he make the adjustment to the next level?

Bradley also has a bunch of other newcomers to the team, all of whom are a bit of an enigma until they're on the floor. Guards Eddren McCain (5'11" Fr.) and Darian Norris (5'11" Fr.) as well as forward Taylor Brown (6'6" Fr.) will likely see minutes this season, but it's too soon to tell who will emerge yet.

The Braves certainly have the talent to finish near the top of the Valley. Les will need to bring this team together as quickly as possible in order for that to happen.

5. Drake

Preseason poll: 4th

Drake escaped the world of Missouri Valley Conference mediocrity last season in a big way. The same type of success can't be expected again, but this team should still be pretty good overall.

The Bulldogs lost significant members of their 28-5 conference championship team. Start with former head coach Keno Davis, who deserted the program for a bigger offer at Providence. Arguably more important are the losses to graduation of three key players: MVC Player of the Year Adam Emmenecker, Leonard Houston and Klayton Korver.

Luckily for Drake, two of its best players from the Cinderella season do return. Guard Josh Young (6'1" Jr.) averaged 15.9 points per game last year and that will likely rise even higher in 2008-09. Outside of Illinois State's Osiris Eldridge, Young should be considered one of the top candidates for conference Player of the Year.

Forward Jonathan Cox (6'8" Sr.) should help alleviate some of the added pressure put on Young. "Bucky" averaged 12.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season. In addition to his rebounding ability, Cox shoots well from the line (77.8 percent) and beyond the arc (44 percent).

New head coach Mark Phelps will have to find others to fill out three spots in the lineup. Transfer forward Adam Templeton (6'5" Jr.) may be one of the more intriguing new faces in the Drake lineup. Templeton now is eligible after sitting out a year for transferring from UC Irvine. He averaged eight points per game in 2006-07 and should provide valuable Division I experience to the Bulldogs.

Drake will have a three player battle to fill Emmenecker's spot. Guards Josh Parker (6'0" So.) and Jacob Baryenbruch (6'0" Sr.) have experience with Drake's system. But, transfer guard Craig Stanley (5'11" Jr.) might be the best suited to initially hold down the point.

Maybe the most important factor in Drake's success or failure this season will be the depth provided by returning players. Forwards Brent Heemskerk (6'8" Sr.) and Bill Eaddy (6'5" Jr.) are two examples of men who will need to have a bigger role this season.

One great season can help recruiting and catapult a team from the dredges of a conference for a few years. Drake must hope that its 25-win season will do that and help build the program up to prominence again.

8. Missouri State

Preseason poll: 10th

According to the Missouri Valley Conference pollsters, the Bears should finish last in the conference this season. This might be a little harsh on a team that finished in a tie for 7th last season (8-10). Sure, the Bears appear to be at a disadvantage with first-year head coach Cuonzo Martin at the helm. But in reality, this man isn't just some random choice or a favorite alum. Martin served as an assistant coach at Purdue for eight seasons, learning from and playing for coaching legend Gene Keady.

Outside of promising new coach, the Bears have another external factor in their favor - a new arena. John Q. Hammons, a hotel developer in the area, has made significant contributions to the school (similar to influence David Markin has had at Bradley) - his most recent being a $30 million donation to build JQH Arena. The arena seats 11,000, which will allow for more than 2,000 additional fans to watch Bears' games. This sort of intangible will likely give Missouri State an even bigger advantage at home.

As for on the court, forward Chris Cooks (6'4" Sr.) is arguably the best player on the team. As a junior, Cooks averaged 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. These stats are likely to both jump up significantly as the front court has been cleared out due to graduation. Dale Lamberth and Deven Mitchell combined for more than 11 RPG helped the Bears finish in the upper half of the MVC in rebounding.

This area will be a key for Missouri State to be successful - who can step in and grab 4-6 rebounds per game? The most likely candidates are forward Ryan Jehle (6'6" So.) and center Wade Knapp (6'8" Sr.). Neither averaged more than 10 minutes per game last season, so they will be tested in their increased roles.

If the Bears can take care of the glass, they should feel pretty confident with their back court players. The Laurie brothers, guards Shane (6'2" Sr.) and Spencer (6'1" Sr.), finally are completing their eligibility this season. They fall into that category of MVC players that seem to be around forever, like Anthony Tolliver of Creighton and Sam Singh of Bradley. Both can score in bunches if necessary. Couple these two with guard Justin Fuehrmeyer (6'0" Jr.), who had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the Valley last year (+2.16). Clearly guard play should be a strength for Missouri State, one of the most important aspects of any successful team in the MVC.

Maybe the Bears lack a lot of experience going into this season, but they do have some positives going into the year that will help the team stay away from the basement of the Valley.

9. Evansville

Preseason poll: 8th

Why pick a team that returns all five starters for 9th place in the conference? Well, those starters finished 3-15 in the Valley last year. This collection of players isn't the Fab Five of Michigan in 1992-93. The crop of players coming back has some talent, but doesn't really scare many opponents.

Jason Holsinger (5'11" Sr.) starts the engine for the Purple Aces with his dynamic 3-point shooting ability. One of his best performances of the season in 2008 was against Bradley in Peoria. Holsinger dropped in 23 points including 6-of-7 from 3-point range. He also shoots very well from the free-throw line (85.3% career). Holsinger does make his share of mistakes at the point as he has the distinction of the MVC conference player with the highest returning turnover ratio per game (2.9). His skill set translates more to a shooting guard, but that'd be a major disadvantage for a guy who is under six feet tall.

The other big time performer for Evansville is Shy Ely (6'4" Sr.). He averaged 14.4 points (3rd best of returning players in the MVC) and 5.1 rebounds per game. Ely plays that tweener role of a shorter player whose best game is in the lane. Ely not only shoots a high percentage from the line (77.6%), but also knows how to get there (4.9 attempts per game). He knocked in all 18 FT attempts he took during a 60-56 home victory over Creighton on Feb. 13.

The problem isn't with either of those players, though. The rest of the Evansville team raises plenty of question marks. The biggest might be All-Freshman honoree Pieter van Tongeren (6'11" So.), who averaged 5.7 PPG and 4.1 RPG. He performed inconsistently, especially during the conference season. While he did have six double-digit scoring games, van Tongeren also scored two points or less in 11 games. If he makes strides this season, Evansville could be greatly improved.

Evansville, like many teams in the Valley, comes loaded with small forwards/shooting guards who can light up a scoreboard on a given night. Kavon Lacey (6'0" So.), Nate Garner (6'5" Sr.) and Darin Granger (6'2" Jr.) all have had their share of big games.

Evansville not only was last in the MVC in scoring (59.5 PPG) but also had the worst FG percentage allowed (.454 PCT). This combination doesn't bode well for a team that doesn't have any major recruits coming in this season (though 6'4" Fr. Kaylon Williams will likely see a lot of action as a back up to Holsinger).

If all of the returning players contribute more consistently, Evansville may have a shot at 6th or 7th in the Valley. But, if their recent track record continues, 9th seems to be a pretty fair placement for the Purple Aces.

10. Wichita State

Preseason poll: 9th

Pull a name from a hat and that's about as scientific as you can be about the "play-in" teams in the Missouri Valley Conference this season. Between Evansville, Indiana State, Missouri State and Wichita State, the bottom of the Valley is filled with question marks this season. If the players gel at Wichita State, then the Shockers could move up to 7th or 8th in the conference. But, I see Wichita State in the cellar of the MVC.

Other than talent, the most important attribute that good teams have when conference play comes around: experience. Every school brings in highly touted recruits that it expects to perform at the highest level. And as teams try to mature throughout non-conference play, young teams can have success. But once you hit Valley play, the intensity level gets turned up to a much higher level.

The Shockers simply don't have the seasoning or talent to be all that successful this season. Wichita State lost four of five starters from a poor 2007-2008 team. Coach Gregg Marshall has only had one season coaching in the Valley and his team will likely be led by a unseasoned JUCO transfer at point guard, Clevin Hannah (5'11" Jr.). Reports say he's looked good running the offense so far, but can any Shocker fans feel confident with Hannah, fellow JUCO transfer guard
Reggie Chamberlain (6'0" So.) or newcomer Toure' Murry (6'4" Fr.)? With the smaller lineups in the MVC, teams can often survive conference play without big trees down low. But, without solid and confident guards, teams flounder. This is the kind of situation I see for the Shockers.

Wichita State does have a few promising players on the team this year. Much of the team's hope will fall upon guard/forward A.J. Hawkins (6'5" Jr.), who is now eligible after transfering from St. Bonaventure. After averaging double figures (12.2 PPG) for another Division I school, it's reasonable to expect that Hawkins will be able to provide some leadership. Hawkins will team up with interior players forwards Ramon Clemente (6'6" Sr.) and J.T. Durley (6'7" So.) to present a formidable starting lineup.

To further complicate the Shockers problems, players like Hawkins, Clemente, Durley and sophomore forward Aaron Ellis all have had a history of either injuries or medical conditions. If any one of the big three breaks down, the chances of a successful season get even slimmer for the Shockers.

Wichita State was a disappointing team last season and there's not many reasons to believe that they're poised to make great leaps in 2008-2009.

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.

Introducing Bradley & MVC Thoughts

Basketball season has arrived. For fans like me, the biggest lull of the sports season is the wait from the end of the Major League Baseball season to when college basketball begins. Some years that gap is smaller than others depending on whether or not your team makes the playoffs.

But even if you're a Phillies fan, there still is going to be a two-week gap until you can start seeing regular season games for your favorite team. Speaking of favorite teams, let me make it clear that I'm a Bradley basketball fan. I follow them closer than any other team in the Missouri Valley Conference (or the country). I'm a proud alum and will always follow the Braves (or whatever nickname the school will inevitably change the name to someday - but that's a discussion for a different day).

All that being said, I'm not a so-called "Kool-Aid" drinker either. I have no affiliation with the university or any newspaper so there will be no agenda (positive or negative) with my writing. My unique perspective combines a strong interest level on the topic while trying to remain as unbiased as possible.