There has been a lot of recent uproar regarding the Missouri Valley Conference’s decision not to release a full men’s basketball preseason poll. They instead opted to only post a Top 5. They did something arguably even more egregious when they decided not to release preseason all-conference teams either. They instead posted a 39-player watchlist.

No one was more disappointed in the announcement than Paul Oren, founder of The Victory Bell, an online publication covering Valparaiso athletics. He sent out an email to journalists from around the MVC, including myself, asking us to make our own preseason polls and preseason all-conference teams. We were then asked to send in our votes for him to do the math and come out with an unofficial MVC preseason media poll and all-conference team. Here are those results:

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2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Media Poll

(First place votes in parentheses)

1. Illinois State, 210 (14)
2. Northern Iowa, 181 (1)
3. Bradley, 167 (2)
4. Murray State, 164 (2)
5. Belmont, 148
6. Drake, 129 (1)
7. Southern Illinois, 89
8. UIC, 80
9. Indiana State, 66
10. Valparaiso, 44
11. Evansville, 41 

Preseason First Team

Player of the Year: Chase Walker, Illinois State

Johnny Kinzinger, Illinois State

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Tyler Lundblade, Belmont

Trey Campbell, Northern Iowa

Jaquan Johnson, Bradley

Preseason Second Team

Connor Turnbull, Evansville

Fred King, Murray State

Isaiah Stafford, Southern Illinois

Ahmad Henderson, UIC

Demarion Burch, Bradley

The Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Media Poll was voted on by a group of journalists covering the league on a variety of platforms including professional and student media publications. Every effort was made to include at least two journalists representing every school.

Teams were voted on using an 11-1 scale with 11 points being assigned to the projected champion and one point being assigned to the projected last place team. Players were voted on using a 10-1 scale with 10 points being assigned to the Preseason Player of the Year and one point being assigned to the 10th-best player in the league. There were no restrictions on where voters could place teams or players. 

The following are the members that comprise the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Media Poll: Michael Admire (Drake Radio), Jeff Bidwell (RacerBasketball), Jaden Cohn (The Vidette), Dave Eminian (Peoria Journal Star), Laney Evans (Murray State News), Derek Harper (Tribune Star), Jonathan Hood (UIC Radio), Eli Hoover (Daily Egyptian), Cohen Kamus (Northern Iowan), Reece Leddy (Belmont Vision), Latif Love (The Bradley Scout), Luke Martin (SIU Radio), Paul Oren (The Victory Bell), Randy Reinhart (The Pantagraph), Vance Sawyer (March to the Arch), Harry Schroeder (Valley Hoops Insider), Kyle Sokeland (The Courier & Press), Joe Sullivan (Main Street Nashville), Serena Thiede (Times Delphic) and Mara Thomas (The Torch). 

Inside the Votes

• Five different schools were picked to finish first in the league, including Illinois State (14), Bradley (2), Murray State (2), Northern Iowa (1) and Drake (1). 
• Three different schools were picked to finish last in the league, including Evansville (8), Valparaiso (7) and Indiana State (5). 
• Preseason favorite Illinois State was picked to finish first or second in every poll except for one. In that poll, the Redbirds were picked to finish sixth. 
• There were 18 ballots cast for All-League Teams.
• There were 32 players voted on for the All-League selections.
• Preseason Player of the Year Chase Walker (Illinois State) was the only player voted on every single poll. He was voted to the First Team in all but one poll. In that poll, he was voted as the seventh-best player in the league. 
• First Team selections Trey Campbell (Northern Iowa) and Tyler Lundblade (Belmont) were each left off of one preseason ballot while Johnny Kinzinger (Illinois State) was left off of two ballots and Jaquan Johnson (Bradley) was left off of four. 
• Layne Taylor (Murray State) was voted as the Preseason Player of the Year in one poll, but he was left off of 13 polls. Taylor finished one vote shy of making the Second Team. 
• Despite being picked to finish sixth in the league, Drake didn’t have a player make the All-League teams. 
• Despite being picked to finish last in the league, Evansville placed Connor Turnbull as the top vote getter on the Preseason Second Team.

You can find the poll and all-conference teams I turned in here.

Sports reporter Eli Hoover can be found at [email protected] or on Instagram at @hoovermakesart

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