Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball outlook

Valley, as always, a conference of surprise

While we’re already two weeks into the conference schedule, winter break made this conference glance previously impossible. Besides, there are almost two months of play left, and the outcome is anything but certain. Listed in order are the Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball clubs, as selected by coaches, sports information directors and the media in the preseason poll. As you will see, things aren’t what they seemed back in October.

Actual conference standings followed by current overall record and conference record are in parentheses.

1. No. 15 Southwest Missouri State (2nd; 10-3; 5-1):While this team sits in second place right now, there is a reason it was picked to win the MVC this season senior guard Jackie Stiles who was recently named the Valley Player of the Week for the second week in a row. Her 41-point effort against Evansville on Saturday thrust her into 10th place overall in career NCAA Division I scoring. Coach Cheryl Burnett chose a tough non-conference schedule, with four games against top 25 competition. The Bears went 2-2 in those games, and Burnett’s scheduling seems to have paid off.

2. Drake (3rd; 9-4; 4-1):Riddled by injuries, and two players who were sidelined earlier this season from serious illness, the Bulldogs are the feel-good story of the women’s MVC hoops. Despite their ailments, the club has remained at the top of the conference and beat solid competition in its non-conference schedule in the likes of the University of Iowa and the University of Southern California. Drake freshman Mandy Kappel was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent surgery in late December, while sophomore forward Martha Chaput was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease in early December. The Bulldogs have rallied around the fate of their ailing teammates thus-far and figure to make a strong run at the MVC Championship come March.

3. Evansville (6th; 7-6; 3-2):The Purple Aces have had their struggles mainly on the road, where they are 1-5. But their biggest loss came on Saturday to Southwest Missouri State, which spanked them 90-67 on their home floor. Evansville leads the conference in steals with a 11.92 game average, and a turnover margin of plus four. The Aces also lead the conference in 3-point field goals made with their 6.46 per game average.

4. Northern Iowa (1st; 10-3; 5-0):The Panthers may have caught some off-guard with their current standing atop the MVC, but head coach Tony DiCecco is not surprised.

We have some kids that specifically will help us on the defensive end, DiCecco said. We have different people that on different days can give the production we’re looking for. And that’s what we’re trying to build right now.

The Panthers are second in the conference in scoring, field goal percentage, assist/turnover ratio, and most importantly, are undefeated in conference play.

5. Wichita State (4th; 6-8; 4-2):Shocker coach Darryl Smith, like other MVC coaches, can’t be accused of easy scheduling. And that, he said, has given his young team the experience it will need down the road in March. The Shockers suffered non-conference losses at the hands of Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Mississippi, but Smith contends, they’ll make us better. Wichita State, thanks to the likes of freshman Angela Buckner, leads the conference in offensive rebounds. Buckner leads the conference in rebounding overall.

6. Creighton (5th; 9-5; 3-2):Head coach Connie Yori’s main concern lie in her lack of numbers. Right now our weakness is depth, and everybody knows that, Yori said. We’re going on a lot of emotion, a lot on courage, and we’re having to play a lot of minutes so our practices have to be focused and very short.

Maybe the team’s intense focus has paid off it’s turnover margin at 3.85 is second in the league.

If we can hang together and not wear out, we’re going to be OK, Yori said.

7. Indiana State (8th; 4-11; 1-5):The Sycamores, as their record shows, have had a rough ride. They are 1-6 on the road. Cheryl Reeve resigned as head coach early in the season and assistant coach Jim Wiedie was given the position as an interim.

Our goal is to finish at least sixth or higher, Wiedie said.

The Sycamores have struggled with rebounding, and turnovers. If you do that in the [MVC] consistently, you’re not going to be very successful, Wiedie said.

8. Southern Illinois (7th; 4-10; 1-4):The Salukis have struggled all season to put together a string of consistent games. Last week, they gave Southwest Missouri State some trouble, but the Bears pulled it out. While the Salukis are frustrated right now, it’s efforts like the one mentioned above that give this team hope.

9. Illinois State (9th; 3-12; 1-5):The Redbirds are ninth in the conference in scoring, which is indicative of their inability to win games. With no impact players, and a lineup largely made up of underclassmen, March may not come soon enough for Illinois State.

10. Bradley (10th; 5-8; 0-5):Bradley head coach Paula Buscher optimistically said, I think we have a tough call ahead of us, but it’s a tough [conference], and at any time we can break it up. We just need to step it up.

The Braves, who lack size and depth are blessed with, as Buscher put it, our work ethic. The nice thing about this team is that we come to practice every day even though we’re 0-5 in the conference right now.

Come March, the top eight MVC teams travel to Springfield, Mo., for the MVC Tournament. And while each team hopes its season exploits will give it the fuel to succeed, it’s anyone’s game then.