3MW’s All Conference Team:
Player of the Year: Cam Krutwig, Sr., Loyola-Chicago
Coach of the Year: Darian DeVries, Drake
Newcomer of the Year: Tank Hemphill, Sr., Drake
Freshman of the Year: Bowen Born, Northern Iowa
Season Storylines:
In the preseason, the top spot was a debate between Northern Iowa and Loyola-Chicago, and I’m glad I settled on the veteran Ramblers, because they emerged into a defensive juggernaut en route to a top 15 KenPom ranking. I don’t really buy them as a true top 15 squad, but the Ramblers are likely good to go from an at-large standpoint, meaning there’s a chance that Porter Moser and Cameron Krutwig (and Sister Jean) could once again step into the March spotlight.
As for Northern Iowa, the Purple Panthers were crippled by a season-ending injury to offensive maestro AJ Green, throwing the attack into disarray as promising freshman Bowen Born fought to stay afloat in the deep end. The overall lack of athleticism clearly hurt the defense, as well, as opponents crushed UNI at the rim and never felt stressed while handling the rock.
UNI’s fall opened the door for Drake’s meteoric rise; the Bulldogs quickly became a national darling thanks to their 13-0 start to the season against the spread (and 18-0 straight up). Injuries to star players Tank Hemphill and Roman Penn lowered the Bulldogs’ ceiling, but they still covered five of their final six games. A possible return for Hemphill, the emergence of Joe Yesufu into a fireball, and the sideline wizardry of Darian DeVries mean that Drake will remain a tough out in St. Louis.
Bradley and Southern Illinois, two other squads with positive outlooks entering the year, floundered due to personnel issues. The Braves, winners of three straight MVC Tournament crowns, will continue to be severely short-handed this week; as of this writing, the trio of Elijah Childs, Danya Kingsby, and Terry Nolan all remain suspended, and shot-swatting monster Ari Boya is still hurt. SIU, though, could be a possible dark horse if the Salukis get Marcus Domask healthy. Lance Jones has emerged as SIU’s Batman, and if Domask can be his Robin, the Salukis – who just took Loyola to overtime in the season finale – could make a run. Teams that play on Thursday almost never succeed at Arch Madness, but 2020 Valpo and 2020 Drake shredded that narrative (Valpo went all the way to the title game).
With those two Land of Lincoln institutions down on their luck, Missouri State and Evansville found some regular season momentum. Thanks to the intimidating duo of Isiaih Mosley and Gaige Prim, the Bears are a legitimate title threat this week, while Evansville probably lacks the horses to rip off three straight wins.
It’s hard to craft a path forward for Illinois State, but perhaps Valparaiso could make another surprise run; the Artist Formerly Known as the Crusaders were the first to topple Drake, and they scared the pants off Loyola in Chicago three weeks ago.
Tournament Preview
Tournament Predictions
(9) Southern Illinois over (8) Bradley
(7) Northern Iowa over (10) Illinois State
(1) Loyola-Chicago over (9) Southern Illinois
(4) Indiana State over (5) Evansville
(2) Drake over (7) Northern Iowa
(3) Missouri State over (6) Valparaiso
(1) Loyola-Chicago over (4) Indiana State
(3) Missouri State over (2) Drake
(1) Loyola-Chicago over (3) Missouri State