11/17 KenPom rankings update
MBB: Valpo and Illinois State both win their non-conference games on Sunday
Valparaiso was the big mover in the KenPom rankings overnight after their 68-50 home victory over Bryant on Sunday. The Beacons jumped 25 spots after that win against the #305 Bulldogs.
Illinois State helped cap a perfect day in the Valley, as they held on to win at Long Beach State, 82-80. Even though the victory came on the road, the Redbirds got dinged for giving up 80 points to KenPom’s 257th-ranked team, as Illinois State dropped eight spots in the updated rankings.
There are two games in The Valley tonight, as Drake and Southern Illinois both have big road opportunities. If Drake can win at #153 Charleston, it would be the best non-conference win for a Valley team this year.
It shouldn’t be a surprise Northern Iowa is the highest-rated Valley team in the KenPom, as they currently have three of the Top-5 best non-conference wins this year.
#157 South Dakota State (Northern Iowa)
#164 Cornell (Illinois State)
#180 SIUE (Indiana State)
#194 Furman (Northern Iowa)
#203 CSU Northridge (Northern Iowa)
After last night’s games, here are this morning’s updated KenPom rankings for the Missouri Valley Conference:
#96 Northern Iowa — Up 2 spots (Next: Hosts #304 Northern Illinois Tuesday)
#104 Belmont — No change (Next: Hosts #268 Lipscomb Wednesday)
#114 Murray State — Down 1 spot (Next: Hosts #214 Little Rock Tuesday)
#121 Southern Illinois — No change (Next: At #190 North Dakota State tonight)
#133 Bradley — No change (Next: Hosts #342 UMass Lowell Wednesday)
#134 Illinois State — Down 8 spots after 82-80 road win at #257 Long Beach State (Next: Hosts Non-D1 Rockford on Thursday)
#140 UIC — Up 1 spot (Next: Neutral-site game vs. #93 High Point on Thursday)
#148 Drake — No change (Next: At #153 Charleston tonight)
#197 Indiana State — Down 1 spot (Next: Hosts #169 Louisiana Tech Wednesday)
#259 Valparaiso — Up 25 spots after 68-50 win over #305 Bryant (Next: At #254 Cleveland State Wednesday)
#270 Evansville — Down 2 spots (Next: Hosts #158 UT Arlington Tuesday)
In the conference rankings, KenPom has the Missouri Valley Conference still listed as the 10th-best league in the country. Last season, only seven conferences received multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament. Here are the updated KenPom conference rankings:
SEC +19.54
Big Ten +18.50
Big 12 +17.34
ACC +15.58
Big East +13.72
Mountain West +7.16
Atlantic 10 +5.30
West Coast Conference +3.60
The American +3.20
Missouri Valley +0.94 (Up +0.10)
Conference USA -1.11
Mid-American Conference -3.29