11/29 KenPom rankings update
MBB: Missouri Valley schools drop two of three games on Friday
Missouri Valley Conference teams went 1-2 in non-conference play on Friday, with Illinois State picking up the only win. The Redbirds, ranked #112 in the KenPom computer rankings, grabbed their fifth-straight victory with a 72-65 win over #157 Furman in Kissimmee, Florida.
Drake lost their first game of the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Florida, falling to LSU, 71-62. Former Murray State Head Coach Matt McMahon has his Tigers unbeaten at 6-0 on the young season.
Indiana State dropped 32 spots to #200 in KenPom, after a disappointing 81-74 neutral-site loss to #333 Alcorn State. It was the first win of the year for Alcorn State.
There are three games involving Valley teams today, with the best opportunity coming for Drake, as the Bulldogs will try to salvage a split in Destin as they face #113 Georgia Tech.
After last night’s games, here are this morning’s updated KenPom rankings for the Missouri Valley Conference:
#87 Belmont — Up 3 spots (Next: At #158 Charleston Sunday)
#94 Northern Iowa — Down 2 spots (Next: Hosts non-D1 Coe Monday)
#112 Illinois State — No change after 72-65 neutral-site win vs. #157 Furman (Next: Hosts #261 Eastern Kentucky)
#118 Murray State — No change (Next: Home game vs. #303 Morehead State Tuesday)
#121 Bradley — Up 1 spot (Next: Hosts #164 Washington State Tuesday)
#135 Southern Illinois — No change (Next: Hosts #260 Little Rock today)
#143 Drake — Down 2 spots after 71-62 neutral-site loss vs. #37 LSU (Next: Neutral-site vs. #113 Georgia Tech)
#162 UIC — Up 4 spots (Next: Hosts #363 Arkansas Pine Bluff Wednesday)
#200 Indiana State — Down 32 spots after 81-74 neutral-site loss to #333 Alcorn State (Next: Hosts non-D1 Eureka Tuesday)
#250 Valparaiso — Up 1 spot (Next: Hosts #237 Western Michigan today)
#305 Evansville — Down 1 spot (Next: Hosts #298 Ball State Wednesday)
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 +19.43
Big Ten +17.76
Big 12 +17.63
ACC +14.83
Big East +14.35
Mountain West +6.87
Atlantic 10 +5.67
West Coast Conference +3.44
The American +2.83
Missouri Valley +1.52 (Down 0.19)
Conference USA -1.39
Mid-American Conference -2.78