Racers picked 3rd in Valley preseason poll
MBB: Murray State received four of a possible 46 first-place votes
Illinois State is the preseason pick to win the Missouri Valley Conference, as voted on by conference coaches, sports information directors and media.
The Redbirds picked up 34 out of a possible 46 first-place votes. It’s the first time Illinois State has been the preseason pick to win the league in 24 years, and the fifth time since the creation of the preseason poll, prior to the 1985-86 season, the Redbirds have earned that top spot.
Murray State came in third in the voting, earning four first-place votes.
Instead of releasing the preseason ranking of all 11 teams, the Missouri Valley Conference only announced the top five teams in the poll. Here is the list of preseason favorites:
Illinois State (34 first-place votes) — 487 points
Northern Iowa (8) — 442
Murray State (4) — 385
Bradley — 370
Belmont — 344
The conference will host Men’s Basketball Media Days on October 20th and 21st.
Murray State began preseason practices last Monday. The Racers will play the first of two exhibition games on Saturday, October 18th at Xavier. The regular season opener will be November 3rd, when Murray State travels to South Dakota to play Omaha in The Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.