Willard being the only departure bodes very well for Missouri State. The Bears will miss Willard’s consistency, but she is one of only two seniors to graduate from last year’s squad, with the other being role player Shameka Ealy. Willard was a first-team all-conference selection twice, including during her senior campaign last year.Īn incredibly consistent player, Willard scored 20-plus points eight times last season. Missouri State will have to overcome the key loss of Alexa Willard, who started each of the 129 games she played in during her time in Springfield. Other key returners include Emily Gartner, who was second on the team in rebounding with 5.6 per game, and the Bears’ top two 3-point shooters in Elle Ruffridge and Sydney Wilson. Both players finished last season with double-digit scoring averages – Calip dropped in 12.6 points per game with Franklin chipping in 10.6 – and both are assets in other areas as well.įranklin led last season’s 26-4 team with 8.7 rebounds per game, while Calip’s 110 assists were also a team high. Senior Brice Calip and junior Jasmine Franklin return with well-earned spots on the MVC’s preseason first team. Missouri State received 33 of 40 first-place votes in the MVC’s preseason poll and enters the season as the favorite to finish atop the standings. Who will stand out from the crowd? Let’s take a look. 2020-21 figures to be a very exciting year, and in such a deep conference there are several teams expecting to compete for the top spot. The Missouri Valley Conference is one of the most competitive conferences in the NCAA women’s basketball landscape. Photo courtesy Missouri Valley Conference. Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors, media, coaches.Bradley and Illinois State at the 2018 edition of Hoops In The Heartland. MVC PRESEASON POLL (First Place Votes / Points) Tickets for upcoming UNI home games are now on sale at /tickets. 7 with the Panthers taking on Wartburg at home at 7:30 p.m. 2 as the Panthers face Dubuque in a preseason exhibition at the McLeod Center. UNI will have its first opportunity to compete on Nov. With conference expansion, the top four seeds in the tournament will receive byes into the quarterfinal round, with seeds 5-12 playing first round matchups on Thursday, March 2. Louis, the 33rd consecutive year the league's postseason tournament has been held in the Gateway City. The 2023 MVC Men's Basketball Tournament, commonly known as Arch Madness, will be held March 2-5 at Enterprise Center in St. UNI is slated to play 9 MVC opponents twice, both at home and on the road, while facing 2 opponents once during the season. The 2022-23 campaign will mark the longest league schedule in MVC history with 20 conference games on tap, thanks to the addition of UIC, Murray State and Belmont to the MVC over the summer. The Panthers return 11 players from last year's roster with the addition of four new freshmen. UNI roared from a 4-7 start last winter to victories in 16 of its final 21 games to clinch the program's fourth MVC regular season crown and secure a bid in the NIT, where the Panthers earned a first-round victory over Saint Louis. The Waverly, Iowa native earned Preseason Second Team All-MVC recognition last season before recording a team-high 13 blocks and recording the highest career field goal percentage in program history (60.4%). Phyfe enters the new year after notching 5.4 points per game during UNI's regular season championship season last year. The third-year guard out of Norwalk, Iowa picks up his second preseason honor after being selected as the MVC's Preseason Breakout Player and member of the MVC Second Team All-Conference by the Field of 68 Almanac. The Panthers have finished in the top half of the league standings in 18 out of the last 19 years and enter the 2022-23 season as the reigning regular season conference champions.īorn begins his third season with the Panthers after averaging 7.4 points per game and earning the MVC's Sixth Man of the Year Award and All-Bench Team honors. Bowen Born and Austin Phyfe also earned additional recognition, earning spots on the conference's second and third All-MVC preseason teams respectively.įor the second consecutive year, Drake has been picked as the league's preseason favorite, with guard Tucker DeVries being tabbed as the MVC's Preseason Player of the Year. LOUIS - UNI men's basketball has been selected to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) preseason poll, as announced by the league office on Wednesday morning.
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