Missouri Valley Basketball: Predicting stars for each team in 2017-18

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 5: Members of the Wichita State Shockers celebrate after winning the Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament Championship against the Illinois State Redbirds at the Scottrade Center on March 5, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

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CHAPEL HILL, NC – DECEMBER 21: Head coach Jacobson of the Northern Iowa Panthers directs his team during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Dean Smith Center on December 21, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Northern Iowa Panthers – Bennett Koch

The preseason favorite for the award last year was Northern Iowa’s Jeremy Morgan, whose big-time 36-point performance against Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament put him on the map for fans outside the conference.

While he did play well last year, leading the team with 14.8 ppg and adding nearly six rebounds as well, the team struggled. Morgan is now gone and the Panthers will need someone to step up.

That player will be senior Bennett Kock, who at 6’10” and 230 pounds, will look to be one of the leading bigs in the conference. He’s the only double-digit scorer coming back for Northern Iowa at 11 points a game.

His biggest performance came in a double-overtime victory against Loyola, where he finished with a season-high 21 points.

One area where Kock needs to vastly improve on is his rebounding. For a legit big to only average 3.8 rebounds a game is disappointing, to say the least. If he can improve along with fellow senior big Clint Karlson, then Northern Iowa can have a great frontcourt next year. The guard play after Morgan’s exit will be key to next season.