MVC Basketball: Way-too-early preseason power rankings for 2019-20

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 10: Ja'Shon Henry #22 of the Bradley Braves runs on to the court with his teammates after beating the Northern Iowa Panthers during the final game of the MVC Basketball Tournament at the Enterprise Center on March 10, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Bradley Braves beat the Northern Iowa Panthers 57-54 to win the MVC Championship. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

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ST. LOUIS, MO – MARCH 4: Dequon Miller #4 of the Missouri State Bears shoots the ball against Landry Shamet #11 of the Wichita State Shockers during the Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament Semifinals at the Scottrade Center on March 4, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

1) Missouri State Bears

Missouri State finished 16-16 overall and 10-8 in Missouri Valley Conference play. They fell to Bradley early in the conference tournament and lose three starters to graduation. So, why are the Bears picked to win the MVC next season? Make no mistake about it, head coach Dana Ford is building something special in Springfield.

Returning will be MVC Newcomer of the Year Tulio Da Silva who averaged 14.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game as well as senior guard Keandre Cook who averaged 12.8 points per game himself. While Da Silva will test the NBA Draft waters, he is expected to eventually return. That duo will get a boost from two transfers who sat last season in Tyrik Dixon (Middle Tennessee State) and Josh Hall (Nevada).

That is a great start, but what makes this team special is the incoming talent. Let’s start with the freshman class which is loaded with in-state talent. Coach Ford inked three of the top four ranked prospects in the state of Missouri according to 247Sports, including 4-star guard Isiaih Mosley. They also signed highly regarded junior college forward Gaige Prim.

Then there are the grad transfers where the Bears loaded up. They have commitments from Anthony Bonner who averaged 12.2 points per game at Colorado State last season, and 6’8 forward Lamont West who averaged 11.1 points and 4 rebounds per game last season at West Virginia.

Next. Way-too-early preseason mid-major power rankings. dark

The Bears are deep, talented, experienced, and will be the team to beat in a loaded Missouri Valley Conference in 2019-20. They are loaded with firepower and will be a trendy pick as the next team from the MVC to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.