Busting Brackets
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Missouri Valley Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2019-20 season

By TJ Miller

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 4: Matt Hein #5 and Phil Fayne #10 of the Illinois State Redbirds defend against Cameron Krutwig #25 of the Loyola Ramblers during the Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament Championship at the Scottrade Center on March 4, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 4: Matt Hein #5 and Phil Fayne #10 of the Illinois State Redbirds defend against Cameron Krutwig #25 of the Loyola Ramblers during the Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament Championship at the Scottrade Center on March 4, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – MARCH 10: Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye #23 of the Bradley Braves celebrates with fans 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)
ST. LOUIS, MO – MARCH 10: Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye #23 of the Bradley Braves celebrates with fans 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) /

Missouri Valley Basketball has a history of being unpredictable as a conference. So what should you expect for the MVC as the 2019-20 season kicks off?

It seems true across most of the landscape of college basketball, but especially true when it comes to Missouri Valley Basketball: there are no guarantees once things get rolling. Last season alone presented several of these never-would’ve-guessed-ems. You can take Illinois State and Southern Illinois, who finished a combined 19-17 in league play, despite many picking both teams to finish atop the MVC.

Or the Drake Bulldogs, who finished tied for first with Loyola in spite of dealing with major injuries and a first-year head coach. Bradley also has to qualify as a lesson in parody as the Braves started 0-5 before turning things around to eventually take home the MVC Basketball Tournament Championship.

So whatever happens in the MVC in 2019-20, it’s fair to assume just about any of the ten Missouri Valley teams have at least a shot to win this league. The Loyola Ramblers will try to sustain a third straight season of winning at least a share of the MVC regular season. Missouri State enters the picture as a team that combines exciting new talent with an already skilled roster. Guard oriented teams such as Northern Iowa, Drake, and Indiana State should be in the mix along with Arch Madness darling Bradley.

Missouri Valley play will not begin until late December. Until then, each team will have a chance to polish and prove itself in non-conference play. With these games starting now, let’s get to it. Here are the 2019-20 MVC rankings.