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 4: Phil Fayne #10 of the Illinois State Redbirds shoots the ball 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: Phil Fayne #10 of the Illinois State Redbirds shoots the ball 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) /

10. Southern Illinois

2018-19: 17-15, (10-8)

The Salukis fell short of high expectations last season, leading to parting ways with Barry Hinson. Now it is former standout player Bryan Mullins who returns home to take the reigns as Missouri State head coach. Though first-year coaches faired well as a whole in the MVC last season, Mullins will certainly be challenged in year one.

Senior Aaron Cook will be the lone returning starter for Southern Illinois as the point guard will lead a squad full of newcomers. Look for graduate transfers Ronnie Suggs Jr. and Barret Benson to be counted on heavily. Suggs, a 6-6 guard, spent a couple years at Bradley before making the move to Missouri where he played last season. Benson played at Northwestern and should be a reliable big down the stretch for Coach Mullins this season.

A lot of basketball will be played between now and MVC play, but the Salukis get to host Illinois State and Valparaiso in early January after visiting Indiana State on December 30th. Coach Mullins will have hopes of grabbing some early conference victories, as getting off to a good start in the Missouri Valley is a must to finish above the basement for Southern Illinois.

9. Illinois State

2018-19: 17-16, (9-9)

The 2018-19 Redbirds were an example of a team that was great on paper but lacking on the court. Despite returning almost every key piece from the year before, Illinois State somehow got worse offensively. Talented players depart for Coach Muller, but maybe some fresh faces mixed with the return of senior Zach Copeland can right the ship.

There is a lot to like about Wichita State transfer Ricky Torres if he can return to full health soon. Other key newcomers include Keith Fisher III, who averaged 10.4 PPG and 6.3 RPG at San Jose State in 2017-18 and Dedric Boyd who put up 13.2 PPG at Eastern Kentucky in 2017-18. The Redbirds didn’t look very sharp in an exhibition against Truman State. With that said, I trust Dan Muller to make it work more often than not, and I believe Illinois State can put together a decent 2019-20 season, even if it all takes a little while to gel.