Missouri State Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Bears

CHARLESTON, SC - NOVEMBER 21: Head coach Dana Ford of the Missouri State Bears reacts to a call during a first round Charleston Classic basketball game against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes at the TD Arena on November 21, 2019 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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Missouri State faces Max Abmas #3 and last year’s Sweet 16 team the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Tackling other significant mid-majors

Ford has taken the approach that beating other relatively high-rated mid-majors teams is better than playing so-called ‘power conference’ teams. There is none of the second group on MSU’s schedule.

While he has six games against sub-200 teams (in the N.E.T.) he has also scheduled five contests against teams well over last year’s 200 mark in the Kenpom ratings and one NAIA squad. How this scheduling approach works will be an interesting lesson for we amateur bracketologists.

Some of the highlights of the Bears’ nonconference schedule come in Naples, Florida where the Bears will have a second-round game against either Murray State (198 NET) or East Tennessee State (128 KenPom) and then a third game against a predictably good opponent. Prior to Naples, the Bears face Sam Houston (169 NET).

After the Naples event, MSU plays Brigham Young (16 NET), Little Rock, and then one of last season’s Cinderella stories, Oral Roberts. ORU was an overachieving 125 in the NET and then took a run to last season’s Sweet Sixteen.

South Dakota State (113 KenPom) and St. Mary’s (60 NET) are two of their final four non-Valley games.

MSU needs to bury Southeast Missouri, Alabama State, Long Beach State, Little Rock, Central Arkansas, and Evangel and play above .500 in those other six or seven games. While none of those potential non-conference wins will make big headlines, they can produce a very solid NET ranking heading into Valley play. Victories over BYU and St. Mary’s would move the competitive needle.