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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Can Missouri State top other Valley heavy-weights like Drake and guard Roman Penn? (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

2021-22 outlook for Missouri State basketball

This is a team with limitless potential. Missouri State has outstanding talent at every position. They have size, explosive scorers, experience, and a hunger to prove they belong in the upper echelon of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Missouri State basketball has not raised a Valley regular-season title banner since 2011 and hasn’t participated in March Madness since 1999. Dana Ford’s team is configured to break through those barriers. With nine players possessing starting ability, depth will not be a problem.

This is Ford’s fourth season in Springfield and is looking for a signature season. In four seasons at Tennessee State, he took a last-place team and made the Tigers a consistent middle-of-the-pack team, including one 20-win season.

He is 49-40 while leading Missouri State basketball and last year’s third-place finish was his best with the Bears.

The Bears are one of the Valley’s four very high-quality teams. Getting past defending champion Loyola Chicago, Drake and Northern Iowa will not be easy. Busting Bracket’s Mid-Major Top 25 rankings place the Bears third among Valley teams.

Ford’s team has to prove they can beat the better Valley teams. While MSU was 12-6 during league play, they were 11-0 against everyone except those other top three teams. Missouri State basketball was 1-6 against LUC, Drake, and UNI.

How they hold up against the upper-level teams will determine if this is the season Missouri State asserts itself as the MVC power it fancies itself to be.

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The enigma in Springfield, Missouri wants to prove it is more than talented players, but an outstanding team.