Missouri Valley Basketball: Grades for each team 1st week of 2022-23 season

The A’s

Drake and Indiana State are undefeated and have shown the ability to score and share the basketball. As of this writing, they are the league’s top two scoring teams (Missouri State scored more points in their one game, but it was against a Division 2 team).

Drake fans and Valley watchers were worried about the multiple injuries the Bulldogs were dealing with. None of Drake’s ‘big four’ (DeVries, D.J. Wilkins, Garrett Sturtz, and Roman Penn) played in the team’s final exhibition game. All but Penn played in the Bulldog’s season opener and Penn returned to the lineup Monday night. He looked healthy and contributed to the team’s win over Wofford.

DeVries looks healthy and like the player that could take home the Larry Bird – Player of the Year Trophy. Wilkins played just six minutes in the opener, but started and played 21 minutes on Monday. Head coach Darian DeVries is getting good mileage out of Calhoun and redshirt freshman Conor Enright.

The Bulldogs were the league’s preseason favorite and are 2-0.

Drake – Grade A

Indiana State is off to a strong (2-0) start. Both wins have come against D1 foes and have come by relatively comfortable margins. McCauley is all coach Josh Schertz told us he would be. He and fellow grad transfer Trenton Gibson lead the Sycamores in scoring and rebounding. McCauley (18.5 points and 8.0 rebounds) edges Gibson (15.0 and 7.5) in each category.

DePaul transfer McCauley is a threat from deep (8 triples in two games) and the Sycamore defense is vastly improved. Indiana defenders have collected 20 steals during their first two games.

Indiana State – Grade A

Southern Illinois posted the league’s best non-conference win and perhaps its least timely loss. SIU knocked off the Big Twelve’s Oklahoma State for the Salukis’ first ‘power conference’ win since 2000 and followed that up with a loss at Southern Indiana.

The new Ohio Valley Conference team is transitioning from Division 2 to D1 and is better than many thought they would be, but SIU’s loss to the Screaming Eagles on the heels of the Oklahoma State upset dashed the thoughts of the Salukis making noise in mid-major or national polls.

Southern Illinois – Grade A-

Bradley’s convincing and dominating win over Eastern Michigan catapulted the Braves from ‘incomplete’ all the way to an A-. Brian Wardle’s team shut down Emoi Bates during the game’s pivotal first half and then ran away with an impressive win (89-61).

Bradley is still playing without star center Rienk Mast, but the return of Ja’Shon Henry (15 points) from last year’s concussion problems has been a shot in arm, and Bradley’s defense has been stout.

Bradley – Grade A-