Busting Brackets
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Missouri Valley Basketball: 4 key questions in final weeks of regular season

By Harry Schroeder

Dec 20, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Drake Bulldogs head coach Darian DeVries watches action against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Drake Bulldogs head coach Darian DeVries watches action against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Bradley’s Rienk Mast, left, and Darius Hannah, right, defend against Murray State’s DJ Burn
Bradley’s Rienk Mast, left, and Darius Hannah, right, defend against Murray State’s DJ Burn /

2. Who is most likely to win a game in the NCAA Tournament?

This will be a one bid Missouri Valley Conference season, so whichever team wins Arch Madness will be the obvious invitee to the NCAA Tournament. But which team is best suited for March Madness?

Drake has such a great veteran presence and the Bulldogs have won at least twenty games for five straight seasons. Southern Illinois plays great defense and Belmont displays a highly efficient offense. Indiana State is the Valley’s deepest team.

For my money, the answer is the Bradley Braves. Brian Wardle’s team has all the ingredients to win a couple of games during this year’s national tournament. Bradley has size, talent, depth, veteran leadership, outstanding defense and flexibility.

The Braves’ front line is big. It is talented and has four quality players. The discussion on Bradley begins with the muscularly built 6’9 Mast, but there are three other quality big men that provide matchup problems for their opponents. While Mast clogs the middle defensively and is deadly around the offensive block, Leons, Ja’Shon Henry and Darius Hannah are huge Bradley contributors.

Leons is likely to be the Valley’s ‘Most Improved Player’ and is a matchup nightmare. At 6’9 he is amongst the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, steals, and blocked shots. He’ll drain the occasional three and is elite at the free throw line. Leons is a rare commodity.

Hannah’s numbers don’t shock you, but he is an explosive player with great hops and energy that boosts his team. Another 6’9 performer, Hannah can score in traffic and comes up with key rebounds and momentum-making plays.

The veteran of the group is fifth-year player Ja’Shon Henry. The 6’3 forward is the team’s best dunker, a reliable defender, and can score in the paint and in the midrange game. While not a three-point threat, Henry, who was on the 2019-20 ‘Most Improved Team’ and honored by being named to the 2020-21 all-bench team, returned to Peoria this season for one reason. The Canadian native wants to play and win games in the NCAA Tournament.

After missing early season games with a head injury, Henry is Wardle’s ‘coach on the floor’ when he springs from the bench.

Wardle’s guards don’t wow you with statistics, but they are highly effective. Transfer Duke Deen has settled down the team’s turnover problems from last season and occasionally goes off in the scoring department.

Young guards Zek Montgomery and Connor Hickman are ‘basketball players’ that make winning ‘basketball plays’. Montgomery missed time with a hand injury, but is healthy now and contributing to Bradley’s current hot streak. Hickman has been ‘Mr. Reliable’ all season. He is steady with ‘the rock’ and can score from long distance.

All three guards can carry the load and if Wardle wants to go small and play all three at the same time, they rebound well enough.

Senior Ville Tahvainen could be an X-factor.  The Finland native is deadly from deep, a steady defender knows the Bradley playbook as well as Wardle and nothing rattles this military veteran.