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

4. Who is the “surprise team” to watch going forward?

In a league where two-thirds of the teams are in the running, it is hard for pick a ‘surprise team’. Indiana State has surprised us twice. The Sycamores were picked to finish seventh in the league’s preseason poll. Second-year coach Josh Schertz’s team opened the conference schedule with six straight wins and they rapidly became ‘the surprise team’.

Before we could even write stories about this ‘rags to riches’ story, the Sycamores offense went into a slump and Indiana State lost five consecutive games. Suddenly, the Trees had fallen from prominence and the doubters resurfaced.

Indiana State (18-9, 11-5) hasn’t lost since a January 24th, two-point loss at Drake. The five-game winning streak has thrust Schertz’s team into a three-way tie for second place. ISU is tied with Southern Illinois and Belmont. Those three are one game behind both Bradley and Drake.

The offensive-minded Sycamores lead the Valley in scoring (78.9 ppg), field goal percentage (.479), and assists (15.9 per game) and they are the only team as old as Drake. Six Sycamores are seniors or grad students. DePaul transfer Courvoisier McCauley will be the Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’. While averaging 16.7 points and 5.6 rebounds, he is the league’s second-most prolific three-point shooter (83).

McCauley and teammates Cooper Neese, Cade McKnight, Cameron Henry, and Trenton Gibson have all scored over 1,200 career points. They have seen it all and done it all. Neese is one of the top three-point shooters in ISU history.

Bigger questions than these will be answered during the teams final four games. The drive for the top spot is wide open and that is bringing out huge crowds at several Valley venues. Arch Madness could be the most competitive in years.