Missouri Valley Basketball: Analyzing Thanksgiving MTEs for teams

The second wave of multi-team events happens Thanksgiving week for Missouri Valley Conference teams. Five Valley squads are engaged in events in Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Florida and the Bahamas. 

Mid-major programs and conferences all point to these MTEs as a chance to boost their chances of postseason play and a way of rewarding their players with unique experiences. Belmont, Indiana State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois carry the MVC banner during Thanksgiving week. 

Missouri State is part of the three-day Cayman Islands Classic. The Bears face undefeated High Point on November 24. MO State has won three straight games averaging over 90 points-per-game. The Bears’ completely remade roster under coach Cuonzo Martin contains six players averaging ten or more points. 

Game time is set for 4:00 pm and can be seen on FloCollege TV. 

Belmont travels to Cancun, Mexico for the Cancun Challenge. The Bruins (4-1) have won three straight games and face Loyola Marymount. Belmont then plays in the third-place or championship game against either Tulane or Wyoming. The Bruins face LMU at 7:30 pm on November 25. Six Bruin players average at least 11.2 points-per-game. 

The Cancun Challenge will be televised on CBS Sports Network. 

Southern Illinois has a date with with the University of Florida before its Gulf Coast Showcase action. The Florida game is SIU’s second against a ‘power conference’ team and they face undefeated Louisiana Tech in Estero, Florida. The Bulldogs are 4-0 and stand at 83 in the KenPom rankings and their style of play is the complete opposite of SIU’s. SIU is a top 80 team in adjusted tempo and Lousiana Tech ranks over 300. Game time is set for 2:00 pm on November 25 and can be seen on the FloCollege TV.

Northern Iowa’s first round action in the NIT Season Tip Off doesn’t begin until November 28. This four-team tournament is loaded. UNI’s 117 KenPom ranking is the worst of the four teams. 

UNI opens with number 75 North Texas. If they win they’ll face either undefeated Utah State or undefeated St. Bonaventure. If they lose, they’ll face one of those teams coming off its first loss. 

Game time is set for 7:00 pm and can be seen on ESPNU.

Indiana State has two more games before they travel to the Bahamas. The Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship tips off on November 29. The Sycamores face the tournament’s highest rated team (Arkansas State) in the opening round. This is a ‘round-robin’ tournament and the Sycamores will face Iona and then Tarleton State.

Game time on the 29th is set for 4:30 pm and can be seen on the FloCollege TV.