Turkey week was good for many things – giving thanks for who and what you have in your life, eating great food, and 20 Valley games on the schedule. Between holiday tournaments and regular non-conference games, each league team was busy over the last seven days.
Creighton cracked the top-25 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, coming in at #25, and though they haven’t found the AP poll just yet, at least the national media and the coaches are finally taking notice of the Valley’s best team.
I spent the better part of two days at the Chicago Invitational Challenge, watching Bradley and several other excellent teams. The Braves were routed by Wisconsin, then defeated by Nevada, but there were many positives to take away from the weekend for Geno Ford’s squad.
Here are the Missouri Valley Basketball Examiner’s Power Rankings for the 2011-12 season – Week of November 28, 2011:
1. Creighton (5-0)- The Bluejays put up 104 points in a runaway win against Campbell. Grant Gibbs has an assist/turnover ratio of 5.44/1 for the season. (1)
2. Missouri State (4-0)- Lusk’s boys took down Tulsa in overtime in their only game of the week. Jarmar Gulley is averaging 7.5 rebounds in just under 21 minutes per game. (2)
3. Wichita State (3-2)- The Shockers dismantled UAB, despite the third straight game that Demetric Williams was held without a point. Carl Hall leads the league in offensive rebounds. (3)
4. Northern Iowa (5-1)- The Panthers posted wins over Western Carolina, Rice and Providence, and were led by Seth Tuttle, who averaged 11.0 points and 6.3 rebounds last week. (4)
5. Indiana State (6-1)- Four games in seven days proved tough for the Sycamores, and second half collapses were the story of the week. Jake Odum recorded the league’s first triple-double in 13 years. (5)
6. Drake (4-2)- Drake played Virginia tough, then beat up on Cal State Northridge. Rayvonte Rice has just two assists for the season. (7)
7. Evansville (2-2)- The Aces were embarrassed at UIC, losing despite Jordan Jahr and Ned Cox combining for 36 points off the bench. (6)
8. Illinois State (4-2)- The Redbirds beat Rutgers and Bethune-Cookman, and played Illinois well for 35 minutes. Jon Ekey has scored in double digits in every game he has played this season. (9)
9. Bradley (3-3)- The Braves lost three in a row, including a sound beating by Wisconsin. Anthony Thompson had six blocks against Nevada. (8)
10. Southern Illinois (1-3)- A 16-point win over Chicago State isn’t enough to excite me, but Mamadou Seck is – he is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game. (10)
Valley record: 37-16
Previous weeks' rankings:
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