Drake won the 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference regular season and conference tournament. However, their coach and the majority of their roster are elsewhere. Head coach Ben McCollum left for Iowa, and Eric Henderson, formerly of South Dakota State, comes to Drake. A different team has won the MVC regular season each of the past five seasons. Will we go for six different teams in six years this season? We’ve found a play for the 2025-26 season, and it may not be a name you’d associate with regular-season championships.
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2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Champion Best Bet
Illinois State to win the Missouri Valley Conference
Illinois State won 22 games last year, but they only went 10-10 in conference play. This year? Drake is replacing its entire program. Bradley lost a lot of depth. Belmont appears to be a bit too young, and Northern Iowa has struggled to break through to the top level of the MVC.
Illinois State returns junior forward Chase Walker as their top rim protector and offensive presence in the post. The Redbirds also bring back junior guard Johnny Kinzinger. Those are two huge pieces that should end up on the All-Missouri Valley Conference team at the end of the year.
ISU also comes back with redshirt-senior guard Landon Wolf and plans to elevate sophomore forward Jack Daugherty to the starting lineup.
The Redbirds’ third guard position will likely be Butler transfer Landon Moore. Moore played a part in the Butler rotation last year and should emerge as a regular starter for Illinois State.
Literally everyone in the Redbirds’ starting lineup can shoot at a good-to-elite level. This team will shoot teams off the floor when their shots are falling.
The bench will feature North Dakota State transfer forward Boden Skunberg, junior forward Ty Pence, and graduate senior big man Brandon Lieb. The Redbirds also have four true freshman rounding out their roster. Freshman Isaac Erickson was a three-star recruit last year, and he could work his way into regular minutes.
Illinois State is also in its fourth year with head coach Ryan Pedon. He only won 11 games in his first year, but his Illinois State teams have improved each year of his tenure. This could be the year that he breaks through to the top level of the conference and wins 24-to-26 games this year. All the stars appear to align for the Redbirds to make the jump this year. Lock up Illinois State to win the Missouri Valley Conference in 2025-26.
The College Basketball Experience
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