As the calendar flips to November, College Basketball returns! Here at SGPN, we’re covering every team and every conference ahead of the season. Next up in our College Basketball 2026-27 series: the Missouri Valley preview, odds, and best bets.
The Missouri Valley Conference was once again a very competitive mid-major last season. Belmont was clearly the best team at the top of the conference. They went 16-4 in conference play and 26-6 overall. Tyler Lundblade won the Larry Bird Trophy as MVC Player of the Year. Head coach Casey Alexander won MVC Coach of the Year. Unfortunately for Belmont, they lost to No. 9-seeded Drake in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
The University of Northern Iowa is who stole the show in March, however. The Panthers went just 11-9 in the conference and were a No. 6 seed in the Missouri Valley Tournament. They went on a run and took down the conference tournament, defeating UIC 84–69. Trey Campbell was named tournament MVP. UNI captured its seventh MVC tournament championship. The Panthers earned the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Four MVC teams went to the NIT Tournament.
Odds to Win The Missouri Valley Regular Season Championship
Murray State +200
UIC +340
Illinois State +360
Belmont +750
Drake +1000
Northern Iowa +1000
Valparaiso +3000
Bradley +3000
Indiana State +5500
Southern Illinois +6500
Evansville +12500
Missouri Valley Conference Best Bets
Murray State Over 15.5 Wins (+135)
This one starts with the returning MVC Freshman of the Year, Roman Domon. The 6’9” Sophomore is a matchup nightmare because of his size and ability to score from multiple areas. Domon has already established himself as one of the conference’s best young players. He has the potential to become an All-MVC first-team player. Domon’s role should continue to grow this year, and he’s the type of player who can carry a team through difficult conference stretches.
The team hit the transfer portal hard to give Domon a good supporting cast. Kaden Magwood from Auburn is a guard with a ton of talent and scoring ability. Christian Jones from George Washington has size and backcourt versatility. Brigham Rogers makes the in-conference transfer from Belmont and brings a ton of frontcourt experience. Shon Tupuola from Valparaiso has interior size.
Illinois State MVC Champion (+360)
As much as I love Murray State, I like the Illinois State Redbirds just a little more at their number. They have their own stud in Chase Walker. The 6-foot-9 forward has legitimate scoring ability. He was a First Team All-MVC selection last year. He’s one of the few players returning to the conference who earned first- or second-team All-MVC honors last season. Walker can score inside and create matchup problems for smaller frontcourts.
Walker has a great supporting cast around him, and Illinois State is another team that did very well in the transfer portal. Ryan Pendon, the head coach of the Redbirds, has improved its win total in each of his first four seasons. The Redbirds are a real threat to win it this year.
