|
The Valley isn't your typical "Mid-Major" April 4, 2006 by Tim Adams The Missouri Valley may be classified these days as a "Mid-Major" conference, but this is a conference with enough history and success in men's basketball to qualify amongst the ranks of the most widely heralded conferences. The Valley has been in existence since 1907. Only the Big Ten has been around longer. For comparisons sake, the ACC has only been in existence since the 1950s, and the Big East isn't even 30 years old. Over the course of The Valley's 100 years the conference has seen quite a few changes in terms of affiliated schools. There are 14 schools that are no longer members, including Butler, Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, Memphis State, New Mexico State, Oklahoma A&M (now OSU), St. Louis and Tulsa. The Valley has had five schools make it to the NCAA title game a total of ten times and has two schools (Cincinnati and Oklahoma A&M) which won two titles each, both of which were back to back. Those two schools are among only six schools that have ever won back to back NCAA titles. Bradley reached the final game in 1950, losing to a soon to be defunct CCNY squad and reached the finals again in 1954, losing to La Salle. Cincinnati became the first college team to ever make it back to a title game after winning the previous two, in 1963, but lost to a historically significant but under-appreciated Loyola team. Memphis State, playing its last season in The Valley, made it to the title game in 1973, but ran into a UCLA squad that went on to win its historic 7th straight title. The last team from the MVC to reach the title game was the Indiana State Sycamores in 1979. For another comparison, only two SEC schools besides Kentucky (Florida and Arkansas) have ever reached the title game. The Valley's greatest legacy though may be the top notch players that it has produced. The following All-Time-MVC team is as talented a bunch as any conference's. Every member of this team was an NBA or ABA all-star, and the team includes 4 Hall of Famers. Oscar Robertson - Cincinnati Larry Bird - Indiana State Doug Collins - Illinois State Wes Unseld - Louisville Walt Frazier - Southern Illinois Maurice Cheeks - West Texas State Chet Walker - Bradley Hersey Hawkins - Bradley Paul Silas - Creighton Butch Beard - Louisville Willie Wise - Drake Xavier McDaniel - Wichita State The Valley finished the 2006-07 season ranked sixth in the RPI ratings, sent four schools to the tournament, and produced two Sweet 16 teams in Bradley and Wichita State, proving that this is a conference that still holds a prominent position in college basketball. Tim Adams
 |