ISU Men’s Basketball Picked Fifth in MVC Preseason Poll

[October 29, 2014]  ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State men's basketball team received 287 points and was projected to finish fifth – with one first place vote – in the 2014-15 Missouri Valley Conference standings according to the league's preseason poll, as compiled from votes by MVC sports information directors, media and coaches.

Following a record-setting season which saw Wichita State climb as high as No. 2 in the national polls and reel off 35-straight wins before a loss, pollsters slotted the Shockers – ranked No. 11 nationally – to win the 2014-15 Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball crown. However, the league’s regular-season champion has been accurately predicted by the poll only 14 times out of 29 since 1985-86.

The Shockers received 45 of 46 first-place tallies and placed Ron Baker, Tekele Cotton and Fred VanVleet on the MVC Preseason Team. VanVleet was also named the MVC Preseason Player of the Year, while Evansville’s D.J. Balentine and Northern Iowa’s Seth Tuttle joined Baker, Cotton and VanVleet on the preseason team.

In the preseason poll, Wichita State was followed by Northern Iowa (411 points), Missouri State (338 points) and Evansville (300 points). Illinois State (287 points) finished ahead of Indiana State (219 points), Southern Illinois (191 points), Bradley (140 points), Drake (92 points) and Loyola (91 points).

This is the fourth time that Illinois State has been picked to finish fifth in the Valley preseason poll, with the other three fifth-place selections occurring in 1988-89, 1990-91 and 2007-08. After being tabbed fifth prior to the 2007-08 season, the Redbirds went on to earn a 25-10 overall record and a 13-5 MVC mark en route to a second-place league finish and a bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

Since the MVC Preseason Poll began in 1985-86, the Redbirds have surpassed their preseason ranking in the final MVC standings 12 times, and they have met their preseason prediction seven times, including two first-place forecasts and finishes in 1996-97 and 1997-98. ISU has ended the regular season at or above its preseason ranking in eight of its last 10 seasons, including last year’s tied-for-fourth-place finish following a seventh-place prediction.

The 2014-15 Redbirds will host their lone exhibition game Monday, Nov. 10, against Lewis on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena at 7 p.m., before opening the season at home Sunday, Nov. 16 versus Utah State at 4 p.m.

Men’s basketball season tickets, single-game tickets and mini-pack ticket plans are available by calling the Redbird Arena ticket office at [phone] or by clicking here (GoRedbirds.com).

2014-15 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll

School (First-Place Votes) Total

1. Wichita State (45) 459

2. UNI 411

3. Missouri State 338

4. Evansville 300

5. Illinois State (1) 287

6. Indiana State 219

7. Southern Illinois 191

8. Bradley 140

9. Drake 92

10. Loyola 91

2014-15 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Team:

Ron Baker, Wichita State Jr. G 6-3 Scott City (Kan.) High

D.J. Balentine, Evansville Jr. G 6-2 Kokomo (Ind.) High

Tekele Cotton, Wichita State Sr. G 6-2 Marietta (Ga.) Whitefield Acad.

Seth Tuttle, UNI Sr. F 6-8 Sheffield (Iowa) West Fork

Fred VanVleet, Wichita State Jr. G 5-11 Rockford (Ill.) Auburn High


2014-15 Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention Selections:

Anthony Beane, Southern Illinois Jr. G 6-2 Normal (Ill.) High

Milton Doyle, Loyola So. G 6-4 Chicago (Ill.) Marshall High

Marcus Marshall, Missouri State Jr. G 6-3 St. Paul (Minn.) Johnson High

Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville Jr. C 6-10 Kursenai (Lithuania)

[John Twork, Illinois State University]

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