- (Sports Network) - OUTLOOOK: After sending at least two teams to the NCAA Tournament in the prior nine seasons, the Missouri Valley Conference only had one program represent the league in 2007-08. That lone team was the Drake Bulldogs, who won both the MVC regular-season and tournament titles after being picked ninth in the preseason poll. Duplicating last season's fairly tale run could be difficult for the Bulldogs, but they have enough returning options to defend their conference championship. While Drake may have won it all last year, it is Creighton that was voted this season's preseason favorite. The Bluejays boast one of the best backcourts in the league that could help the program win their first regular-season title since 2002. The Southern Illinois Salukis return some talent and welcome a highly regarded recruiting class and that should have this team in the running for the league championship as well. The Illinois State Redbirds were one of the surprise teams in the MVC last season and they should be ready to take the next step in 2008-09. The Bradley Braves and Northern Iowa Panthers both welcome back a solid core of players, but each still has some holes to fill and that will prevent either program from competing for a title. The Evansville Purple Aces welcome back their entire starting lineup and that should lead to a big improvement, while the Indiana State Sycamores will try to overcome the loss of their top scorer. The Wichita State Shockers and Missouri State Bears have a lot of rebuilding to do and are far from competing for a first place finish. CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Creighton

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH:

1. Creighton; 2. Illinois State; 3. Drake; 4. Southern Illinois; 5. Bradley; 6. Indiana State; 7. Evansville; 8. Northern Iowa; 9. Wichita State; 10. Missouri State

TEAM BY TEAM ANAYLSIS:

CREIGHTON - The Bluejays went 22-11 under head coach Dana Altman last season, marking the 10th straight 20-win campaign for the program. Creighton also advanced to its 11th consecutive postseason, losing in the second round of the NIT. Three starters and 73 percent of last season's scoring is welcomed back and that is why the Jays are a heavy favorite to take it all in 2008-09. The backcourt once again, will be the strength of the team thanks to the return of P'Allen Stinnett. The 6-3 guard was voted the MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year last season after leading Creighton in scoring with 12.6 ppg. Stinnett started 18 games as a rookie and could be among the top players in the conference this season. Booker Woodfox (9.6 ppg) and Josh Dotzler (3.6 apg), who battled injuries in his first two seasons, will join Stinnett at the perimeter and don't be surprised to see highly touted juco transfer Justin Carter crack the starting lineup either. Cavel Witter is another player to keep an eye on, as the 5-11 guard averaged 9.1 ppg in a reserve role last season. The backcourt is going to need a lot of production, as the Jays don't have many threats up front. Kenny Lawson, a 6-9 center, showed a great deal of promise during his rookie campaign and with an expanded role he is expected to improve significantly on his 5.9 ppg and 4.2 rpg averages from a year ago. Other options in the frontcourt are 6-8 Kenton Walker and 6-5 Casey Harriman, who played well as a freshmen and should contribute even more in 2008-09.

ILLINOIS STATE - Under first year head coach Tim Jankovich, the Redbirds improved dramatically last season and even made their first postseason appearance since 2001. ISU won 25 games in 2007-08, a 10-victory improvement from the prior year, and represented the league in the NIT. The Redbirds welcome back just two starters, but there are plenty of other intriguing options for this up and coming program. Leading the charge is Osiris Eldridge, who was recently tabbed the league's preseason Player of the Year. The 6-3 guard is one of the premier players in the MVC and he ranked second in the league with 15.8 ppg last season. He scored double figures 30 times in 2007-08, finishing second for the MVC Player of the Year award. Emmanuel Holloway was a key contributor last season and the 6-2 guard will try to move into a permanent starting role after averaging 5.4 ppg. The backcourt should also receive a boost from Oregon transfer Champ Oguchi, who is a solid three- point shooter that could make a big impact. Landon Shipley, a transfer from Austin Peay, will add depth to the backcourt. The frontcourt isn't nearly as stacked, but the team is expecting big things from 6-8 Dinma Odiakosa, who turned in 6.9 ppg and 5.5 rpg as sophomore last season. East Tennessee State transfer Blake Mishler (6-8), along with freshmen Jeremy Robinson (6-8) and Kellen Thornton (6-7) should also figure into the mix.

DRAKE - The Bulldogs were one of the best stories in all of college basketball last season despite their Cinderella run ending with a heart-breaking 101-99 overtime loss to Western Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1971 for Drake, which also captured its first MVC title in more than three decades. Rookie head coach Keno Davis even led Drake to the MVC Tournament title, while compiling an impressive 28-5 overall mark. However, after earning National Coach of the Year honors, Davis bolted for the Providence job after one special season at Drake and Mark Phelps was brought to town. Phelps, a former Arizona State assistant coach, inherits a team that welcomes back just two starters in Josh Young and Jonathan Cox. The 6-1 Young was the league's top scorer at 15.9 ppg last season and he is deadly from beyond the arc, knocking down a school- record 83 three-pointers last season. The 6-8 Cox will anchor the frontcourt and he averaged 12.3 ppg and 8.6 rpg, while notching 12 double-double last season. Josh Parker showed some promise as a freshman last season and will have an expanded role at the perimeter, while 6-8 Brent Heemskerk could move into a starting role after providing 4.8 ppg off the bench. Adam Templeton sat out last season after transferring from UC-Irvine and the 6-5 guard has the talent to jump right into a starting role.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - After six straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the Salukis were left out of the Field of 65 in 2007-08 and instead had to settle for an NIT bid. The team posted a third place finish in the MVC at 11-7, but Chris Lowery's club never really came on like past seasons. With six returnees and a highly touted incoming class, SIU could be ready to return to the top of the MVC. Bryan Mullins is one of three starters welcomed back and the 6-1 guard can do it all. Last season, Mullins netted 10.7 ppg and handed out 4.9 apg, while also being tabbed as the MVC's Defensive Player of the Year. Josh Bone (8.1 ppg) and Wesley Clemmons (6.0 ppg) are also welcomed back as starters along the perimeter, but they could lose some minutes to new faces like Justin Bocot and freshman Ryan Hare. The frontcourt is thin for the Salukis, so they are expecting some newcomers to make an immediate impact. Anthony Booker, a 6-8 forward, is a star in the making and the freshman will surely push for playing time. Tony Boyle (6-8) is the most experienced returning player in the low post, but he averaged only 4.6 ppg off the bench last season.

BRADLEY - The Braves reached the 21-win plateau last season and advanced to the finals of the inaugural CBI, where they lost to Tulsa in three games. The deep run allowed Jim Les to get some of his younger players some experience and that should pay off in 2008-09. Three starters are back in the fold and that includes Andrew Warren, who struggled with some injuries down the stretch of last season. The 6-5 guard, though, still averaged 13.2 ppg for the year and the sky is the limit for the MVC's fourth-leading scorer. Sam Maniscalco will accompany Warren in the backcourt after netting 7.7 ppg and 3.0 apg as a rookie last season. Along the front line, Theron Wilson will return to a starting role and the 6-7 forward was a pleasant surprise, notching 11.7 ppg and 6.2 rpg as a newcomer last season. David Collins is another intriguing option, as the 7-0 center has great size and should provide a solid defensive presence in the low post.

INDIANA STATE - The Sycamores took a step forward under first year head coach Kevin McKenna in 2007-08, as they won two more games overall and three more in league play than the prior season. The team though, didn't have enough to climb above the .500 mark, finishing 15-16, but with three starters back that could all change in 2008-09. ISU's most notable returning player is 6-3 guard Marco Stinson, who ranked second in scoring (12.0 ppg) and first in three- point buckets (71) last season. Harry Marshall is another option at the perimeter for ISU and the 6-0 guard is coming off a solid campaign in which he turned in 10.1 ppg and 2.3 apg. In the frontcourt, Jay Tunnell will be the go- to-guy and that should help the 6-8 forward improve on his 7.9 ppg average from a season ago. Isiah Martin, a 6-8 forward, showed great potential as a rookie last season and scored 5.2 ppg, while setting a school-record with 59 blocks.

EVANSVILLE - In his return to his alma mater, first year head coach Marty Simmons saw his Purple Aces stumble to a last place finish in the MVC at 3-15. However, with the return of all five starters from a year ago, Simmons and Evansville could be primed for a big turnaround in 2008-09. Heading the charge is 6-4 guard Shy Ely, who rebounded from a poor sophomore campaign to rank fifth in the league in scoring with 14.4 ppg last season. Jason Holsinger will team up with Ely to form one of the better backcourt tandems in the conference. The 5-11 guard led the MVC in minutes, averaging 35.5 per game, and he is a solid scorer (12.3 ppg) as well as passer (4.6 apg). Darin Granger came off the bench last season and averaged 8.0 ppg and he figures to be just as effective this season. Among the notable front line players is Pieter van Tongeren, a 6-11 center that started 30 games as a freshman and posted 5.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Juco transfer Nate Garner made 23 starts in his first season with Evansville, averaging 5.8 ppg and 5.3 rpg, and he figures to play a big role. After making 27 appearances as a freshman last season, 6-8 Clint Hopf could be primed for a breakthrough campaign in 2008-09.

NORTHERN IOWA - The Panthers lost point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe to a shoulder injury prior to the 2007-08 season and they never fully recovered. The team finished a respectable 18-14 overall and an even 9-9 within the league, but was left out of the postseason. Ahelegbe was expected to run the show this season until another shoulder injury in April sent him to the sidelines. He is expected back by November, so that is good news for UNI and head coach Ben Jacobson, who has just two returning starters to work with. However, it is a couple of new faces that could make the biggest impact for the Panthers in Ali Farokhmanesh and John Moran. The 6-0 Farokhmanesh is a juco transfer that has a wide variety of skills, while the 6-1 Moran is a highly touted freshman. Travis Brown is the team's most experienced player at the perimeter and he will look to break through after posting 6.6 ppg in 28 starters last season. In the frontcourt, the Panthers welcome the return of Adam Koch, a 6-8 forward that turned in 8.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg a year ago. Jordan Eglseder is another good option in the post and the 7-1 center is the team's leading returning scorer (8.9 ppg) and rebounder (5.4 rpg).

WICHITA STATE - The Shockers dropped 16 of their last 20 games last season, as they stumbled through an injury plagued campaign to finish just 11-20 under first-year head coach Gregg Marshall. WSU now must find a way to replace its top four scorers, as just one starter returns from a year ago. Ramon Clemente is the lone starter and the 6-6 forward is one of the better rebounders in the league, grabbing 7.9 rpg a season ago. He netted 7.0 ppg, but that number should go way up with an expanded role. J.T. Durley will join Clemente in the post, as the 6-7 forward showed great promise in averaging 7.0 ppg as a freshman last season. A.J. Hawkins, a transfer from St. Bonaventure, and 7-0 freshman Garrett Stutz should also make a big impact in their debuts. At the perimeter, Graham Hatch started 14 games as a freshman last season and he showed enough promise to possibly land a starting spot this time around. A pair of juco transfers in Reggie Chamberlain and Clevin Hannah will also compete for a starting role in the backcourt.

MISSOURI STATE - Despite averaging nearly 19 wins per season over his nine- year stay at Missouri State, head coach Barry Hinson was fired after failing to take the Bears to an NCAA Tournament during his stay. Hinson's final campaign resulted in just a 17-16 finish for the Bears, who battled many injuries during the 2007-08 season. First-time head coach Cuonzo Martin now steps in and the former Purdue assistant inherits a program that is rebuilding, but will have the luxury of playing in the school's new 67-million dollar JQH Arena this season. The Bears return just two starters and no double-figure scorers from a year ago and that could lead to a long first season for Martin. Chris Cooks, a 6-4 forward, is the team's top returning scorer at 8.6 ppg and he can do more than that, grabbing 4.3 rpg and dishing out 2.1 apg. Wade Knapp (2.4 ppg) and Ryan Jehle (1.9 ppg) are other experienced players in the frontcourt, but they have a lot to prove. At the perimeter, MSU is in a little better shape with the return of Justin Fuehrmeyer and brothers Shane and Spencer Laurie. Fuehrmeyer posted 7.2 ppg and 4.1 apg last season, while Shane averaged 6.1 ppg and Spencer 8.0 ppg.





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