The waiting is the hardest part

Drake stops Indiana State in MVC title game, leaving Sycamores with a week to find out if they're dancing. They should be. Plus, Purdue retires Edey's jersey, more conference tourney top seeds fall, and Stetson's finally going dancing. (Longwood, too)

Author

Mike Miller
March 11, 2024

Today’s the “quietest” day of the week with only 14 games and a couple of conference championship games. Means it’s the perfect time for the Field of 68 to announce its All-American teams. Check your Twitter feed this morning.

Let's get to Sunday’s news.

1. The case for multiple Missouri Valley bids

First off, props to Drake.

Its 84-80 win over top-seed Indiana State in Sunday’s Missouri Valley Championship game not only secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but was their 28th win of the season, tied for the most in school history. It’s also their second consecutive spot in the Big Dance, and third in the last four years.

Man. That’s 106 victories over the last four seasons. With MVC POY tucker DeVries (27 points) in peak form, maybe this is the year the Bulldogs (28-6) get that NCAA Tournament win.

They certainly earned it. They shot 61.1% from beyond the arc, and were impossible to stop early on, leading Indiana State by 15 with just under 8 minutes to play in the first half.

But the Sycamores (28-6) fought back, led briefly in late in the second half and ultimately couldn’t connect enough from 3 (7-of-24). Tough beat for a team that shoots 38% on the year.

Maybe Indiana State needs one more chance on the national stage. In fact, I’m gonna go with yes. It deserves it. Coach Josh Schertz made his case after the game.

"28 wins, outright regular season champs in best league in the country. Played every Quad 1 game away from home. We proved we're good enough to be in NCAA Tourney. It would be a shame to leave us out and put in a 18-15 team"

It’ll be a long week for Schertz’s team, which is relying on the eye test for an at-large berth because their resume metrics aren’t great. It’s not just that Indiana State would be a fun addition to the field — an offensive-focused team with fun characters — it’s that they have the look of an NCAA Tourney team. Is that opinion based? Sure. But it’s an informed opinion. And it’s not just mine.

2. Purdue retires Edey’s jersey, wraps historic season

Sometimes it takes years for a player’s jersey to get hung from the rafters.

Purdue (smartly) didn’t wait that long.

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