CEDAR FALLS - The Missouri Valley Conference has endured its share of scrutiny during the past seven weeks.

Many critics believe the conference will get only one, possibly two, teams into this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament.

So far, the Valley has compiled just one win over a Top 25 team, preseason favorite Southern Illinois is 5-5 and only four teams are in the top 100 of the latest Ratings Percentage Index.

That, coupled with a 5-5 record against Mid-American Conference teams and disheartening losses to Samford, South Dakota State and UMKC, gives the perception that the Valley is down.

A year ago, the MVC had six victories over the Top 25, the Salukis were 9-2 and all 10 clubs were inside the RPI top 100 heading into conference play.

The league lost eight of its top 10 scorers, including stalwarts Nate Funk, Jamaal Tatum, Anthony Tolliver, Blake Ahearn and Grant Stout.

"That's where our growing pains come from," Creighton coach Dana Altman said.

"I wouldn't say we're down, but it has a lot to do with teams having new guys coming in and working out the kinks," Northern Iowa senior Eric Coleman said. "It just seems the wins against the bigger conferences are harder to come by this year. This is still a great league."

Truth be told, heading into this weekend's conference openers the Valley is seventh among 31 Division I conferences in the RPI. However, there are few signature wins on the resumes.

Bradley played Top-25 schools Michigan State and Vanderbilt close but lost. Missouri State did the same against Alabama and Purdue.

"What it really says is the bar has been set extremely high," UNI coach Ben Jacobson said. "The expectations of our league now is that we should win every game that we should. The last two years as a league, we came close to winning all the games we should. This year, an outsider looking at our league might think, 'They should have won that one.' I think it's good that people feel that way about our league."

As a result, the Valley will need a team or two to separate themselves in the standings for the league to get multiple bids into the NCAA tourney.

But based on what's transpired so far, there seems to be no decisive favorite.

Drake is 9-1 but has faced the nation's 188th toughest schedule. Creighton is 9-1 but has only played two road games. UNI is 8-3 but has only one win over the top 100 of the RPI.

Meanwhile, SIU is 5-5 but has losses to Indiana, Southern California, Charlotte and St. Louis. And top-20 ranked Butler visits Carbondale tonight.

Bradley is 7-5 but has seen three Top 25 teams along with Iowa State, Iowa, Virginia Commonwealth and Wright State.

"This year, it's pretty much up for grabs," Coleman said. "The teams not picked near the top like Creighton and Drake have had great starts."

Jacobson still points to the Salukis, who have won five of the last six league titles, as the favorite.

"Look at who they've played," he said. "Until teams play each other a little bit and it sorts itself out, it's too hard to tell.

"But five losses doesn't give you an indication of how good Southern is."

Even UNI, picked seventh, considers itself a contender.

"Most definitely," Coleman said. "I think everyone that has seen us play thinks we're a lot better than the seventh-place team."

"We got the personnel," freshman Lucas O'Rear said. "We just need to go out and execute."

Jared Josten said, "We were seventh and we think we can win it, so I'm sure there's a lot of other teams thinking the exact same thing."

The Panthers, with more experienced squads the past three seasons, put themselves in ideal positions before February free-falls.

UNI is less inexperienced this year, resulting in more inconsistent play.

"We've got enough depth and enough guys that can score, even though we haven't scored consistently," Jacobson said. "If we can improve and get past some of those young mistakes we make, we have a chance to do well."

Contact Matt Coss at (319) 291-1468 or matt.coss@wcfcourier.com

CHALK TALK

Here's a breakdown of each school going into Missouri Valley Conference action, in order of predicted finish by beat writer Matt Coss:

1. Creighton Bluejays

- Record: 9-1 (8-0 home, 1-1 road)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 28/138

- Preseason pick: 4th

- Notable wins: Nebraska (74-62), St. Joseph's (90-84, OT)

- Notable loss: at Xavier (79-66)

- Marquee guys: Dane Watts, 6-8, sr., 14.7 ppg., 6.8 rpg.; Josh Dotzler, 6-1, jr., 4.5 ppg., 4.6 apg., 2.7 spg.

- Bench threat: P'Allen Stinnett, 6-3, fr., 10.3 ppg., 2.6 rpg.

- The skinny: The Bluejays are the Valley's deepest team with 11 players averaging more than 12 minutes per game. Creighton is first in the MVC in scoring offense(80.8) and field goal percentage (47.8). Dana Altman's club will be tested early with four of its first six on the road.

- First five: Dec. 29 - Illinois State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 2 - at Indiana State, 6 p.m.; Jan. 5 - at Missouri State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 9 - Evansville, 7 p.m.; Jan. 12 - at Wichita State, 7 p.m.

2. Southern Illinois Salukis

- Record: 5-5 (3-1 home, 2-4 road/neutral)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 82/23

- Preseason pick: 1st

- Notable wins: St. Mary's (71-56), Mississippi State (63-49)

- Notable losses: USC (70-45), Indiana (64-51), at Western Michigan (57-41)

- Marquee guys: Matt Shaw, 6-7, sr., 13.7 ppg., 5.4 rpg., Randal Falker, 6-7, sr., 12.9 ppg., 7.0 rpg., Bryan Mullins, 6-1, jr., 10.7 ppg., 5.2 apg.

- Bench threat: Josh Bone, 6-3, so., 7.3 ppg., 2.2 rpg.

- The skinny: Despite a .500 mark, the Salukis should not be overlooked based on the strength of their non-league schedule and past MVC success. However, SIU needs more scoring production from its backcourt. It ranks last in the league in shooting (40.3 percent) and eighth in 3-point shooting (31.8). Guard Wesley Clemmons will need to score to relieve pressure from Shaw, Falker and Mullins.

- First five: Dec. 30 - Missouri State, 2 p.m.; Jan. 2 - at Drake, 7 p.m.; Jan. 5 - at Illinois State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 8 - Bradley, 6 p.m.; Jan. 12 - at Indiana State, 6 p.m.

3. Illinois State Redbirds

- Record: 8-3 (6-0 home, 2-1 road)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 103/175

- Preseason pick: 5th

- Notable wins: UNC-Wilmington (89-73), Cincinnati (62-52)

- Notable losses: Indiana (70-57), Kent State (65-59)

- Marquee guys: Osiris Eldridge, 6-3, so., 15.9 ppg., 5.6 rpg.; Anthony Slack, 6-7, sr., 10.4 ppg., 6.3 rpg.; Boo Richardson, 5-8, sr., 5.4 ppg., 4.1 apg.

- Bench threat: Levi Dyer, 6-11, sr., 10.6 ppg., 3.2 rpg.

- The skinny: ISU, 6-0 at Redbird Arena this year, has an opportunity for a solid start with four of its first six at home. The Redbirds have been stingy on defense, allowing opponents to shoot 38.6 percent from the field and 29.2 from beyond the arc. Eldridge gives ISU a legitimate playmaker in the clutch.

- First five: Dec. 29 - at Creighton, 7 p.m.; Jan. 1 - at Wichita State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 5 - Southern Illinois, 7 p.m.; Jan. 8 - Northern Iowa, 7 p.m.; Jan. 12 - Evansville, 7 p.m.

4. Bradley Braves

- Record: 7-5 (4-2 home, 3-3 road/neutral)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 68/27

- Preseason pick: 2nd

- Notable wins: Iowa State (65-56), Iowa (67-56), at Wright State (72-65, OT)

- Notable losses: Michigan State (66-61), Vanderbilt (95-86), at Butler (83-64)

- Marquee guys: Daniel Ruffin, 5-10, sr., 14.2 ppg., 6.2 apg.; Jeremy Crouch, 6-5, sr., 13.4 ppg., 3.3 rpg., 45.8 pct. 3-pointers; Andrew Warren, 6-5, so., 11.9 ppg., 3.0 rpg.

- Bench threat: David Collins, 7-0, jr., 5.8 ppg., 3.9 rpg.

- The skinny: Braves faced a brutal non-league schedule with three games against top 20 clubs. However, Ruffin's abdominal strain is a concern. If the league's top assist man is out for an extended period, BU can't contend. The Braves are last in the league in scoring defense (70.7) and seventh in field goal percentage (44.7).

- First five: Dec. 29 - Northern Iowa, 2 p.m.; Jan. 2 - at Missouri State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 5 - Wichita State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 8 - at Southern Illinois, 6 p.m.; Jan. 12 - at Northern Iowa, 7 p.m.

5. Drake Bulldogs

- Record: 9-1 (6-0 home, 3-1 road/neutral)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 38/188

- Preseason pick: 9th

- Notable wins: at Iowa (56-51), Iowa State (79-44), Duquesne (77-73)

- Notable loss: St. Mary's (72-66)

- Marquee guys: Josh Young, 6-1, so., 17.4 ppg., 3.0 rpg.; Leonard Houston, 6-3, sr., 15.9 ppg., 3.7 rpg.; Jonathan Cox, 6-8, jr., 11.0 ppg., 8.9 rpg.

- Bench threat: Brent Heemskerk, 6-8, jr., 8.1 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 76 pct. FGs

- The skinny: The Bulldogs have gaudy non-league stats, ranking second in scoring offense (78.2), scoring defense (57.3) and rebounding (+ 7.2). However, are those numbers fool's gold with the nation's 188th-ranked schedule? Drake has the shooters, but does it have the inside presence to contend if shots aren't falling? Time will tell.

- First five: Dec. 29 - at Wichita State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 2 - Southern Illinois, 7 p.m.; Jan. 6 - at Evansville, 2 p.m.; Jan. 9 - Indiana State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 12 - Missouri State, 7 p.m.

6. Northern Iowa Panthers

- Record: 8-3 (5-2 home, 3-1 road)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 134/228

- Preseason pick: 7th

- Notable wins: Massachusetts (75-68), at Iowa State (61-48)

- Notable losses: at South Dakota State (61-55), Iowa (62-55), Nevada (55-52)

- Marquee guys: Eric Coleman, 6-6, sr., 12.0 ppg., 8.5 rpg.; Jared Josten, 5-10, sr., 11.4 ppg., 2.7 rpg.; Jordan Eglseder, 7-1, so., 11.8 ppg., 7.0 rpg.

- Bench threat: Travis Brown, 6-3, sr., 7.3 ppg., 2.3 rpg.

- The skinny: UNI has been stellar on defense, holding teams to a league-best 36.1 percent and 56.2 points per game. It also is first in blocked shots with 4.7 per contest. That said, the Panthers need more consistency on offense - particularly in their half-court attack. They haven't registered 70 points against a Division I foe since Nov. 18.

- First five: Dec. 29 - at Bradley, 2 p.m.; Jan. 2 - Evansville, 7 p.m.; Jan. 5 - at Indiana State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 8 - at Illinois State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 12 - Bradley, 7 p.m.

7. Missouri State Bears

- Record: 7-5 (6-0 home, 1-5 road/neutral)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 115/84

- Preseason pick: 3rd

- Notable wins: at Winthrop (73-69), UNC-Wilmington (73-66)

- Notable losses: at Arkansas (70-51), Alabama (81-73), Purdue (72-70)

- Marquee guys: Deven Mitchell, 6-5, sr., 15.3 ppg., 6.2 rpg.; Dale Lamberth, 6-5, sr., 11.0 ppg., 3.8 rpg., Drew Richards, 6-9, sr., 8.3 ppg., 4.4 rpg.

- Bench threat: Chris Cooks, 6-4, jr., 9.9 ppg., 3.9 rpg.

- The skinny: It has been a struggle for the Bears away from the Hammons Student Center. Coach Barry Hinson's team has played three BCS conference schools but is winless. Mitchell and Lamberth are tough matchups for foes because of their strength and ability to score off the dribble. Point guard Justin Fuehrmeyer is the X-factor.

- First five: Dec. 30 - at Southern Illinois, 2 p.m.; Jan. 2 - Bradley, 7 p.m.; Jan. 5 - Creighton, 7 p.m.; Jan. 8 - Wichita State, 6 p.m.; Jan. 12 - at Drake, 7 p.m.

8. Wichita State Shockers

- Record: 7-4 (5-1 home, 2-3 road/neutral)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 117/115

- Preseason pick: 6th

- Notable wins: LSU (67-47), Alabama-Birmingham (61-52)

- Notable losses: at UMKC (59-56), Monmouth (59-50)

- Marquee guys: Phillip Thomasson, 6-7, sr., 11 ppg., 4.0 rpg.; P.J. Couisnard, 6-4, sr., 10.9 ppg., 5.9 rpg.; Matt Braeuer, 5-11, sr., 10.4 ppg., 3.6 rpg.

- Bench threat: J.T. Durley, 6-7, fr., 8.3 ppg., 4.2 rpg.

- The skinny: WSU did get two nice victories heading into conference action over LSU and UAB. The Shockers, however, are ninth in field-goal shooting (40.8 percent) and last in 3-point percentage (29.5). Also, Braeuer's durability could be a concern, as the point guard is averaging more than 34 minutes per game.

- First five: Dec. 29 - Drake, 7 p.m.; Jan. 1 - Illinois State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 5 - at Bradley, 7 p.m.; Jan. 8 - at Missouri State, 6 p.m.; Jan. 12 - Creighton, 7 p.m.

9. Indiana State Sycamores

- Record: 5-5 (5-0 home, 0-5 road/neutral)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 197/198

- Preseason pick: 8th

- Notable win: Bowling Green (62-57)

- Notable losses: at Butler (76-48), at Purdue (71-60), at Miami, Ohio (74-58)

- Marquee guys: Marico Stinson, 6-3, so., 11.7 ppg., 2.2 rpg.; Gabe Moore, 6-1, sr., 10.9 ppg., 3.5 rpg., 4.3 apg., 2.7 spg.

- Bench threat: Isiah Martin, 6-8, fr., 6.1 ppg., 3.9 rpg.

- The skinny: The Sycamores have yet to win on the road, losing four of their five by double figures. They have struggled on the defensive end, allowing opponents to shoot 45 percent and score 64.9 points per game. Offensively, ISU is ninth in 3-point shooting at 29.8.

- First five: Dec. 29 - at Evansville, 7 p.m.; Jan. 2 - Creighton, 6 p.m.; Jan. 5 - Northern Iowa, 7 p.m.; Jan. 9 - at Drake, 7 p.m.; Jan. 12 - Southern Illinois, 6 p.m.

10. Evansville Purple Aces

- Record: 5-5 (4-2 home, 1-3 road/neutral)

- RPI/strength of schedule: 247/263

- Preseason pick: 10th

- Notable wins: Princeton (53-32), Austin Peay (72-62)

- Notable losses: Butler (60-47), Samford (50-49)

- Marquee guys: Jason Holsinger, 5-11, jr., 13.2 ppg., 2.9 rpg., 4.6 apg.; Shy Ely, 6-4, jr., 12.8 ppg., 5.1 rpg.; Nate Garner, 6-5, jr., 7.5 ppg., 5.6 rpg.

- Bench threat: Darin Granger, 6-2, so., 8.3 ppg., 48.8 pct. 3-point shooting

- The skinny: The Purple Aces appear to be the weak sister of the bunch, going 5-5 against a schedule that was ranked 263rd. They are last in scoring offense and ninth in rebounding. Holsinger, who is logging a league-high 36 minutes per game, and Ely will need to be outstanding for Evansville to avoid the cellar.

- First five: Dec. 29 - Indiana State, 7 p.m.; Jan. 2 - at Northern Iowa, 7 p.m.; Jan. 6 - Drake, 2 p.m.; Jan. 9 - at Creighton, 7 p.m.; Jan. 12 - at Illinois State, 7 p.m.