Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball is unanimous choice to win the Valley
10/30/2007 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 30, 2007
For the first time in four years, Southern Illinois is favored to win the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball crown. The Salukis, who have been to a league record-tying six-straight NCAA Tournaments, were a unanimous choice to win the Valley in a poll of coaches, media and sports information directors.
The voting marked the first time since the 1992-93 season that a school was a unanimous pre-season pick. The Salukis received all 17 first-place tallies that year as well.
Pollsters have accurately predicted the league's regular-season champ only 10 times out of 23 since 1985-86, but the pre-season favorite Salukis can take solace in that 20 of those 23 predicted champs have gone on to post-season play, with 15 of the 20 playing in the NCAAs.
Saluki forward Randal Falker was named the pre-season MVC Player of the Year and is the league's lone returning first-team all-MVC player from a year ago. He was joined on the five-person unit by UNI's Eric Coleman, Wichita State's PJ Couisnard, Missouri State's Deven Mitchell and Bradley's Daniel Ruffin.
Two other Saluki players, forward Matt Shaw and guard Bryan Mullins, were named honorable mention.
Pre-season Poll
1. Southern Illinois (39)
2. Bradley
3. Missouri State
4. Creighton
5. Illinois State
6. Wichita State
7. Northern Iowa
8. Indiana State
9. Drake
10. Evansville
2007-08 MVC Preseason All-Conference Team
Eric Coleman, UNI, C, 6-6, 240, Sr., Maplewood (Minn.) Tartan High
PJ Couisnard, Wichita State, G/F, 6-4, 216, Sr., Houston (Texas) Yates High
Randal Falker, Southern Illinois, F, 6-7, 230, Sr., St. Louis (Mo.) Gateway Tech
Deven Mitchell, Missouri State, F, 6-5, 210, Sr., Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo High
Daniel Ruffin, Bradley, G, 5-10, 162, Sr., Peoria (Ill.) Central High
?Honorable Mention: Jeremy Crouch, Bradley; Levi Dyer & Osiris Eldridge, Illinois State; Bryan Mullins & Matt Shaw, Southern Illinois
Preseason Player of the Year -- Randal Falker, Southern Illinois
