Fans can now take on an active role in the annual MVC Media Day by taking part in The Valley's live media day blog.  Simply log on to the www.mvc-sports.com and click on the MVC Media Day story to access the live blog.  

  Fans can submit questions for men's and women's basketball coaches and players about the upcoming season and interact with the MVC Blogger about all things MVC basketball throughout the day.  In addition, the Valley will be uploading snapshots and feature interview clips from some of the most recognizable names in the league.  Remember, MVC Media Day tips off Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 9 a.m.

 Last year the Missouri Valley Conference set a league record with seven post-season bids and ranked No. 9 among Division I conferences in the Ratings Percentage Index.

 That's the good news.

 The bad news?  Only one of those post-season bids was in the NCAA Tournament, marking the first time since 1997-98 that the league failed to earn multiple NCAA Tournament berths in back-to-back years.

 The Valley has had only two total NCAA berths in the past two years (Drake-2008, UNI-2009) and has not had a win in NCAA Tournament play since 2007 when Southern Illinois reached the Sweet 16.

 Notably, in a nine-year span (from 1999 through 2007), The Valley had sent at least two teams to the Big Dance every season, including three teams twice (1999, 2005), and a league-record four teams once (2006).  Five teams reached the Sweet 16 in those nine years.

 The two most visible factors that might have contributed to the league's recent NCAA Tournament "drought" would most likely be the lack of experienced student-athletes and a hiccup in continuity within the league's coaching ranks.

 It has been a tumultuous time for head coaches in The Valley in recent years as in 2007-08 and 2008-09 the MVC had seven head-coaching changes (two at one school).  All 10 coaches return from 2008-09 for 2009-10.

 In the past two years, the Missouri Valley Conference had only 23 (2008-09) and 24 (2007-08) starters returning, and this year a projected 30+ starters return.  In the Valley's "hey days" of 2006 (four bids) and 2007 (two bids), the league had 38 returning starters returning for each season.

 Meanwhile, 57 players who averaged double-figure minutes and 56 players who played in 25 or more games are back.  A total of 34 returning players started 10 or more games for their teams in 2008-09, and four of the league's top 10 scorers and four of the league's top 10 rebounders return.

BRADLEY
 The Braves are looking to reach the post-season for a fifth-straight year in 2009-10.  Bradley has won 21 or more games in each of the past four seasons under coach Jim Les.
 Four players who started 19 or more games last year are back, and the Braves regain the services of Andrew Warren (a starter in 2007-08) and Will Egolf (started three of the first five games last year).  Both missed last season with injuries.
 Junior Sammy Maniscalco is the top returning scorer, having averaged 12.6 points last year.  The sharp-shooter connected on 71 treys last year and was second on the team with 110 assists.  Dodie Dunson also averaged in double figures last year, with a 10.1 points per game figure.

CREIGHTON
 Creighton, meanwhile, is looking to extend its league-record post-season streak to 13.  The Bluejays, notably, are the only school in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 11-straight 20-win seasons.  No other team owns more than six straight.
 Three starters (P'Allen Stinnett, Kenny Lawson Jr., and Justin Carter) are joined by five other letterwinners for the league's coaching 'dean' - Dana Altman, who enters his 16th year at Creighton.
 The Bluejays return 68 percent of its offense and 74 percent of its rebounding from last year's 27-8 club, including seven of its top nine scorers and six of its top nine rebounders.

DRAKE
 Drake is led by two-time all-MVC guard Josh Young, who enters his senior campaign on the verge of becoming the school's all-time leading scorer and three-point basket-maker.  With 1,328 career points, he needs 330 points to become Drake's scoring king, and he's the league's active scoring leader.
 Three starters are back for Drake, which has reached back-to-back post-season tournaments (NCAA-2008, CIT-2009) for the first time since reaching three-straight bids from 1969-71.

EVANSVILLE
 Evansville was one of the league's seven post-season teams last year, but the Aces and coach Marty Simmons have to replace a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Jason Holsinger and Shy Ely.  Ely was the league's scoring champion in 2008-09 in helping the Aces to their first post-season appearance since reaching the NCAAs in 1999.
 Among the six returning players, the only returning starter is Pieter vanTongeren, who averaged 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds. Two others (James Haarsma and Kavon Lacey) actually played more minutes than vanTongeren even though they started a total of only five games.

ILLINOIS STATE
 Last season Illinois State set a school record by winning its first 14 games en route to a 24-10 mark and second-straight NIT appearance.  The Redbirds were oh-so-close to achieving much greater things, having suffered five overtime defeats, including a 60-57 setback to UNI in the MVC Tournament championship game and an 83-79 loss at Kansas State in the first round of the NIT.
 Osiris Eldridge is a two-time MVC first-team pick after averaging 14.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.

INDIANA STATE
 All-MVC pick Harry Marshall led the team with a 13.6 scoring average last season and he's one of four returning starters for coach Kevin McKenna.
 Also back for ISU from last season's starting lineup is senior guard Rashad Reed, who averaged 11 ppg and dished out 78 assists as well as 40 steals a year ago.  Aaron Carter's 7.6 ppg and Carl Richard's 6.1 ppg also are back into the fold.
 ISU also hopes to get a big boost from Iowa transfer Jake Kelly, an honorable mention all-Big Ten selection last year.  He was granted a hardship waiver over the summer and will be immediately eligible this season.

MISSOURI STATE
 Coach Cuonzo Martin enters his second season at the helm, and the Bears will be looking to make strides toward the league's upper division after finishing in 10th place a year ago.
 Three starters are back for the Bears, including Justin Fuehrmeyer, Kyle Weems and Cardell McFarland.  Fuehrmeyer is the team's only senior and he ranks sixth among active MVC players with 1,867 career minutes and he's the league's active career leader with 231 assists.
 Weems was second for the team in scoring and rebounds last year, while McFarland earned 19 starts and averaged 6.9 points.  Both Weems and McFarland are sophomores.

NORTHERN IOWA
 The Panthers have averaged nearly 20 wins (18-18-23) in coach Ben Jacobson's first three seasons as head coach, and last year the team claimed an MVC regular-season and tournament title, securing its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2006.
 Expectations will be high again in Cedar Falls as all five starters, and nine of its top 10 scorers, return.
 The awards were plentiful for the Panthers in 2008-09 as Adam Koch was a first-team all-MVC pick after leading the team with 12.1 points, and Kwadzo Ahelegbe was a second-team all-MVC selection after ranking second for the club with 11.8 points and leading the team with 106 assists.
 In addition, Ali Farokhmanesh was on the MVC's all-Newcomer team, Ahelegbe was designated Team Captain of the all-Bench Team, and Lucas O'Rear was named the league's Sixth Man of the Year.
 Also, Jacobson was tabbed Rawlings MVC Coach of the Year.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
 Last year, Southern Illinois failed to reach post-season play for the first time in eight years, but all of the ingredients are in place for the Salukis to begin another run.
 Two starters are back for coach Chris Lowery including electric guard Kevin Dillard, who led the team in scoring as a freshman last year, while connecting on 57-of-126 (45.2 percent) from three-point range.  The Salukis expect two newcomers to make an immediate impact, including guard Tony Freeman, who sat out last year after transferring from Iowa, and swingman Jack Crowder.

WICHITA STATE
 Last year, the Shockers entered the season with limited experience, as only one starter returned for coach Gregg Marshall.  That lack of experience might have contributed to a slow start in league play (0-6).  But after that start, the Shockers stormed through the second half of the league schedule, winning eight of their final 12 to finish tied for fifth place - that's the best-ever finish for any team in league history after an 0-6 MVC start.
 Three starters return for the Shockers, including Clevin Hannah, Toure' Murry and J.T. Durley -- the team's top three scorers from last year.  Hannah and Murry both earned spots on the league's five-player all-Newcomer unit.