The 2023 MVC preseason poll is out. See where Bradley men’s basketball was ranked

The Bradley Braves will begin their quest to defend the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship as the No. 3 team in the 2023 preseason poll.

According to the MVC preseason poll released on Tuesday, Drake has been chosen as the favorite for the third consecutive season, as voted by coaches, sports information directors, and media representatives.

The No. 2 spot in the poll went to a seasoned Northern Iowa team, with Bradley securing the No. 3 position.

Bradley forward Malevy Leons has earned a spot on the first-team All-MVC squad, while BU point guard Duke Deen has secured a place on the third-team All-MVC squad.

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Tucker DeVries, the star player from Drake, has been voted as the preseason MVC Player of the Year.

Last season, the Braves clinched the regular-season Valley championship by defeating Drake 73-61 in front of a sold-out crowd at Carver Arena on February 26. However, Drake got their revenge in the Valley championship game at Arch Madness in St. Louis, beating Bradley 77-51 and securing the automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.

In the subsequent National Invitation Tournament (NIT), the Braves suffered a first-round loss to Wisconsin.

Drake secured the top spot in the preseason poll with 24 first-place votes and a total of 558 points, narrowly surpassing the second-placed UNI, who received 19 first-place votes and 524 points.

Bradley managed to acquire three first-place votes and 487 points. Meanwhile, Indiana State (4th, 402), Belmont (5th, 400), and Missouri State (6th, 386) were closely competing for the next three positions.

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This story will be updated.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, covering Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen, and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. You can reach him at 686-3206 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

2023 MVC men’s basketball preseason poll

Here are the poll results, with points and first-place votes in parentheses:

1. Drake 558 (54)

2. Northern Iowa 524 (10)

3. Bradley 487 (3)

4. Indiana State 402

5. Belmont 400

6. Missouri State 386 (1)

7. Murray State 292

8. Illinois State 237

9. Southern Illinois 218

10. UIC 157

11. Evansville 95

12. Valparaiso 66

2023-24 preseason all-MVC teams

• First team: Bowen Born, UNI; Donovan Clay, Missouri State; Tucker DeVries, Drake; Malevy Leons, Bradley; Cade Tyson, Belmont.

• Second team: Tytan Anderson, UNI; Robbie Avila, Indiana State; Darnell Brodie, Drake; Julian Larry, Indiana State; Rob Perry, Murray State; Kenny Strawbridge Jr., Evansville.

• Third team: Darius Burford, Illinois State; Duke Deen, Bradley; Xavier Johnson, Southern Illinois; Chance Moore, Missouri State; Toby Okani, UIC; Isaiah Swope, Indiana State.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: MVC preseason poll: Bradley basketball ranked No. 3 in Valley