NORMAL -Fellow Missouri Valley Conference schools were happy for Drake last season. How couldn't they be? The Bulldogs, picked to finish ninth in the Valley, became the story in college basketball and kept the eyes of the nation fixed squarely on the league. | Valley breakdown | NCAA men's basketball page

Yet, as Drake and its long-suffering fans reveled in a school-record 21-game winning streak and final ranking of No. 14 in the Associated Press poll, the Valley's overall reputation took a hit.

Make that a major hit.

Two years after getting four teams into the NCAA Tournament -with two advancing to the Sweet Sixteen -the Valley felt like an unwanted stepchild last season. Drake (28-5) swept the Valley regular season and tournament titles. Most expected Illinois State (25-10), which finished second in the regular season and tourney, to also go to the Big Dance.

But when the NCAA tourney pairings were released, Drake was the lone Valley representative sitting at the big table.

League coaches, administrators and fans hope it was just a one-year blip.

"The level of recruiting has gotten much better in the league because of (2006), but you don't necessarily reap the benefits right away," said Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery. "We see that happening for us in recruiting. We must not go backwards and say in five years we'll have another renaissance in this league."

Doug Elgin has presided over the Valley's rise in his 21 years as commissioner. From 1999 to 2007, the league had at least two teams in the NCAA tourney every year. There were two years with three NCAA teams (1999 and 2005) in addition to the foursome in 2006.

Elgin doesn't see the Valley as a one-bid league anymore.

"Overall strengths in conferences are cyclical," he said. "We have only three head coaches in the league who have worked four years or longer. These (new) men are in a position to build on the success of the past and raise our basketball to an even higher level."

Will that level come in the 2008-09 season?

Stay tuned.

Although only 25 of 50 starters return from last year, there is plenty of quality. Three of the league's top five scorers and two of the three leading rebounders are back. Standouts such as ISU's Osiris Eldridge and Drake's Josh Young have two years left. The level of talent being recruited at most schools seems to be improving, too.

Two new coaches

After half the league coaches turned over a year ago, only Drake (Mark Phelps) and Missouri State (Cuonzo Martin) have new bosses on the bench this season.

"Last year at the beginning of the year everything was new to everybody," said second-year ISU coach Tim Jankovich. "They were new to me, and I was new to them. We were putting in the system and starting at square one. This year it's fun to have some guys returning, and you can coach the new guys."

The "old" guy in the league has the team everyone is calling the favorite.

Dana Altman begins his 15th season at Creighton. Three-year starting point guard Josh Dotzler and super sub Booker Woodfox are the Bluejays' only seniors. Temperamental guard P'Allen Stinnett, who was sometimes as much a headache for his coach as well as opponents, earned the Valley's Freshman and Newcomer of the Year awards.

If last year was a "down" season for Creighton (22-11 overall, 10-8 in the league), the rest of the league indeed has reason to worry.

"I like our team. We have some depth, but at some positions we're not real deep," said Altman. "I think we have a group of guys who are fairly athletic and have more quickness than we've had in the past."

Southern Illinois, coming off six straight NCAA tourney appearances, was the unanimous selection to win the Valley last season. But SIU (18-15) struggled on the offensive end all season and lost three of their last four games. An influx of newcomers has the Salukis excited.

"Guys who were around the team last season definitely want to make the season a lot better," said SIU senior guard Bryan Mullins, a three-year starter. "We have so many new guys that it's really brought a different energy to this team."

ISU battling injuries

Surgeries to Brandon Sampay (hip), Bobby Hill (knee) and Alex Rubin (foot) has ISU hoping everyone is healthy by the time conference season rolls around. ISU is the only Valley team without a nonconference opponent from a top six conference, which might be a good thing.

ISU could have the best wing duo in the Valley in Eldridge, the Valley Preseason Player of the Year, and senior Champ Oguchi, an Oregon transfer who is itching to play after sitting out last season.

Phelps knows he is the "new guy" at Drake and all eyes will be fixed on him. After serving as Herb Sendek's assistant the past 13 years at North Carolina State and Arizona State, Phelps took over at Drake when Keno Davis left after one magical season for the big bucks at Providence.

With Young, a long-range shooting junior guard, and senior forward Jonathan Cox, Phelps has two-fifths of the preseason all-Valley team (others are Eldridge, Mullins and Stinnett). The new coach isn't planning to overhaul a good thing.

"I would like to be on the more aggressive side of town on both ends of the court, but at the same time we have to play smart and play to your personnel as well," said Phelps. "You'll see quite a few things you saw from last year's Drake team."

Expectations aren't quite as high for Martin, the Valley's other new coach, as Missouri State was picked to finish last. Martin, a former Purdue standout and assistant coach, said he is taking a page from the Gene Keady playbook. In other words, Missouri State will use a motion offense and be physical, physical, physical on defense.

Bradley (21-17) was the final Valley team playing last season. The Braves advanced to the best-of-three final in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational, falling in three games to Tulsa. Bradley must replace Daniel Ruffin and Jeremy Crouch in the backcourt, which could be a daunting task.

Watch for Evansville

Is there potential from any of the teams picked to finish in the second division to become this year's Drake?

Evansville, which hasn't had a winning season since 2000, would seem to fit the description. The Purple Aces (9-21) were 10th in the league last year, but almost everyone returns. They are still young with nine freshmen or sophomores.

Second-year coach Marty Simmons knows the Drake story can happen. He was an Evansville assistant in 1998-99 when the Aces were picked to finish sixth. Instead, they captured the regular-season title and went to the NCAA tourney.

"The start of any season is really important. You get off to a decent start and win games, it helps the bonding process and it really snowballs," said Simmons. "You get momentum and beat a team or two that maybe you're not sure you could beat before the season started. Pretty soon you've got a good team."