ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Wichita State men earned 37 of a possible 42 first-place votes to run away with the top spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, released in advance of Tuesday's MVC Media Day in St Louis.
Sophomore forward Markis McDuffie was one of five players named to the Valley's preseason first team, and junior center Shaquille Morris landed on the second team.
A panel of MVC media, coaches and sports information directors tabbed the three-time defending Shockers as the odds-on favorite for a fourth-consecutive year with 413 points, well ahead of runner-up Illinois State (356), which in turn edged UNI (348) by a margin of eight votes for second place.