I don't know how far Illinois State can rise in the conference standings either, but I will say this. They have rebounded nicely since that horrible home loss to SIU. They lost at home to Indiana State, but they have beaten Northern Iowa and Wichita State at home. They lost by 4 at Drake and lost to Creighton by a closer margin than Bradley did in Omaha. Their home loss to Missouri State was by the same margin we lost to the Bears by in Peoria. Along the same lines, Evansville bounced back nicely from that humiliation in Springfield and followed it up with a home win over the Salukis. Today, the Aces host the Bears, and I wouldn't put it past UE to snag a win there, as improbable as it seemed 10 days ago. Look at Bradley too. After getting drilled in Wichita, we went on a 3-game winning streak prior to the loss at Creighton, and after weathering a Wichita State comeback attempt, the Braves got back on the winning track. They may have been relegated to the role of spoiler now, but Wichita State will have a chance to show its bounce-back-ability too. The Shockers still have to go to Creighton and Northern Iowa, but they get Indiana State, Missouri State, and Southern Illinois at home.
