The MVC men’s basketball non-conference schedule has six games remaining this week, beginning with Truman State at Bradley tonight. The MVC is 38 games over .500 - the best since the league was +41 during the 2017-18 campaign.
The Valley has won 82.8 percent of its non-MVC home games (53-11) -- that percentage is 16th MVC best on record in the past 50 seasons. Drake earned a win in its final non-league home game of the year (vs. Alcorn State) and extended its non-conference homecourt winning streak to 43 games - the third-best in MVC history.
Indiana State leads the nation in effective field goal percentage (62.0) and ranks in the Top 5 for FG percentage (3rd, 52.4) and 3FG percentage (5th, 41.3). The Sycamores’ 52.4 accuracy ranks among the best all-time in MVC history and second best in the shot clock era.
Indiana State’s 10-game win streak is tied for sixth-best in the NCAA. Drake’s 12-game home win streak is tied for 11th-best in the NCAA.
UIC leads the nation in blocks per game (6.9). Only five MVC teams since 1988 have recorded 5.0 blocks per game for a season.
Notably, MVC teams are 12-3 in their first game in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2012. The league has now combined for 20 wins in the NCAA Tournament in the past 10 NCAA championships and has earned multiple bids 16 times since 1994. Since 2013, The Valley has had two Final Four appearances, and an MVC team has reached a Sweet 16 a total of 12 times since 1985.
In March 2024, The Valley will conduct its 34th St. Louis-based postseason men’s basketball championship. With 34-straight years at the same neutral site, Arch Madness is the second-longest neutral site tenured collegiate tourney in the nation (following only the Big East in New York City).
Belmont BRUINS
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie had 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals as Belmont defeated Arkansas State on Dec. 20. The Greeneville, Tenn., native had 16 points in the second half and had a hand in 18 out of 20 points during a decisive second-half run. Gillespie ranks among league leaders in scoring, assists, and steals, and has the highest field goal percentage among guards in the MVC. Gillespie is in select company in college basketball among players averaging at least 16.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.
- Malik Dia recorded his second career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds vs. Arkansas State on Dec. 20. Dia also posted a game-high +12 plus/minus rating. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native ranks among league leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots.
- Gillespie has scored in double figures in 16 consecutive games dating back to last season...He leads the MVC in steals (32)...Dia has two double-doubles at Belmont; both 18 points and 10 rebounds (vs. Valparaiso Dec. 2)...Belmont is 24-5 in December games under Coach Alexander...Belmont is 54-5 at the Curb Event Center under Coach Alexander.
BRADLEY BRAVES
- Senior guard Duke Deen started his week by going for a team-high 15 points, four assists, three steals, and three rebounds against Duquesne on Dec. 18th. Deen would then follow it up with a career-high 27 points on seven total three-pointers which tied a career high for Deen and ranks second for single-game threes at Bradley. He also chipped in three rebounds and three assists. Deen averaged 21 points, 3.5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.
- Malevy Leons has three double-doubles this season, which is tied for the lead in the MVC -- two of those came in back-to-back contests in Bradley's last two games.
- The Braves rank third in the Valley in field goal percentage defense (40.7), which ranks in the Top 75 nationally.
DRAKE BULLDOGS
- Atin Wright scored a game-high 24 and 20 points respectively against Alcorn State and UAB last weekend. In Tuesday’s home win over Alcorn State, Wright put up 24 points (made five 3-pointers) while dishing out four assists and swiping four steals. He finished with 20 points, two assists and two steals in the 79-78 OT loss at UAB on Friday. Wright wrapped up the day 6-6 from the free throw line.
- Colby Garland made his first two starts of his career this week and turned in balanced efforts. Garland scored seven points with five rebounds and four assists in the 92-55 win over Alcorn State on Tuesday. Garland delivered a career-high 10 points along with three assists in the OT loss at UAB on Friday.
- BIG BRODIE -- Darnell Brodie put together his first double-double of the season with 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds at UAB on Friday. Brodie has grabbed at least six rebounds in all 12 games he has played so far this season.
- GAME OF RUNS -- According to EvanMiya.com, Drake is tied for sixth in the NCAA for the number of double-digit scoring runs in the season. The Bulldogs have 10 this season, including runs of 15-0 in the first half and 14-0 in the second half during the victory against Alcorn State.
EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
- Doubling Up: With its win over Tennessee Tech on Dec. 20, the Purple Aces earned their first 10-win campaign since the 2018-19 season. That season saw UE win a total of 11 games. Another side note from the win is that the program doubled its win total from the entire 2022-23 season.
- Dominant Performance: Evansville wrapped up its pre-Christmas slate with an 82-51 win over Tennessee Tech. The 31-point win margin was the most for the Purple Aces against a Division I program since Feb. 24, 2018, when UE defeated Southern Illinois by a final of 75-44 at the Ford Center.
UIC FLAMES
- For the third consecutive game, Jaden Brownell tied his career high by making four three-pointers, this time on eight attempts (against UIW).
- CJ Jones' nine assists against UIW marked the second-highest total of his career, behind only the 11 assists he had in last weekend's victory over Western Michigan. Jones' previous rebounding high was five, which he had set on five separate occasions (most recently on Dec. 8 at Jacksonville State).
- The Flames continue to lead the nation in blocks per game (6.9). Toby Okani leads the MVC in blocks, while Brownell ranks 6th. Okani's 2.58 figure ranks 8th in the NCAA.
ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- Darius Burford scored 22 points against SEMO in Illinois State’s only game of the week, his second consecutive game with 20+ points. Made 6-of-11 shots from the field, 3-of-5 from long range, and 7-of-8 free throws. Pulled down four rebounds with three assists and two steals. He has a season field goal percentage of .448, which is the 15th-highest by student-athletes that are 6-0 or shorter.
- Kendall Lewis scored in double-figures for the third time this season and 45th time in his career, while his 18 points against SEMO were a season-high. He was perfect from the field (6-of-6) for the second time this season, and his five offensive rebounds were a season-high.
- Illinois State takes on nationally-ranked Kentucky this week in Rupp Arena. The Redbirds' last win against a non-conference top-25 foe came in December 2013 against No. 25 Dayton.
INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
- Robbie Avila turned in a massive second half against Tennessee State on Tuesday to propel the Sycamores to their 10th-straight victory and an 11-1 overall record. Avila recorded his second career double-double with 18 points (6-for-10, 3-for-4 from three) and a personal-high 14 rebounds. He was the leader for ISU in the first half, recording the highest on-court plus-minus (11) through the first 20 minutes without scoring a single point. Avila kicked it up a notch after the break, recording his double-double by scoring all 18 points and grabbing 12 of his 14 rebounds in the second half alone. He went on to score 10 points and secure six rebounds in the final six minutes of the game to halt any chance of a Tiger comeback. In the 21-point victory, the 6-10 big man blocked two shots and dished out five assists marking the fifth game he’s recorded five-or-more assists this season – his third-straight with five-plus.
- Indiana State's 10-game winning streak marks the first double-digit winning streak in the Coach Schertz era with the Sycamores. The 10-game winning streak marked just the 10th time in Indiana State's 127-year history (dating back to 1896) that ISU has posted a double-digit winning streak.
- The double-digit streak is the first ISU streak to hit 10-plus games since the 1978-79 season when ISU won its first 33 games on the Sycamores' way to playing Michigan State in the 1979 National Championship game.
MISSOURI STATE BEARS
- Donovan Clay scored four points in the final nine seconds, including a pair of game-clinching free throws, to lift Missouri State to a 69-64 win over Saint Mary's Saturday in the Bears' non-conference finale. The victory marked MSU's first road victory of the campaign, and it was never easy as the visitors trailed with 3:44 to go.
- Sixth-year head coach Dana Ford (98-70) is closing in on 100 wins with the Bears which would make him the eighth Missouri State coach to reach the century mark in wins.
- Defensively, the Bears continue to be a dominant force, ranking 19th among all Division I teams in 3-point FG percentage defense (.276), 25th in total FG percentage defense (.386) and 52nd in blocked shots per game (4.7).
Murray State RACERS
- It's a doubleheader day at the CFSB Center with the Murray State men's team playing first at 3 p.m. against MTSU. The Murray State women's team opens Missouri Valley Conference play afterward against Valparaiso. The Racers and Blue Raiders meet for the 13th time as a non-conference game since MTSU left the OVC in 2000. The series is the fifth-longest for the Racers in program history with this meeting being their 146th meeting.
- In the SMU game (Dec. 22) Quincy Anderson and Brian Moore, Jr. combined to hit for 31 points on 12-of-28 from the field. Anderson has hit at least one 3-point basket in the last six games.
- The Racers have experienced some rough luck this season as they are 0-5 in games decided by five points or less.
UNI PANTHERS
- UNI is just two victories shy of 700 wins as a Division I program, and eight wins away from 1,400th all-time.
- Tytan Anderson has scored at least one point in 44 consecutive games, the longest streak among active Panthers. Bowen Born is on pace to surpass 200 career three-point field goals made this season. The junior guard currently ranks seventh in program history with 180 made three-pointers. Born leads the MVC with 96.7% clip at the free throw line (29-30) and is one of only two players in the league shooting 90% or better from the charity stripe. Trey Campbell leads the league in three-point shooting percentage at 52% and is one of three players in the MVC shooting 50% or better from beyond the arc.
- The Panthers will travel to Missouri State to open the bulk of MVC play with a Jan. 3 road trip to Springfield. UNI has won four of its last five matchups with the Bears and its last three at Great Southern Bank Arena.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- Xavier Johnson continues to be among the national leaders in a host of scoring categories, as he enters this week ranked No. 2 in the NCAA in scoring (24.1), fourth in total points scored (289), and fourth in free throws made (89).
- The Salukis will begin Missouri Valley Conference play on December 30th when UIC comes to town for a 6 p.m. tip. It will be SIU's second-annual New Year's Saluki Bash, with another record-setting balloon drop at halftime and a festive atmosphere to ring in the new year.
- The UIC-SIU contest features two of the league's most effective defenses. UIC leads the league in scoring defense and 3FG percentage defense. Southern Illinois is second in both categories. Both teams shoot the ball well from downtown as SIU ranks 2nd in the Valley in 3FG percentage, while UIC is third in that category.
VALPARAISO BEACONS
- Valpo freshman Cooper Schwieger tallied 15 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting while grabbing seven rebounds in Valpo's pre-Christmas contest with Samford, a team that notched its 10th straight win. This marked Schwieger's first double-figure scoring output in his last four contests and the seventh time he's reached double figures this year. The Valpo freshman, who ranks second in the league among rookies in scoring, rebounding and blocks, had his fifth game with seven rebounds or more this year in the contest against the Bulldogs, which was the lone Valpo game this week.
- Sepp Starts -- Valpo had featured the same starting lineup for each of the first 11 games this season – Jerome Palm, Cooper Schwieger, Jaxon Edwards, Darius DeAveiro and Isaiah Stafford. This marked the first time Valpo had utilized the same starting five for each of the first 11 games of a season since 2012-13, when the eventual Horizon League champions started Ryan Broekhoff, Kevin Van Wijk, Ben Boggs, Erik Buggs and Will Bogan. In 2012-13, the 12th game featured Valpo’s first starting lineup change of the year as LaVonte Dority and Matt Kenney replaced Will Bogan and Erik Buggs for the Dec. 20 game vs. IUPUI. This season, it was once again the 12th game where Valpo made its first lineup tweak. Freshman Kaspar Sepp replaced Palm in the starting five for the Dec. 19 contest vs. Samford.
- The Season of Giving -- Valpo starting point guard Darius DeAveiro has thrived in the assist department of late, giving out five or more helpers in each of the last eight games, including a season-high 10 on Dec. 19 vs. Samford. Just 12 games into the season, DeAveiro has 67 assists, one shy of his single-season career high of 68, set in 25 games last year. He’s up to 185 career assists, 15 shy of 200. His 10 assists against the Bulldogs tied a career high set on Nov. 13, 2022 vs. Western Michigan.
- Taking the Takeaway Battle -- Valpo has lost the turnover battle just twice in the team’s 12 games this year. Valpo has won or tied the turnover battle in each of the last five games. Most recently, Valpo and Samford each committed 10 turnovers on Dec. 19. This marked the fewest turnovers this season by an opponent of the Bulldogs, who are known for their full-court press.