The Missouri Valley Conference has experienced one of the biggest jumps in KenPom league ratings from last year. The MVC enters the weekend rated No. 10 (+6 from last year). No other Top 15-rated conference has had a bigger jump in the league rankings.
Oklahoma State’s visit to Carbondale is a recent rare occurrence for the MVC, with only 13 Power Conference opponents visiting an MVC arena in the past 10 seasons and none since 2018-19. The MVC is 6-7 in those 13 home games, including UNI’s win over top-ranked North Carolina during 2015-16.
The league’s 52-21 (.712) non-conference success currently ranks as one of the best in the league’s 117-year history. It ranks as the second-best in 62 seasons (dating back to the 1962-63 campaign).
The Conference played 11 league games last week (with SIU’s win against Saint Louis on Saturday the lone non-conference game). The MVC jumps back into the non-conference portion of the schedule with 19 non-MVC tilts this week. Eight of the 19 games are at home; five of the games are against teams in the Top 100 of the NET.
Since 1993-94, only five teams (UNI, a 2009 co-champ, Loyola in 2018, Drake in 2019, UNI in 2020, and UNI in 2022) have won at least a share of the MVC regular-season title without winning the league opener. In fact, 26 of the last 32 regular-season champs (or co-champs) have opened 2-0 or better in MVC play, with UNI (2008-09, 2019-20, 2021-22), Wichita State (2011-12), Loyola (2017-18) and Drake (2018-19) the exceptions. In 2018-19, Drake became the first regular-season champ since 1992-93 to start league play with back-to-back defeats.
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
- Malik Dia averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game as Belmont opened Missouri Valley Conference play with a road victory at Northern Iowa Wednesday and a home victory over Valparaiso Saturday. Dia had 34 points in 42 minutes providing impactful production off the bench. He recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds vs. Valparaiso. He had 16 points on seven field goals at Northern Iowa. Dia ranks eighth in the MVC in scoring - first among players coming off the bench.
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie has recorded double figures in 12 consecutive games dating back to last season. Gillespie ranks in the Top 10 in the MVC in scoring, assists and steals.
- With its victory at Northern Iowa, Belmont is 19-4 all-time in NCAA Division I era conference openers.
BRADLEY BRAVES
- In a key MVC matchup on Saturday, Connor Hickman scored 19 points, and Malevy Leons tallied 18 points with nine rebounds against Indiana State.
- Bradley's calling card in recent years has been its tremendous defense -- the Braves are among the league leaders again in field goal percentage defense (4th), 3-point field goal percentage defense (5th), and steals (5th).
- Bradley (6-2 overall) looks to rebound from a pair of MVC losses in the first week of Conference play with a non-conference matchup against Akron. Bradley holds a 1-0 record against Akron in their all-time series. The two teams met last season at Carver Arena, with Bradley securing a 74-55 victory.
- Akron enters the game with a 4-3 overall record, boasting a 2-0 home record but is currently enduring a three-game losing streak. The Zips were picked to finish first in the MAC this season.
DRAKE BULLDOGS
- Tucker DeVries averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists over two MVC wins last week. DeVries chipped in 16 points with six rebounds and two assists in the 83-65 win at Valpo on Wednesday. DeVries scored 16 first half points in the victory against Missouri State on Saturday to end up with 24 points, five rebounds and two assists while swiping three steals.
- Drake’s offense has been humming when Kyron Gibson has been running point. Gibson contributed a season-high 11 points (4-7 from the field) along with three rebounds and three assists in the 83-65 win at Valparaiso on Wednesday. Gibson followed that up with a season-high five assists in the 74-57 decision over Missouri State on Saturday.
- Drake is tied for 7th with UCLA, Arizona and Belmont for most wins over the last four seasons (‘20 thru ‘23) with 100 victories.
- The Drake men’s basketball team has received sizeable contributions from its bench in the last two games. Drake’s bench poured in a season-high 23 points against Southern on Nov. 25 before piling on 21 points in the 83-65 win at Valpo on Wednesday and 13 more in the 74-57 win over Missouri State. The Bulldog bench has added a combined 30 rebounds and 18 assists over the past three games.
- Kevin Overton averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal over two games last week. Overton scored 10 points (half of his scoring output coming from the FT line, 5-6) with three rebounds and a steal at Valpo on Wednesday. Overton added 11 rebounds with three rebounds and one steal in the win over Missouri State.
EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
- In the first week of conference play, Ben Humrichous averaged 16 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He shot 50% from the field and 55.6% from long range while converting 7 of his 9 free throw tries. He tallied a total 4 steals, 3 blocks and 2 assists. In the conference opener at Missouri State, Humrichous scored 14 points while adding 3 boards, 2 steals and a block. In the home win over UNI, he tallied 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. He was 3-for-4 from outside and 6-of-9 from the floor.
- Top freshman effort – Chuck Bailey III recorded 27 points on Wednesday at Missouri State. It was the top scoring game of Bailey’s young career and marked the highest-scoring total for a freshman in the MVC this season. He was just the second freshman in the league to record 20+ points in a game this season.
UIC FLAMES
- UIC debuted at No. 52 in Monday’s NET rankings, the second-highest among MVC schools. It’s believed to be the Flames’ highest-ever ranking in the NET since it was adopted by the NCAA prior to the 2018-19 season.
- UIC is also No. 61 in Monday’s KPI rankings, good for fourth among Valley teams.
- Defense has been the name of the game for the Flames this season — as of Monday morning, UIC leads the nation in three-point percentage defense this season, holding opponents to a .225 percentage from beyond the arc. The Flames also rank ninth in the country in blocked shots (6.2 bpg.), led by senior guard Toby Okani, who is 11th nationally at 2.62 bpg., and also lead the Valley in field goal percentage defense (16th nationally at .374) and scoring defense (28th nationally at 62.6 ppg.).
- The Flames have been extremely competitive in every one of their eight games this season — along with its five wins to date, UIC also led in the other three games it has played thus far, and owning second-half leads in two of the three (the exception being the Nov. 6 season opener on the road at Power 6 opponent Cincinnati when the Flames were within five twice in the second half and ultimately held the 7-0 Bearcats to their lowest point total of the season and second-closest margin of victory).
ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- Myles Foster averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Redbirds during the week, including making 10-of-16 (62.5%) of his shots from the field with three assists and three blocked shots. At UIC he scored nine points with eight rebounds, making four of his six shot attempts from the field. He also gave out two assists, had a blocked shot, and a steal. In the home finale against Murray State he scored a dozen points (6-of-10 from the field) with a team-high-tying five rebounds, a season-high two blocked shots and an assist.
- Darius Burford averaged 16.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game in a week in which the Redbirds went 2-0 in MVC play for the first time since 2017-18. He made 65 percent of his shots from the field (13-of-20), and was 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. He opened the week with a season-high 20 points on the road at UIC, making 7-of-10 of his shots from the field. He also pulled down three rebounds and had an assist, block, and steal against the Flames. Three days later at home against Murray State he scored a dozen points, making 6-of-10 shots from the field while dishing out a season-high three assists and grabbing two steals.
- The win for ISU was the first over Murray State since the 2015-16 season, and now trail the all-time series 8-2.
- Illinois State goes to 2-0 in MVC play for the first time since 2017-18
- Illinois State had five players score in double-figures in a game for the first time since January 11 of last season when the 'Birds did it against Missouri State.
- The Redbirds improved to 4-0 this season when scoring at least 30 points in the paint.
INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
- Jayson Kent continued his all-around consistency for the Sycamores, leading to two victories in the MVC this week and opening the season with a 7-1 overall record. Kent recorded a near double-double with an 11-point, nine rebound effort in the MVC opener versus Southern Illinois. Then, in his first game against his former team, Kent brought in his MVC-leading third double-double in an eight-point victory at Bradley with 13 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes, including a monster one-handed slam to open the game. In the two-game span, Kent shot 10-for-14 from the floor and holds second place in field-goal percentage for the league. Kent has scored in double figures in all eight games for ISU.
- The Sycamores opened the season 7-1 for the second straight season under Coach Josh Schertz and opened league play with wins at home versus Southern Illinois and a road-win at Bradley. ISU scored 85 points against Bradley, the most in a win since 1979.
- Indiana State wraps up the short road trip Tuesday night at Northern Illinois then plays host to USI on Saturday. As of EOD December 3, ISU leads the country in effective field-goal percentage and is fifth in the nation in field-goal percentage.
MISSOURI STATE BEARS
- N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) leads the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (3.38), which ranks 38th nationally, while his 7.9 overall rebound average is 3rd in The Valley. Benson also ranks 2nd in the conference and 49th nationally in blocks per game (1.88). He needs just 8 points and 5 rebounds to match his 2022-23 season totals (75 pts., 68 reb.).
- Chance Moore led the Bears in scoring twice and averaged 22.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game on the week. He began the week with a career-high 28 points in MSU's win over Evansville with 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 7-for-7 effort at the line. He followed that with 17 points at Drake to go with 6 rebounds. For the week, Moore was 14-for-28 (.500) from the field; 6-for-13 (.462) beyond the arc; and 11-for-12 (.917) at the line.
- The Bears rank 20th nationally in 3-point field goal defense (.269) and 44th among 351 Division teams in field goal percentage defense (.392). Drake’s 43.2 overall field goal percentage against MoState on Saturday was the highest by any opponent this season.
- The Bears are markedly improved in their 3-point shooting this season (.368), which ranks 69th nationally to start the week. Last season, MoState shot .331 from beyond the arc, which ranked 229th nationally.
- Returning from an injury Saturday at Drake, Bey posted a season/career-high 10 points at the Knapp Center, also notching 5 rebounds in a 21-minute assignment off the bench. Bey was 4-of-7 from the field with a 3-pointer, a block, a steal, and an assist in his only appearance of the week.
Murray State RACERS
- In the win against defending champion Bradley, Murray State only hit five 3-point baskets in 20 tries but made up for it by hitting 22-31 in two-point tries for 70 percent. The Racers moved to 3-1 at home this season and 14-3 in the last two home seasons at the CFSB Center.
- Quincy Anderson had a big week for the Racers as he averaged 16.5 points while shooting 10-of-18 from the floor and 6-of-12 from three-point range. Against Illinois State, he came off the bench to play 27 minutes and score 27 points on 8-13FG and 6-9 from the 3-point line. His 27 points is his MSU high and it was his 20th game in his college career with 20 or more points between Murray State and Minnesota State.
- JaCobi Wood is closing on becoming the fourth player with the Racers with 1,000 career points. He enters this week with 985 points in 101 career games.
UNI PANTHERS
- Head coach Ben Jacobson can make MVC history and pass Eddie Hickey for second on the league’s all-time wins list with UNI's next victory. Jacobson and Hickey have both amassed 337 career wins.
- Tytan Anderson surpassed 400 career rebounds on Saturday at Evansville, leading all active Panthers.
- Bowen Born is three three-point field goal attempts away from passing Marc Sonnen (2009-13) for sixth on UNI's all-time list. Born is also five made three-pointers from passing Nick Nurse (1986-89) for ninth in school history, currently tied with former Panther and current Drake head coach Darian DeVries with 166.
- Northern Iowa is 80-11 (.879) when scoring 80+ points under Ben Jacobson, having won 18 of its last 22 contests when doing so.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- BANTERRA MAGIC -- Southern Illinois extended its program-record nonconference home winning streak to 23 games when the Salukis defeated Saint Louis last time out. SIU entered the year (19-straight) tied for the longest nonconference home winning streak which happened under the direction of head coaches Bruce Weber and Matt Painter from 1999-2003.
- LET IT RAIN -- The Salukis tied the program record after knocking down 18 3-pointers against SLU. SIU also hit 16 threes earlier this year against New Mexico State.
- THE CENTURY MARK -- SIU downed Saint Louis 101-62 Saturday. It was the first time that SIU scored 100 or more points since December 6, 2020 (Quincy) and the first time that SIU has scored over 100 against a Division I opponent since 1998 against Missouri State. It was the first time that Saint Louis had allowed 100 points since 1992.
- Xavier Johnson put together another strong week on the hardwood for the Salukis, averaging 23.5 points, four assists, four rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game. The graduate guard shot 58.3 percent (7-12) from behind the arc and 88.9 percent (8-9) from the charity stripe as SIU went 1-1. Johnson went for 16 points and five rebounds in a loss at Indiana State before bouncing back to lead the Salukis to a 101-62 win over Saint Louis at home. Johnson led all scorers with 31 points on 11-15 shooting, including 6-8 from deep. Johnson dished out seven assists and picked up five steals in the blowout.
VALPARAISO BEACONS
- Valpo's Isaiah Stafford scored 20 points or more in each of his first two Missouri Valley Conference contests this week, averaging 20.5 points per game against Drake and Belmont. Valpo led MVC preseason favorite Drake for much of the first half and played even for the final 38:30 of a road game against Belmont thanks in part to Stafford's scoring prowess. He also pulled down 5.5 rebounds per game this week and was a major factor on the defensive end, totaling six steals over the two games.
- Cooper Schwieger continued his strong start to his rookie campaign by averaging 15.5 points per game against Drake and Belmont during his first taste of Missouri Valley Conference action. He was also a factor on the boards, pulling down 5.0 rebounds per game with four of his 10 total caroms coming on the offensive glass. Schwieger drilled three 3-pointers and shot 56 percent from the field (14-of-25) this week. He also rejected two shots and handed out three assists. Schwieger ranks second in the MVC in scoring average by a freshman at 12.8 ppg and leads all MVC rookies with 5.4 rebounds per game.
- Schwieger is averaging 12.8 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. The last Valpo freshman to finish a season with over 10.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg was current Valpo Director of Recruiting & Player Development Lubos Barton in 1998-99 (13.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg). Missouri Valley Conference freshmen to average above 10 ppg and 5 rpg since 2005 are as follows: Doug McDermott (Creighton, 2010-11), Cameron Krutwig (Loyola, 2017-18) and Marcus Domask (Southern Illinois, 2019-20). Schwieger has scored 12 points or more in five consecutive games and in six of his eight games this season. He’s tallied at least eight points in each of his first eight collegiate contests.
- Entering the Nov. 21 game vs. Western Illinois, junior Darius DeAveiro had played 58 career games and owned a career high of eight points, achieved twice (Jan. 15, 2022 vs. Missouri State and Nov. 13, 2022 vs. Western Michigan). After that, he scored at least eight points in three straight games including a personal-best 11 on Nov. 21 vs. Western Illinois and Nov. 29 vs. Drake. DeAveiro made three 3-pointers on Nov. 29 vs. Drake after having entered the game with no more than one 3-point make in any of his first 60 career games. For further comparison, he made three 3s all of last season in 25 games. Valpo’s starting point guard entered this season with seven career made 3s over 54 games and has six 3s in the first eight contests this year.