MVC in the NET -- Indiana State leads eight MVC teams among the Top 163 as ISU sits at No. 23. Drake is 54; and Bradley, 55. The MVC finished 15th as a league in the Conference NET last year and enters this week 10th as a league (percentage points behind the American). The league’s Top 3 NET-rated teams have combined for 11 Q1+Q2 wins this year.
Getting to 20 Wins -- Indiana State (20), Drake (18), and Bradley are all approaching 20 wins for the season. The league has had two teams reach 20 wins before Feb. 13 only six times in Conference history.
Three in the Top 60 -- Only eight leagues (the P6, Mountain West and the MVC) have three or more Top 60 teams in the NET rankings.
Road Warriors -- The MVC has combined for a 32-40 record on the road in league play (.444). The road success in MVC play matches the best on record (through at least 1977) tied with the COVID-impacted scheduling parameters implemented by The Valley in 2020-21 (.444 that year).
In the National Polls -- Indiana State enters the week No. 23 in the NET, is rated No. 36 in KenPom, and is at No. 40 in ESPN’s BPI Index. ISU is receiving votes in both the Associated Press (28th-most votes overall) and USA Today Top 25 coaches poll (27th overall). The Sycamores earned a No. 22 rank the CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 poll this week.
Winning Ways -- Drake and Belmont are two of the winningest programs in the NCAA since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Drake ranks fifth-best nationally in that span (96), and Belmont is No. 20 (84).
Another MVC Rally -- The MVC has seen teams rally from 19-point (or more) deficits five times this year, including Indiana State last week. The Sycamores fell behind Belmont by 19 points in the first half before winning, 78-72, in Nashville.
Sweet Shooting -- Indiana State leads the nation in effective field goal percentage (60.7), is 4th in FG percentage (50.6) and 5th in 3FG percentage (39.9). The Sycamores’ 50.6 is the third-best in the MVC during the shot-clock era.
The MVC finished the non-conference regular-season schedule with an 84-48 (.636) record. The +36 ledger (games over .500) is the best in MVC men’s hoops since the 2017-18 campaign, when the Valley was 87-46 (+41), which included post-season play that season.
Valley Runs Deep -- Notably, MVC men’s 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.
Nation’s 2nd Oldest -- Founded in 1907, the Missouri Valley Conference is the nation’s second-oldest Division I athletic conference (behind only the Big Ten). The MVC is celebrating its 117th season in 2023-24.
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). This year's tournament dates are March 7-10 (Thursday-Sunday) at Enterprise Center.
Belmont BRUINS
- Keishawn Davidson is averaging 16.5 points, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game over the last four games
- Belmont has played one of its 12 conference games with Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Cade Tyson and Malik Dia all healthy. They won at Northern Iowa, 90-70.
BRADLEY BRAVES
- Only three Division I programs (Bradley, Montana, Wright State) shot .510 from the floor, .410 from 3, and .760 from the line in January - including Bradley. The Braves were 8-1 in that month and have won 11 of their past 12 games.
- Only nine players in the NCAA are shooting 40.0 percent from three, 56.0 inside the arc with 30+ assists and 15.0 or more points per game during their respective league’s Conference games. The MVC has two of those nine: Connor Hickman of Bradley and Robbie Avila of Indiana State.
DRAKE BULLDOGS
- Tucker DeVries averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in two games last week. He put together a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds in the loss at Indiana State on Saturday. DeVries added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists in the 81-70 victory over Valparaiso on Wednesday.
- The Drake men’s basketball program has won the fifth most NCAA Division I men’s basketball games (96) since 2020, only trailing Purdue, Kansas, Gonzaga and Houston.
- Drake is 5-0 this season in games following a loss and 36-12 under head coach Darian DeVries in games after a loss including a 22-8 mark in games following a conference loss.
- Drake is 20-3 in home games following a loss since the beginning of the 2018-19 season and has won 11 consecutive home games immediately following a loss.
- Tucker DeVries (20.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals) is currently the only men’s basketball player at the NCAA Division I level averaging at least 20 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals.
- Drake’s current 17-game homecourt winning streak is tied for third-best nationally. Drake (12-0) and Indiana State (10-0) have not lost at home this year.
EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
- In a week that featured a career-high 22 points, Yacine Toumi led the Purple Aces to a pair of conference victories while averaging 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Toumi reset his career scoring mark with 22 points in the win over UIC. He finished the evening 8-of-10 from the field while adding 7 boards in over 30 minutes of work. Saturday’s road win at Valparaiso saw him register 10 points and 6 rebound in a 4-for-5 shooting day. He added 2 assists, a steal and block. For the week, he was 12-for-15 shooting, an astonishing 80%.
- Saturday’s road win at Valparaiso saw the Purple Aces put forth their first 3-game MVC win streak since January of 2021. The streak for UE began with home triumphs over Illinois State and UIC. With the win at Valpo, UE grabbed its first league road win since February of 2022 at Indiana State. For head coach David Ragland, it was his first league road triumph and first season sweep of a Valley opponent.
- Tanner Cuff continued to impress in Evansville’s two victories last week. Cuff began the week with a career-best 16 points versus UIC. He was 6-for-10 from the floor, 1-2 from outside and converted 3 of his 4 free throw tries. He added 3 boards and 2 assists in just under 27 minutes of action. He put forth another strong all-around effort in the road win at Valparaiso. While scoring 6 points, Cuff added 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal while seeing 24:31 of playing time. He averaged 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 50% from the floor and 5-for-6 from the line.
- Two Career-Highs: Yacine Toumi and Tanner Cuff each posted career scoring highs on Wednesday versus UIC. Toumi had a stellar 8-for-10 performance on his way to a new high of 22 points. Cuff tallied 16 points in a 6-of-10 shooting effort.
UIC FLAMES
- UIC leads the MVC and ranks ninth in the nation in blocks per game (5.65). Only one MVC team since 1987 has recorded 5.0 blocks per game for an entire season.
- Isaiah Rivera's 28 points against SIU surpassed his previous career high of 25 points on Nov. 10 in the Flames' home-opening win over Little Rock.
- Rivera also set career highs with 11 free throws made and 11 attempted, erasing his previous bests of six made free throws and eight attempts which he set back on Jan. 6 vs. Valparaiso.
- Rivera's 11-for-11 performance at the foul line was the best by a UIC player since Dec. 2, 2019, when Jamie Ahale also made all 11 of his free throws in a victory over San Diego at the Boca Raton (Fla.) Beach Classic.
ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- Against Bradley, Malachi Poindexter reached double-figure scoring for the eighth time this season and the 21st time in his career. His four three-point field goals tied a career-high. His team-high scoring effort is the third time this season he has led the team in points.
- Against the Braves, Illinois State had a positive assist-to-turnover margin in a game for the ninth time this season (in 23 games). That is tied (also 2008-09) for the most positive such numbers by a Redbird team since 1988-89.
- ISU continues to lead the MVC in both free throw attempts and offensive rebounding.
INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
- Indiana State’s 7-game overall streak is tied for ninth-best among active streaks.
- Indiana State is 14 in offensive efficiency in KenPom; Bradley (52) and Drake (59). Since 2012, 10 of 12 MVC teams in the Top 35 of KenPom’s OE have earned a spot in the NCAA Tourney (UNI, 2020 - COVID; MOST, 2022 - played in the NIT).
- Another MVC Rally -- The MVC has seen teams rally from 19-point (or more) deficits five times this year, including Indiana State last week. The Sycamores fell behind Belmont by 19 points in the first half before winning, 78-72, in Nashville.
- Indiana State’s Jayson Kent had 20 rebounds in the Sycamores’ win against Drake on Feb. 3. The 20 caroms is a league-season best and the first 20-rebound game in MVC play since Gaige Prim had 21 at Southern Illinois (2-17-21). The 20-rebound performance is tied for 8th-best for Indiana State in a single game.
- Indiana State’s 39.9 percentage from three-point range is 5th-best nationally. Four league schools rank among the Top 40 in the NCAA in three-point accuracy.
- Robbie Avila led the offensive effort once again for ISU with two wins over Belmont and Drake last week. Avila averaged 16.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 4.5 AST/G, also adding two blocks and two steals. He finished 9-for-18 from the field in the week and 9-for-11 from the free throw line. In game one, the 6-10 center scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, tallied a game-high five assists, and swiped one steal. To open the game, Avila scored eight of ISU's first 10 points with a triple and by converting all three free-throw attempts. ISU was able to claim the lead again at the 14:41 mark with an Avila offensive board and layup, then later Avila increased the lead to five points just inside the five-minute mark. In game two, the sophomore scored 20 points, knocking down 4-of-6 from deep, and secured a double-double with 11 rebounds. Avila also dished out four assists, swatted two shots, and recorded a steal – all with 0 turnovers. Early in the first half, Avila scored or assisted on six-straight to give ISU a 17-5 lead only seven minutes into the game. The battle was tight game Drake erased a comeback, but Avila drained a triple with less than a minute to play to give ISU lead for good.
MISSOURI STATE BEARS
- Cesare Edwards started the week with 12 points in the win at SIU, including 2 clutch free throws in overtime with 1.8 seconds left to clinch the MSU victory. He also racked up 9 rebounds off the bench against the Salukis to go with 2 blocks and 2 steals to help MoState erase as 12-point, second-half deficit on the road. He followed that with 10 points and 8 rebounds in the home win over Belmont, also off the bench. In just 21 minutes, he was 2-for-2 at the line, 4-of-9 from the field and blocked a shot to preserve a critical Valley victory for the Bears. For the week, Edwards averaged 11.0 points, 8.5 rebounds (matching Moore for the team-high for the week) and 1.5 blocks per game, while converting 6-of-6 free throws and 8-of-20 field goals.
- Paint by Number -- The Bears are averaging 44.6 points in the paint over the last three games, all wins, including 46 in their overtime win at Southern Illinois last week to match a season high.
- Five Alive -- Missouri State is coming off its third consecutive game with five players scoring in double figures. In Saturday’s win over Belmont, the Bears were led by Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.) with 23 points, along with Alston Mason (22), Donovan Clay (15), Cesare Edwards (10) and Damien Mayo Jr. (10).
- Bench Mark -- Missouri State’s bench has outscored its opponents’ reserves in four straight games by a combined margin of 105-48. Overall, the Bears are averaging 81.8 points per game with a +10.0 rebound margin during their current four-game win streak.
Murray State RACERS
- MSU got its first win over UNI in the three games played since joining the MVC last season. In The Valley, the Racers were the first team to win four road games in league play when the final buzzer sounded. SIU and Bradley soon joined the Racers when their games went final at UIC and Illinois State over the weekend.
- The 28-point win for MSU matches their largest MVC win after they defeated Valparaiso at Arch Madness last March in St. Louis.
- The 18 points for the Panthers represented the Racers' best performance on defense in a first half this season, a point better than the 19 they held Missouri State to on Jan. 10. The Racers' defensive effort limited UNI's duo of Nate Heise and Bowen Born who entered the game averaging 27.9 points into only six points, all by Heise.
UNI PANTHERS
- Northern Iowa will host Missouri State on Wednesday night with the chance to guarantee another winning season in the McLeod Center. Since moving into the McLeod Center in Nov. 2006, UNI has finished .500 or better at home every year with no losing seasons.
- The Panthers are also closing in on their 1,400th all-time win in their 121-year history, picking up their 1,398th win two weeks ago against Evansville.
- Tytan Anderson has scored at least one point in 55 consecutive games, the longest streak among active Panthers. Anderson is also closing in on his 500th career rebound, sitting just five boards away from becoming the ninth active player in the MVC to reach 500 career rebounds.
- Bowen Born is 35 points away from cracking into UNI's top-ten all-time scoring list. The junior guard has tallied 1,349 during his four seasons with the Panthers and is currently 11th on the list. Born also ranks tenth in program history in career field goal attempts (1,088).
- Head coach Ben Jacobson is two wins shy of his 350th career victory, currently leading all active MVC coaches in total wins.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- Xavier Johnson shot a program record 20 free throws against UIC, surpassing Charlie Vaughn's record of 18 attempted vs Belmont in 1960. Johnson also set a school record for free throw makes with 18 of the 20. Charlie Vaughn made 16 against Villa Madonna in 1960.
- The 18 makes and 20 attempts are both league season highs. Only eight MVC players in the past 15 seasons have 18 or more makes in a game.
- Johnson now has 170 made free throws on the season, which ranks 2nd nationally to Kezza Giffa of High Point -- he has 177. Johnson is on pace to finish 5th-best all-time in MVC history for single-season FT makes.
- Johnson put up 28.5 points, six assists, and five rebounds per game as the Salukis finished the week 1-1. Johnson scored 28 in an overtime loss to Missouri State. The graduate guard dished out six assists and pulled down five rebounds. In a road win at UIC, Johnson scored 29 as SIU rallied to pull off the win. Johnson set a school record with free throw makes and attempts in the game, going 18-20 at the line. He also assisted on six baskets while finishing second on the team with five rebounds.
VALPARAISO BEACONS
- Valparaiso is one of the youngest teams in the nation (per KenPom), as the Beacons rank No. 356 (of 362) in experience.
- Valpo's Isaiah Stafford averaged 23.5 points per game over two contests this week, shooting 50 percent from the field (19-of-38) and 41.7 percent from 3-point range (5-of-12). He became the fifth player in the country with three road games of 30+ points this season when he tallied a career-high 32 on Wednesday at Drake. He followed that with 15 points on Saturday against Evansville, his eighth straight double-figure scoring output.
- Valpo's Cooper Schwieger averaged 15.5 points per game while adding six total rebounds and four assists this week. He shot 50 percent from both the field (12-of-24) and the 3-point arc (6-of-12) this week over Valpo's two games. After scoring nine points on Wednesday at Drake thanks to a season-high three triples, the Valpo rookie hit three more 3s in Saturday's game vs. Evansville. He finished with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting against the Purple Aces, establishing a new career high in the scoring department.
- Chart Check -- Valpo’s Darius DeAveiro enters the Feb. 7 game at Indiana State within striking distance of the top 20 in program history in career assists. He has handed out 242 career helpers, five shy of Ron Howard’s total of 247 for 20th in program history. Daniel Sackey (2018-2021) is 19th at 269.
- Ain’t Nothing But a Heartache -- A valiant effort came up just shy as Valpo fell 63-62 to Evansville on Feb. 3 at the ARC. Valpo has five setbacks this season decided by four points or fewer. This was Valpo’s second loss by the slimmest of margins this season. The Beacons fell by the identical score of 63-62 on Dec. 16 vs. Chicago State.