MVC in the NET -- Indiana State leads eight MVC teams among the Top 143 as ISU sits at No. 32. Drake is 46; and Bradley, 69. The MVC finished 15th as a league in the Conference NET last year and enters this week No. 9 as a league. The league’s Top 3 NET-rated teams have combined for 12 Q1+Q2 wins this year.
Inside the NET -- Through games of Feb. 18, a total of 88 Division I teams have amassed four or more Q1+Q2 victories. Of those 88 teams, only 37 have a .500 or better winning percentage against Q1+Q2. And of those 37 teams at .500 or better, only 13 are from non P6 leagues. Drake’s .714 winning percentage against the top two quadrants is the national leader among non-P6 programs.
Efficiency = NCAAs -- Indiana State is 30 in offensive efficiency in KenPom; Drake (38) and Bradley (69). 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).
Getting to 20 Wins -- Indiana State and Drake have both reached 20 wins; Feb. 10 matches the 7th-earliest date that two MVC schools had reached 20 wins. A total of 11 teams in MVC history have secured their 20th win by Feb. 3, including Indiana State this season. The previous 10 all reached post-season play and combined for a total of 13 post-season victories.
ClayNation -- Only three players in MVC history have reached 1,600 career points, 800 rebounds, and 300 assists: Hersey Hawkins of Bradley, Cameron Krutwig of Loyola, and Donovan Clay of Missouri State. Clay and Hawkins. Clay and Hawkins are the only to add 100+ made three-pointers:
Center of Attention -- Robbie Avila of Indiana State leads all centers nationally in assists per game (3.8). Only 22 different centers nationally in the last 30 seasons have averaged 3.0 APG or better for a full season [Basketball Reference]
Cooper Shines -- Since 1992-93 only four MVC freshmen have averaged 12.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. A total of 25 freshmen in MVC history have reached 400 points in their first seasons. Cooper Schwieger of Valparaiso has 337 entering this week. Cade Tyson of Belmont was the last MVC freshman to hit 400 points (409 last year).
Here’s Johnny -- Illinois State freshman Johnny Kinziger scored a career-high 31 points in the win at No. 23 Indiana State last night -- the second-most points scored by a freshman in school history (and most since 1957). He’s one of just four freshmen in the MVC in the past 14 seasons to reach 30 points in a game (Darrell Brown, Bradley; Milton Doyle, Loyola; Doug McDermott, Creighton). He’s the only one of those four to do so in a league game.
Select Company -- Belmont’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie is one of just two players in the NCAA to average 16.5 points, 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
Strong Shooting -- UNI shot a league season-best 80 percent from the floor in the second half in its win at Valparaiso (20-of-25). Murray State’s 21-of-28 second half (.750) against Missouri State was the third best in a single half in the league this year.
Xavier is No. 2 -- SIU’s Xavier Johnson ranks 2nd nationally with 23.3 points per game and 4th with 191 made FTs. Johnson is looking to become the third player in MVC history to lead the MVC in both scoring and assists. He joins Trae Young of Oklahoma (2017-18) as the only Division I MBB players since 1993 to average 23.0 ppg; 6.0 assists; and 85 percent or better from the FT line. Johnson is on pace to finish in the Top 10 all-time in MVC history for free throws made in a season.
Helping Hands -- Drake leads the MVC in assist:turnover ratio and ranks 16th-best nationally. Indiana State, meanwhile, leads the MVC in total assists (17.0 per game). The Sycamores rank 19th-best nationally in that stat category.
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
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie averaged 21.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals this past week as Belmont defeated Southern Illinois and UIC. Gillespie had a career-high 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting, adding five rebounds, three assists and one steal in the victory over Southern Illinois. The guard had 17 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals in the victory over UIC. The Greeneville, Tennessee native shot 64 percent from the field for the week and ranks among MVC leaders in scoring, assists and steals. Gillespie is the only player in college basketball averaging at least 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
- The Bruins have won 20 conference championships since 2006 - third-most nationally over that span (Gonzaga, Kansas). Belmont has won 20 or more games in 13 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, Oregon) and 19 or game games in 18 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, San Diego State).
BRADLEY BRAVES
- In a Class by Himself -- Bradley’s Malevy Leons is the only Division I player to reach 80 blocks and 80 steals over the past two seasons. In those 61 total games, Leons has 85 blocks and 98 steals. Only 12 players have reached 60 blocks plus 60 steals in the past two seasons, including Leons, and the MVC’s Toby Okani of UIC and Darius Hannah of Bradley. Bradley is the only team in the nation with two 60-60 players over the past 2 years.
- Bradley leads the league in turnovers forced (13.1) and ranks second in the MVC with 7.4 steals per game.
- Darius Hannah (64.3 percent) ranks 8th nationally in field goal percentage.
DRAKE BULLDOGS
- Defend the Knapp -- Drake men’s basketball extended its home winning streak to 19 games, which entering the week, is tied for the longest active streak in NCAA Division I men’s basketball. The current home win streak is a program record at the Knapp Center.
- Continuing the Climb - Tucker DeVries continues to climb the Drake men’s basketball all-time scoring list, now in third with 1,673 points following the 22-point performance over Murray State. DeVries has recorded 11 20-plus scoring games this season (32 in his career) and three 30-plus scoring games in 2023-24 (five in his career).
- Buzzer Beating Bulldogs -- Atin Wright’s one legged buzzer beating half court heave to send Drake past Evansville, 78-75 on the road on Tuesday was No. 8 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays on Wednesday morning.
- Lights Out Shooting -- Drake men’s basketball shot over 60.0 percent on Sunday for the second time this season. The Bulldogs made a season-high 17 3-point baskets (17-30) against Murray State, which is tied for second most in a single game in program history. Drake’s 22 assists against the Racers also matched a season-high.
- Tucker DeVries averaged 19.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists over two wins last week. He played 72 of 80 minutes in the two matchups. DeVries picked up his fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the 78-75 win at Evansville. DeVries topped that scoring performance going 8-13 from the field and 4-6 from 3-point range for 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists as the Bulldogs defeated Murray State, 95-72.
- Atin Wright averaged 19 points and 2.5 assists over two wins last week. In the 78-75 win over Evansville, Wright scored a Drake career-high 26 points on 9-14 from the field. Wright hit a game-winning half-court heave to outlast the Purple Aces. It was his seventh 20+ point game as a Bulldog. He contributed 12 points and four assists in the win over Murray State on Sunday.
EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
- Ben Humrichous continues to return to form and enjoyed his best week since late November. Humrichous averaged 19.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 63.6% from the field and 50% from long range. He opened the week with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting versus Drake. He was 2-for-3 from outside, a perfect 4-of-4 from the line while picking up 6 boards and 2 assists. At Illinois State, Humrichous followed up a scoreless first half with 21 in the second. He completed the afternoon 8-for-15 from the field and 5-of-11 beyond the arc.
- Back in Form – Ben Humrichous opened the week with 18 points against Drake before scoring 21 at Illinois State. Both games were his best since early December when he posted 18 in the home win over UNI. All 21 of his points at ISU came in the second half as UE erased an 8-point halftime deficit to take the lead in the second half.
UIC FLAMES
- In UIC's last outing against Belmont, senior guard Isaiah Rivera (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo/Colorado State) added 12 points and a career-high-tying eight rebounds. Rivera's eight rebounds were his highest total since coming to UIC and matched his career high set on March 9, 2023, against San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament quarterfinals (when Rivera was still attending Colorado State).
- UIC topped its season average of 5.5 blocks per game with six rejections on Sunday, led by a career-high three for Skobalj and a career high-tying two for Kennedy.
- The Flames recorded nine steals (one off their season-high) by eight different players on Sunday.
ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- Last week, Indiana State defeated No. 23 Indiana State in Terre Haute. The win is Illinois State's first over an AP Top-25 team since February 6, 2016, against Wichita State. The win was the 13th in program history over an AP Top-25 ranked team. Illinois State improved to 2-0 when playing Indiana State when they were nationally ranked.
- Against UE, Malachi Poindexter reached double-figure scoring for the second time in the last three games, the 10th time this season, and 23rd of his college career. He scored a career-high 27 points, eight more than his previous career-best of 19 at Saint Louis earlier this season.
- The Redbird set season-highs in points in a game (86), three-point field goals (13) and three-point field goal percentage (54.2%) in the win against Evansville on Sunday.
INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
- Robbie Avila averaged 18.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.0 AST/G, 2.0 BLK/G, and 1.0 STL/G in the week for the Sycamores. Against Southern Illinois, Avila led the offense with a game-high 30 points on 12-for-18 shooting from the floor, knocking down a trio of three-pointers. He grabbed six rebounds, recorded two assists, and swatted two shots. Avila started off the game strong for Indiana State, scoring seven of ISU's first nine points. With the score 13-7 in ISU's favor early on, Avila had nine of ISU's 13, outscoring the Salukis by himself. He finished with 19 of ISU’s 37 in the half and 11-of-32 in the second.
- Ryan Conwell averaged 13.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.0 STL/G for Indiana State over the last two games. Ryan Conwell recorded 10 points in the first game with three rebounds and a block. He scored 16 points against Southern Illinois, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, and secured five rebounds. He made a clutch layup to put ISU ahead with 1:15 to play in the game.
MISSOURI STATE BEARS
- Chance Moore averaged 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 threes and 1.5 steals per game on the week for the Bears with a pair of 20-point scoring efforts. He began the week with 21 points at Murray State, which included three treys and a pair of steals. He followed that effort with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting with three more triples and 9 rebounds in Saturday’s home win over Valparaiso. Moore has three 20-point scoring efforts over the Bears' last six games.
- Clay Milestone Update -- Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) needs just 5 points to reach 1,000 at Missouri State (91 games). He would be the 32nd Bear to reach that milestone and the 24th-fastest Bear to reach 1,000. Among all active DI players, Clay ranks 13th in games played (154), 35th in rebounds (848), 35th in blocks (158) and 84th in scoring (1,606). He is one of just 19 players with 1,600 points and 800 rebounds and one of 34 players with 1,500 points and 350 assists. He also needs 4 rebounds to surpass Will Creekmore (264 reb. from 2008-11) for the No. 5 spot on the Great Southern Bank Arena career rebounding list.
- Home Streak Continues -- With Saturday’s victory, the Bears (8-4 at home this season) clinched their 53rd straight home winning season, covering three different home venues since 1971-72. The Bears are 172-76 (.694) all-time at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Murray State RACERS
- Trailing for the ninth time this season at half when the Bears took a 27-35 lead at the halftime intermission, the Racers over game the midway deficit for the first time this season with a brilliant second half of outscoring Missouri State by 12 points, while shooting a 75 percent (21-of-28) from the field.
- Quincy Anderson averaged 19ppg (14-of-24 from the floor), 4-of-11 from three-point range, He added 4.5 rebounds and five steals in Murray State's 1-1 week.
UNI PANTHERS
- Tytan Anderson recorded two of his best performances of the season this week, averaging 15 points and seven rebounds, along with six total assists, three steals and a pair of blocks to help the Panthers to wins over Valparaiso and Bradley. Against the Beacons, Anderson led all Panthers with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, and would notch his second double-double of the season with a ten-point, and season-high 12 rebound game at home against the Braves. Anderson also extended his streak of scoring at least one point to 59 consecutive games this week, the longest streak by all active Panthers.
- Anderson has scored at least one point in 59 consecutive games, the longest streak among active Panthers.
- Bowen Born became the latest Panther to score 1,400 career points, cracking UNI's top-ten all-time scoring list on Sunday against Bradley. Born is two three-point field goals away from becoming the seventh player in program history to make at least 200 career three-pointers.
- UNI renews its longest running series in its history on Wednesday as it visits Illinois State. The Panthers and Redbirds will meet for the 90th time at CEFCU Arena this week with UNI leading the series by one game (45-44). Northern Iowa has won the last ten meetings, including three straight victories over the Redbirds at Arch Madness. UNI's ten-game streak in the series is its longest winning streak against the Redbirds, and second-longest in the series overall after Illinois State won 15 straight from 1975 to 1994.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- Xavier Johnson led the Salukis with 19 points, 6.5 rebounds and five assists per game over the last week. The graduate went for 17 in a loss against Belmont but led the Salukis with 21 points in a home win over No. 23 Indiana State. To go along with his 21 points, Johnson added eight rebounds and six assist while going 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
- Freshman Kennard Davis averaged seven points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals for the Salukis over the last week. Davis was key down the stretch for the Salukis during their win over nationally ranked Indiana State as he knocked down a triple in the final minutes to push SIU ahead. He also had the defensive assignment of ISU's top scorer in Isaiah Swope who was held to six points on 2-for-10 shooting. Davis finished the game with 12 points, five rebounds, three steals and was 5-for-7 from the field.
- Southern Illinois snapped a 17-game losing streak to ranked opponents Saturday when the Salukis defeated No. 23 Indiana State. The win marked the first ranked win at Banterra Center since the 2023 season when SIU beat Wichita State.
VALPARAISO BEACONS
- Valpo's Isaiah Stafford averaged 22.5 points per game over two contests this week, swiping six steals while drilling seven 3-pointers and going 4-of-4 at the free-throw line in games against UNI and Missouri State. Stafford scored 20+ points in both games this week, posting a game-high 21 on Wednesday vs. UNI and a team-high 24 on Saturday at Missouri State. He has now scored in double figures in 11 of his last 12 and has reached the 20-point threshold nine times this season.
- Valpo freshman Cooper Schwieger averaged 15.5 points per game and shot 50 percent from the field (12-of-24) this week while also hitting 3s at a 50 percent clip (4-of-8). He was flawless at the free-throw line (3-of-3) and pulled down 5.5 rebounds per game. Schwieger had nine points and a team-high six rebounds on Wednesday vs. UNI before tying a career high with 22 points on Saturday at Missouri State, when he knocked down four of six 3-point tries. The four made 3s represented a personal best. The rookie has scored nine points or more in 12 straight games.
- The Rookie Report -- Valpo's Cooper Schwieger is one of two freshmen in the country averaging double figures in scoring while shooting better than 50 percent from the floor and better than 80 percent from the free-throw line in conference play. He joins Troy's Myles Rigsby. Schwieger is one of four total players in the MVC with league-only numbers of 10.0 ppg, 50% FG and 80% FT, joining Indiana State's Robbie Avila, Bradley's Malevy Leons and Murray State's JaCobi Wood.
- Valuing the Basketball - Valpo committed just one turnover in the first half and eight for the game on Saturday at Missouri State. This marked the team's seventh straight game either winning or tying the turnover battle and the squad's ninth straight game with 12 or fewer giveaways.