Five Teams Perfect -- Five of the league’s 12 teams will enter the second week of the 2023-24 regular season with unblemished marks. Bradley picked up two wins against KenPom Top 100 teams as the Braves knocked off UAB and Utah State -- both in overtime -- during the first week. Evansville, Murray State, and Southern Illinois as also 2-0, while Drake won its only game last week and is 1-0.
Tying a Record -- Thursday’s win over UHSP saw the Purple Aces score 116 points, tying their highest point total since opening the Ford Center in 2011. The other instance came against Earlham in 2014.
Home Sweet Home -- The MVC has combined for a 13-1 record at home in non-conference play. Last year The Valley was 46-10 at home during non-league play. The 13-1 winning percentage would rank as the second-best all-time in MVC history.
Home Sweet Home II -- Southern Illinois men’s basketball extended its nonconference win streak inside Banterra Center to 21 games after defeating Queens University 91-68 Friday night. Drake has a streak of 38-straight non-conference home victories after beating Lipscomb on Wednesday. Murray State’s current streak is 27 (22 of those as OVC members)
MTEs Begin -- Four league teams will begin their MTE (Multi-Team Event) schedules this week as Bradley (SoCal Challenge), Southern Illinois (Cancun Challenge), Missouri State (Paradise Jam), and Valparaiso (Joseph Biggs Invitational) all play their initial games in their respective MTEs this week. The league combined for a 17-17 record in MTE play last year.
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
- Sophomore Cade Tyson scored 29 points vs. Georgia State - the second-most ever by a Bruin in a season opener (Justin Hare, 30 vs. Wright State, Nov. 19, 2005)
- Malk Dia scored a career-high 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting as Belmont defeated Georgia State Nov. 6. Dia made the game-winning free throws with six seconds remaining. He added four rebounds and three blocked shots. His dunk in the first half also made ESPN SportsCenter SCTop10. Dia's 24 points represent the most points in a Belmont debut in the program's NCAA Division I era.
BRADLEY BRAVES
- Bradley knocked off two top-100 KenPom rated teams to start the season with a 73-71 OT win at UAB and 72-66 OT win in Peoria against Utah State.
- Connor Hickman and Malevy Leons both posted new career highs this past week with Hickmans 21 points against Utah State and Malevy Leons's 14 rebounds at UAB.
- Bradley is now set to host Tarleton State in their first action of the 2023 SoCal Challenge. Later this month, Bradley will play Tulane and then the winner/loser of California and UTEP with both matchups being played in San Juan, California.
- Malevy Leons had a stellar week for the Braves as they started the season 2-0 in large part due to his efforts. Bradley took down two top-100 KenPom rated teams with a road trip to UAB and a home contest against Utah State. Leons posted 24 points, 14 rebounds (Career high), and three steals at UAB in a 73-71 OT win. He would then follow it up with a masterful defensive performance by helping holding Utah State scoring guard Josh Uduje to just four points while posting four steals and a solo block to go along with his nine points and nine rebounds in BU's 72-66 OT win in Peoria.
- Almar Atlason posted his first career points over the past week with six of his eight coming in BU's season opener against UAB. Atlason saw a total of 39 minutes of action over BU's two contests.
DRAKE BULLDOGS
- Drake is 6-0 in season openers under head coach Darian DeVries.
- Entering Sunday, Nov. 12, Tucker DeVries was the only Division-I men’s basketball player to score 36 points or more.
- Nick Smith is the associate head coach at Southwest Minnesota State (Drake’s opponent on Tuesday) and his father Steve Smith is the head women’s golf coach at Drake. The Smiths are from Johnston, Iowa.
- CSUN transfer Atin Wright scored 15 points with three assists and two steals in his Drake debut on Wednesday against Lipscomb. He also drained three shots from beyond the arc.
EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
- In his first two games with the Evansville program, Ben Humrichous led the Purple Aces in scoring (14.5 PPG), rebounds (6.5 RPG) and assists (3.0 APG). He opened the season with an unbelievable performance against Miami Ohio and played a pivotal role in the season-opening victory. After being held scoreless in the first half, Humrichous erupted for 18 points in the second half while spearheading a comeback. He added eight rebounds and three assists while playing a game-high 36:15. In the win over UHSP, he scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists and a block in just over 14 minutes of work. He shot 57.9% (11/19) for the week and 50% (4/8) from outside.
- Thursday’s win over UHSP saw the Purple Aces score 116 points, tying their highest point total since opening the Ford Center in 2011. The other instance came against Earlham in 2014. The final tally tied the program Division I regulation scoring record, marking the third time it has happened since UE became a DI program in 1977. Evansville’s Division I scoring record of 136 points came in a double overtime game at Butler in 1991.
UIC FLAMES
- Isaiah Rivera certainly made the most of his opening week in a UIC uniform, averaging 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds with a .524 field-goal percentage and a sizzling .556 three-point percentage as UIC opened its season with a 1-1 record, leading nearly wire-to-wire in its home-opening victory over Little Rock after a gritty performance on the road in taking Power Five opponent Cincinnati deep into the second half of a 69-58 loss on opening night (Nov. 6). Rivera started both contests for the Flames, highlighted by his career-high 25 points and near career-best seven rebounds (one off his career high) on Friday in the home-opening win over Little Rock. Rivera made 8-of-13 shots in the win over the Trojans, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. In his UIC debut on Monday at Cincinnati, Rivera dodged early foul trouble and contributed eight points and three rebounds.
- UIC wound up holding Cincinnati well below many of its seasonal averages from a year ago. The Flames held the Bearcats more than eight points below their scoring average (77.1 ppg.) from last season, along with a .418 field-goal percentage (.448 last year) and a .200 three-point percentage (.351 last year). For the game, UIC outshot Cincinnati from the floor, .433 to .418.
- Toby Okani averaged 17.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, and 3.0 assists per game last week with two double-doubles and a .448 field-goal percentage as UIC opened its season with a 1-1 record, leading nearly wire-to-wire in its home-opening victory over Little Rock after a gritty performance on the road in taking Power Five opponent Cincinnati deep into the second half of a 69-58 loss on opening night (Nov. 6). Okani was the first opposing player to block at least five shots against Cincinnati since Feb. 21, 2019, when UCF's Tacko Fall had five blocks against the Bearcats.
- UIC connected on 10-of-21 three-pointers (.476) on Friday against Little Rock, just shy of the program's best three-point percentage in the four-year Luke Yaklich era (.478 at Evansville on Feb. 22, 2023). That same Evansville game also marked the last time prior to Friday that every UIC player who got into the game found his way into the scoring column.
- Friday's 86 points marked the highest offensive output for the Flames since Nov. 22, 2022, when they defeated Holy Cross, 89-66 at the Tom Konchalski Classic in Bronx, N.Y. It was also the most points UIC has scored at Credit Union 1 Arena since Nov. 16, 2021, when it defeated Trinity Christian, 91-50.
ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
- Malachi Poindexter had a career-high 19 points at Saint Louis. He scored in double-figures for the second consecutive game to start the season. His nine free throws and 12 free throw attempts are a new career-high, and his six rebounds are one off his career-high, which he set in the season opener against Lourdes
- Dalton Banks had 17 points against Saint Louis which is a new career-high, bettering his previous best of 14 which he did three times while at Southern Illinois. He has now scored in double-figures 13 times in his career, and in each of his two games with Illinois State. His three made three-pointers are a new career-high
- Kendall Lewis needs four points to reach 1,000 points for his career -- teammate Darius Burford already eclipsed that plateau earlier this season.
INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
- In his first two games with Indiana State, Ryan Conwell accumulated 45 points and 17 rebounds. Between the two games, Conwell shot 53.8% from the floor and made nine three pointers (56.3% from three). In the first contest against St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Conwell scored 25 points on 69.2% shooting, including knocking down five triples. He also recorded three assists and one steal in the 30-point victory. ISU traveled to face #24/24 Alabama, and Conwell recorded his first double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Adding to his well-rounded effort against Alabama, he recorded three steals and a block.
- Isaiah Swope used two strong efforts to lead the Sycamores when taking the floor for the first and second time in an ISU uniform. Swope combined for 43 points in two games, backed by a 53.3% shooting effort, draining nine total three-pointers (56.3%) and tacking on four total steals. In the first game, Swope lit up the scorecard, accounting for 14 of ISU's first 23 points. In that stretch, Swope shot 5-for-7 and made his first four threes of the game. He finished with a game-high 26 points and five triples in the 30-point win. In game two, Swope tallied a team-high 17 points and four threes (66.7% from three) in the battle at #24/24 Alabama.
MISSOURI STATE BEARS
- Missouri State is 38-3 in home openers during its Division I era (since 1982-83), including a 13-2 ledger in home openers at Great Southern Bank Arena.
- After dishing out 7 assists with just a single turnover on opening night at West Virginia, Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, Puerto Rico) entered the weekend ranked 28th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (7.0) and 21st in assists per game (7.0). In 3 career games with the Bears (including 2 last season), Lee has 15 total assists (5.0 apg).
- Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.), a Preseason All-MVC third-team selection, scored a career-high 24 points at West Virginia last Monday, knocking down 8-of-19 field goals with 8 rebounds and 5 threes. He ranks 3rd nationally in 3-pointers per game (5.0) and 25th in minutes played (37:25) per game. Moore was an MVC All-Bench Team selection in 2022-23 after averaging 10.6 points and making a team-high 50 three-pointers his sophomore year.
- In his Missouri State debut, freshman Tyler Bey was Missouri State's top reserve in the season opener at West Virginia. He tallied 7 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes in reserve, including the Bears' only dunk of the game. Bey added a block and a steal to his defensive arsenal as part of MSU's opening-night performance.
Murray State RACERS
- The game between the Racers and Hilltoppers marks the beginning of a four-year deal starting in 2023. It's their first meeting since 2014. MSU's game at WKU next season will be their first at Diddle Arena since 2013. Between 1948 and 1982, the Racers and WKU had great battles over 34 seasons after they were among the founding schools of the league.
- Newcomer Nick Ellington is off to a great start for the Racers with a scoring clip of 17.0ppg and a rebound average of 11.0. Ellington has hit 12-of-16 (.750) in the first two games.
- JaCobi Wood begins the night needing 94 points to reach 1000 for his collegiate career.
- The Racers are in their 99th season of collegiate basketball, their 26th in the CFSB Center and their second in the Missouri Valley Conference.
UNI PANTHERS
- The Panthers will look to grab their first win of the season when they host Loras College on Tuesday night. UNI is 101-83 coming off a loss under head coach Ben Jacobson.
- Nate Heise became the 112th member of UNI's 500 career point club with a 20-point game at North Texas last week. Tytan Anderson can also reach 500 career points this week, sitting 12 points shy of the milestone. Heise made his return to the floor after missing the majority of last season with injury with a 20-point performance in Northern Iowa's 83-77 overtime loss against the defending NIT champions North Texas. Shooting 9-for-18 from the floor, Heise sparked the Panther offense after trailing by 11 points in the second half scoring seven of UNI's final nine points of regulation to force overtime. Heise also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds with three assists and three steals.
- Head coach Ben Jacobson is two wins away from tying Eddie Hickey for second on the MVC's all-time wins list.
- Jacob Hutson made his Panther debut with an 11-point, seven-rebound performance in UNI's 83-77 overtime loss at North Texas last Tuesday. The former Loyola-Chicago Rambler was key in helping establish a foothold inside the paint for the Panther offense, which notched 42 points inside the lane against the Mean Green. Hutson also recorded UNI's lone blocked shot of the game.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS
- Graduate guard Xavier Johnson led the Salukis to a 2-0 start after the opening week of the 2023-24 campaign. Johnson averaged 20.5 points and five assists while shooting 59.1 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc. In SIU's season-opener against Kentucky State Johnson dropped in 20 points and three assists before leading the team for the second consecutive game with 21 points and seven assists to help the Salukis past Queens. Johnson has four triples through two games and has turned the ball over just three times in 52 minutes of game action.
- Southern Illinois extended its program-record nonconference home winning streak to 21 games on Friday when the Salukis defeated Queens. 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.
- Southern Illinois has dished out 38 assists in two games this season with eight players recording multiple dimes. The 19 assists per game ranks 39th-best nationally while SIU's 2.24 assist-to-turnover ratio is 19th-best nationally. Xavier Johnson leads SIU with 10 assists.
- After being dominated by just two true scoring threats a year ago, five players are averaging over nine points a game for SIU through two games. Xavier Johnson leads SIU with 20.5 points per game while big man Scottie Ebube has dominated in his first two games with 13.5 points per game (17.9 MPG) off the bench. Jovon Stulic and Clarence Rupert round out SIU's double-digit scorers with 11.5 points per game.
- Sharpshooter Jovan Stulic has made an immediate impact for the Salukis in two games, averaging 11.5 points and shooting 50 percent from downtown. Stulic, a graduate student, scored 14 in his Saluki debut, including a trio of 3-pointers as SIU defeated Kentucky State. The Prigrevica, Serbia native added nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in SIU's win over Queens Friday. He is 4-for-8 from distance and 8-of-13 from the field through two games. Stulic also recorded a block in each of his first two games in maroon & white.
VALPARAISO BEACONS
- Valpo's Isaiah Stafford averaged 16.0 points per game over the season's opening week, going 8-for-9 (.889) at the free-throw line while averaging 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 3.0 assists per contest. He posted a game-high 20 points in Monday's 100-61 rout of Trinity Christian before tallying 12 in Friday's setback to IUPUI.
- Valpo's Cooper Schwieger averaged 10.5 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per contest during the season's opening week. He approached a double-double with nine points and eight boards in Monday's season-opening win over Trinity Christian before sharing the team lead with 12 points in Friday's contest vs. IUPUI.
- Tuesday's date with Green Bay will mark the last of three straight home games to begin the 2023-24 season. Valpo will play six of its first seven at the ARC.This will mark the first time Valpo has started a season with three straight home games since 2016-17, when the Beacons started by hosting Southern Utah, Trinity Christian and Coppin State. Valpo has owned a record of .500 or better at home in 31 straight seasons.
- Valpo snapped a three-game opening night losing streak and improved to 9-3 over the last 12 years on opening night with a 100-64 rout over Trinity Christian. The program improved to 18-1 in its last 19 home openers. Roger Powell Jr. became the fourth straight Valpo head coach to win his first game at the ARC.