NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Poll Position
Drake moved to No. 24 in Monday’s Associated Press’ women’s Top 25 poll. The Bulldogs went 2-1 last week at the Vancouver Showcase with wins over Rutgers and then No. 13 South Carolina and a loss to No. 1 Notre Dame. This is the first ranking for the program since it closed the 2016-17 season at No. 20 in the final AP poll. It is the earliest a MVC team has appeared in the AP poll since Missouri State sat 21st on Nov. 13, 2000.
Upset Up North
Drake closed the Vancouver Showcase with a 90-85 overtime victory over No. 12/13 South Carolina in the third place game. It is the highest ranked win over an opponent for the Bulldogs since the 2002 team defeated No. 7 Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
It is the highest ranked win over an opponent in the regular season by a Valley team since Missouri State beat No. 10 LSU on November 24, 2000.
Another Power Five Win
Saturday saw Drake notch another Power Five win to its resume as the Bulldogs beat No. 13 ranked South Carolina. The conference sits 3-4 against Power Five opponents as Drake also beat Nebraska and Rutgers. The MVC has nine more opportunities against teams from the Big Ten and Big 12 during non-conference play. Last season, the MVC earned four wins over members of Power Five conferences.
Historic Start
Bradley claimed their first in-season tournament title since 2008-09 along with the first 4-0 start to a season in nearly two decades with a win at Florida Atlantic Saturday. The last time Bradley opened a season with four consecutive victories came in 2001-02 when BU went a perfect 9-0 in non-conference action. Gabi Haack’s 32 points were the most by a Brave almost four years to the day from when Michelle Young tied the Bradley single-game scoring record of 38 points in a contest at Columbia on Nov. 26, 2014.
Queens of the Comeback
Give them a crown because the 2018-19 Sycamores have quickly become the Queens of the Comeback. All three victories early on this season for Indiana State have been come-from-behind wins. ISU trailed Marshall by seven, Saint Louis by 14 and the Sycamores erased a nine-point deficit to come back and beat Grand Canyon in double overtime.
Double-Doubles
Southern Illinois’ Abby Brockmeyer leads the MVC with four double-doubles, while Drake’s Sara Rhine has posted three double-doubles on the season. UNI’s Megan Maahs is the only other player with multiple double-doubles as the senior has two so far on the season.
Triple Twenty
Indiana State notched what might be a program first (easily accessible records only date back to 2003-04 season) in its double-overtime win at Grand Canyon on Nov. 23 - three players reached the 20-point mark. Not only is that a rare feat in Terre Haute, but it is a rare feat in the Valley. Current research (and it is still on-going) shows that this is a rare occurance among Valley teams. The most recent was Drake in 2017 but the last time any other Valley team hit this mark was Bradley in 1998.
Date Team Opponent
Feb. 18, 1981 Southern Illinois Illinois
Dec. 4, 1998 Bradley Western Illinois
Mar. 4, 2017 Drake Wichita State
Nov. 23, 2018 Indiana State Grand Canyon
Improved on the Road
Last season, The Valley posted a 9-41 record on the road in non-league action. So far this season, the conference has already secured nine road wins. The conference can surpass last year’s win total on the road Wednesday as Drake faces Creighton.
The RPI Ratings Game
The first installment of the NCAA RPI Report (Nov. 26) has four Valley teams that rank in the top-150, led by Drake at No. 19, Bradley at No. 42, Indiana State at No. 115 and UNI at No. 150. The MVC ranks 15th among 32 conferences.
Against the Field
The MVC holds a winning record against nine leagues in non-conference play, including the America East (1-0) , A-10 (1-0), Big Ten (2-1), Big West (2-1), Colonial (2-0), Conference USA (3-1), NEC (1-0), Summitt (3-2) and WAC (2-0). The MVC holds at least a .500 mark against the SEC (1-1).
1,000 Point Club
Drake junior Becca Hittner has scored 998 points in 70 career games entering this week’s action. She will be the 32nd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
Current MVC Players in 1,000 Point Club
1,282 - Maddy Dean, Drake
1,158 - Sara Rhine, Drake
1,048 - Ellie Howell, UNI
1,013 - Meredith Hamlet, Valparaiso