By Sunday, Dec. 30, the league will have closed out its non-conference regular-season slate. There are 26 games remaining vs. non-league teams, and the MVC is currently 13 games over .500. MVC schools, collectively, have a favorable finish to the non-league slate with 14 home games and 7 road games left.
MVC Weekly MBB Notebook (PDF)
MVC Player of the Week
Phil Fayne, Illinois State
6-8, 220, Sr., Fwd., Elk Grove (Calif.) Franklin High
Fayne scored a career-high 30 points in the team’s overtime win against Cleveland State, making two free throws with 1.6 seconds to play in regulation to send the game into an overtime period. He made 11-of-14 shots from the field and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. Additionally, Fayne pulled down nine rebounds, blocked three shots and added a steal in 34 minutes of action. His 11 made field goals also marked a career-high for the senior.
MVC Newcomer of the Week
Nick Norton, Drake
5-10, 170, Sr., Gd., Bloomington (Ill.) Central Catholic High [UAB]
Norton had 11 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in 38 minutes against Iowa State … his second double-figure assist performance of the season was tempered by no turnovers as well … Norton accounted for 10 of the team’s 22 assists on an afternoon where 75.6 percent of the team’s baskets were assisted … Norton has a 32-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio in the last four games while averaging 15.3 points per game during that span.
Tough Schedules
In 2018-19, MVC men’s basketball has 19 games against Power opponents (the five FBS leagues and the Big East). The league also plays more than 40 games against top opponents from non-Power leagues (teams picked 1-4 in their conference’s pre-season rankings). Only nine of the league’s total 45 non-league losses have not been to either a Power conference team or a team not picked in the top four of their pre-season conference polls.
Knocking Down Shots
Loyola connected on 28 of 41 field goal attempts in its win against Norfolk State on Sunday, Dec. 16. It marks the best in the MVC this year, and 5th best in the NCAA this season. Of the five games listed below, Loyola was the most efficient from three-point range, hitting 13-of-22 (.591) from beyond the arc.
Top Single-Game FG Pct. Performances, 2018-19
.714 Xavier vs. Eastern Kentucky (35-of-49)
.702 Iowa State vs. Southern (40-of-57)
.689 S. Dakota State vs. Southern (31-of-45)
.685 Dayton vs. Detroit (37-of-54)
.683 Loyola vs. Norfolk State (28-of-41)
Working Overtime
Illinois State won its 7th-straight overtime decision, dating back to last year, with an 88-77 victory over visiting Cleveland State on Dec. 16. The 7 OT wins are the most in the NCAA in the past two seasons. Conversely, Indiana State, although not having played an OT contest this year, is among the NCAA leaders with four overtime losses in the past two years.
Most Overtime Wins, Last 2 Seasons
7 -- Illinois State
6 -- Wyoming
5 -- Marquette
4 -- Several teams tied
Most Overtime Losses, Last 2 Seasons
5 -- Texas
4 -- Indiana State
4 -- 8 other teams tied
The Extra Pass
In the win over Norfolk State, Loyola Chicago recorded a staggering 24 assists on 28 field goals. The 24 assists are the most since Feb. 3, 2018, when Loyola doled out 24 helpers in a 97-75 win over Missouri State. Notably, Drake leads the MVC and ranks 5th nationally (KenPom) in assist percentage, recording an assist on 66.9 percent of its 2-point field goals.
NCAA Leaders, 2-Pt Assist Pct. (KenPom)
72.1 TCU
71.8 Holy Cross
71.1 Tennessee
70.7 Oakland
66.9 Drake
66.2 Michigan State
1,000-Point Club
A pair of Valley players (SIU’s Armon Fletcher and Bradley’s Darrell Brown) have eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau this season. Three others are within 39 points of reaching 1,000.
Active Leading Scorers in the MVC
1,029 - Armon Fletcher, Southern Illinois
1,014 - Darrell Brown, Bradley
988 - Jarred Dixon, Missouri State
964 - Clayton Custer, Loyola Chicago
961 - Phil Fayne, Illinois State
911 - Jordan Barnes, Indiana State
854 - Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Bradley
797 - Sean Lloyd, Southern Illinois
754 - Milik Yarbrough, Illinois State
747 - Nick McGlynn, Drake
totals only include seasons in which a player played for an MVC school
2 for 40 Points a Game?
Indiana State’s Jordan Barnes and Tyreke Key are combining to average 38.9 points per game. The last MVC duo to average 40+ per game for a whole season was Randy Blocker and Cam Johnson of UNI (1993-94). Here’s a list of the last 3 ‘dynamic duos’ … and some near misses.
1994: 44.1 -- Randy Blocker (23.0)/Cam Johnson (21.1)/UNI
1988: 48.5 -- Hersey Hawkins ( 36.3)/Donald Powell (12.3)/BU
1988: 43.1 -- Steve Middleton (25.4)/Kai Nurnberger (17.7)/TU
1999: 39.4 -- Maurice Evans (22.6)/Jason Perez (16.8)/WSU
1991: 39.7 -- Gary Collier (22.9)/Shea Seals (16.8)/TU
1990: 39.9 -- Bob Harstad (22.2)/Chad Gallagher (17.7)/CU
1989: 39.2 -- Anthony Manuel (21.1)/Dion Thurman (18.1)/BU
Newcomer Debuts
Four MVC newcomers made their debuts in games over the weekend. Bradley freshman Ari Boya made his collegiate debut after missing the first 10 games of the season with an injury. Indiana State’s Cooper Neese (Butler) and Christian Williams (Iowa) and Missouri State’s Jared Ridder (Xavier), who all sat out the fall semester to finish out their NCAA transfer residency requirements, became eligible and played their first contests, also.
MVC Newcomers in Debut Games Last Week
BU - Ari Boya (6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks)
INS -- Cooper Neese (3 points, 26 minutes)
INS -- Christian Williams (13 points, 11 boards)
MSU -- Jared Ridder (10 points, 2 steals)
Reaching Double Digits
With 12 points against Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Dec. 15, Bradley’s Darrell Brown extended his double-digit scoring streak to 11 games to start the season – the longest run by a Brave since the 2006-07 season. Brown has 61 career games with 10 or more points, which is more than any active MVC player.
Most Games, Double Figures, Active MVC Players
61 -- Darrell Brown, Bradley
59 -- Clayton Custer, Loyola Chicago
58 -- Armon Fletcher, Southern Illinois
51 -- Jarred Dixon, Missouri State
49 -- Phil Fayne, Illinois State
45 -- Jordan Barnes, Indiana State
44 -- Sean Lloyd, Southern Illinois
36 -- Milik Yarbrough, Illinois State
Block Party
Missouri State senior Obediah Church is just the sixth player in Valley history to eclipse 200 career caroms – and the first since Evansville’s Egidijus Mockevicius (2012-16). Church is nine rejections from moving into fourth place.
MVC Career Leaders, Blocked Shots
411 Benoit Benjamin, Creighton, 1982-85
297 Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville, 2012-16
222 Grant Stout, UNI, 2003-07
209 Antoine Carr, Wichita State, 1979-83
201 Obediah Church, Missouri St., 2015-pres.
200 Jackie Carmichael, Illinois State, 2009-13
Hall of Famer
Saluki Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Reis will be inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame as part of a 13-person class announced on Friday. Reis is part of a prestigious class that includes NFL veterans Eric Wright and Bryan Cox, former NBA star LaPhonso Ellis, former Major League Baseball player Ray Fosse, and Olympic champion Dawn Harper.
Valpo Back in Action
Valparaiso didn’t play any games last week (final exams), and return to the court Monday (Dec. 17) against Ball State. In all, Valpo will play just twice in 20 days after playing nine times in the previous 24 days. Valpo has Ball State today and Texas A&M on Wednesday before closing out the non-league slate at home against Purdue-Northwest on Dec. 29.
Nothing Green About Green
UNI’s AJ Green is the league’s top scoring freshman, averaging 14.4 points per game to rank 11th overall in the MVC. The last MVC freshman to average 15.0 points per game was Illinois State’s Tarise Bryson, 15.5 in 1998-99.
Top Scoring MVC Freshman (by PPG)
21.0 Mitchell Anderson, Bradley (1978-79)
18.5 Cleo Littleton, Wichita State (1951-52)
18.4 John S. Williams, Indiana State (1982-83)
16.8 Shea Seals, Tulsa (1993-94)
15.8 Cliff Levingston, Wichita State (1979-80)
15.5 Tarise Bryson, Illinois State (1998-99)
15.3 Eddie Bird, Indiana State (1987-88)
15.2 Antoine Carr, Wichita State (1979-80)
14.9 Milton Doyle, Loyola Chicago (2013-14)
14.9 Doug McDermott, Creighton (2010-11)
14.8 Benoit Benjamin, Creighton (1982-83)
14.7 Luke McDonald, Drake (2000-01)
14.6 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley (1984-85)
14.5 Colt Ryan, Evansville (2009-10)
14.5 Rodney Buford, Creighton (1995-96)
14.4 AJ Green, UNI (2018-19)
Double Trouble
Evansville’s John Hall notched his third double-double of the season in the Saturday loss to Jacksonville State. He scored 14 points and added a career-best 14 rebounds. The leading defensive rebounder in the MVC added 12 more caroms on that end. He’s tied with Illinois State’s Phil Fayne for the MVC lead with three double-doubles this season.
MVC Leaders, Double-Doubles, 2018-19
3 Phil Fayne, Illinois State
3 John Hall, Evansville
Making an Impact
Several newcomers to the league are making an impact in various statistical categories. Four first-year Valley players are in the Top 15 in scoring, reboundng and assists, while five are in the Top 10 in steals per game. Valpo’s Deion Lavender is technically not a newcomer having played as a freshman at Southern Illinois, and SIU’s Eric McGill is also listed among the newcomers despite participating in 10 games last year (he was awarded a medical hardship and didn’t lose a year of eligibility).
MVC Leaders, Scoring
7. Shea Feehan, UE 15.3
9. Nick Norton, DU 14.5
11. AJ Green, UNI 14.4
12. Keandre Cook, MSU 14.3
MVC Leaders, Rebounding
7. Trae Berhow, UNI 6.3
9. Eric McGill, SIU 5.8
11. Keandre Cook, MSU 5.6
14. Deion Lavender, VALPO 5.2
MVC Leaders, Assists
1. Nick Norton, DU 6.8
2. Deion Lavender, VALPO 5.9
3. Josh Webster, MSU 4.9
10. Zach Copeland, ILS 3.5
MVC Leaders, Steals
1. Javon Freeman, VALPO 1.9
3. Josh Webster, MSU 1.5
3. Deion Lavender, VALPO 1.5
6. Eric McGill, SIU 1.4
10. Shea Feehan, UE 1.3