Monday, Nov. 11 (Game times are Central)
Drake at Cincinnati (ESPN3) -- 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 12
Evansville at #1 Kentucky (SEC Network) -- 6:00 p.m.
Coppin State at Loyola (NBCSCH+/ESPN+) -- 7:00 p.m.
Cleveland State at Missouri State (KOZL/ESPN+) -- 7:00 p.m.
Valparaiso at SIU Edwardsville (ESPN+) -- 7:00 p.m.
MVC MBB Weekly Notebook (PDF)
MVC Player of the Week
Zach Copeland, Illinois State
6-4, 185, Sr., G
Oakland (Calif.) Berkeley High
Copeland averaged 19.5 points per game during the week in which Illinois State started a season 2-0 for the first time since 2012-13 … He made 56 percent of his shots from the field (14-of-25) and 42 percent (5-of-12) from long range … He also pulled down six rebounds, dished out nine assists and had five steals over the two games … Scored 20 points in the season opener against Belmont, making 8-of-16 shots from the field and 2-of-6 from long range ... He also added five assists (just one turnover), six rebounds, and three steals … Against Little Rock he scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point distance … He gave out four assists and picked up a pair of steals … He is currently the only player in the MVC to rank inside of the top-10 in the MVC in scoring, assists, and steals.
MVC Newcomer of the Week
DeAndre Williams, Evansville
6-9, 210, So., F
Houston (Texas) Klein Forest High
Williams made a debut for the ages as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team faced Ball State in the season opener on Saturday. Williams recorded a game-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting. He was 3-for-4 from outside. He also led all players with 9 rebounds while recording 3 assists and a pair of steals in 28 minutes of work. Williams’ effort was the best for an Evansville player in their program debut since December 1, 1986.
Against the Top 25
The league will have three chances at signature wins this week as Evansville takes on #1 Kentucky, Indiana State faces #4 Louisville, and Missouri State travels to Cincinnati to take on #21 Xavier. Last year, for the first time in nine seasons, the MVC failed to win at least one game against a top-25 team, recording an 0-8 record in 2018-19.
Facing No. 1
In league history, an MVC team has recorded a win against the nation’s top team (AP poll), 12 times, most recently on Nov. 21, 2015, when UNI knocked off top-ranked North Carolina. The league has recorded 31 total wins against non-conference top-5 teams.
The Good Wins
Several MVC schools posted resume-building wins in the initial week of the season, which included victories against the OVC pre-season favorite Belmont (Illinois State) and the MAC pre-season favorite Toledo (Valparaiso). Below is a listing of MVC wins over teams picked in the top half of their league’s respective preseason polls:
Team (Poll Rank) -- MVC Winner
Ball State (3rd, MAC-West) -- Evansville
Belmont (1st, OVC) -- Illinois State
N. Illinois (2nd, MAC-West) -- UNI
Old Dominion (4th, C-USA) -- UNI
UTSA (2nd, C-USA) -- Southern Illinois
Toledo (1st, MAC-West) -- Valparaiso
Drake Ties School Record
Drake tied a school record with 17 made 3-pointers en route to a season-opening 86-55 victory over Kennesaw State last week. The 17 treys tied for the fifth-most in league history (the record is 20.) It tied Indiana State’s 17 three-pointers made against Indiana (11/10/17) as the most treys made by an MVC school in a season opener.
Hitting The Offensive Glass
Bradley leads the league and ranks 7th nationally by averaging 19.0 offensive rebounds per game. The Braves averaged 9.1 offensive rebounds last year to rank second in the MVC.
Comeback Kids
Valpo trailed by as many as 14 points in the Nov. 5 season opener vs. Toledo, rallying from down 21-7 with 13:28 left in the first half to lead by as many as nine in the seesaw affair. That marked Valpo’s largest comeback since Nov. 12, 2016, when the team trailed by 16 and beat Trinity Christian 89-75. It was the program’s largest comeback against a Division-I opponent since Jan. 17, 2013, when Valpo came from 22 down to beat Detroit Mercy 89-88. The team overcame two double-figure deficits in 2018-19 (George Washington and Illinois State).
Three on Lou Henson List
Three MVC student-athletes (UNI’s AJ Green, Bradley’s Elijah Childs and Loyola Chicago’s Cameron Krutwig) are on the 2019-20 Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I mid-major player.
Passing Fancy
Loyola’s Cameron Krutwig had 11 assists in the Ramblers’ season-opening win against UC Davis. The 11 assists are the most in the league since Josh Webster of Missouri State notched 15 dimes against Arkansas-Pine Bluff last season (12-22-18). The 11 assists are tied for fifth-most in the NCAA this year, but are the most by a non-guard.
It’s a Steal
Against Oakland, Aaron Cook Jr. had seven steals, becoming the fourth player in SIU history with 7+ steals in a game (Marcus Timmons, Darren Brooks [3 times], and Bryan Mullins). Cook’s seven steals were the most by a Saluki in a game since Bryan Mullins had eight steals at Creighton in 2006. The seven steals are tied for the most in the NCAA so far this season.
Most Steals, NCAA Single-Game Highs
7 - David Collins, South Fla. vs. Boston College
7 - Aaron Cook, Southern Illinois vs. Oakland
7 - Ivy Smith Jr., Grambling vs. Ecclesia
7 - Christian Vital, UConn vs. Sacred Heart
7 - Jason Preston, Ohio vs. St. Bonaventure
Hitting Their Shots
A pair of MVC teams rank among the national leaders in field goal percentage. Drake ranks fifth at 57.5 percent, while Loyola is 24th (54.2). Loyola has led the MVC in field goal shooting in each of the last three seasons. Since the MVC began tracking team field goal percentage (1963-64), no league team has led the league for four-straight seasons.
Former Foes
Drake faces former MVC rival Cincinnati Monday evening (Nov. 11). The Bulldogs and Bearcats shared space in the Valley for 13 seasons until 1970. Drake and UC last faced each other in 1974 and Cincinnati holds a 22-8 all-time advantage in the series. Other former MVC members that league teams will face (or could face) include Kansas State, Louisville, Memphis, Missouri, New Mexico State, Saint Louis, and Wichita State.
Post-Season in 2018-19
The Valley earned three post-season berths last year, but league tourney champion Bradley was awarded a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the lowest seed for an MVC champ. Regular-season co-champs Drake and Loyola also earned bids into the CIT and NIT, but both also lost their first game.
Another MVC Coaching Alum
After 16 years in the league, coach Barry Hinson (Missouri State/Southern Illinois) stepped down after last year, opening the door for new head coach Bryan Mullins, who is an SIU alum. As a player, Mullins led SIU to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT trip. As a coach, he was the lead assistant on Loyola’s Final Four team in 2018. He joins fellow MVC coaches (Darian DeVries/UNI; Dan Muller/Illinois State; Porter Moser/Creighton; and Dana Ford/Illinois State), as league coaches who also played for a Valley school.