NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Power Five Success
The MVC has already secured six wins over Power Five programs this season, including four wins last week. The Valley is 6-4 vs. Power Five teams this season, already doubling last season’s win total of three. The Valley has a winning record against the Big 12 (2-1), Big Ten (3-2) and SEC (1-0) and the average margin of victory in the six wins is 10.3 points per game.
MVC’s Wins Over Power Five Teams
Iowa State at Drake, W - 86-81
Missouri State at Oklahoma, W - 96-90
Illinois State at Illinois, W - 74-58
Iowa at UNI, W - 88-66
Missouri State at Minnesota, W - 77-69
UNI at Missouri, W - 78-73
The Valley is responsible for 50% of the entire Big 12’s losses and 37.5% of the entire Big Ten’s losses so far this season as well as 21.4% of the losses by the Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC combined (MVC has yet to play an ACC school).
Impressive Winning %
Valley women’s hoops sits 23-11 during the first two weeks of play. The Valley has the highest winning percentage outside of the Power Five conferences.
Top Winning Percentages by Conference
.862 - Big 12
.840 - Big Ten
.820 - SEC
.800 - Pac 12
.731 - ACC
.676 - Missouri Valley
.667 - Ivy League
.658 - Conference USA
.657 - Big East
Poll Position
Drake and Missouri State continue to receive votes in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll. The Lady Bears are receiving 24 votes and sit 30th, while the Bulldogs are receiving 6 votes this week (Nov. 18) and sit 32nd.
Perfect at Home
Valley teams enter Week 3 sitting a perfect 11-0 at home this season. This week’s schedule features nine home games on the schedule.
Hot Start
UNI is 4-0 for the first time since the 1998-99 season, when the Panthers began the season with a 7-0 mark. The Panthers also had 4-0 starts during the 1973-74, 1972-73, 1971-72 and 1968-69 seasons.
Chasing History
Loyola has a chance to make an impressive piece of history as it continues its four-game road trip this week against a pair of Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opponents in Chicago State and Kansas City. With a pair of wins, the Ramblers would match the best start to a season in program history, an honor that is currently held by the 1979-80 Ramblers, who also started 5-0 in the program’s first Division I season.
Willard Leading the Pack
Senior Alexa Willard leads NCAA Division I this season with 44 made field goals, knocking down at least six shots from the floor in all five games. Willard is shooting 56 percent both overall and from 3-point land this year while making 89 percent of her free throws.
Frequent Flyer Miles
The Lady Bears have already played four road games this season with two separate trips to the Pacific Northwest. Missouri State traveled nearly 8,500 air and bus miles to pick up victories at No. 23 Minnesota, Boise State and Oklahoma, as well as a close loss at seventh-ranked Oregon State in the Preseason WNIT championship.
B1G Win
Illinois State defeated in-state foe Illinois, 74-58, on Saturday afternoon, marking the first Big Ten victory for the ‘Birds since they last beat Illinois in December of 2012. It was also the first Redbird win over a Power Five conference team since ISU beat Florida, 68-64, on Nov. 29, 2013.
Pair of Power Wins
UNI dominated Iowa from the opening tip and didn’t let up for the entire game en route to an 88-66 win over the Hawkeyes Sunday, the first win over Iowa since 2006. Earlier in the week, UNI beat Missouri 78-73. The win was the first-ever victory over Missouri in seven tries and the first victory over an SEC school since UNI topped Arkansas in 2001.
Mid-Major Top-25 Poll
Drake and Missouri State moved up in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 (Nov. 12). The Bulldogs moved up to third in the poll with two first place votes, while Missouri State moved up to fourth with four first place votes. UNI is also receiving votes, sitting 28th overall.
ESPNW Mid-Major Top-10 Poll
Drake and Missouri State appear at No. 1 and No. 3 in the latest ESPNW Mid-Major Top 10 Poll released Nov. 13 by Graham Hays. The Bulldogs and Lady Bears are joined by South Dakota, Rice and Gonzaga in the top five.