Today’s release does not include action from today’s games (three of which are already completed).
MVC Player of the Week: Trae Berhow, UNI
MVC Newcomer of the Week: Gaige Prim, Missouri State
Weekly Notebook (PDF)
Panthers off to 6-0 Start
Following back-to-back 20+ home wins last week, the UNI Panthers are 6-0 for the first time since 2014-15. It marks the second time UNI has been 6-0 in the Ben Jacobson era. Last year, no MVC team started the season as good as 4-0 (Bradley and Missouri State both were 3-0 before losing.) Entering Monday (Nov. 25), there are still 43 perfect teams in Division I.
Lighting It Up
Against UT Martin, UNI’s Trae Berhow was 8-of-11 from three point range while knocking home a career-high 36 points. The eight treys tied a school record and set a McLeod Center mark. It’s tied for 10th-best in MVC history, and ranks as the third-best total in the NCAA this season.
K.J. Riley of Evansville also had a phenomenal week. He totaled 36 points in the triple overtime win against Morgan State. Riley was 12-of-19 overall and 10-for-14 from the line. With UE trailing by three, Riley sent the game to overtime with an off balance triple with 1.5 seconds left.
The 36-point games are the most in the MVC since Reed Timmer of Drake had 38 in a Feb. 14, 2018, game against Indiana State.
Hitting Their Shots
A pair of MVC teams rank among the national leaders in field goal percentage. Loyola enters the week No. 4 in the NCAA (53.6 percent), while Drake is sixth in the nation (53.0 percent).
Going Overtime
On Sunday, Evansville and Morgan State tangled in a rare triple overtime game at the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase. For the Aces, it marked just the second time in program history that a game needed a third extra period to be decided. The other came on Feb. 6, 1958, when UE defeated St. Joseph’s (Indiana) by a final of 78-70. The last time Evansville had 115 points against a Division I team was on Jan. 25, 1993, in a 116-54 triumph over Chicago State. The three-overtime game is one of four games this year in the NCAA to go three extra sessions.
Hitting the Glass
Bradley has dominated on the glass so far this season, especially on the offensive end. Bradley ranks sixth nationally by collecting 15.8 offensive rebounds per game, while placing first in the Valley with 40.8 rebounds per game and second with a rebound margin of +7.8. Koch Bar leads Bradley in rebounding – ranking fourth nationally with 4.6 offensive boards per game and 31st with 10.0 rebounds.
Getting to the Line
Evansville ranks fourth in the NCAA in free throws made this year (and the Aces rank 11th in free throw attempts). The Aces lead the MVC and rank 30th in the nation in free throw percentage. K.J. Riley leads the nation in both attempts and makes this year.
Hitting the Outside Shots
Indiana State ranks fifth in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage, as the Sycamores have connected on 44.3 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc this season. Jordan Barnes connected on 11 3-pointers last week to give him 233 for his career. He is now in sole possession of third place on the Sycamore career 3-point chart, and he needs eight to move into the MVC’s all-time Top 20.
The Extra Pass
Drake’s Roman Penn led Drake with a season-high 18 points in the 74-58 win over Lehigh, and he added a season-high nine assists. His 7.4 assists per game currently rank seventh in the nation, and he has recorded six or more assists in every game this season.