NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Non-League Play Winding Down
Just 21 non-conference games remain on the MVC regular-season schedule as we head towards the holiday break, while the first league games will begin on January 3.
Impressive Winning %
Valley women’s hoops sits 62-30 during non-conference play. The Valley has the highest winning percentage outside of the Power Five conferences entering this week’s action. The top eight teams in the MVC combine for a 58-15 (.795) record.
Top Winning Percentages by Conference
.839 - Pac 12
.793 - Big Ten
.773 - Big 12
.729 - SEC
.676 - ACC
.674 - Missouri Valley
Record Non-Con?
Valley women’s basketball has already eclipsed 60 wins in non-conference play with a few weeks remaining in the non-league season. Only five times previously since the 1992-93 season has the MVC claimed 60+ non-league wins in a season with the league record for non-con wins at 66 (2009-10).
MVC Top Non-Conference Records (by Winning %)
1. 2019-20 62-30 (.674)
2. 1994-95 54-28 (.659)
3. 1998-99 55-31 (.640)
4. 2009-10 66-38 (.635)
5. 1993-94 62-37 (.626)
Historic Conference RPI
The Valley ranks fifth nationally in the NCAA’s conference RPI report (Dec. 14). The Valley sits behind the Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 and just ahead of the SEC and Big East entering this week.
The Valley record for RPI in a season is 8th (2008 & 2011).
Conference RPI
1. Big Ten
2. Pac-12
3. ACC
4. Big 12
5. Missouri Valley
6. SEC
7. Big East
The RPI Ratings Game
The latest weekly installment of the NCAA RPI Report (Dec. 17) has six Valley teams that rank in the top-60, including three in the top 30. Missouri State leads the way at No. 3 with Drake at No. 17 and Illinois State at No. 29. UNI (50), Loyola Chicago (53) and Bradley (56) round out the schools in the Top 60.
The Valley joins the Power Five conferences as the only leagues with at least six teams sitting in the Top 60 of the RPI.
Power Five Success
The MVC has secured eight wins over Power Five programs this season. The Valley is 8-10 vs. Power Five teams this season, almost tripling last season’s win total of three. The Valley has a winning record against the Big 12 (2-1) and SEC (3-1) and sits 3-6 vs. the Big Ten and 0-2 vs. the Pac-12. The average margin of victory in the seven wins is 8.8 points per game. Missouri State has three, Drake two, UNI two and Illinois State one.
The league will have three more chances at a Power Five win this week as Drake travels to Oklahoma and Iowa and UNI heads to Iowa State.
Vs. Top 25
Last season, the MVC went 1-8 against Top 25 opponents during the non-conference season. The league currently sits 1-3 vs. the Top 25 this year with two more chances to claim a win this week. Loyola will host #16 DePaul on Friday, while #18 Missouri State will look for its second Top 25 win at #17 Gonzaga Friday.
The last time the MVC recorded two wins against the Top 25 during non-conference play was during the 2002-03 season (Drake vs. No. 18 Iowa State & UNI vs. No. 24 Iowa State).
Ranked vs. Ranked
No. 18 Missouri State travels to 17th-ranked Gonzaga on Friday for a rare ranked versus ranked match-up for the Lady Bears. MSU is 8-8 all-time in games where both teams are ranked, most recently a loss to Purdue in the 2001 Final Four. The last such regular season match-up took place on Dec. 16, 2000, when the 21st-ranked Lady Bears topped No. 16 Oklahoma by a 69-61 final in Springfield, and the last road win in a ranked vs. ranked game was at No. 7 Iowa in the 1992 NCAA Tournament second round.
What A Year
Friday is the one-year anniversary of the Lady Bears starting their current 33-4 run with a Dec. 20, 2018 victory against Louisiana Tech in Kansas City. From that date through Dec. 15 of this year, Missouri State trailed only Baylor (37) in total victories, tying with UConn at 33 and sitting a game ahead of Oregon and Stanford.
Hot Starts
Three Valley teams are sitting with one or fewer losses this season.
Loyola’s 9-0 start is the best in program history, surpassing the 1979-80 Ramblers’ 5-0 start. The Ramblers are one of 12 NCAA Division I teams remaining without a loss this season. Loyola’s nine straight wins are its most since going on a 10-game tear during the 1988-89 season.
Missouri State’s 9-1 start is the best for the Lady Bears since opening the 2003-04 season 20-1.
Bradley is 8-1 or better to start a season for just the third time.
Home Sweet Home
Currently seven MVC teams remain unbeaten at home: Bradley (4-0), Drake (5-0), Illinois State (5-0), Loyola Chicago (3-0), Missouri State (5-0), UNI (4-0) and Valparaiso (2-0) have unblemished records on their home courts this season. The Valley currently holds a 34-5 (.872) mark at home this season.
Strength of Schedule
Three Valley teams have a SOS ranking in the Top 30 according to the NCAA (Dec. 16). Drake leads The Valley with a SOS of No. 17. Missouri State comes in this week ranked No. 25 with Illinois State (28) also ranking in the Top 30.
Poll Position
Missouri State remained No. 20 in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll. It is the Lady Bears’ first top 20 ranking in the AP poll since Mar. 13, 2001 (15th).
The Streak Continues
Valpo’s win over UIC on Sunday extended its winning streak to four consecutive games. For Valpo’s last stretch of four straight wins over Division I opposition, you have to travel back to February/March 2007, when the Brown and Gold closed the regular season with five consecutive victories and then won their Mid-Con Tournament opener for six straight wins.
Sharing the Rock
Drake enters the week averaging 22.4 assists per game, which ranks second nationally. Drake is the only team in the country to rank in the top three of Assists Per Game each of the previous three seasons. Loyola Chicago also ranks Top 20 nationally, coming in at No. 16 this week (18.9 apg).
Assists Per Game
1. DePaul 22.6
2. Drake 22.4
3. Oregon 22.3
4. Baylor 21.6
5. Iowa 21.1
High Percentage
Drake enters this week ranking 9th nationally in Field Goal Percentage (48.0%). Drake finished 10th in FG% last year, 5th in 2017-18, and 2nd in 2016-17. UConn is the only other school to finish in the top 10 in the last three seasons. The Huskies currently sit 10th nationally.