Nothing But NET
Entering this week, seven of the league’s 10 schools rank in the top 150 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET). Last year, only three teams were in the Top 150 at season’s end. Three league schools are rated higher than last year’s best-rated team in the NET (Loyola led the league with a season-ending 131 NET rating in 2018-19.) Co-champion Drake was the league leader at the end of the regular-season with a 127.
Weekly Notebook (PDF)
Tuesday, Jan. 7
Missouri State at Illinois State (ESPN+) -- 7:00 p.m. CT
Indiana State at UNI (ESPN+) -- 7:00 p.m. CT
Valparaiso at Southern Illinois (ESPN+) -- 7:00 p.m. CT
Loyola at Drake (CBSSN) -- 8:00 p.m. CT
Wednesday, Jan. 8
Bradley at Evansville (ESPN+) -- 6:00 p.m. CT
MVC Player of the Week
AJ Green, UNI
6-4, 175, G, So.
Cedar Falls (Iowa) Cedar Falls High
Green totaled 58 points in two Valley games last week. The sophomore guard shot 54% from the field in games against Illinois State and Bradley. He finished 9-of-14 from the field against Illinois State and had 23 points. Green then set career marks in points (35), field goals made (10) and three-pointers made (7) against Bradley. Green finished 10-of-21 from the field and 7-13 from beyond the arc to help the Panthers move to 1-1 in MVC play. Against the Braves he scored more than half of his team’s points (35 of 69).
MVC Newcomer of the Week
Jake LaRavia, Indiana State
6-8, 215, G/F, Fr.
Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence Central High
LaRavia averaged 16.5 points and led the team with 7.5 rebounds per game as the Sycamores split in the opening week of league play against Southern Illinois and Drake. For the week LaRavia was 15-of-23 from the field (65.2 percent) and added four assists and two blocked shots. LaRavia scored a career-high 21 points and pulled down six rebounds against the Bulldogs on the road. He was an impressive 9-of-12 from the field. In the MVC opening win over Southern Illinois, LaRavia tallied 12 points and narrowly missed his first career double-double with a career-best nine rebounds. He added four assists and a blocked shot as the Sycamores opened league play with a 1-0 record and extended their winning streak out to eight games.
Stopping the Streak
With Valpo’s 81-79 overtime victory over Evansville, the team stopped a 22-game losing skid in games played at Evansville. Matt Lottich became the first Valpo coach to win at Evansville since the legendary Gene Bartow led his team to a 101-95 victory on Feb. 1, 1969. During the years (or more accurately, decades) between those victories, five Valpo coaches went winless in the River City: Bill Purden (0-6), Ken Rochlitz (0-3), Tom Smith (0-5), Homer Drew (0-4) and Bryce Drew (0-1). No member of the Valpo team or coaching staff was alive the last time the program won in Evansville before Saturday.
Longest Active Home Series Streaks
(Active Win Streak at Home vs MVC foe)
13 -- UNI vs. Valparaiso (at Cedar Falls)
10 -- UNI vs. Drake (at Cedar Falls)
8 -- Loyola vs. Drake (at Chicago)
8 -- Indiana State vs. Evansville (at Terre Haute)
8 -- Illinois State vs. Missouri State (at Normal)
7 -- Evansville vs. Drake (at Evansville)
7 -- Missouri State vs. Indiana St. (at Springfield)
6 -- Illinois State vs. Drake (at Normal)
6 -- Evansville vs. UNI (at Cedar Falls)
*streaks are for current Valley members only
Home Cooking
Four league schools are still unbeaten at home this year (Bradley, Drake, Indiana State, UNI). The Braves have won 13-straight home games dating back to last year, and that streak is tied for 13th best nationally. Drake’s 12-game streak at home is tied for 19th-best. UNI (8 in a row) and Indiana State (7) are next best in the MVC.
Best League Home Records Since 2004-05
2019-20 (8-2) .800
2012-13 (64-26) .711
2009-10 (64-26) .711
2013-14 (63-27) .700
2007-08 (62-28) .689
2017-18 (62-28) .689
Home Cooking, Part II
During the non-conference season, league schools combined for a 55-6 record at home against non-league schools. That .902 winning percentage ranked second best in the MVC this century. After the opening day(s) of league play, that trend has continued as four of five league schools won their opener.
Best Home Records Since 1996-97
2006-07 (56-6) .903 -- 2 NCAA, 2 NIT
2019-20 (55-6) .902
2017-18 (54-7) .885 -- 1 NCAA (Final Four)
2004-05 (55-8) .873 -- 2 NCAA, 2 NIT
2005-06 (53-8) .869 -- 4 NCAA, 2 NIT
Non-Conference Season Ends
MVC teams finished with a collective 78-48 non-conference record this season. The league was 72-60 against non-league teams last year, which included an 0-3 record in post-season play.
UNI With 11 Wins
UNI won 11 non-conference games in its regular-season schedule this year, joining just 14 other MVC teams who have done so in the past 30 years. All of the previous 14 won 22+ games, seven played in the NCAA Tournament, and four were MVC regular-season champions.
MVC vs. the Top 25
The MVC is 2-4 against Top-25 teams this season, with both wins true road games (Evansville won at top-ranked Kentucky and UNI beat Colorado.) The last time the MVC won two or more true road games vs. ranked foes was in 2006-07 (three wins that season).
Power Play
The MVC was 5-9 this season against Power Conferences (the five FBS football autonomy leagues, plus the Big East).
The Good Wins
MVC schools posted 33 wins against teams picked in the top half of their league’s respective preseason polls. The MVC wins have included victories against the SEC pre-season favorite and No. 1 ranked Kentucky (Evansville), OVC pre-season favorite Belmont (Illinois State), the MAC pre-season favorite Toledo (Bradley and Valparaiso), the Big South pre-season choice Radford (Bradley), the MEAC pre-season favorite North Carolina Central (Southern Illinois), the Summit pre-season pick North Dakota State (Indiana State), and the Horizon League favorite Wright State (Indiana State).
0-2 Starts in Conference Play
Before Drake accomplished the feat last year, the league had not had a regular-season champ (or co-champ) start an MVC season with two-straight losses since the 1992-93 season when Illinois State started 0-2 in league play before winning the league race with a 13-5 MVC mark. No team in MVC history has started league play 0-3 and gone on to win or share the regular-season title.
Green’s Strong Start
AJ Green of UNI is averaging 29.0 points per game in league play through the first week of the 2019-20 conference season. He ranks second nationally with that average (for players who have played a minimum of two league games).
Player, School (Conf.) -- PPG
Luka Garza, Iowa (Big Ten) -- 33.0
AJ Green, UNI (MVC) -- 29.0
Isaiah Miller, UNC-G (SoCon) -- 27.3
Terry Taylor, Austin Peay (OVC) -- 27.0
Krutwig in Rare Space
Since 1992-93, only one player in the NCAA has recorded a full-season stat line of 16.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, and 60.0 FG shooting. Loyola’s Cameron Krutwig, who recorded the first triple-double by an MVC post player since 1989, is looking to be the second. He enters this week with averages of 16.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 4.3 apg, and a 59.9 FG percentage. (In 2018-19, Matt Rafferty of Furman averaged 17.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 4.3 assists and shot 61.5 percent from the floor.) Krutwig ranks in the Top 5 in the league in each category. Only seven previous times since 1980 (the first year assist leaders were tracked) has a player ranked in the MVC’s Top 10 in each.
Hitting Their Shots
Loyola has ranked among the top 17 in the nation in FG percentage in each of the last three seasons. The Ramblers enter this week No. 4 in the NCAA. Loyola has led the Conference in FG shooting in each of the last three seasons. Since the MVC began tracking team FG percentage (1963-64), no league team has led the league for four-straight seasons.
Hitting the Outside Shots
Indiana State ranks fifth in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage at 40.7 percent. Trae Berhow of UNI has been the most proficient beyond the arc this year, ranking 4th in the NCAA by connecting on 50.0 percent of his tries.
Penn Leads in Assists
Roman Penn of Drake leads the MVC and ranks 15th nationally with a 2.83 assist:turnover ratio. He leads the league with his 5.7 assist average. Notably, Drake has had 20 or more assists in three-straight games. Penn has led the way, averaging 9.0 assists per game in his last three outings. Valpo, meanwhile, leads the league and ranks 28th nationally with 16.7 assists per game.
Historic Shooting Percentage
DeAndre Williams of Evansville is shooting 70.3 percent from the field (97 of 138) and that ranks second-best in the NCAA this season. No MVC player has ever shot better than 70 percent for a full season.
FG Percentage -- MVC Full-Season Leaders
.674 Vernon Moore, Creighton, 1984-85
.669 Aundre Jackson, Loyola, 2016-17
.668 Luke Jackson, Bradley, 1987-88
.663 Mike Grimes, Creighton, 2002-03
.661 Roosevelt Davison, Bradley, 1983-84
Getting to the Line
Indiana State’s Tyreke Key leads the league and ranks 15th nationally with his 91.0 FT percentage (81 of 89) this year. His 81 makes ranks ninth in the NCAA. Earlier this season he established an ISU record by making 33-straight tries.
FT Percentage -- MVC Full-Season Leaders
.975 Blake Ahearn, MSU, 2003-04 (117 of 120)
.949 Rick Fields, Indiana State, 1982-83
.947 Blake Ahearn, MSU, 2004-05 (90 of 95)
.936 Blake Ahearn, MSU, 2005-06 (117 of 125)
.930 Mike Glenn, Southern Illinois, 1976-77
.925 Blake Ahearn, MSU, 2006-07 (111 of 120)
.920 Vince Greene, ILS, 2004-05 (81 of 88)
.914 Brad Duncan, ILS, 1984-85 (53 of 58)
.912 Vince Greene, ILS, 2003-04 (62 of 68)
.910 CC McFall, Wichita State, 2000-01