Men's Basketball

MVC MBB Weekly Notes (D23)

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MVC Co-Players of the Week
Gaige Prim, Missouri State
6-8, 235, Sr., F, Aurora (Colo.) Grandview [South Plains CC]
  Prim helped lead Missouri State to a 3-0 start on the season, posting three double-figure scoring games and averaging 18.7 points per game while pushing inside the national top 10 in four statistical categories. Prim finished the week 21-of-27 (.778) from the field, while posting 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists per game and 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. He began the season with a 20-point effort against William Jewell on 9-of-11 from the field with 6 rebounds and 8 assists. He followed that effort with a career-high 26 points in the home victory over Northwestern State, converting 9-of-12 field goals, 9 rebounds and 9 assists and coming just shy of the first triple double in Missouri State history. Finally, Prim ended the week going 3-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 at the line in limited time against Sun Belt preseason favorite Little Rock. The effort against LR extended Prim's streak to 16 straight double-figure scoring games, dating back to last season.

Marcus Domask, Southern Illinois
6-6, 215, So., F, Waupun (Wis.) High
Marcus Domask averaged 17 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3 assists while leading SIU to a 3-0 week. Domask played his best in the biggest game, scoring a game-high 26 points in SIU’s win over Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse, snapping the Bulldogs’ 59-game non-conference home court winning streak that stretched back to 2012. For the week, Domask shot 51 percent from the floor.  

MVC Newcomer of the Week
Shanquan Hemphill, Drake
6-6, 195, Sr., F, Gary (Ind.) Michigan City [Green Bay]
Led Drake on the week with 17.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 72.4 percent (21-of-29) … against Chicago State, he led Drake with 21 points, his second most the season, on 9-of-10 shooting  with six rebounds … he closed the week with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting and four steals against North Dakota … in the Bulldogs’ win at South Dakota, he had 12 points in 21 minutes … he has scored in double-figures in 8-of-9 games this season with two 20-point games. 

MVC Rated No. 10
The Missouri Valley Conference ranks No. 10 in the KenPom conference rankings through games of Dec. 22.  Eight league schools are in the Top 170.  The No. 10 league ranking matches the second-best for MVC men’s basketball in the past eight seasons:

2 MVC Series Postponed
Due to positive COVID-19 test results among Valparaiso’s team’s personnel, the Missouri Valley Conference has postponed the Bradley-Valparaiso men’s basketball series (Dec. 28-29) and the Illinois State-Valpo series (Jan. 2-3).  The Conference will announce make-up dates for the series/games at a later date.

Pause in the Action
Since Nov. 11 (two weeks prior to the start of the basketball season) and through today (Dec. 23), MVC schools have had 24 total non-conference games canceled/postponed due to COVID.  Nineteen of the 24 lost games were replaced by another opponent.

Non-Conference Games Permitted:  90     |     Non-Conference Games Scheduled:  68
Non-Conference Games Cancelled/Added:  24/19
Conference Games Scheduled:  90     |     MVC Games Postponed/Rescheduled:  4/0

Drake 9-0 for First Time
    With its win against North Dakota on Tuesday, Dec. 22, Drake improved to 9-0 to set the school record for the best start to a season. The 1970-71 team held the previous record with an 8-0 start. Drake begins conference play undefeated for the first time since 1960-61. That team navigated the non-conference schedule with a 6-0 record.

Salukis Eye Best Start
Southern Illinois, which snapped Butler’s national-best 59-game homecourt winning streak against non-conference opponents on Dec. 21, is 6-0 for the first time since the 2003-04 team also went 6-0. SIU has a chance for the program’s first 7-0 start since 1947-48 when it hosts Evansville on Dec. 27 at Banterra Center. Southern Illinois’ best-ever start is 9-0 in 1932-33. 

Still Perfect
Through games of Dec. 22, only 27 Division I schools are still unbeaten, including three teams in the MVC.  Counting teams that have played three or more games, the MVC (3) and the SEC (4) are the only two leagues with as many as three unbeaten teams.

9-0:  Chattanooga, Drake
8-0:  Arkansas, Xavier
7-0:  Georgia, The Citadel, Washington State
6-0:  Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Michigan, Missouri, Rutgers, Southern Illinois
5-0:  SMU, Tennessee, Winthrop
3-0:  Missouri State, Sacramento State
2-0:  Alabama A&M, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico State, St. Bonaventure, Wake Forest
1-0:  Cal State Fullerton, IUPUI

Non-Conference Success
The MVC has a 40-23 non-conference record (through games of Dec. 22).  The .635 winning percentage is 10th best in the league in the past 40 seasons (since the 1981-82 campaign).

LUC:  Closing It Out
For the first time in five years, Loyola won its final non-conference game before Missouri Valley competition commenced when it rolled past Saint Francis (Ill.), 92-55 on Dec. 22.  Loyola’s 92-55 victory over Saint Francis (Ill.) extended its home-court win streak to 12 games. The Ramblers have won 16 of their last 17 games at Gentile Arena and over the last three seasons, are an impressive 25-2 at home in MVC action.

Home Sweet Home
Collectively, the league won 71.1 percent of the time at home during league play last year (after winning 90.2 percent of its home games in non-league play). That 71.1 percent winning percentage matches the best in the MVC since 1999-00, and it was the best in the NCAA last year.  This year, league teams were 31-2 (93.9 pct.) at home against non-league teams -- the best in the MVC since at least 1975-76.

INS:  Key Moves Up Charts
Tyreke Key moved into 14th on the Indiana State all-time scoring list with 1,323 points, passing Dan McDonald, Michael Menser, and Ray Goddard. The senior scored 46 points during the Sycamores’ three-game stretch Dec. 15-22, connecting on 17-of-18 free throws. 

VALPO:  Clay Mation
Valpo’s Donovan Clay’s 13 rebounds on Dec. 19 at Toledo obliterated his previous personal best of nine established on Jan. 7, 2020 at Southern Illinois. He matched Javon Freeman-Liberty’s 13 at SIUE in November 2019 for the most rebounds by a Valpo player in a single game over the last two seasons.  Clay became the second player in the MVC this season with 13 or more rebounds in a game, joining Dusan Mahorcic of Illinois State (13 at Ball State on Dec. 12).

MSU:  Career Numbers
Missouri Sate’s Ja’Monta Black (So., Columbia, Mo.) eclipsed his career high twice in three games to start the year, posting 16 points against William Jewell and then blowing that up two games later with a JQH Arena record seven 3-pointers and 26 total points in a key home win over Little Rock on Monday. Mosley started 20 games last season but scored in double figures just once.

INS:  Donating to Charity
Indiana State cashed in at the charity stripe during its 2-1 week, getting 20-or-more attempts in all three games and shooting 75 percent or better each time. ISU shot 15-of-20 at Saint Louis and turned around to shoot 21-of-28 and 28-of-35 in its two home contests.

UNI:  Berhow Returns
Senior Trae Berhow of UNI missed the Crossover Classic due to being in COVID-19 protocol. In his first game back in the lineup, Berhow finished with 19 points (7-9 FG-FGA), six rebounds and five assists in his season opener. 

UE:  Settling into the Lineup
Evansville sophomore Samari Curtis finally made his debut on December 15 against SEMO following his transfer from Nebraska.  After recording 2 points and 3 rebounds to start his Evansville career, Curtis made a giant leap in the contest against Belmont.  Curtis posted 19 points while hitting three triples and eight free throws.  He drew seven fouls in his second contest.

Sharp Shooters
Drake shot 55.2 percent in the win against UND and is now shooting 53.6 percent this season (8th-best nationally). Drake has shot 50 percent or better in six of its last seven games and 60 percent or better in two games this season.  Five league schools are shooting 50 percent or better this season, and three league teams rank in the nation’s Top 10 for field goal percentage.  Missouri State’s Gaige Prim leads the league (77.8) and ranks fourth nationally.

FG Pct. - NCAA Leaders (All Games)
1. Murray State (OVC)        57.0
2. Kansas City (Summit League)    56.9
3. Cal State Fullerton (Big West)    55.2
4. Gonzaga (WCC)        55.1
5. Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt)    54.2
6. UC Santa Barbara (Big West)    54.2
7. Illinois (Big Ten)        53.7
8. Drake (MVC)        53.6
9. Loyola Chicago (MVC)    53.0
10. Illinois State (MVC)        52.4
--
21. Missouri State (MVC)    51.1
31. Southern Illinois (MVC)    50.5

MSU:  Shooting = Success
Missouri State has fired at a 50-percent clip from the field in all three of its games and in five of its last six games, dating back to last season. The Bears are now 18-0 under Dana Ford when they make half their shots. MSU last posted three straight 50-percent shooting games from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, 2014.

DU:  Double-Digit Wins
The 33-point win vs. UND marked Drake’s ninth-straight double-digit win, something never before accomplished in program history.  With those nine double-digit wins, Drake is the first NCAA Division I team since 2011 to begin a season with eight or more non-conference wins by double-digits during a perfect non-conference slate. The 2010-11 Ohio State team is the last team to do so as they won 13-straight non-conference games by double-figures in an unblemished non-league slate.

BU:  Offense Production:  Up
The Braves completed their highest-scoring non-conference season in 14 years as Bradley averaged 74.9 points during its nine-game non-conference slate. The last time BU averaged more was in 2006-07 when the team tallied 80.8 points against non-league foes.

ILS:  Record-Tying Night
Against Chicago State, the Redbirds made a school-record-tying 17 three-point baskets on 36 attempts. The makes also set a Redbird Arena record and tied with two other times in school history in the ISU record books.

SIU:  Third in the Nation
Led by Trent Brown’s 57.1 percent accuracy from beyond the arc, the Southern Illinois Salukis lead the MVC and rank third-best in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage at 44.2.  Brown ranks 8th in individual three-point percentage.

3FG Pct. - NCAA Leaders (All Games)
1. Baylor (Big 12)        47.0
2. Illinois (Big Ten)        45.0
3. Southern Illinois (MVC)    44.2
4. Cal State Fullerton (Big West)    44.0
5. Northwestern (Big Ten)    43.5

LUC:  Long-Range Bombers
Loyola is launching 22.3 threes per game through six games. Should it maintain that rate, it would set a school record for most trey attempts per game for a season. Only the 2002-03 Rambler team exceeded 20 3FG/game (20.7).

UE:  Game Winner
Shamar Givance had a career night against Southeast Missouri State, finishing with 20 points while hitting the game-winning 3-point play -- 19 of his points came in the second half and overtime.  After recording double figures just once last year, the junior is 5-for-6 in that department this season.

LUC:  King Krut
Loyola senior center Cameron Krutwig is averaging 19.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks over his last four appearances, and now ranks 14th on the Ramblers’ career scoring list with 1,469 points and 11th with 769 rebounds. He is one of only six players in program history with at least 1,400 points and 700 boards.

UNI:  Born’s First Five
Freshman Bowen Born of UNI has started all five games this season, scoring in double digits in 4 of the 5 games. Born has averaged 12.6 points per game this season. 

BU:  Mr. Clutch
Terry Nolan has proven to be clutch right from the start for the Braves as the junior made his second game-winning shot last week in just eight games at Bradley. Most recently, the junior scored the go-ahead basket with 18.7 seconds left against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, helping the Braves secure a 69-68 win over the RedHawks.
 
ILS:  Lots of Scorers
Through six games, Illinois State has had 11 players reach the double-figure scoring plateau. That total is the top mark in the MVC. Additionally, there have been four ISU players who have scored at least 20 points in a game, which is tied for the top mark in the MVC.



NOTABLE PLAYER PERFORMANCES (Dec. 14-Dec. 22)
  • Nick Robinson, Valparaiso, Sr. -- Robinson averaged a team-best 14.5 points per game this week in a pair of contests against Purdue Northwest and Toledo. The Valpo senior had a career-high 21 points on Thursday against PNW to help Valpo move to 3-0 at home this season. He also swiped three steals, his fourth career three-steal game. His 21 points came on an efficient 7-of-8 shooting. For the week, Robinson shot 71.4 percent from the field, 60 percent from 3 and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line. 
  • Jake LaRavia, Indiana State, So. -- In a busy week for Sycamore basketball, Indiana State sophomore Jake LaRavia led the way on the court for Indiana State. LaRavia began his week with 10 points and six rebounds at Saint Louis before exploding for a career-high 27 points, including 13-of-14 from the charity stripe and six rebounds in a home victory over in-state rival Ball State. He finished his week out with a 15-point, five rebound performance in a win over SEMO. Throughout the course of the week, LaRavia knocked down 22-of-26 from the free throw line during the week and sits at sixth in the Valley in points-per-game (15.0), seventh in rebounds-per-game (5.8) and is ninth in free throw percentage (81.8%).
  • Shamar Givance, Evansville, Jr. -- Over the last week of action, Shamar Givance averaged 13.5 points per game, 5.5 assists and hit a game-winner for the Purple Aces.  In the overtime win over Southeast Missouri State on Dec. 15, Givance had the best game of his career.  He scored a career-high 20 points while hitting 7 out of 13 shots, 6 of his 8 free throw tries while registering 5 assists and three rebounds.  The junior had just once point at halftime before turning it on with 19 points in the second half and overtime.  He capped the night off with the game-winning 3-point play at the buzzer in overtime.  Givance had another nice game versus Belmont, totaling 7 points, 6 assists and a rebound in 36 minutes of work.   He was on the floor for just under 39 minutes against SEMO.  Just as impressive was his ability to take care of the ball.  He was credited with 11 assists against just four turnovers in the two games.
  • DJ Horne, Illinois State, So. -- Scored 22 points, making 6-of-12 of his shots from the field, 4-of-10 from long range, and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. He pulled down four rebounds while giving out two assists, grabbing two steals, and committing just one turnover in Illinois State’s 29-point win over Chicago State.
  • Cameron Krutwig, Loyola, Sr. -- Krutwig appeared in two games last week, averaging 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 56.5 percent (13-for-23) from the field, in losses to a pair of nationally ranked teams. In a 77-63 setback at No. 12 Wisconsin, the senior center tallied 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocks before racking up 14 points and 11 boards for his 17th career double-double, and first this season, in a heartbreaking 75-73 loss to No. 25 Richmond. For the season, Krutwig is putting up 17.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.6 bpg and is connecting on 62.5 percent (35-for-56) of his field goal tries.
  • Braden Norris, Loyola, So. -- Norris contributed 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while hitting 50 percent (12-for-24) of his field goal tries, in three games last week. The transfer from Oakland University scored 21 points, hitting five treys, and dished out five assists, to key a rally in a 75-73 loss to No. 25 Richmond. He also totaled six points, five boards and three assists at No. 12 Wisconsin and five points and four rebounds against Saint Francis (Ill.). The 6-foot point guard is averaging 9.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 3.0 apg and shooting 46.7 percent (14-for-30) from three-point land this season.
  • Samari Curtis, Evansville, So. -- Making his debut following a transfer from Nebraska, Samari Curtis recorded 10.5 points per game while hitting 10 free throws and three triples in games against SEMO and Belmont.  Curtis made his debut against the Redhawks, posting 2 points, 3 rebounds and a steal in 12 minutes of action.  In his second contest in an Evansville uniform, Curtis erupted for 19 points and 2 boards versus the Bruins.  Playing 17 minutes, Curtis was 3-for-4 from outside and hit 8 of his 10 free throw attempts.  Curtis drew seven fouls in the contest.
  • Ben Harvey, Southern Illinois, So. -- Averaged 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds for SIU in a 3-0 week. Harvey scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in SIU’s win over North Dakota on Thursday, and he followed that up with a near double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds in SIU’s win over the Fighting Hawks on Friday. 
  • Josiah Strong, Illinois State, Jr. -- Scored 17 points while making 5-of-7 shots from beyond the three-point arc. He also pulled down six rebounds and gave out six assists (with no turnovers) and picked up a steal in the Redbirds’ 29-point win. For the game, he had a game-high +/- of 37.
  • Jayson Kent, Bradley, Fr. -- Jayson Kent had a breakout game against nationally-ranked Missouri on Tuesday night. After scoring 11 total points in 12 minutes of action during Bradley’s first eight games of the season, Kent tallied 11 points versus the No. 14 Tigers, making 5-of-8 field goals to go with five rebounds and one assist.
  • Keaton Hervey, Missouri State, Jr. -- Hervey shot 56.3 percent from the field (9-of-16) in his first three starts at Missouri State, posting 7.0 points, and 4.7 rebounds per game to help lead the Bears to a 3-0 start