Drake is receiving mention in both the Associated Press Top-25 poll and Ferris Mowers Top-25 men’s basketball coaches poll again this week.  The Bulldogs received 42 points (32nd) in the AP poll, and they received 29 points in the coaches poll (33rd).

MVC Men's Basketball Notebook (PDF)

Weekly Coaches Call (from Jan. 12) -- click below to listen to Q&A with MVC head coaches:


MVC Player of the Week
Isiaih Mosley, Missouri State
6-5, 201, So., F, Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge High
  Mosley continued his hot streak this week by helping lead the Bears to a pair of road wins at Valparaiso and extending his streak of 20-point scoring games to seven in a row. Mosley finished the week averaging 29.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 64.7 percent from the field and a perfect 12-of-12 at the line. 
  He matched his career high of 29 points in both games at Valpo, including a 26-point second half in game two. He has now scored 29 points in three straight ball games. In the opener at Valpo, Mosley was 11-for-18 from the field, 6-for-6 at the line with 8 rebounds (matching a career high) and 5 assists. In game two, he was 11-of-16 from the field, 6-of-6 at the line and racked up six rebounds and 3 assists.
  Mosely currently ranks No. 2 in the Kenpom offensive player rankings -- just behind Iowa's Luke Garza -- while his streak of consecutive 20-point games is the most by any Missouri State player since 1977. It is also just the third time over the last 10 years any MVC player has posted seven straight 20-point games, including two by Doug McDermott.
  Finally, Mosley's 26-point second half at Valpo on Sunday was his third 20-point half this season. He is currently averaging a league-best 23.7 points per game overall, but his second-half scoring average (15.8 ppg) would rank as the fifth-highest scoring average in the league by itself.

MVC Newcomer of the Week
Rienk Mast, Bradley
6-9, R-Fr., F, Groningen, Netherlands
Earning his first two collegiate starts due to an injury on the Bradley roster, redshirt freshman Rienk Mast stepped up in a big way for the Braves. The rookie averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in a pair of games at Northern Iowa, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from 3-point range. Entering the game with just one double-digit scoring performance to his name, Mast tallied 14 points in the opener before adding 13 in the finale, helping the Braves to their first Valley win of the season.


OTHERS NOMINATED / PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS

• Shamar Givance, Evansville, Jr. -- Givance averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game while leading the Purple Aces to their first win over Illinois State since the 2015-16 campaign.  He opened the weekend with 15 points in Saturday’s 57-48 victory over the Redbirds.  He knocked down all four of his free throws while dishing out six assists and adding two steals.  On top of that, he drew eight personal fouls.  On Sunday, Givance knocked down four of his six 3-point attempts on his way to 12 points.  He dished out a career-high eight assists while grabbing six boards.
• Ben Krikke, Valparaiso, So. -- Krikke averaged 16.5 points per game in two matchups with Missouri State this past weekend including a career-high 21 points in Saturday's clash. Krikke scored 17 points before halftime in the Saturday game, becoming just the fourth different player during Matt Lottich's head coaching tenure (fifth season) to score 17 or more points in an opening half. He went 2-for-2 from 3-point distance after entering the weekend 0-for-7. Krikke has finished in double figures eight times in the season's first 10 games. 
• Antonio Reeves, Illinois State, So. -- Averaged 16.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for a week in which Illinois State split its two games with Evansville. For the two games he made 13-of-18 from the field (72.2%) and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. In the opening game of the weekend he scored a team-high 11 points, making 4-of-7 shots from the field and 2-of-3 from long distance while adding a rebound and a free throw. In the finale of the week he scored a career-high 21 points – becoming the fifth Redbird player this season to score at least 20 points in a game – as he made 9-of-11 shots from the field and his only charity stripe try. He also missed a career-high by one with six rebounds in 31 minutes of action.
• Cameron Krutwig, Loyola, Sr. -- Krutwig tallied 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game, hitting 52.2 percent (12-for-23) of his field goal attempts, as Loyola split a pair of road games at Indiana State over the weekend. After going for 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the series opener, the 6-foot-9 senior center contributed a team-best 16 points, eight boards and two assists to lead the Ramblers to a 58-48 victory in the weekend finale. With his fifth rebound of the series finale, Krutwig became just the fourth player in MVC history to accumulate 1,500 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in his career, joining the elite company of Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Hersey Hawkins, all of whom are Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers. For the year, Krutwig is putting up 16.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.4 bpg, connecting on 62.3 percent (71-for-114) of his field goal attempts.
• Tyreke Key, Indiana State, Sr. - Key became the 13th student-athlete in Indiana State history to eclipse the 1,400 point mark in his career, doing so with his second career double-double of 31 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola, Jan. 10. The guard averaged 19 points and eight rebounds in the Sycamores’ 1-1 week against the Ramblers, and knocked down 14-of-16 free throws in the two games.
• Austin Phyfe, UNI, Jr. -- Phyfe totaled 27 points, 20 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in two games against Bradley. Phyfe went 7-11 from the field on Sunday, finishing with 18 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Panthers to a 78-72 victory. Phyfe then added 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in game two of the series.
• Elijah Childs, Bradley, Sr. -- Childs led the Braves in their return to action, averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in a pair of games at Northern Iowa, shooting 53.8 percent from the field. The senior scored 15 points to go with nine rebounds in the opening contest, before adding 16 points and eight boards in the finale, making 8-of-13 field goals in the victory.
• Nate Heise, UNI, Fr. -- Heise totaled 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 assists and 1 block helping the Panthers to a 1-1 series with Bradley. Heise finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals in game one of the series. The freshman guard then added 9 points in game two. 
• Braden Norris, Loyola, R-So. -- In two games at Indiana State over the weekend, Norris averaged 4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 6.0 apg as the Ramblers split the season series with the Sycamores. The 6-foot point guard doled out a season-high nine assists in the weekend opener at Indiana State, then pitched in three points and three assists in a 58-48 victory. In his first season with the Ramblers after transferring from Oakland, the Hilliard, Ohio native is recording 7.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg and a team-best 3.4 apg. 
• Sheldon Edwards, Valparaiso, Fr. -- Edwards averaged 9.5 points per game, totaling 19 points over the two contests this weekend. He contributed to a group of four freshmen and sophomores that combined to account for 91.1 percent of the team's scoring on Saturday with nine points before posting his fourth double-figure output of the season with 10 on Sunday. 

  

First to 13 Wins
    Despite not playing last week, Drake still leads the nation in wins at 13-0.  A total of 19 MVC men’s basketball teams, including Drake this year, have started a season with 13-straight wins in the league’s 114-year history.  Drake’s previous best start to a season was 8-0 in 1970-71. 
Of the 12 previous 13-0 MVC starts since World War II -- eight teams reached the NCAA Tournament, and four played in the NCAA Final Four.

Wins to Start Season - MVC (since WWII)
35 Wichita State (2013-14)*    35-1
33 Indiana State (1978-79)*#    33-1
19 Cincinnati (1962-63)*#    26-2
16 Oklahoma State (1950-51)*#    29-6
15 Bradley (1950-51)    32-6
15 Tulsa (1983-84)*    27-4
14 Illinois State (2008-09)    24-10
13 Drake (2020-21)    TBD
13 Indiana State (1977-78)    23-9
13 Cincinnati (1959-60)*#    28-2
13 Louisville (1966-67)*    23-5
13 Louisville (1974-75)*#    28-3
*denotes NCAA Tournament team; #Final Four

Still Perfect
Drake is one of just eight unbeaten DI teams (through games of Jan. 11):

13-0:  Drake
12-0:  Gonzaga
11-0:  Baylor, Winthrop 
10-0:  Michigan
  8-0:  The Citadel
no others with more than four games played

Non-Conference Success
The MVC has a 41-23 non-conference record.  The .641 winning percentage is 10th best in the league in the past 40 seasons (since the 1981-82 campaign).

Pause in the Action
Since Nov. 11 (two weeks prior to the start of the basketball season) and through today (Jan. 12), MVC schools have had 24 total non-conference games canceled/postponed due to COVID.  Twenty of the 24 lost games were replaced by another opponent.

• Non-Conference Games Permitted:  90
• Non-Conference Games Scheduled:  68
• Games Cancelled/Added:  24/20
• Conference Games Scheduled:  90
• MVC Games Played:  22
• MVC Games Postponed/Rescheduled:  15/6

Mosley Hits 20 Again
Missouri State’s Isiaih Mosley’s seven-game streak of 20 points or more is the second-longest active streak in the nation, and he’s one of just three MVC players in the past 10 seasons to score 20 or more points in 7-straight games.  Mosley (2nd), Gaige Prim (5th) and Cameron Krutwig (8th) rank in the Top 10 of KenPom’s Offensive Player ratings (Luka Garza of Iowa leads all players.)

Active Streaks, Consecutive Games w/20+ Pts.  
Cameron Shelton, Northern Arizona - 8
Isiaih Mosley, Missouri State - 7

MVC Players, Consecutive Games w/20+ Pts.  (last 10 seasons)
10 - Doug McDermott, Creighton (2011-12)
  8 - D.J. Balentine, Evansville (2014-15)
  7 - Isiaih Mosley, Missouri State (2020-21)
  7 - Doug McDermott, Creighton (2012-13)
  6 - Jaylon Brown, Evansville (2016-17)

King Krut
Loyola’s Cameron Krutwig has joined an exclusive club, joining Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame members Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Hersey Hawkins as the only MVC players to rack up 1,500 career points, 800 career rebounds and 300 career assists.  Krutwig is the only active NCAA DI player with that trifecta of statistics, and he’s only the 13th to achieve the milestone in the past 10 years.

Back-to-Back
Here’s a statistical snapshot for the second game played as part of the league’s back-to-back series (cumulative averages, through 1/12)

• Home Teams -- 8-3 (G1); 5-6 (G2)
• Points (Home) -- +1.46  |  (Visitors) -- +1.55
• Paint (Home) -- +.545  |  (Visitors) – minus 1.45
• FTA (Home) – minus 1.20  |  (Visitors) -- +4.45
• Pts./Possession (Home) -- +0.052
• Pts./Possession (Visitors) -- +0.072

Home Sweet Home
This year, league teams were 32-2 (94.1 pct.) at home against non-league teams -- the best in the MVC since at least 1975-76.

Alma Mater Coaches
Only 35 Division I men’s coaches are leading their alma maters, including two in the MVC (Dan Muller at Illinois State and Bryan Mullins at Southern Illinois).  Three other MVC coaches played at another MVC school (Dana Ford of Missouri State played at Illinois State; Darian DeVries of Drake played at UNI; Porter Moser of Loyola played at then-member Creighton.  Moser was also a head coach previously at Illinois State).

Defending the Shot
Since 2010, every team but one that has led the MVC in FG percentage defense has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  (Loyola was third in the MVC in that statistic in 2018 and represented the league in the NCAAs.)  Bradley’s current 36.9 percent figure leads the MVC, ranks in the Top 10 in the NCAA and is the best in the MVC since 1980.

.369 Bradley, 2020-21
.377 Wichita State (754-2000), 2016-17
.379 Illinois State (733-1935), 2016-17
.383 Bradley (617-1613), 1997-98
.387 Wichita State (659-1704), 2015-16
.387 Bradley (627-1621), 1996-97

LUC:  3-1 Start
Loyola is 3-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play for the third-straight season, and the Ramblers’ 16 road wins in MVC play since the start of the 2017-18 campaign are the most among league members in that stretch.

MSU:  Hot Start
The Bears 8-1 start to the season matches the team’s best since 2013-14. MSU has not had a 9-1 start since the 2009-10 campaign when coach Cuonzo Martin’s squad started the year 12-1. Of note, the Bears first five non-conference games this season -- all home games -- were lost due to COVID protocol.

UNI:  Coaching Tree
UNI Head Coach Ben Jacobson currently has 155 MVC coaching wins, ranking tied 4th in MVC history with former Missouri State and Southern Illinois head coach Barry Hinson.  Jacobson, with 294 career wins at UNI, ranks fourth all-time in the MVC for total wins.  Notably, with the Sycamores’ comeback 76-71 victory over Loyola Jan. 10, head coach Greg Lansing reached the 170 win mark for his career at Indiana State.  He’s 17th on the all-time MVC wins list.  Porter Moser of Loyola has 199 wins as a league coach - 10th best all-time.

(Conference Games Only)
187 -- Henry Iba, Oklahoma State (1934-57)
182 -- Dana Altman, Creighton (1994-10)
163 -- Eddie Hickey, CU/SLU (1935-43; 46-58)
155 -- Ben Jacobson, UNI (2006-present)
155 -- Barry Hinson, MSU/SIU (1999-08; 12-19)

Sharp Shooters
Drake (4th) and Loyola (10th) are both ranked in the Top 10 nationally in field goal percentage.  Loyola has led the league in FG percentage for four-straight years.  Four league schools are shooting 50.0 or better from the floor this year, and they each rank in the Top 20 in the NCAA.

VALPO:  Avoiding Giveaways
After making 10 or more turnovers in each of the season’s first seven games, Valpo has committed nine giveaways or fewer in each of its last three contests. This is the first time Valpo has strung together three straight games with fewer than 10 turnovers since a stretch of five such games in February 2017, the program’s final season in the Horizon League and Matt Lottich’s first year as head coach. 

UE:  Quick Out of the Gate
The 4-1 start to Valley play marks the best for Evansville since the 2015-16 campaign when the Aces won six of their first seven games.  That season also marked the last win over the Redbirds -- a 66-55 victory at Redbird Arena.  The 4-1 start (before losing to Illinois State on Sunday) marked third time since 2000-01 that Evansville has started league play with a 4-1 mark.

Tough D
Three MVC teams are among the national leaders for fewest points allowed.   Bradley, Drake and Loyola all surrender fewer than 63.0 points per game.

Long-Range Bombers
This season the Illinois State men’s basketball team has made nearly 40 percent of its three-point tries (39.9 percent). That total is the 13th-best in the NCAA this season, while also standing fourth in the MVC. The last time a Redbird squad had a three-point field goal percentage of .400 or better was during the 2002-03 season when ISU made 44 percent (188-of-427) of its three-point field goal attempts.
SIU is shooting 40.2% from the 3-point line this season. The Salukis have shot 40% or better from the 3-point line just twice in program history: 1986-87 and 1987-88, the first two years of the 3-point line.

BU:  Braves Offense Rolling
The Braves offense did not slow down after a 19-day layoff, picking up right where it left off. After averaging 74.9 points during the non-conference campaign – the team’s highest scoring non-conference season since 2006-07 – Bradley eclipsed 70 points in each of its first two Valley games. It marks the first time that BU tallied at least 70 points in its first pair of conference games since accomplishing the feat during the 1993-94 season.

DU:  Bulldogs Rolling
Drake has a pair of 18-point road wins this season that tie for the fourth biggest margins of victory in a road game by the Bulldogs in the past 12 seasons. Of the Bulldogs 15 double-digit road wins in the last 12 seasons, six have come under head coach Darian DeVries.  The last MVC team to have a scoring margin of +20.0 for an entire season was Cincinnati’s 1960 Final Four team.  Only six league teams on record have had a full-season figure about 15.0 points per game.  Loyola has a 15.5 scoring margin this season.

INS:  Crashing the Boards
Indiana State is 2-2 on the season when out-rebounding opponents on the season, including an 0-2 record in MVC play when winning the rebound battle.

LUC:  Big Matchup Awaits
The Ramblers, who are in the middle of a grueling stretch that will see them play seven of nine league games on the road, are back at home this weekend to face UNI, the 2020-21 MVC preseason favorite. The Ramblers have won 15 straight games at home overall and are 27-2 (.931) at home in Valley play since the start of the 2017-18 season.