ST. LOUIS – The Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences announced today the pairings for the 2018 Challenge Series between the two conferences. All 10 games will take place in a five-day span in late November/early December.

Pairings Announcement (PDF)

  The 2018 slate will feature three NCAA tournament teams from last season (Loyola Chicago, Nevada and San Diego State) and a rematch of the thrilling Sweet 16 game between Nevada and Loyola Chicago.
 

Date	Matchup	Location
Tues., Nov. 27	Nevada at Loyola Chicago	Chicago, Ill.
	Boise State at Drake	Des Moines, Iowa
	Southern Illinois at Colorado State	Fort Collins, Colo.
Wed., Nov. 28	Valparaiso at UNLV	Las Vegas, Nev.
	UNI at Utah State	Logan, Utah
	Indiana State at San Jose State	San Jose, Calif.
	Missouri State at Air Force	Colorado Springs, Colo.
	Wyoming at Evansville	Evansville, Ind.
Sat., Dec. 1	New Mexico at Bradley	Peoria, Ill.
	San Diego State at Illinois State	Normal, Ill.

  In 2017, for the second consecutive season, the Mountain West and Missouri Valley split the 10-game series, 5-5. The MW has an all-time series edge of 3-1-3 in seven previous Challenge seasons, including an overall advantage of 38-27 in games played in association with the series.

  The Challenge Series features head-to-head competition between 10 Mountain West and 10 Missouri Valley teams annually, with each conference hosting five games apiece each season. The 2018 edition of the Challenge Series is the eighth. 

  Annual matchups for teams in the Challenge Series are based upon factors including the previous year’s achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings/strength of teams in the upcoming season, based upon composite sources. Each season is considered separately in terms of matchups, therefore, games from the previous year’s Challenge Series may not be returned.

  Television rights for each Challenge Series contest will be controlled by the home team’s conference television agreement, which will dictate the distribution of the game and all related matters, including tip times.
 

The league conducted an initial four-year series from 2009-10 through the 2012-13 seasons, with the MW holding a 3-1-3 edge in the series and a 38-27 overall record. 2009 CHALLENGE RESULTS (MVC, 5-4) 2010 CHALLENGE RESULTS (MW won, 8-1) 2011 CHALLENGE RESULTS (Tied, 4-4) 2012 CHALLENGE RESULTS (MW won, 6-3) 2015 CHALLENGE SERIES (MW won, 6-4) 2016 CHALLENGE SERIES (Tied, 5-5) 2017 CHALLENGE SERIES (Tied, 5-5)  MVC RECORDS IN THE SERIES (27-38)  Bradley: 0-6 (Streak: Lost 6 in a row)  Drake: 2-5 (Streak (Lost 3 in a row)  Evansville: 2-4 (Lost 1 in a row)  Illinois State: 2-4 (Lost 1 in a row)  Indiana State: 4-3 (Won 3 in a row)  Loyola: 1-2 (Lost 1 in a row)  Missouri State: 2-4 (Won 1 in a row)  UNI: 4-3 (Won 1 in a row)  Southern Illinois: 3-3 (Won 1 in a row)  Valparaiso: 1-0 (Won 1 in a row)  Creighton:  1-3 (now a member of the Big East)  Wichita State:  5-1 (now a member of the AAC)  2017 CHALLENGE SERIES RESULTS:   Tied, 5-5  Bradley at San Diego State    L, 52-75  Drake at Wyoming    L, 89-96 (2ot)  Evansville at New Mexico    L, 59-78  Illinois State at Nevada    L, 68-98  Air Force at Indiana State    W, 74-64  Loyola Chicago at Boise State    L, 53-87  Colorado State at Missouri State    W, 77-67  UNLV at UNI    W, 77-68 (ot)  San Jose State at Southern Illinois    W, 76-58  Utah State at Valparaiso    W, 72-65

About the Mountain West Conference
From its inception in 1999, the Mountain West has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the Mountain West continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. Now in its 19th year, the MW has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. The Mountain West membership is comprised of 11 all-sport members: the United States Air Force Academy, Boise State University, Colorado State University, Fresno State, University of Nevada, University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, San José State University, UNLV, Utah State University and University of Wyoming. In addition, the University of Hawai‘i and Colorado College participate in the Mountain West as single-sport members in football and women’s soccer, respectively.

About the Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference, the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division I conference, continues to be a leader in college athletics and is one of the nation’s most progressive conferences, celebrating its 111th season in 2017-18. League members have worked together to focus on common goals and objectives, placing a high value on league harmony, while continuing to invest in athletic programs to compete at the highest level. League members for basketball include Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Loyola Chicago, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, and Valparaiso.