The 2021-22 regular season campaign begins on Tuesday with seven games on the schedule.  The first week of the regular season features two games against Preseason AP Top 25 teams, including two vs. the Power Five.  Last year, the MVC went 5-9 against Power Five teams and 2-2 against Top 25 foes (Missouri State beat #12 Maryland & UNI beat #22 South Dakota State). The Valley went 4-4 vs. the Big Ten, 1-1 vs. the SEC, 0-3 vs. the Big 12 and 0-1 vs. the ACC.
 
MVC Preseason Basketball Special
The Missouri Valley Conference will preview its 2021-22 men’s and women’s basketball seasons with its Preseason Basketball Special presented by State Farm Insurance which will be aired on Bally Sports Midwest-Indiana-Kansas City and NBC Sports Chicago.
 
The hour-long program -- which is hosted by MVC TV Network personality Scott Warmann and produced by Indianapolis-based Tupelo Honey -- will begin airing on Bally Sports Midwest-Indiana-Kansas City at 5:30 and 10 p.m. Central on Monday, November 8.  The show will start its run on NBC Sports Chicago (main channel) at 6 p.m. Central on Tuesday, November 9. 
 
Below is the complete listing of air dates and times: 
Monday, November 8 (5:30 and 10 p.m. Central) – Bally Sports Midwest-Indiana-Kansas City
Tuesday, November 9 (12 and 5:30 p.m. Central) – Bally Sports Midwest-Indiana-Kansas City
Tuesday, November 9 (6 p.m. Central) – NBC Sports Chicago (Main)
Wednesday, November 10 (10 p.m. Central) – NBC Sports Chicago (Main)
Friday, November 12 (8:30 p.m. Central) – NBC Sports Chicago (Main)
 
Social Media Days
The Valley conducted "Social Media Days," during which we've featured one institution each day leading up to the scheduled start of the 2021-22 season.
 
Week 1: Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State (Click Here)
Week 2: Loyola, Missouri State, UNI, Southern Illinois, Valparaiso (Click Here)
 
Preseason Poll
The MVC Preseason Poll was released in mid-October with Missouri State being selected to repeat as champion.  (Click Here)
 
Elite Talent Returning
The Missouri Valley Conference will see 37 of 50 starters return (74%) for the 2021-22 season, including seven of the 10 programs returning four or more starters. The Conference will boast elite talent on the court this season, as nine of its top 10 scorers, all 10 of its top rebounders and 10 of its 11 First-Team All-MVC selections from a season ago return.
 
Rise of The Valley
The 2020-21 season set a new league record for the highest RPI/NET conference ranking. The league also saw five teams in the NET Top 100 for the second-straight season.  Just three seasons ago, the league posted its worst conference RPI, sitting 24th nationally.

Year          MVC RPI        Top 100 RPI Teams
2020-21       7 (NET)                    5 (NET)
2019-20       8                               5
2018-19      14                              3
2017-18      24                              2
 
Polling
Missouri State is receiving votes in both the Preseason AP Top 25 poll and USA Today Coaches Top 25.  The Lady Bears received 18 points in the AP poll, sitting 29th overall, while receiving 112 points and sitting 26th in the coaches.
 
Mid-Major Top-25 Poll
Missouri State, Drake and UNI appear in the preseason (Nov. 2) CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Lady Bears sit atop the poll at No. 1 with 27 first place votes, while Drake sits 20th and UNI 24th.  Bradley is also receiving votes.
 
1,000 Point Club
The Valley has six active players in the 1,000-point club as the season gets underway.  Southern Illinois boasts three on the list.
 
Current MVC Players in 1,000 Point Club
1,640 - Gabi Haack, Bradley
1,522 - Makenzie Silvey, Southern Illinois
1,426 - Karli Rucker, UNI
1,341 - Brice Calip, Missouri State
1,090 - Gabby Walker, Southern Illinois
1,087 - Abby Brockmeyer, Southern Illinois
 
Becky Hammon Watch List
Bradley’s Gabi Haack, Drake’s Grace Berg and Missouri State’s Brice Calip and Jasmine Franklin each appeared among the 25 members of the preseason watch list for the 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats. The Valley led the way nationally with four players making the list, surpassing three players each by the Summit League and Mid-American Conference. To be eligible for this award, players must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be “mid-major.” The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award, and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC. In January, 15 players will be named to the midseason watch list. The 10 semifinalists will be announced in February, with five finalists being announced in early March.
 
Postseason League
The MVC has seen an average of four league teams participate in postseason play in the last 22 seasons where postseason action took place, including six teams reaching postseason play in 2020-21. Missouri State reached the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth time in program history, including second-straight, and equaled a league-high with a No. 5 seed, while Bradley made the NCAA field for the first time in program history. The Valley has earned multiple NCAA Tournament bids in 13 different seasons, including three out of the last four seasons.
 
Female Led Programs
Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball programs feature female head coaches at nine of the 10 schools. The 90% leads all of NCAA Division I. The Valley was also the top ranked mid-major league during the 2020-21 season.