Home Cooking
All 10 Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball programs open up their seasons on Tuesday. League schools will play a combined 23 games in the opening week (Tues.-Sun.), including 16 at home. Last year, the league was dominant at home in non-conference play, recording a 34-2 record. That .944 homecourt winning percentage in non-league play is the best on record since at least 1975-76. The 55-6 ledger (.902) in 2019-20 is second-best in that span. There are 64 non-league games scheduled at MVC arenas, 31 on the road and 32 that take place at neutral-site venues.
MVC Men's Basketball Notebook (PDF)
Rank and File
After posting a 26-5 overall record and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16, Loyola finished at No. 12 in the season-ending 2020-21 Coaches Top 25 Poll. It marked the second time in the past four seasons that the Ramblers had been ranked in the top 25 in the final coaches poll. The Ramblers were ranked 17th in the final regular-season Associated Press poll.
Drake also cracked the Top 25 earlier in the season (Feb. 1). It marked the first time since 2014-15 that two different MVC teams had been ranked by the AP in the same season. Drake received votes in this year’s preseason AP poll. Loyola and Drake are receiving votes in the Ferris Mowers Coaches preseason poll.
The Athletic Player Rankings
The Athletic ranked positional segments prior to the season for NCAA men’s basketball. Three league preseason all-conference selections made the Top 20. Gaige Prim of Missouri State, Lucas Williamson of Loyola, and AJ Green of UNI represent the MVC. Green was also rated as one of the Top 100 college basketball players in a preseason ranking by CBS Sports.
- Best Big Men: Gaige Prim, Missouri State (17)
- Best Wings: Lucas Williamson, Loyola (18)
- Best Guards: AJ Green, UNI (7)
Young Guns
Two MVC men’s basketball coaches rank among the youngest in Division I this season, including Drew Valentine of Loyola (1) and Bryan Mullins of SIU (4).
- Drew Valentine, Loyola -- 05/25/1991
- Austin Claunch, Nicholls -- 11/17/1989
- Solomon Bozeman, Ark.-Pine Bluff -- 12/18/1987
- Bryan Mullins, Southern Illinois -- 01/13/1987
- Preston Spradlin, Morehead State -- 12/30/1986
- Greg Paulus, Niagara -- 07/03/1986
We’re Back ..
Three NCAA teams return all of their scoring from a year ago. Southern Illinois leads the MVC and is 10th nationally. The Salukis 97.2 percent of its scoring and return all five starters.
Points Returning
100% Delaware
100% St. Francis (PA)
100% Saint Mary’s
99.7% Fairfield
99.0% Merrimack
98.9% Campbell
97.9% Arkansas State
97.5% Belmont
97.2% Butler
97.2% Southern Illinois
For the Ages
MVC men’s basketball teams will be experienced in 2021-22. Below is the average age for each team’s roster and corresponding preseason pick by coaches, media and SIDs. Drake’s Tremell Murphy is the league’s elder statesman (born 4/27/1997). The Bulldogs, notably, had four players who hit 24 prior to the start of the season. Only two other players in the MVC hit their 24th birthday prior to the start of the 2021-22 campaign (Keith Clemons of Loyola and Eron Gordon of Valparaiso).
Where We Sit in KenPom
The MVC ranks No. 11 as a league in the preseason KenPom rankings. Three MVC teams are in the Top 75, including Loyola (32), Missouri State (66), and Drake (74).
New MVC Head Coaches
Four-time national coach of the year Josh Schertz is Indiana State’s 26th head men’s basketball coach. Schertz comes to Terre Haute after an exceptional 13-year tenure as head coach at NCAA II Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn., where he had a career record of 336-68 (.831).
Drew Valentine, who had spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Loyola, helping the team to three Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championships, two NCAA Tournament berths and a National Invitation Tournament appearance, became the 17th head coach in men’s basketball program history.
Jake Ranks 4th All-Time
Coach Ben Jacobson of UNI ranks fourth all-time in MVC history in total victories, with 301 as a coach in the league. Henry Iba is the all-time leader with 486 wins at Oklahoma State during their tenure in the Conference. Eddie Hickey (Creighton/Saint Louis) is next with 337 and Dana Altman of Creighton has 327. Jacboson’s 160 MVC wins also rank fourth (behind the same three).
Alma Mater Coaches
Two MVC coaches are leading their alma maters (Dan Muller at Illinois State and Bryan Mullins at Southern Illinois). Two other MVC coaches played at another MVC school (Dana Ford of Missouri State played at Illinois State, and Darian DeVries of Drake played at UNI. In MVC history, there have been eight head coaches to lead their alma maters.
Mid-Major Top 25 Poll
Three MVC schools are ranked in the Top 11 of the preseason CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top-25 poll. Drake is 4th, followed by Loyola (9) and Missouri State (11). UNI was among those schools receiving votes.
Against the Top 25
Indiana State faces No. 7 Purdue this week. As an MVC member, the Sycamores have a record of 11-21 against non-conference Top-25 foes, with their last win coming on Dec. 7, 2016, against No. 15 Butler. League schools have won 76 games all-time against Top 10 teams, with the last victory on March 21, 2021, as Loyola topped No. 2 Illinois.
The Next Cinderella?
The Athletic’s college basketball staff (15-person panel) voted which mid- or low-major will win at least two games in the 2022 NCAA Tournament? The results include four MVC schools (out of seven teams that received votes)
- St. Bonaventure 6
- Drake, Loyola, Belmont 2
- Missouri State, UNI, Colorado State 1
Sweet 16 Trips
In the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Loyola reached the Sweet 16, and Drake also won its first tournament game. In the Second Round, Loyola knocked off top-seeded Illinois to reach the Sweet 16, marking the 12th Sweet 16 appearance for an MVC member since 1985, which includes four in the past nine seasons.
NCAA Tournament Success
Notably, MVC teams are now 12-1 in their first game in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2012. The league has now combined for 20 wins in the NCAA Tournament in the past eight NCAA championships and has earned multiple bids 16 times since 1994. Since 2010, The Valley has had two Final Four appearances – that’s the same as the Pac-12.
Arch Madness, Edition 32
In March 2022, The Valley will conduct its 32nd St. Louis-based postseason men’s basketball championship. With 32-straight years at the same neutral site, Arch Madness is the second-longest neutral site tenured collegiate tourney in the nation (following only the Big East in New York City). Loyola won the 2021 event, defeating second-seeded Drake in the title game.
New Look in 2022-23
On Sept. 28, Belmont University has accepted an invitation to join the Missouri Valley Conference as its 11th member institution. The Bruins’ men’s basketball program enters this season having won 20 conference championships since 2006 – third-most nationally over that span (Gonzaga, Kansas). Belmont is one of only four college basketball programs to win 19 or more games 16 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, San Diego State).
Six in MVC on National List
The Watch List for the 2021-22 Lou Henson National Men’s Basketball Player of the Year award has been announced. With six student-athletes on the list, the Missouri Valley Conference has the most of any league.
• AJ Green, UNI
• ShanQuan Hemphill, Drake
• Tyreke Key, Indiana State
• Roman Penn, Drake
• Isiaih Mosely, Missouri State
• Gaige Prim, Missouri State
UNI .. Opening Act
The Panthers host the Nicholls Colonels in the opener of the 2021-22 season and the first contest of a three-game, six-day homestand in the McLeod Center. UNI is 14-1 in home openers under Ben Jacobson (only loss was 84-78 defeat Nov. 14, 2015, against Colorado State) and 10-5 in season openers under Ben Jacobson.
Valpo .. For Starters
Valpo opens its season Tuesday vs. Toledo. The Beacons have won eight of their last nine season openers with the lone setback in that stretch coming last season with a 77-71 loss at Vanderbilt on Nov. 27. Notably, Valpo has won the home opener for 16 consecutive seasons with 14 of those victories coming by double figures. The last time Valpo started the home slate with a loss was Nov. 27, 2004, (85-71 loss to Charlotte.)
Key to Miss 2021-22 Season
Indiana State guard Tyreke Key will have season-ending surgery to correct a shoulder instability issue. The procedure will sideline Key for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Key returned for a fifth season with the Sycamores after another standout season in 2020-21 when he averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, two assists and 1.1 steals per game. The fourth-fastest player to join the 1,000-point club in program history, Key sits sixth all time in Indiana State history with 1,650 career points.
Mullins Perfect in Openers
Southern Illinois has won each of its last two season openers and is 4-2 in its last six season openers, dating back to 2015-16. Notably, SIU is opening on the road (at Little Rock) for the second-straight year (won in OT at SEMO in last year’s opener) and is opening on the road for the fourth time in the last five seasons. SIU head coach Bryan Mullins is 12-0 in season openers (4-0 as a player at SIU, 6-0 on staff at Loyola, and 2-0 as head coach at SIU).
Rambling On
Loyola opens the 2021-22 campaign Tuesday against visiting Coppin State. Over the last four seasons, Loyola is 99-36 (.733) overall and an impressive 56-16 (.778) in Missouri Valley Conference play. Loyola has won its last nine season openers and is 81-22 (.786) all-time in season openers. The Ramblers have won their last three lid-lifters by an average of 30.3 ppg.
Braves Open on the Road
Bradley opens its season Tuesday at South Dakota State. The Braves return eight letterwinners and two starters from a season ago, while they look to replace seven players and three starters. The biggest departure for Bradley saw Elijah Childs graduate after finishing his career second in BU history in blocks, seventh in rebounds and 22nd in points. Overall, BU brings back 47.4 percent of minutes, 48.7 percent of scoring, 56.1 percent of rebounds and 30.3 percent of assists from last season.
Aces Making Strides
Only a year removed from an 0-18 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Purple Aces won seven league games a season ago. UE is just the second team in MVC history to follow a winless conference season with seven victories. The 7-game improvement for UE is the best that the conference has seen since Loyola went from eight league wins in 2016-17 to 15 a season later. The Aces, which open their season on the road against Cincinnati on Tuesday, return four starters from last year’s team. UE has a five-game losing streak in season openers played away from home, last winning in 1994 while playing at Western Michigan.
Bulldogs Open vs. Coe
Drake will host Coe College on Tuesday to open the 2021-22 campaign. Prior to the game, Drake Athletics will be unveiling the team’s NCAA Tournament banner from the 2020-2021 season. The Bulldogs recorded their first tournament win in 50 years and recorded the program’s first appearance since 2008. Drake started last year with 18-straight wins and earned spots in the AP and Ferris Mowers coaches poll during the year.
Redbirds Open on Tuesday
Illinois State's Dan Muller is one of 44 current NCAA Division I head coaches that are leading their alma maters. During his nine-plus years as head coach, Dan Muller has the third-most wins and third-best win percentage of any NCAA Division I school in Illinois. Notably, Illinois State has four student-athletes from outside of the United States, tied for the most foreign student-athletes on the team, as last season also had four players from outside the USA.
Loaded for Bear
Coming off a season in which the Bears matched a program record for conference road wins (7), Missouri State enters the 2021-22 campaign with all five starters returning, 89 percent of its scoring and 91 percent of its rebounding back from a squad that finished third in the MVC. Joining the crew in Springfield are three sensational newcomers to add to the talent-rich roster coach Dana Ford has accumulated. Tops on the list is Valparaiso transfer Donovan Clay who made the MVC All-Freshman Team two years ago and scored in double figures 14 times a year ago while ranking among the league leaders in blocked shots and rebounds
Penn Closing in on Drake Mark
The Drake Bulldogs return a pair of All-MVC selections in Roman Penn and ShanQuan Hemphill. Penn averaged 11.2 points with a league-best 5.5 assists per game last season and was limited to 24 games as he missed the last seven games of the season with a season-ending foot injury. Penn enters the season needing 64 assists to become the Bulldogs’ all-time leader.