This week’s Valley schedule has four opportunities against Power Five opponents. The Valley currently sits 1-0 vs. the ACC, 1-0 vs. the Pac-12, 1-5 vs. the Big Ten, and 0-2 vs. the SEC and Big 12 entering this week’s schedule.
The four opponents are also ranked in the AP Top 25 or receiving votes this week. The Valley is currently 1-3 vs. AP Top 25 teams this season with the win being Missouri State over #24 Virginia Tech.
Wednesday: (#22) Notre Dame at Valparaiso
Friday: (RV) Missouri at Missouri State
Saturday: Indiana State at (RV) Nebraska
Sunday: UNI at (#15) Iowa State
Last season, the MVC went 5-9 vs. members of Power Five conferences during the regular season.
NET Update
The NCAA NET Report (Dec. 7) has three Valley teams that rank in the top-100, including six of the 10 sitting in the top 200. Missouri State leads the way at No. 28 with UNI (41) and Drake (95), rounding out the schools in the Top 100. The Valley sits 12th as a league.
Team NET
Missouri State 28
UNI 41
Drake 95
Southern Illinois 131
Loyola 149
Evansville 180
Bradley 244
Illinois State 246
Indiana State 260
Valparaiso 309
MVC 12
HerHoopStats Stat of the Week
Bradley’s Gabi Haack is one of two players in Division I averaging at least four three-pointers made per game while shooting at least 47% from behind the arc (minimum three games played). Haack enters the week averaging 4.0 3-pt FG per game, while shooting 47.1% against Division I competition this season. (HerHoopsStats.com does not include Non-D1 games).
High Percentage
Drake enters this week ranking 10th nationally in Field Goal Percentage (48.0%) to lead all Valley schools. SIU’s Gabby Walker enters the week ranking 14th nationally in field goal percentage (60.9%) to pace the league. The Valley as a whole is shooting 42.9% from the field this season, ranking 5th nationally among NCAA DI Conferences.
Field Goal Percentage (By Conference)
1. Pac-12............................... 43.97%
2. SEC.................................... 43.88%
3. ACC.................................... 43.57%
4. Big Ten.............................. 43.47%
5. Missouri Valley............... 42.91%
BU: Haack’s Record Count
For the remainder of her Bradley career, every time fifth-year senior Gabi Haack takes the floor, she will be setting a program record . When the ball was tossed for the opening tip Monday at South Dakota, Haack was on the floor for the 126th time as a Brave, breaking MacKenzie Westcott’s (2008-12) record for career games played. Haack now owns seven Bradley career records: games played (126) games started (116, all consecutively), minutes played (4,050), points (1,764), 3-point field goals (309), 3-point field goal attempts (802) and free throws made (365). Haack also owns the program record for consecutive free throw attempts made with 34 in a row from Dec. 9, 2019 through Jan. 31, 2020 and she shares the mark for 3-point field goals made in a game, sinking eight Dec. 28, 2017 at Western Illinois.
DU: Streaking
The Bulldogs are on a Valley-best four game winning streak after defeating Longwood, 104-82 on Friday Dec. 3. The Bulldogs recorded 33 points from the bench and had 22 points off of Longwood turnovers. Junior transfer Megan Meyer recorded a career high 19 points against Longwood.
UE: Winning Turnover Battle
Evansville has excelled this season in forcing turnovers and limiting its own giveaways. The Aces currently sit 20th in the nation in turnovers forced and 27th in turnover margin. On Tuesday, the Aces turned the ball over just six times, the lowest team total since the 2018-19 season.
ILS: Moving Up
With Mary Crompton’s fourth quarter game-tying triple in Nov. 20’s contest at UT Martin, the redshirt junior moved into sole possession of sixth place in ISU’s top-10 list in career three-point field goals. The Iowa City, Iowa native currently has 161 career three-pointers is only eight triples away from breaking into ISU’s top-5. Crompton trails Maggie Krick (5th – 169), Jaci McCormack (4th – 183), Jenny Schmidt (3rd – 205), Katie Broadway (2nd – 225) and Kristi Cirone (1st – 229).
INS: 20-Point Mark
Indiana State has posted a 20-point scorer in each of the last three games with Del’Janae Williams (twice) and Mya Glanton both hitting the mark over the last week. Williams went back-to-back games against Georgia Southern (26) and Chicago State (24), while Glanton (22) hit the 20-point mark for the first time in her collegiate career this past Saturday against Western Michigan. The Sycamores have been looking for new offense with the season-ending injury shelving Adrian Folks for the year and Williams/Glanton have taken on the mantle of an ISU offense hitting 45.0% (68-of-151) since the Thanksgiving Break.
LUC: Clamping Down
In Friday’s dominant 73-37 win over Dartmouth, Loyola turned in another sparkling defensive performance, holding The Big Green to just 29.4 percent (15-for-51) shooting while also forcing 18 turnovers. The Ramblers, who rank near the top of the MVC in scoring defense (2nd; 58.9 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (3rd; 38.4%), are 44-26 (.629) when holding an opponent below 40 percent efficiency since the start of the 2016-17 season.
MSU: Revenge
Missouri State avenged its only home loss in the Coach Mox era with a 55-52 victory at South Dakota State on Monday night. Missouri State held the Jackrabbits to just three baskets from the behind the arc, marking the sixth time the Lady Bears have held an opponent to three or fewer made three-point field goals in a game this season.
UNI: Topped 100 Again
UNI topped 100 points once again in Monday’s 110-34 win over Graceland (IA). It marks the first season in program history with multiple games of 100+ points scored as the Panthers also topped the mark in a 102-62 win at St. Thomas (MN). Overall, UNI has only five games in its history topping 100 points. Monday’s win over Graceland also set the program record for scoring margin (+76), breaking the previous record of +58 vs. Chicago State on Jan. 18, 1989. The win on Monday also set the program record for assists in a game (30), breaking the record of 28 vs. Creighton (Feb. 20, 1990) and St. Thomas (Dec. 1, 2021).
SIU: Next One is 400
SIU’s next win will be the 400th career coaching victory for ninth-year head coach Cindy Stein. Stein, in her 25th and final season as a head coach, will become the only active Missouri Valley Conference head coach to reach the 400-career win plateau with Southern’s next victory. The Salukis are back in action on Sunday, Dec. 12 when they take on Quincy at 2 p.m.
VU: Hosting Ranked Foes
#22 Notre Dame enters the ARC on Wednesday, becoming the 19th time in program history that Valpo has hosted a nationally-ranked team. The Fighting Irish have been nationally ranked on seven previous visits to the ARC.