Tuesday, Dec. 6 (Times CT)
Trevecca Nazarene at Belmont (ESPN+) - 6:30 PM
Trinity Christian at Valparaiso (ESPN+) - 7:00 PM
Bradley at SIUE (ESPN+) - 7:00 PM
Toledo at UNI (ESPN+) - 7:30 PM

Wednesday, Dec. 7 (Times CT)
Omaha at Drake (ESPN+) - 7:00 PM
Campbell at Evansville (ESPN+) - 7:00 PM
Eastern Michigan at Illinois State (ESPN+) - 7:00 PM
*Indiana State at Southern Illinois (ESPN+) - 7:00 PM
Missouri State at St. Mary’s (WCCSports) - 9:00 PM
*league game



MVC Player of the Week
Rob Perry, Murray State
6-4, 210, Jr., G
Orlando, Fla., Oak Ridge High [Stetson]
Perry averaged 25.0 points per game in two Murray State wins last week.  He was 16-of-30 (.533) from the floor which included 9-of-15 from three-point range.  He also made all nine of his free throw attempts and pulled down 3.5 rebounds per game while dishing out five assists. Against Valpo his 30-point scoring day for the Racers included a pair of clutch 3-point baskets, one (with 1:37 remaining) made sure the game would get to overtime and the other, the game winner with 41 seconds on the clock. Perry scored nine of MSU’s 15 points in the extra time.



MVC Newcomer of the Week
Xavier Johnson, Southern Illinois
6-1, 185, Gr., G
Germantown, Md., Episcopal [George Mason]
Johnson shot lights out over the past week for the Salukis, converting 13-of-16 shots over two games to finish with an 81.3 field goal percentage, including a 10-of-12 mark from behind the arc. He averaged a team-high 18.5 points and four steals for SIU while also averaging 4.5 rebounds and two assists per game. The guard led the Salukis to their first MVC win on the road at Evansville with a 14-point, four rebound and two steal performance, hitting 5-of-6 shots from the floor and all four attempts from distance. He then went on to score a career-high 23 points on the road at Saint Louis after shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 6-for-8 from deep. His six steals and six 3-pointers against the Billikens also set new career high marks.

Vs. Non-MVC
Following a week with 11 league games, Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball jumps back into non-conference action this week.  The league sits at 45-36 vs. non-league teams (.556).  The 45-36 mark includes an impressive 23-4 slate in home non-league games. This coming week, 11 of 19 non-MVC games are being played at home.

Nothing But Net
The first iteration of the NCAA NET rankings were released Monday, Dec. 5.  Drake heads a list of seven MVC teams that rank in the Top 169 as the Bulldogs are at No. 58.  Five MVC teams are in the Top 101. The MVC closed last season with six teams in the Top 140 and four in the Top 100.

For Openers
The MVC expanded to a 20-game league schedule for the first time in 2022-23, and all MVC teams will play two Conference games before Christmas. The Nov. 30 start this year is believed to be the earliest to begin a conference season in league history:

11-30-22 -- Drake at Indiana State
11-30-22 -- Missouri State at UIC
11-30-22 -- Southern Illinois at Evansville
11-30-22 -- UNI at Bradley
12-1-2022 -- Illinois State at Murray State
12-1-2022 -- Valparaiso at Belmont
12-1-2021 -- Five Games
12-2-1950 – Houston at Bradley
12-4-2002 -- Creighton at UNI
12-5-1998 -- Southern Illinois at Creighton
12-5-1998 -- UNI at Indiana State
12-6-1997 -- Drake at Illinois State
12-6-2003 -- Southern Illinois at Drake
12-7-1967 – Memphis at Bradley
12-7-1996 -- UNI at Creighton
12-7-2022 -- Indiana State at Southern Illinois

Belmont, MSU Take Debuts
On Dec. 1, Belmont (vs. Valparaiso) and Murray State (vs. Illinois State) won their MVC men’s basketball debuts. It marked the first time since Dec. 10, 1994, that a new MVC member won its first league basketball game (Evansville beat Illinois State that year.)

Racers Make it 2-0
Murray State became just the sixth first-year MVC member since WWII to win its first two conference games, and the Racers are the first to win both of them in overtime.  Best starts by a first-year MVC member (since WWII)

5-0 -- Indiana State (1977-78)
3-0 -- Cincinnati (1957-58)
3-0 -- Southern Illinois (1975-76)
3-0 -- Missouri State (1990-91)
2-0 -- UNI (1991-92)
2-0 -- Murray State (2022-23)

Back-to-Back Overtimes
Complete single-game records for Murray State only date back to 1983. But this week is the first instance of one of the Racer teams playing back-to-back overtime games.  Notably, that happened several times last year in the MVC.  Drake played six OT games, including two occasions of back-to-back OTs (winning both on the second set).  Valpo also had six OT results last year with one instance of back-to-back OT games.  UNI had five OT games last year, including a stretch of 3 overtime results in 4 games. Loyola played in back-to-back OT games in early January (winning both).  Notably, Illinois State was involved in six overtime games last season, but none of those six were in back-to-back games.  

Bradley Also at 2-0
Following Saturday’s win in Springfield, Bradley is 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2012-13.  Bradley held Missouri State to the lowest point total (40) against Bradley in a regular-season MVC road game in nearly 30 years.

Winning the First One a Key
Since 1993-94, only five teams (UNI, a 2009 co-champ, Loyola in 2018, Drake in 2019, UNI in 2020, and UNI in 2022) have won at least a share of the MVC regular-season title without winning the league opener.  In fact, 25 of the last 31 regular-season champs (or co-champs) have opened 2-0 or better in MVC play, with UNI (2008-09, 2019-20, 2021-22), Wichita State (2011-12), Loyola (2017-18) and Drake (2018-19) the exceptions.  In 2018-19, Drake became the first regular-season champ since 1992-93 to start league play with back-to-back defeats.

0-2 Starts in Conference Play
Before Drake accomplished the feat in 2018-19, the league had not had a regular-season champ (or co-champ) start an MVC season with two-straight losses since the 1992-93 season when Illinois State started 0-2 in league play before winning the league race with a 13-5 MVC mark.  No team in MVC history has started league play 0-3 and gone on to win or share the regular-season title.

Against the Top 25
Murray State knocked off No. 24 Texas A&M in the opening round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational for the league’s first win against a Top 25 team this year.  In 2021-22, the MVC recorded a 1-6 record against non-conference Top 25 programs. MVC teams are 1-1 vs. Top 25 teams this season, and the Conference is 2-2 against teams from Power leagues.

3 on Watch List
Three MVC players have been named to the 2022-23 Lou Henson Award Watch List.  Ben Sheppard (Belmont), Tucker DeVries (Drake) and Courvoisier McCauley (Indiana State) represent the MVC. The award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball.

BEL .. Player Plaudits
Belmont senior Ben Sheppard is among a select list of players who rank top 5 in scoring and assists in their respective conference.  And senior EJ Bellinger scored a career-high 14 points in the Bruins’ first-ever Missouri Valley Conference game (vs. Valparaiso Dec. 1)

BRAD .. Braves Getting Hot
At 6-3 Bradley is looking to keep pace to match its best start in the last four seasons when it went 8-3 in the 2019-20, Bradley won the second of it’s back to back MVC Tourney titles that season.

DU .. Racking Up Rebounds
Standing at 6’3”, scrappy Garrett Sturtz currently ranks fourth in the Drake men’s basketball record book for career rebounds with 756, only 98 rebounds away from reaching Melvin Mathis’ (1982-86) mark of 854.

INS .. Best Since 2005-06
At 8-1, the Sycamores have continued their best start to a season since 2005-06 when the team also started 8-1. Wednesday was ISU’s first-ever Valley-opening win against Drake.

UE .. Best on the Boards
Evansville’s Marvin Coleman II currently leads the Purple Aces with an average of 6.4 rebounds per game.  He is on pace to surpass his top season average of 4.8 rebounds, which came as a sophomore at UNLV in 2019-20.  In his other three seasons at UNLV, he did not average more than 2.6 caroms.

ILS .. Historic Return to Horton
 This season Illinois State basketball is returning to its roots and playing a game inside of historic Horton Field House. Since 1989 CEFCU Arena (formerly Redbird Arena) has served as host to Redbird basketball games, but for one day, ISU men’s basketball will return to Horton Fieldhouse on December 10 when the Redbirds host SIUE.

MoST .. Road Warriors
Missouri State is one of just 12 Division I teams that will play on the road in four different time zones during in its non-conference schedule. MSU’s trips to BYU (Mountain), Nassau (Eastern), Saint Mary’s (Pacific) and Oral Roberts (Central) will conclude a non-MVC slate that will take the Bears some 11,812 air and ground miles. 

MUR .. Let Freedom Ring
Murray State’s game at Freedom Hall Saturday is their first at the historic arena since they played Louisville there in 2004. Now the home court for Bellarmine, this will be MSU’s first meeting there against the Knights.

UNI .. Jake Closing In
Head coach Ben Jacobson is four victories shy of passing Dana Altman for 3rd on the MVC’s all-time wins list. Jacobson has won 324 games in his time at UNI, while Altman totaled 327 wins at Creighton from 1994 to 2010.

SIU .. Quick Hands
SIU’s 8.9 steals per game leads the MVC and ranks 50th nationally. Lance Jones leads the team with 2.6 steals per game and has recorded multiple steals in four-straight games. 

VALPO .. 30 for 30
In Sunday’s game between Valpo and Murray State, players from both teams reached the 30-point threshold. Ben Krikke’s 31-point performance made him the first Valpo player to eclipse 30 since Javon Freeman-Liberty on Nov. 25, 2019, vs. Cincinnati in the U.S. Virgin Islands (31). The 30 points by Rob Perry were the most by a Valpo foe since Antonio Reeves of Illinois State on Feb. 9 of last season (34). This was the first Valpo game where players from both teams scored 30+ points since Dec. 22, 2016, when Alec Peters had 35 and Santa Clara’s Jared Brownridge scored 30. 

BEL .. Long Streak Snapped
Belmont had a streak of 59 consecutive victories when leading at halftime snapped Dec. 4 at Illinois State.

DU .. Bouncing Back
Drake men’s basketball now has an 18-7 record in games following a Missouri Valley Conference loss under head coach Darian DeVries. 

ILS .. Putting the Free in FT
Illinois State guard Malachi Poindexter has gone to the free throw line 13 times this season, and has made 13. He is one of just 12 players in the country so far this season to have not missed from the free throw line with at least 13 makes/attempts. Additionally, the Redbirds rank fifth in the NCAA as a team in free throw percentage, making 81.3 percent of their free tries (122-of-150).

UIC  .. Hustle Plays
The Flames lead the Valley in a number of hustle categories.  They are the conference’s top team in turnovers forced, blocks, and free throws attempted.  Individually, Jace Carter is fifth in the conference in steals, Cameron Fens is fifth in blocks, and Tre Anderson is the leader in free throws attempted.

INS .. Staying Ahead
ISU is the only Valley team to never trail by double digits so far this season. The Sycamores trailed by a season-high eight points against Kansas City, which turned out to be their lone loss so far this year. The Sycamores have also led at halftime every game this season, with the 30-point halftime lead at Miami (OH) being a season-high.

MoST .. Stolen Property
The Bears are coming off back-to-back games with 10 or more steals for the first time since Feb. 29 to March 6, 2020 after securing 11 takeaways at UIC (Nov. 30) and 10 vs. Bradley (Dec. 3). The last time MoState had 10 or more steals in three straight games was Dec. 16-22, 2006.

SIU .. Great Defense
The Salukis are holding opponents to just 26.6 percent from behind the arc -- leading the MVC and ranking 21st nationally.

UNI .. Tough Schedule
UNI will host reigning MAC champion Toledo on Tuesday night in non-conference play. Having made the NIT last season, Toledo is third of nine postseason teams the Panthers will face this year. 

VALPO .. Working Overtime
Two of Valpo’s last three games have gone to overtime as the Beacons beat James Madison on Nov. 27 before falling to Murray State in the extra session a week later. This resumes a trend of cliffhangers from last season, when Valpo played six OT contests - the most by the program since 1993, when Valpo tied an NCAA record with eight OT affairs. Valpo is now 8-9 in overtime during Matt Lottich’s tenure as head coach. 

22 Starters Return
Notably, the league’s 12 schools have a combined 22 starters returning (of 60 possible), giving the MVC its lowest percentage of returning starters in at least 20 seasons at 36.7 percent.  Only three previous times since 2003-04 has the league returned fewer than 50 percent of its starting lineups from the previous season (44 percent in 2013-14; 46 percent in 2008-09; and 48 percent in 2007-08).

MVC at a Dozen
For the first time, the MVC has 12 members as Belmont, UIC, and Murray State officially joined the Conference on July 1, 2022.  It marks the first time the Conference has admitted three schools for the same season.  Notably, MVC membership will also stand at a league-high 12 members for the first time. 

20 Games in MVC Play
MVC teams will play 20 league games for the first time, with two Conference games taking place the week after Thanksgiving.  Teams will play nine opponents twice, and the other two league teams once each (one home, one away).

What Else is New?
In addition to the league’s three newest institutions, the MVC has adopted a new 11-game tournament format.  The league’s championship -- The State Farm MVC Tournament, affectionately known as Arch Madness, will be played Thursday-Sunday, March 2-5, in St. Louis at Enterprise Center.  The tournament will celebrate its 47th anniversary overall in 2023, and it will be the 33rd-straight season the event has been held in St. Louis.  Only the Big East Conference (in New York City) has had a longer continuous run at a single site.

20-Win Teams From 2021-22
Five of the league’s 12 teams won 20 or more games last year, and each of those five teams finished tied for second or better in their respective leagues.  Bradley (17-14, 11-7 MVC) and Southern Illinois (16-15, 9-9 MVC) joins that group as each had a winning record and finished .500 or better in the MVC last season.

Welcome to the MVC
Five league coaches are head coaches in the MVC for the first time in 2022-23 (Belmont’s Casey Alexander; Evansville’s David Ragland; UIC’s Luke Yaklich; Illinois State’s Ryan Pedon; and Murray State’s Steve Prohm).

Alma Mater Coaches
Two MVC coaches are leading their alma maters (Casey Alexander at Belmont and Bryan Mullins at Southern Illinois).  Three other MVC coaches attended another MVC school (Dana Ford of Missouri State played at Illinois State, Darian DeVries of Drake played at UNI, and UIC’s Luke Yaklich is an Illinois State alum). Counting Alexander and Mullins this year, there have been nine head coaches to lead their alma maters in league history.

Drake Tabbed as MVC Favorite
For the second-straight year, Drake has been picked as the preseason favorite in the MVC men’s basketball race.  The Bulldogs finished tied for second in the MVC race last year and reached the State Farm MVC Tournament title game for the second-straight season. 

NCAA Success
Notably, the MVC has combined for 20 wins in the NCAA Tournament in the past nine NCAA championships and has earned multiple bids 16 times since 1994.  Since 2010, The Valley has had two Final Four appearances.

Power Play
Additionally, since 1994, an MVC member has beaten the following teams from power conferences in the NCAA Tournament:  Alabama, Arizona, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois (twice), Indiana, Kansas (three times), K-State, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh (twice), Seton Hall, Tennessee (four times), Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin.

Father-Son Combos
Tucker DeVries (Drake) is one of four MVC student-athletes playing for their fathers in men’s basketball, joining Hunter Jacobson (UNI), Jaden Schertz (Indiana State), and Griffin Yaklich (UIC).