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MVC Player of the Week
Cooper Neese, Indiana State
6-4, 185, Jr., G
Cloverdale, Ind. | Cloverdale High
Neese put together a massive week on the hardwood helping the Sycamores to a pair of wins. Neese averaged 25 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game over the week. During the stretch, Neese shot 18-for-21 (85.7 percent) from the free throw line while playing all but one minute -- averaging 43 minutes per game. The sharpshooter put up a career high 35 points, six rebounds and five 3-pointers against Evansville in a double overtime win over the Aces -- becoming the 14th player in program history to record 35 points or more in a game. A Cloverdale, Ind., native, Neese came back the very next game and scored 28 points to help ISU rally from a 16-point deficit in a win over Illinois State.
MVC Newcomer of the Week
Mikey Howell, Bradley
6-3, 170, Gr., G
San Diego, Calif. | San Marcos High [UC San Diego]
Howell keyed a 2-0 week for the Bradley basketball team – averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point range. The transfer scored in double figures for the first time this season with 12 points in a victory over Loyola on Wednesday before following up with season-best totals 14 points and three 3-pointers to go with a game-high four assists in a victory over Drake on Saturday.
Replay of Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Coaches Zoom w Media (Feb. 14)
Down the Stretch We Come
Two weeks and a total of 23 league games remain in the Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball slate. Just two games separate first place (currently Loyola, 10-3) and fifth place (currently Drake, 8-5). Since the league began playing an 18-game league schedule (in 1991-92), five league teams have finished a season within as few as three games of each other only five times, most recently in 2018-19 when seven MVC teams finished within three games of each other (ranging from 12-6 to 9-9). Only once (in 1991-92) have five MVC teams finished within two games of first place.
Working Overtime
Through games of Feb. 13, Conference schools have combined to play 12 overtime games in league play. The 12 overtime tilts is the most in league play in at least the past 50 years (since 1972-73). The league has played a combined total of 18 overtime games (overall), which matches the most in the past 50 seasons in the MVC. A total of 30 MVC games (of a total of 67 league games played) have been decided by five points or less (or went into overtime).
Most OT Games in League Play (since 1973)
12 - 2022
10 - 1993
9 - 2017, 2009
8 - 2001, 1988, 1983, 1979
7 - 4 times
Most Total OT Games (full season, since 1973)
18 - 2022, 2017
17 - 2012
16 - 2018, 2015
MVC Team w/Most Total OT Games This Season
6 - Illinois State (4 in MVC play)
6 - Valparaiso (5 in MVC play)
5 - Drake (3 in MVC play)
4 - UNI (all 4 in MVC play)
*NCAA single-season record is 8
MVC in the Metrics
The Missouri Valley Conference is No. 11 in both the KenPom and in the NET (through games of Feb. 13). Four MVC teams (Loyola, Missouri State, Bradley, and Drake) are in the Top 100 in KenPom and three (Loyola, Missouri State, and Bradley) are in the Top 100 of the NET. Loyola leads the league in the latest installment of the NET ratings, at No. 27. Last year, three league schools ranked in the Top 100 of the NET and the MVC had four teams in the Top 150. This year, the league currently has six teams rated 150 or better, with three of those in the Top 100.
Home Cooking
Through games of Dec. 5, MVC men’s basketball teams had a 25-11 home record in non-conference play. Since then, MVC teams are 23-1 at home to lift the full-season non-conference home record to 48-12. Last season, Valley schools posted a 34-2 home record in non-league games, and the MVC was 55-6 at home the year prior. The league’s 40-27 (.571) home record in league play ranks eighth-best among conferences.
Close Calls
Through Feb. 13, the MVC has played 67 Conference games. According to KenPom, the league’s 23 one-score (three points or less or overtime game) contests in 67 total league games (34.3%) is second-most in the nation. The MEAC (11 of 31, 35.5%) is the only league ahead of the MVC. In the past 20 seasons, the league has not had more than 25 (of 90) league games that were one-score/overtime games (27.8%).
3-Point Streak Ends
Indiana State basketball saw its 420-game streak with a 3-pointer come to an end Tuesday night after going 0-for-17 from behind the arc during a 65-56 loss to Evansville. Indiana State’s streak was the longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference. The last MVC team to fail to make a three-pointer in a game was Missouri State (Feb. 1, 2021), as the Bears went 0-for-10 against Loyola.
Two For 20
Two MVC student-athletes are averaging better than 20.0 points per game. Isiaih Mosley of Missouri State leads the league (20.5), while Antonio Reeves of Illinois State (20.0) is right behind. AJ Green of UNI ranks third at 18.3. The last time the MVC had two players average 20 or more points for an entire season was in 2012-13 (Doug McDermott of Creighton had 23.2; while Colt Ryan of Evansville averaged 20.1.)
Blocking Out
On Tuesday, Feb. 8, neither Indiana State or Evansville corralled an offensive rebound. According to Ken Pomeroy, that hasn’t happened in at least the past 25 years. The previous low in that span was a combined two offensive caroms (Columbia at Princeton, 2/18/2006). It is believed the Evansville-Indiana State game marks the first time neither team collected a single offensive rebound since offensive rebounds became an official stat in the early 1990s.
Top-25 History
Loyola earned spots in both the Associated Press (22) and Loyola Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, powered by USA TODAY Sports (24), on Feb. 17. Loyola’s top-25 ranking this year gives the league at least one ranked team in nine of the past 11 seasons. The Ramblers were ranked No. 22 when Missouri State snapped their 30-game win streak at Gentile in January.
Defending the Shot
Since 2010, all but two teams that have led the MVC in FG percentage defense have earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. (Loyola was third in the MVC in that statistic in 2018 and represented the league in the NCAAs; last year Missouri State led the league and failed to earn a post-season berth.) Bradley’s current 39.4 percent figure leads the MVC and ranks 22nd nationally.
New Kids on the Block
Below is a listing of the top three leaders among newcomers in five major categories (through Feb. 13).
SCORING (All Games)
5. Terry Roberts, Bradley Jr. 15.1
7. Cameron Henry, Indiana St. Jr. 14.8
13. Tucker DeVries, Drake Fr. 13.6
REBOUNDING (All Games)
4. Thomas Kithier, Valpo Sr. 6.8
7. Malevy Leons, Bradley Jr. 6.0
9. Cameron Henry, Indiana St. Jr. 5.7
ASSISTS (All Games)
1. Terry Roberts, Bradley Jr. 4.3
3. Xavier Bledson, Indiana St. So. 4.1
6. Mark Freeman, Illinois St. So. 3.8
STEALS (All Games)
2. Terry Roberts, Bradley Jr. 1.5
9. Xavier Bledson, Indiana St. So. 1.2
10. Cameron Henry, Indiana St. Jr. 1.1
THREE POINTERS MADE/GAME (All Games)
7. Jaylen Minnett, Missouri St. Sr. 2.4
8. Tucker DeVries, Drake Fr. 2.3
9. Kevion Taylor, Valparaiso Sr. 2.2
Hitting Their Shots
Loyola has led the league in FG percentage five-straight seasons. No other MVC program since the league began keeping FG percentage records in 1964 had done it more than three-straight seasons. Loyola is doing it again, hitting on 49.0 percent of its shots to lead the MVC and rank No. 11 in the NCAA.
At the Line
As a team, Missouri State leads the MVC with its 79.4 accuracy rate from the stripe - the best on record in the MVC (since 1964). Wichita State, in 1967, holds the league standard, at 78.8. The Bears rank 5th nationally in FT shooting; UNI ranks 9th. Missouri State’s Isiaih Mosley leads the league and ranks 3rd nationally in free throw percentage (92.6). Only a handful of MVC players this century have hit at 90 percent or better for an entire season (minimum 2.0 made per game).
BU .. Bench Points
The Bradley bench has been at its best as of late. BU has scored at least 30 bench points in its last three games – averaging 35.0 per game. Prior to the run, BU had not scored more than 27 bench points in any game – averaging 17.3. Receiving bench scoring has been key to success as Bradley is 11-2 since Nov. 27 with 15 or more points from its reserves but just 3-4 with fewer. Overall, 10 different Braves have scored in double figures this season with Ari Boya, Mikey Howell and Zek Montgomery doing it for the first time during the current three-game run.
DU .. 1,000 Point Club Watch
Drake guards D.J. Wilkins (1,233) and Roman Penn (1,101) joined the 1,000 career point club this season. With at least eight games remaining this year, teammates Garrett Sturtz, Tremell Murphy and Shanquan Hemphill aren’t too far behind in joining the elite club. Sturtz has scored 958 points,while Hemphill has 942 points in his collegiate career and Murphy 912 points.
UE .. The Streak is Over
The Streak is Over – It was a total of 4,031 days and a 10-game skid inside the Hulman Center, but UE got over the hump last week, earning its first road win at Indiana State since January 26, 2011. Playing without guard Jawaun Newton, the Aces came together to hold ISU to a season-low 56 points and an 0-for-17 showing from outside. Interestingly enough – if you had invested $20 in Bitcoin on 1/26/11, it would have been worth $2.1 billion when UE picked up its next road win over the Sycamores.
ILS .. Block Party
Illinois State ranks 29th nationally with 5.0 blocks per game. Since the league began tracking team blocked shot averages (1987), only one team has averaged better than 5.0 blocks per game (Wichita State in 2014 had 5.1.) Bradley ranks second in the league at 4.8 per game.
INS .. Good From the Stripe
Indiana State has improved its season average at the free-throw line to 77 percent -- good enough for third in the MVC and 22nd nationally. Xavier Bledson leads ISU with an 87.7 percent (57-for-65) free throw percentage while Cooper Neese is shooting 82.5 percent (52-for-63) from the line. Five other Sycamores shoot 70 percent or better from the charity stripe.
LUC .. 20 Something
Loyola needs one more victory to record its 20th win of the season. The Ramblers, who have posted 20 or more victories in each of the last four seasons, have never notched 20 or more wins in five consecutive seasons. First-year head coach Drew Valentine has a chance to equal or better the program record for wins by a first-year coach (23), set by Tom Haggerty in 1945-46. Darian DeVries (Drake) was the last first-year head coach in the MVC to win the regular-season title.
MSU .. Pushing for 20
Missouri State’s next victory will solidify a 20-win season for coach Dana Ford’s Bears, which would be the program’s first since 2013-14. Missouri State has had 29 previous twenty-win teams in its history, including 16 in the Division I era. All 16 previous DI 20-win MSU teams have gone on to play in a postseason tournament -- 6 NCAA, 8 NIT, 2 CIT.
UNI .. Panther Mainstay
Tywhon Pickford played his 138th career game on Sunday at Loyola, tying him with Jake Koch (2008-13) and Matt Bohannon (2012-16) for the second most games played in program history. Pickford’s next game played will tie him with Marc Sonnen (2008-13) for the most all-time at UNI.
SIU .. Trending
Southern Illinois’ Marcus Domask has 25 assists and eight turnovers in the last six games, and Kyler Filewich is averaging 8.0 points and is 19-of-30 (.633) from the field in the last five games.
VALPO .. Rookie Report
With sixth-year senior point guard Trevor Anderson out for the season with a back injury, Valpo has relied upon a pair of freshmen in Preston Ruedinger and Darius DeAveiro at the point guard spot. Ruedinger owns an impressive ratio of 23 assists to five turnovers, while DeAveiro has handed out 47 assists against 20 giveaways. Ruedinger is one of two players in the nation with 20 or more assists and five or fewer turnovers this season, joining Ohio State’s Jimmy Sotos. DeAveiro is one of two freshmen in the nation with 45 or more assists and 20 or fewer turnovers, joining Youngstown State’s Luke Chicone.
BU .. Braves on a Roll
Bradley is currently in the middle of its hottest stretch in Valley play in years. The Braves have won seven of their last eight conference matchups – the team’s best eight-game stretch in MVC play since 2007-08. Defense has been the key as BU has held its foe to 62 points or fewer in six of the eight games – allowing just 53.3 in its current three-game run. Overall, Bradley’s 7-1 record is the best in the Valley since Jan. 18.
LUC .. Three-Point Barrage
In an 85-58 victory against UNI on Feb. 13, the Ramblers buried 14 three-point field goals, their third-highest total of the season. It marked the ninth time in 2021-22 that the Maroon and Gold have connected on double-digit treys. Loyola is 14-0 this season when it scores 70 or more points and just 5-5 when it fails to score at least 70 points.
DU .. Penn Breaks Assist Mark
Roman Penn dished out a season-high six assists against Missouri State on Wednesday (Feb. 9) to pass Glenn Martin as the career assists leader in Drake men’s basketball program history. Martin had 384 assists from 1984-88.
MSU .. Hot Shots
The Bears start the week ranked 5th in the country in FT percentage (.794), 12th in 3-point FG percentage (.384), 16th in FG percentage (.484) and 47th in scoring offense (77.3), all of which lead the MVC. The Bears and Davidson are the only teams in the nation to rank in the top 20 nationally in all three shooting categories.
UNI .. Within 20
Austin Phyfe is 20 points away from passing his father Steve on UNI’s all-time scoring list. Steve Phyfe, who played for the Panthers from 1987-90 and was part of UNI’s first-ever NCAA Tournament team in 1990, scored 912 career points.
VALPO .. 20-20 Vision
Sheldon Edwards leads the Beacons in a pair of defensive categories with 28 steals and 22 rejections. He has a chance to become the first Valpo player to finish a season as the team leader in both steals and blocked shots since Raitis Grafs had 45 steals and 38 blocks during the 1999-2000 season.