Title Race Heating Up
With three weeks left in the regular season, the top four teams in The Valley standings are separated by only two games. Illinois State holds a half game lead over SIU in the win column entering the week, while Missouri State is 1.5 games and UNI is two games behind the Redbirds.
Illinois State currently has the MVC’s longest winning streak, sitting at five-straight heading into this week’s crucial games against Missouri State and Southern Illinois.
Home Sweet Home
Southern Illinois enters the week as the only Valley team remaining perfect at home this season, sitting at 9-0 following home wins over UNI and Drake last week.
Collectively, the league has won 66.1 percent of the time (41-21) at home during league play this year. Notably, the top four teams in the league standings have combined for a full-season 37-5 record at home.
Best MVC Home Records (Since 2007-08)
1. 2007-08 61-29 (.678)
2. 2009-10 58-32 (.644)
3. 2010-11 57-33 (.633)
4. 2011-12 56-34 (.622)
5. 2012-13 53-37 (.589)
2019-20 53-37 (.589)
Something to Prove
Southern Illinois was predicted to finish eighth in the MVC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll and is looking to make history down the stretch. Only twice in league history has a team picked sixth or lower gone on to win the MVC regular season women’s basketball race.
Team (Year) Rec. Poll
Southern Illinois (2006-07) 16-2 T-7th
Creighton (2001-02) 16-2 6th
Best MVC Records
Since the 1992-93 season, three league teams have gone through MVC play unscathed (Drake in 2016-17 and 2017-18 and Missouri State in 2020-21). Four teams (Drake in 2018-19, Wichita State in 2014-15, UNI in 2010-11 and Drake in 1997-98) finished Valley play at 17-1, while another four teams had their best conference finish at 16-2. Missouri State accomplished this feat five times (1995-96, 2000-01, 2003-04, 2018-19 and 2019-20), while Illinois State (2009-10), Indiana State (2005-06) and Southern Illinois (2006-07) also completed a Valley season at 16-2.
1,000 Point Club
The Valley now has 14 active players in the 1,000-point club. Now, nine of the 10 Valley programs have a 1,000 point scorer entering this week’s action.
Drake’s Maddie Petersen and Illinois State’s JuJu Redmond each surpassed 1,000 career points during the week.
Current MVC Players in 1,000 Point Club
1,882 - Makenzie Silvey, Southern Illinois
1,811 - Gabi Haack, Bradley
1,737 - Karli Rucker, UNI
1,603 - Brice Calip, Missouri State
1,505 - Mariah White, Missouri State
1,441 - Abby Brockmeyer, Southern Illinois
1,184 - Shay Frederick, Valparaiso
1,122 - Jasmine Franklin, MIssouri State
1,112 - Bre Hampton-Bey, Loyola Chicago
1,086 - Allison Day, Loyola Chicago
1,076 - Abby Feit, Evansville
1,043 - Carie Weinman, Valparaiso
1,034 - Juliunn Redmond, Illinois State
1,000 - Maddie Petersen, Drake
Warren Moving Up
UNI Head Coach Tanya Warren continues her pursuit up The Valley list for coaching wins in league contests. Warren moved into third on the all-time list with her 171st Valley victory Friday vs. Loyola. Warren passed Illinois State’s Jill Hutchison and now sits 26 MVC wins away from Cindy Scott of Southern Illinois.
Warren is one win away from tying Hutchison on the all-games coaching wins list, entering the week with 276 career wins.
MOST COACHING WINS (ALL GAMES)
Coach, School, Years Wins
Cindy Scott, Southern Illinois (1983-98) 353
Cheryl Burnett, Missouri State (1988-02) 319
Jill Hutchison, Illinois State (1983-99) 277
Tanya Warren, UNI (2008-present) 276
ESPN Bracketology
The latest ESPN.com women’s basketball bracketology from Charlie Creme (Feb. 15) has two MVC teams in the field of 64. Illinois State represents The Valley’s AQ and is a 14 seed at No. 3 seed Baylor. Missouri State is a No. 11 seed playing Iowa at Tennessee.
The MVC is one of just nine leagues receiving multiple bids, joining the Power Five leagues, American, Big East and West Coast.
Holding Below
Out of the 22 opponents that qualify, Missouri State has held 19 out of 22 opponents under their scoring average entering their games against the Lady Bears. Across all 22 games, MSU is holding opponents to an average of 16.5 points below their scoring average prior to facing the Lady Bears. Missouri State has held eight opponents to 20+ points below their scoring average prior to facing the Lady Bears, including Power Five opponents USC and Missouri.
NET Update
The NCAA NET Report (Feb. 15) has six Valley teams that rank in the top-125. Missouri State leads the way at No. 41 with UNI (52), Southern Illinois (74), Drake (89), Illinois State (122) and Loyola Chicago (126) rounding out the schools in the Top 125. The Valley sits 10th as a league.
HerHoopStats.com Stat of the Week
Southern Illinois has had four Valley games in which three players scored 16 or more points. The entire rest of the league has combined for one such game. Southern Illinois did it in their games on 12/31 (Valparaiso) 1/29 (Evansville), 2/9 (Indiana State), and 2/13 (Drake). Valparaiso did it on 2/10 vs Bradley.
BU: Playing the Percentages
Bradley’s 14 different starting five combinations are the most for any team in the nation this season, but the Braves appear to have found a combination they like … The Braves had used 13 different combinations in their previous 15 games until going with the same combo in each of the last three games … The quintet of Tatum Koenig (65 points), Caroline Waite (55), Abbie Draper (30), Chloe Rice (22) and Sierra Morrow (21) have combined for 193 of the team’s 202 points – 95.5 percent – the last three games.
DU: Elite Company
Drake’s Maddie Petersen scored her 1,000th career point and notched her 500th career assist over the weekend. She is one of only three players in Drake history to achieve both 1,000 points and 500 assists in her career, joining Caitlin Ingle and Jenni Fitzgerald.
UE: Speaking Charitably
The Aces are one of the best teams in the nation in getting to the free-throw line and have recently become a better team at converting those opportunities. In four of its last five games, Evansville has shot 78.6% or better from the charity stripe, a feat it accomplished just three times in the previous 18 games this season.
ILS: 37 Points
Fifth year guard JuJu Redmond’s 37 points was not only a career-high, it was the most points scored by a Missouri Valley Conference player since Drake’s Becca Hittner had 37 points versus UNI on Jan. 3, 2020. Redmond is one of 20 players in NCAA Division I to have a 37+ point performance this season and it was the most a Redbird has scored in a game since Caryn Brune scored 43 points vs. Marquette on Dec. 11, 1992.
INS: Night and Day
Indiana State’s splits in day games versus night games are staggering. Eight of the Sycamores’ 10 wins this season have come in night games, defined as games with a tip time of 5 p.m. or later. Indiana State is averaging nearly five more points per game in night games (66.6) compared to day games (62.0), while also allowing nearly eight fewer points in night games (60.7) compared to day games (68.9).
LUC: 30 & Thriving
Loyola turned in another suffocating defensive effort in Saturday’s matchup with Bradley, limiting the visiting Braves to 25 percent (15-for-59) shooting, the low mark by a Rambler opponent this season, en route to a 56-41 victory inside Gentile Arena. Across two matchups with the Maroon & Gold this season, Bradley shot a combined 26 percent (31-for-119). Saturday’s effort marked the fifth time this season Loyola has held an opponent under 30 percent efficiency, all Rambler victories.
MSU: Road Success
The Lady Bears hit the road for contests at Illinois State and Bradley this weekend. MSU is 38-7 in their last 45 true road games and 28-4 in the last 32 MVC road contests. The Lady Bears have won at least six MVC road games for seven straight seasons.
UNI: Taking Care of the Ball
One element of UNI’s game that stayed intact through the weekend was their prowess in keeping the ball. The Panthers still lead the MVC in turnovers per game with the least amount of turnovers at 12.8. That also makes the good in the nation for 20th overall.
SIU: Brockmeyer Nears 1,000
Graduate forward Abby Brockmeyer currently sits at 993 career rebounds, needing seven more to eclipse 1,000. Only two players in SIU history have reached the 1,000-rebound mark: Sue Faber (1,014) and record holder Dyana Pierre (1,218). Brockmeyer is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game this season.
VU: High Scoring Affairs
Valpo was involved in a pair of offensive showdowns last weekend. The Beacons opened the weekend with an 86-84 win over Bradley - their 86 points a season high. The 84 points Valpo surrendered are the most the program has given up in a regulation victory since a 92-89 win over Western Illinois in January 1997. Then, on Saturday, Valpo dropped an 85-80 slugfest with conference-leading Illinois State. The 80 points marked Valpo’s highest scoring output in a regulation loss since falling 101-80 at Wright State in March 2014. Combined with Thursday’s 86-point effort against Bradley, it is the first time Valpo has scored 80+ points in back-to-back regulation games since March 2014 as well.