Tuesday, Jan. 10 (Times Central)
Belmont at Valparaiso (ESPN+ ) 6:00 PM
Drake at UIC (ESPN+) 7:00 PM
Murray State at UNI (PSN/ESPN+) 7:00 PM

Wednesday, Jan. 11
Southern Illinois at Indiana State (ESPN+) 6:00 PM
Missouri State at Illinois State (ESPN+) 7:00 PM
Evansville at Bradley (ESPN+) 7:00 PM

Weekly Notebook (PDF)

MVC Player of the Week:  Julian Larry, Indiana State
6-3, 185, So., G | Frisco, Texas |  iSchool Entrepreneurial Academy
Julian Larry posted back-to-back 18-point outings this week to help the Sycamores go 2-0 and remain perfect in Valley play. He accomplished this on a 12-of-14 shooting clip including a perfect 3-of-3 from distance. Larry also connected on 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. He dished out 10 assists with four steals on the week. On Wednesday at Illinois State, Larry shot a perfect 7-of-7 from the field with five assists and no turnovers.  During the past four games (all ISU wins), Larry has connected on 25-of-30 field goal attempts (83.3 percent), connected on 6-of-8 from three-point range (75.0), averaged 5.0 assists per game with seven total steals.
 
MVC Newcomer of the Week: Cade Tyson, Belmont
6-7, 200, Fr., F | Monroe, N.C. | Carmel Christian
Belmont joined Indiana State and UNI as teams that went unbeaten last week, and Cade Tyson was a big reason for that.  He scored a career-high 20 points and added three rebounds and two steals as Belmont defeated Missouri State Saturday to snap the Bears’ four-game win streak. He had eight points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots at UIC. Tyson averaged 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game for the week. He leads the MVC in scoring among freshmen.

ISU Remains Unbeaten
Indiana State’s 6-0 league start is its best since 1978-79.  That year, ISU, with Larry Bird, was a perfect 16-0 and won the Missouri Valley Conference.  Including ISU this year, there have been 16 win streaks of 6-0 or better to start the MVC schedule in the past 25 seasons). Of the 15 previous, 11 teams earned the league regular-season crown and 12 earned an NCAA Tournament berth.

#$18-0 - Wichita State (2013-14) - perfect season
#$17-0 - Southern Illinois (2003-04) - lost at UNI
#$13-0 - Drake (2007-08) - lost at Southern Illinois
#^11-0 - Illinois State (2016-17) - lost at Wichita St.
#$11-0 - Wichita State (2015-16) - lost at Illinois St.
$9-0 - Drake (2020-21) -- lost at Valparaiso
#$9-0 - Wichita State (2014-15) - lost at UNI
#^7-0 - Missouri State (2010-11) - lost at Indiana St.
#$7-0 - UNI (2009-10) -- lost at Wichita State
$7-0 - Creighton (2002-03) -- lost at Evansville
6-0 - Indiana State (2022-23)
#$6-0 - Creighton (2012-13) - lost at Wichita State
^6-0 - Illinois State (2007-08) - lost at Drake
$6-0 - Southern Illinois (2005-06) - lost at UNI
#$6-0 - Southern Illinois (2004-05) - lost at Wichita St.
#$6-0 - Evansville (1998-99) - lost to Illinois State
#denotes regular-season champ (or co-champ); $denotes NCAA Tournament qualifier; ^NIT qualifier

Home Cooking
League teams are 22-14 in Conference games played at home this season. The MVC was 46-10 at home during non-conference play.  Bradley (9-0) and Drake (8-0) are the league’s lone unbeaten teams at home this season.  Bradley’s recent victory against Valpo gives it 16 consecutive wins at Carver, which ties the school’s ninth-longest streak in school history.  The most-recent 16-game win for Bradley was in 1965-1966.  Bradley’s current active streak is 11th best in the nation (thru Sunday, Jan. 8).  Drake’s current streak is 11 in a row, dating back to last year. The Bulldogs have gone 77-9 at home since 2017-18.

75 - Gonzaga
28 - Kentucky
27 - Auburn
24 - Tennessee
21 - Jacksonville
20 - Iona
19 - Norfolk State
18 - Arkansas
17 - UCLA
17 - Dayton
16 - Bradley

Close Games in MVC Play
Seven of the league’s 36 contests have been decided by three points or less (or in overtime) this year.  Six additional games have been decided by six points or less [13 of 36 decided by six or fewer points this year].  Team records in games decided by 3 or fewer (or OT):

Indiana State (2-0); Murray State (2-0); Belmont (1-0); Missouri State (1-0); UNI (1-0)
Bradley (0-1); Illinois State (0-1); Southern Illinois (0-1); Valparaiso (0-2); Drake (0-2)

Nothing But Net
Bradley heads a list of five MVC men’s basketball schools that rank in the Top 120 of the NET (Jan. 9).  The Braves are at No. 72, followed by Indiana State (93) and Drake (97) in the Top 100.

Vs. Non-MVC
The league finished the regular season with a 74-55 record vs. non-league teams (.574).  That record includes an impressive 46-10 slate in home non-league games. MVC teams were 71-54 (.568) in non-league play in 2021-22.

Against the Top 25
MVC teams were 2-2 vs. Top 25 non-conference teams this season, and the Conference was 3-5 against teams from Power leagues.  Drake beat No. 15 Mississippi State on Dec. 20, and Murray State knocked off No. 24 Texas A&M in the opening round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational.  In 2021-22, the MVC recorded a 1-6 record against non-conference Top 25 programs.

Leading the League
Indiana State leads the MVC and ranks 25th nationally for team field goal percentage (48.5).  The Sycamores have led the MVC in team field goal percentage just one time in ISU history -- their 1978-79 MVC championship and Final Four season with Larry Bird.  Against Illinois State this past week, ISU hit 60.0 percent, marking the first time Indiana State has shot 60 percent or better in a game since Nov. 28, 2018, at San Jose State (64.2).  Indiana shot 67.7 in the first half against the Redbirds.

Defending the Shot
Since 2010, all but three teams that have led the MVC in FG percentage defense have earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  Bradley’s current 38.7 figure leads the MVC and ranks 22nd nationally.

On the Defensive
Three league teams rank in the Top 33 of the NCAA for scoring defense.  Bradley is tops in the MVC and ranks 16th nationally at 59.6 ppg allowed. Southern Illinois ranks 20th (60.4 ppg); while Missouri State is 33rd (62.1 ppg).

Scoring Offense
Indiana State leads the league and ranks 29th nationally in scoring (80.8 ppg).  Only one league team has averaged better than 80 points per game since 1994 (Tulsa, 83.4).  Wichita State averaged 81.0 points per game in 2017.  

Charity Tosses
Illinois State ranks sixth nationally in team free throw percentage, connecting on 79.8 percent of its foul line shots.  Missouri State set a league record last year by connecting on 79.7 percent for the season.  Drake ranks 23rd in the NCAA this year (76.3 percent).

Long Range Snipers
Belmont ranks 9th nationally and leads the league by shooting 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Making Threes
Belmont is tied for 12th nationally in total 3-pointers made per game (10.0).  Drew Friberg of Belmont ranks in the Top 10 nationally for 3FG percentage (4th/49.6) and 3FG made per game (7th/3.59).  With 61 made three-point baskets, Friberg is on pace to crack the MVC’s single-season Top 10 for treys made by a first-year MVC player.

Off to a Memorable Start
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)

Minute Men
Led by Murray State’s JaCobi Wood and Rob Perry, six MVC players are in the Top 100 in the NCAA for average minutes played per game.  Wood (36:30) and Perry (35:34) are 1-2 in the MVC.

12    JaCobi Wood, Murray St. (MVC)    36:30
27    Rob Perry, Murray St. (MVC)    35:34
50    Marcus Domask, Southern Ill. (MVC)    35:09
55    Ben Sheppard, Belmont (MVC)    35:00
62    Ben Krikke, Valparaiso (MVC)    34:55
93    Bowen Born, UNI (MVC)    34:14

BEL .. Among the Leaders
Belmont leads the MVC in turnover margin and ranks second in the MVC in assists, steals, assist-turnover ratio and team offense.

BRAD .. Model of Efficiency
Bradley’s Malevy Leons continues to be the model of efficiency as he collected 19 points in just 21 minutes of play against Valpo and added to his stellar defensive numbers with another block against Murray State and two more steals against Valpo. Leons is one of two players to rank in the top 7 for the MVC in both steals and blocks. 

DU .. Magic Numbers
Drake men’s basketball has a 46-1 record under head coach Darian DeVries when scoring 80 points or more.  And after dishing out four assists against Murray State on Sunday, graduate student guard and Drake’s all-time assists leader Roman Penn surpassed 500 assists (501) in his Drake playing career.

UIC .. Block Party
Four UIC student-athletes rank among the Top 15 in the MVC in blocks per game this year, and the Flames lead the MVC with 5.0 blocks per game as a team. Since the MVC began tracking blocks (1987), only one team has eclipsed 5.0 blocks per game for an entire season (Wichita State, 5.1, 2014).

ILS .. Poindexter Hits High
Malachi Poindexter scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season and set a career-high with 18 points as the Redbirds won at Evansville on Saturday.
He has made all 23 of his free throw tries on the season through the first 17 games of the season.

UE .. Scorching the Nets
Evansville’s Marvin Coleman II is on an unbelievable streak over the last seven games averaging 15.1 points.  Entering the Dec. 7 game against Campbell, Coleman was averaging 5.4 points per game but the recent streak has seen him jump all the way to 9.4 points.  He has scored 13 or more in six of the last seven games.

INS .. Playing Ahead
When the Sycamores gave up two straight threes to open the game against UIC, that was the first time Indiana State has trailed in a Valley game since the 6:58 mark of the second half at Southern Illinois Dec. 7. It was also Indiana State’s largest deficit in a Valley game this season. The Sycamores have only trailed by a total of 12:29 in Valley play this season.

VALPO .. On the Cusp of 1,000
Kobe King, who has scored in double figures in 17 straight games and is the only Missouri Valley Conference player to do so in every game this season, is on the verge of a career milestone entering Tuesday’s game vs. Belmont. King is 11 points away from 1,000 for his collegiate career. If he reaches the milestone, he would become the second Valpo player to do so this year after Ben Krikke achieved the feat on Nov. 13 vs. Western Michigan. 

MOST .. Mogbo on the Go
Over the last 5 games, Missouri State’s Jonathan Mogbo (Jr., West Palm Beach, Fla.) is averaging 10.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.2 steals, and 2.6 assists per game, while leading the Bears to a 4-1 ledger in that span.

SIU .. Defense Steps Up
The Saluki defense has held opponents to 60.4 points per game, ranking second in the MVC and 20th nationally. In MVC action, teams are scoring just 57.8 points per contest. SIU is holding the opposition to just 40.9 percent shooting overall and 30.2 percent from behind the arc – both categories rank third in the MVC.

UNI .. Jake Climbing the List
UNI’s Ben Jacobson has won 329 games in his time at UNI (3rd all-time in the MVC), and he is third on the coaching wins list for MVC-only games, trailing Dana Altman by four wins.

Winningest MVC Coaches - All Games
486 -- Henry P. Iba, Oklahoma State (1934-57) 
337 -- Eddie Hickey, CU/SLU (1935-43; 1946-58
329 -- Ben Jacobson, UNI (2006-present)
327 -- Dana Altman, Creighton (1994-10)
285 -- Barry Hinson, MoState/SIU (1999-08; 2012-19)

Winningest MVC Coaches - MVC Games Only
187 -- Henry P. Iba, Oklahoma State (1934-57) 
182 -- Dana Altman, Creighton (1994-10)
178 -- Ben Jacobson, UNI (2006-present)

BEL .. Brauns Ups His Scoring
With 10 points each at UIC and vs. Missouri State, Belmont junior Even Brauns recorded back-to-back double figure scoring games for the first time in his career.

VALPO .. Sharing is Caring
Over the last two games, Valpo has handed out 32 assists on 46 made baskets with 69.6 percent of their baskets being assisted. Prior to the Jan. 4 game vs. UNI, 48.5 percent of Valpo’s baskets were assisted this season and 41.7 percent in conference play. As a team, Valpo tallied 18 assists on 25 made baskets on Dec. 4 vs. UNI, tying a season high reached on three prior occasions – Nov. 13 vs. Western Michigan, Dec. 18 vs. Elon and Dec. 21 vs. Stonehill. The Beacons followed by obtaining 14 assists on 21 made baskets in the Jan. 7 game at Bradley.

MUR .. Jersey Retirement
Murray State will honor 2020 Hall of Fame member Cameron Payne this Saturday. His jersey No. 1 will be retired (Jan. 14) when the Racers host the UIC Flames at 3 p.m. Payne arrived at MSU from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis to an NBA veteran is an amazing story in Racer history.

DU .. 1200-800 Club
Garrett Sturtz is just the third player in Drake history to have collected more than 1,200 points and 800 rebounds in his career. He joins Melvin Mathis (1651 pts., 854 rebs., 1982-86) and Jonathan Cox (1205 pts., 818 rebs., 2006-09). 

First Time
UNI will face a pair of first-time opponents this week as its hosts Murray State on Tuesday before visiting Belmont on Saturday. Murray State is the third team on UNI’s schedule this season that made the NCAA Tournament this season.  In MSU’s 98th season and the 120th season for UNI, the two finally meet.

UNI .. Fun Fact
The Panthers lead the nation in points scored by in-state players with 67.6 points per game. UNI is 79-9 under Ben Jacobson when scoring 80+ in a game.