Men's Basketball

MVC MBB Weekly Notebook (Dec. 27)

League Play Resumes This Weekend

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE 2023-24 MEN’S BASKETBALL (@ValleyHoops)
 
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MVC Player of the Week:  Alston Mason, Missouri State
MVC Newcomer of the Week:  Ben Humrichous, Evansville
MVC Freshman of the Week:  Chuck Bailey III, Evansville

MVC Weekly Notebook -- 12-27
  • MVC Ranks No. 9 -- T MVC Ranks No. 9 -- The Missouri Valley Conference ranks No. 9 as a league in the NET rankings (Dec. 26).  Indiana State leads nine MVC teams among the Top 150 as ISU sits at No. 23. The MVC finished 15th as a league in the Conference NET last year.  The MVC has nine teams in the Top 150, bettered only by the Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, ACC and A10.
  • Efficiency = NCAAs -- Indiana State is 33 in offensive efficiency in KenPom. Since 2012, 10 of 12 MVC teams in the Top 35 of KenPom’s OE have earned a spot in the NCAA Tourney (UNI, 2020 - COVID; MOST, 2022 - played in the NIT).
  • Non-Conf Schedule Winding Down -- The MVC men’s basketball non-conference schedule has six games remaining this week, beginning with Truman State at Bradley on Thursday. The MVC is 38 games over .500 - the best since the league was +41 during the 2017-18 campaign. 
  • Prior to league play resuming on Dec. 30, the league’s six non-league games include three road games against teams from Power conferences (at #8 Kentucky, at Cincinnati, at Michigan State).  UNI (vs. Stanford) and SIU (vs. Oklahoma State) own wins against P6 teams this year, and the MVC has had at least one win against a Top 25 team in each of the past four seasons and 12 of the past 13.
  • Home Cooking -- The Valley has won 82.8 percent of its non-MVC home games (53-11) -- that percentage is 16th MVC best on record in the past 50 seasons.  Drake earned a win in its final non-league home game of the year (vs. Alcorn State) and extended its non-conference homecourt winning streak to 43 games - the third-best in MVC history.
  • Block Party -- UIC leads the nation in blocks per game (6.9). Only five MVC teams since 1988 have recorded 5.0 blocks per game for a season.
  • Sweet Shooting -- Indiana State leads the nation in effective field goal percentage (62.0) and ranks in the Top 5 for FG percentage (3rd, 52.4) and 3FG percentage (5th, 41.3). The Sycamores’ 52.4 accuracy ranks among the best all-time in MVC history and second best in the shot clock era.
  • Streaking -- Indiana State’s 10-game win streak is tied for sixth-best in the NCAA. Drake’s 12-game home win streak is tied for 11th-best in the NCAA.
  • Valley Runs Deep -- Notably, MVC men’s teams are 12-3 in their first game in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2012. The league has now combined for 20 wins in the NCAA Tournament in the past 10 NCAA championships and has earned multiple bids 16 times since 1994. Since 2013, The Valley has had two Final Four appearances, and an MVC team has reached a Sweet 16 a total of 12 times since 1985.
  • Nation’s 2nd Oldest -- Founded in 1907, the Missouri Valley Conference is the nation’s second-oldest Division I athletic conference (behind only the Big Ten).  The MVC is celebrating its 117th season in 2023-24.
 
 
Thursday, Dec. 28 Network Time (CT)
Truman State at Bradley ESPN+ 7:00 PM
Friday, Dec. 29
Valparaiso at Elon 1:00 PM
Illinois State at #8 Kentucky SEC Network 6:00 PM
Evansville at Cincinnati Big 12/ESPN+ 6:00 PM
Saturday, Dec. 30
Indiana State at Michigan State FS1 1:00 PM
Middle Tennessee at Murray State ESPN+ 3:00 PM
*UIC at Southern Illinois ESPN+ 6:00 PM
Tuesday, Jan. 2
*Belmont at Southern Illinois ESPN+ 7:00 PM
*UIC at Murray State ESPN+ 7:00 PM
*Illinois State at Drake CBSSN 8:00 PM
Wednesday, Jan. 3
*Evansville at Indiana State ESPN+ 6:00 PM
*Bradley at Valparaiso ESPN+ 7:00 PM
*UNI at Missouri State MVC TV/ESPN+ 8:00 PM
 
*denotes MVC game