Men's Basketball

MVC MBB Weekly Notebook (1-15-2024)

Player of the Week:  Tucker DeVries, Drake
Newcomer of the Week:  Ryan Conwell, Indiana State
Freshman of the Week:  Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso

MVC Weekly -- 1-15
  • MVC Ranks No. 9 -- The Missouri Valley Conference ranks No. 9 as a league in the NET rankings.  Indiana State leads six MVC teams among the Top 125 as ISU sits at No. 30. The MVC finished 15th as a league in the Conference NET last year. (The Valley is also up six spots from 16 to 10 in the KenPom league rankings.)
  • Bradley - 6 Straight -- For the second time this season, Bradley has won six-straight games.  The Braves carry the league’s longest active streak into Wednesday’s game at SIU.  The 6-game active streak is tied for 13th-best in the nation.
  • Home Cookin’ -- The MVC has combined for a 20-16 record at home in league play (.556). Valley teams have won at a combined .600 clip or better at home in league play in 9 of the past 10 years with the COVID 2020-21 season the lone exception (.556). Since 2014, league regular-season champs (and co-champs) are a combined 102-7 in MVC games at home. Only one co-champ (Drake in 2019) lost more than 1 league home game (7-2 that year for DU).
  • At the Line -- Four league players rank among the national Top 50 in free throw percentage.  Bowen Born ranks 2nd this season with a 96.1 free throw percentage accuracy. Xavier Johnson’s 127 FT makes also ranks second nationally.  Johnson is on pace to reach the Top 10 in MVC history for single-season FT makes.
  • Sweet Shooting -- Indiana State leads the nation in effective field goal percentage (61.4), is 3rd in FG percentage (51.1) and 2nd in 3FG percentage (41.2). The Sycamores’ 51.1 is the second-best in the MVC during the shot-clock era.
  • National Honor -- Tucker DeVries of Drake was named the Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Week -- in addition to his MVC Player of the Week honors this week.