MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE 2024-25 MEN’S BASKETBALL (@ValleyHoops)
2024-25 MVC Stats (PDF) |
NCAA Statistics |
MVC Standings
MVC Media Guide |
MVC Composite Schedule |
MVC NBA Draft Database
NET Rankings & NET Archive |
RPI Archive |
Rankings Summary (Sort by Team or Conf)
- MVC Player of the Week: Chase Walker, Illinois State
- MVC Newcomer of the Week: Jonathan Pierre, Belmont
- MVC Freshman of the Week: All Wright, Valparaiso
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| Monday, Dec. 16 |
Network |
Central |
| Montana at UNI |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
|
|
|
| Tuesday, Dec. 17 |
Network |
Central |
| Drake vs. Kansas State |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
| Valparaiso at Ohio State |
Peacock |
7:00 PM |
|
|
|
| Wednesday, Dec. 18 |
Network |
Central |
| *Murray State at Indiana State |
MVC TV/ESPN+ |
6:00 PM |
| San Francisco at Bradley |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
| Lincoln at Missouri State |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
| Evansville at UT-Arlington |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
| Northern Illinois at Illinois State |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
|
|
|
| Thursday, Dec. 19 |
Network |
Central |
| UC Irvine at Belmont |
ESPN+ |
6:30 PM |
|
|
|
| Friday, Dec. 20 |
Network |
Central |
| Valparaiso at Western Michigan |
ESPN+ |
12:00 PM |
| UIC at Seattle |
ESPN+ |
4:00 PM |
|
|
|
| Saturday, Dec. 21 |
Network |
Central |
| Health Sciences & Pharmacy at IndState |
ESPN+ |
12:00 PM |
| High Point at Southern Illinois |
ESPN+ |
1:00 PM |
| Evansville at Ball State |
ESPN+ |
1:00 PM |
| Canisius at Bradley |
ESPN+ |
1:00 PM |
| Washington State vs. UNI |
FloSports |
3:00 PM |
| Green Bay at Drake |
MC22/ESPN+ |
5:00 PM |
|
|
|
| Sunday, Dec. 22 |
Network |
Central |
| Illinois State at Cornell |
ESPN+ |
11:00 AM |
| Calumet at Valparaiso |
ESPN+ |
1:00 PM |
| UC Santa Barbara at Missouri State |
ESPN+ |
1:00 PM |
| Murray State vs. Nebraska |
ESPN |
8:00 PM |
Nothing But Net -- The Missouri Valley Conference has six teams rated in the Top 150, including two in the Top 75 (Drake-46; Bradley-72). The MVC is 29 games over .500 in non-league play, and 10 teams are .500 or better. The league is rated 10th among Division I conferences.
| Metrics |
NET |
KPI |
KenPom |
| Drake |
46 |
32 |
73 |
| Bradley |
72 |
67 |
75 |
| UNI |
81 |
117 |
105 |
| Murray State |
111 |
141 |
103 |
| Belmont |
117 |
86 |
133 |
| Illinois State |
142 |
189 |
168 |
More Metrics -- The MVC ranks No. 11 in KenPom’s conference rating -- the league finished 10th in 2023-24. MVC leaders:
Offensive Rating (KenPom)
40 -- Bradley
81 -- Belmont
104 -- UNI
117 -- Murray State
Defensive Rating (KenPom)
45 -- Drake
113 -- Murray State
123 -- UNI
124 -- Southern Illinois
Adjusted Tempo (KenPom)
10 -- Indiana State
27 -- Belmont
78 -- Southern Illinois
99 -- UIC
Wins Above Bubble Rank (BarkTorvik)
19 -- Drake
64 -- Bradley
88 -- Belmont
107 -- Murray State
- Arc Improvement -- A year ago, Murray State ranked last in the MVC in defensive 3-point percentage (273-of-743 for .367). Through nine games, the Racers lead The Valley as opponents are 41-of-159 (.258).
- Winning Ways -- Drake is off to the best start in school history since the 2020-21 team won its first 18 games. Drake is one of just five unbeaten teams. Drake (9) and Belmont (5) are two of 23 teams in the NCAA who boast active win streaks of five or more games.
- Home Cooking -- Drake’s current 26-game homecourt winning streak is tied for second in the nation (thru games of Dec. 15). Drake has a 48-game non-conference homecourt winning streak - third-best in MVC history.
- Power Play -- With wins over Miami (ACC) and Vanderbilt (SEC), Drake is the fifth MVC team in the past six seasons to have multiple wins against “Power” teams. Indiana State had three-such wins last season (Minnesota, Cincinnati, Utah).
- Working Overtime -- Missouri State’s 111-106 victory over Tulsa on Nov. 16 took three overtimes. It’s tied for the longest game in the NCAA this year. Drake and UIC played a three-overtime game on Feb. 28 of last season (won by Drake, 107-105). Notably, there have been 81 games in NCAA Division I that have been decided in overtime this year, including seven games involving MVC schools (two this past weekend):
- Drake in Select Company -- Only two teams in Division I men’s basketball this season have held opponents to 56.0 points per game (or fewer) and limited their opponents to 40.0 shooting (or less) from the field this season. Drake leads the MVC in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense and joins UCLA in that statistical group.
- Winning on the Road -- Belmont (3-0 in true road games) is among a small contingent of NCAA Division I teams without a road loss. A total of 32 teams are perfect on the road this year, but only nine have played more than one road game. Three teams (St. John’s, Texas Tech, Utah) have yet to play a true road game in 2024-25.
- Class By Himself -- Drake’s Bennett Stirtz is the only men’s Division I player to average 17.5 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game this season. In fact, only seven players over the past 10 seasons have averaged that statistical trifecta.
- Rally Time -- An MVC team has fallen behind by 12 or more points in a game this year and rallied to win five times this season. Three of those came at the hands of Belmont.
- Making Shots -- Led by Bradley at 60.5 percent, six MVC teams rank in the Top 40 in the NCAA in effective field goal percentage (through games of Sunday, Dec. 15). Also, UNI’s overall field goal percentage of 51.6 leads the MVC and ranks third in the NCAA (Bradley is 8th, 50.6.) Bradley’s three-point percentage (44.6) leads the nation. The Braves make a league-best 11.5 treys per contest. Last season, Illinois State ranked last in the MVC in 3FG accuracy (.292), while Murray State was 10th in the MVC (.321), both are among the NCAA best this year.
- Doing it With Defense -- Drake’s scoring defense of 55.2 ranks second in the nation this season (behind UCLA at 55.0). Only six MVC teams since 1979 have held teams to below 57.0 points per game for a season.
MVC Scoring Defense, Since 1970
| 54.6 UNI, 2014-15 |
NCAA 2nd Round |
| 55.1 UNI, 2009-10 |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 55.2 Drake, 2024-25 |
|
| 56.1 Loyola, 2020-21 |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 56.2 S. Illinois, 2006-07 |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 56.5 S. Illinois, 2005-06 |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 56.8 MoState, 1991-92 |
NCAA 1st Round |
The Valley Runs Deep
- The Conference has a rich tradition of success in postseason play. In league history, 18 teams have reached the men’s NCAA Final Four, and the MVC owns four NCAA men’s basketball titles and seven NIT crowns. Indiana State reached the title game of the NIT in 2024.
- Notably, MVC teams are 12-4 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 11 NCAA championships and has earned multiple bids 16 times since 1994.
- MVC teams have 42 total wins in the NCAA Tournament since 1994 with 12 Sweet 16 trips and two Final Four appearances. Notably, 31 of 42 victories have been against Power conferences, and the league has a winning record in that span against Big 12 and SEC schools.
- In 2023-24, the Missouri Valley Conference sent a total of four teams to postseason play as Drake competed against Washington State in the NCAA Tournament, Bradley and Indiana State participated in the NIT, and Evansville played in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The Valley posted a total of five NIT victories, as Indiana State reached the title game, collecting wins over SMU, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Utah. Bradley defeated Loyola in the first round of the NIT. Evansville split a pair of games in the CBI.