Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball regular-season non-conference play ends on Sunday with an Indiana State game at Ohio State. Ten MVC teams (five games) are in action on Dec. 29.
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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)
| Sunday, Dec. 29 |
Network |
Central |
MVC Series History |
| Indiana State at Ohio State |
Big Ten Network |
11:00 AM |
|
| *Southern Illinois at UNI |
ESPN+ |
1:00 PM |
SIU, 39-38 (UNI 25-9 in Cedar Falls) |
| *Belmont at Drake |
ESPN+ |
2:00 PM |
DU, 3-2 (DU 2-0 in Des Moines) |
| *Missouri State at Evansville |
ESPN+ |
3:00 PM |
MOST, 45-36 (UE, 23-16 in Evansville) |
| *Valparaiso at Bradley |
ESPN+ |
3:00 PM |
BRAD, 12-5 (BRAD 7-0 in Peoria) |
| *UIC at Illinois State |
Marquee/ESPN+ |
4:00 PM |
ILS, 19-10 (ILS 13-3 in Normal) |
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|
| Wednesday, Jan. 1 |
Network |
Central |
|
| *Evansville at Southern Illinois |
ESPN+ |
1:00 PM |
|
| *Drake at UIC |
ESPN+ |
2:00 PM |
|
| *Bradley at Indiana State |
MVC TV/ESPN+ |
6:00 PM |
|
| *Valparaiso at Missouri State |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
|
| *Belmont at UNI |
MVC TV/ESPN+ |
8:00 PM |
|
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|
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| Thursday, Jan. 2 |
Network |
Central |
|
| *Illinois State at Murray State |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
|
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Nothing But Net -- The Missouri Valley Conference has six teams rated in the Top 150, including three in the Top 80 (Drake-48; Bradley-65; UNI-79). The MVC is 35 games over .500 in non-league play with one regular-season non-league game remaining. The league is rated 10th among Division I conferences. Here’s a snapshot of the league’s top-six rated teams. NET ratings include last year’s Dec. 27 numbers in brackets - the MVC’s top six teams, on average, are 62.2 points higher than last year at this time.
| Metrics |
NET |
KPI |
KenPom |
| Drake |
48 [73] |
33 |
78 |
| Bradley |
65 [136] |
55 |
71 |
| UNI |
79 [122] |
95 |
95 |
| Belmont |
113 [150] |
86 |
131 |
| Illinois State |
116 [190] |
125 |
146 |
| Murray State |
146 [269] |
137 |
123 |
Winning Ways -- Drake (11-0) is off to the best start in school history since the 2020-21 team won its first 18 games. Drake is one of just four unbeaten teams, joining Florida, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Home Cooking -- Drake’s current 27-game homecourt winning streak is tied for second in the nation (thru games of Dec. 26). Drake has a 49-game non-conference homecourt winning streak - third-best in MVC history.
Best MVC Non-Conf Home Streaks
61 - Bradley (Dec. 1962 - Dec. 1969)
51 - Cincinnati (Dec. 1957 - Dec. 1963)
49 - Drake (Dec. 2016 - current)
Best NCAA Active Home Win Streaks
(thru games of Thursday, Dec. 26)
29 - Houston
27 - Drake
27 - UConn
25 - Samford
25 - Iowa State
25 – Dayton
Power Play -- With wins over Miami (ACC), Vanderbilt (SEC), and Kansas State (Big 12), 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). The only other MVC teams in the past 10 seasons to have three “Power” wins during the regular season were Loyola (2021-22) and UNI (2015-16) -- both were NCAA Tournament teams in those respective seasons.
Rally Time -- Valpo rallied from 22 points down to win at Western Michigan on Friday. The 22-point comeback is tied for the third best in the NCAA this season and is tied for the 5th best in MVC history. Justus McNair hit a three-pointer at the buzzer from nearly halfcourt to lift the Beacons, 76-73. Valpo pulled off the second-latest comeback in NCAA DI I history when trailing by 22 points or more behind Milwaukee coming from 24 back with 6:26 left in March 2021 to beat Wright State in overtime. Valpo set the NCAA DI record for the latest comeback from 22 or more down to win in regulation.
Drake in Select Company -- Only five teams in Division I men’s basketball this season have held opponents to 58.0 points per game (or fewer) and limited their opponents to 42.0 shooting (or less) from the field. Drake leads the MVC and ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense, while the Bulldogs are second in the MVC (behind Bradley) in field goal percentage defense.
| 58.0 Defense & 42.0 FG Pct. Defense |
|
|
| Drake (11-0) |
57.2 ppg |
41.1 FG Pct. |
| Tennessee (12-0) |
56.6 ppg |
34.5 FG Pct. |
| North Texas (9-3) |
56.5 ppg |
41.4 FG Pct. |
| Wagner (8-5) |
56.5 ppg |
40.6 FG Pct. |
| Houston (8-3) |
55.3 ppg |
34.1 FG Pct. |
Winning on the Road -- Belmont (3-0 in road games) is among a small contingent of teams without a road loss. A total of 32 teams are perfect on the road this year, but only five of those have more than three road games.
Perfect on the Road (3 or more games)
4-0 -- St. Bonaventure
3-0 -- Belmont, Duke, Longwood, Memphis
In Elite Company -- Drake’s Bennett Stirtz is one of only two men’s Division I players to average 17.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per game this season. In fact, only 17 players over the past 30 seasons (and just four players in the past 10 seasons) have averaged that statistical trifecta. Alos, Stirtz ranks second in the NCAA in minutes played (37:35).
| PPG (17.5+); SPG (2.4+); APG (5.9+) |
|
|
|
| Markquis Nowell, K-State (22-23) |
17.6 |
2.6 |
8.3 |
| Josh Sharkey, Samford (2019-20) |
18.0 |
2.7 |
7.2 |
| Bennett Stirtz, Drake (2024-25) |
17.5 |
2.4 |
5.9 |
| Sebastian Thomas, URI (2024-25) |
17.6 |
2.4 |
7.0 |
Rally Time -- An MVC team has fallen behind by 13 or more points in a game this year and rallied to win four times this season.
Date -- Final Score (Deficit)
12/20 -- Valparaiso 76, W. Michigan 73 (22)
11/19 -- Belmont 90, Oral Roberts 80 (17)
11/29 -- Belmont 83, Gardner Webb 74 (13)
12/07 -- Illinois State 72, Pacific 61 (13)
Making Shots -- Led by Bradley at 60.5 percent, six MVC teams rank in the Top 33 in the NCAA in effective field goal percentage (through games of Thursday, Dec. 26). Also, UNI’s overall field goal percentage of 52.0 leads the NCAA.
| Effective Field Goal Percentage Leaders |
|
|
|
| 1. Liberty (CUSA) |
|
0.610 |
|
| 2. Bradley (MVC) |
|
0.605 |
|
| 3. Texas Tech (Big 12) |
|
0.600 |
|
| 4. Indiana St. (MVC) |
|
0.596 |
|
| 5. Auburn (SEC) |
|
0.596 |
|
| 6. Illinois St. (MVC) |
|
0.594 |
|
| 7. Texas (SEC) |
|
0.591 |
|
| 8. UNI (MVC) |
|
0.590 |
|
| 32. Drake (MVC) |
|
0.569 |
|
| 33. Belmont (MVC) |
|
0.567 |
|
Bradley’s three-point percentage (45.7) leads the nation. The Braves make a league-best 11.6 treys per contest, which is No. 5 nationally. One season after finishing 339th (12th from the bottom) in 3-point FG percentage (29.2), Illinois State is third in the NCAA in three-point percentage this season (41.8).
| 3FG Percentage Leaders |
|
|
| 1. Bradley (MVC) |
139-of-304 |
45.7 |
| 3. Illinois St. (MVC) |
132-of-316 |
41.8 |
| 16. UNI (MVC) |
92-of-232 |
39.7 |
| 34. Belmont (MVC) |
130-of-341 |
38.1 |
Doing it With Defense -- Drake’s scoring defense of 57.2 is fifth in the NCAA, trailing Houston (55.3); North Texas (56.5); Wagner (56.6); and Tennessee (56.6). Only six MVC teams since 1979 have held teams to below 57.0 points per game for a season.
| MVC Scoring Defense, Since 1970 |
Postseason |
| 54.6 UNI, 2014-15 |
NCAA 2nd Round |
| 55.1 UNI, 2009-10 |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 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 |
| 57.2 Drake, 2024-25 |
|
| 57.4 Wichita St., 2015-16 |
NCAA 2nd Round |
| 57.8 UNI, 2005-06 |
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.