NIT SEMIFINALS - Tuesday, April 2
Utah (22-14) vs. Indiana State (31-6), 6 pm CT (ESPN/ESPN+)
Georgia (20-16) vs. Seton Hall (23-12), 8:30 pm CT (ESPN2/ESPN+)

HISTORY IN THE NIT:  The MVC has a storied history in the NIT, and counting this year, the Conference has 86 all-time wins in that tournament -- Bradley’s 26 wins as an MVC member leads the way for MVC programs.  Indiana State is 4-4 all-time in the NIT.  MVC programs have seven NIT titles, including an MVC-high four by Bradley. This year, the MVC had multiple berths (Bradley, Indiana State) into the NIT field for the second time in three seasons.

HISTORIC SEASON:  Indiana State has 31 victories and is the ninth team in the MVC’s 117-year history to win 31 or more games.  Wichita State (35 in 2013-14) and Indiana State (33 in 1978-79) rank 1-2 in Valley history.  WSU won its first 35 games, and Indiana State its first 33 games, in those two seasons.  Four MVC teams have won 32 games (Bradley, 1985-86; Bradley, 1950-51; Bradley, 1949-50; Loyola, 2017-18).

NIT SEMIS:  The last MVC team to reach the semifinals of the NIT was Wichita State (2011).  Wichita State won the title and rolled through the tourney, winning five games by an average of 15.0 points per game. The Shox earned the league’s first NIT crown since 1982 with wins over Nebraska (76-49), Virginia Tech (79-76), Charleston (82-75), Washington State (75-44) and Alabama (66-57). 

NIT FINALS:  The Valley owns seven NIT titles -- Saint Louis (1948), Bradley (1957, 1960, 1964, 1982), Tulsa (1981), and Wichita State (2011). In addition to the seven titles, the MVC owns three runner-up finishes, three third-place finishes, and two fourth-place showings (the tournament conducted a third-place game in early events.)

WELCOME TO TOWN:  In the past five seasons (since 2019-20), a Power Conference team (A5+Big East) has played in an MVC arena only three times -- all three were this year, and all three were MVC victories (SIU beat Oklahoma State; Indiana State defeated Minnesota & Cincinnati).  It had been 13 seasons since league members had combined to host more than a single Big 12 men’s basketball foe in the same year (it was two this year).  When Indiana State played Minnesota on March 24, 2024, at Hulman Center, it marked the first time a B1G opponent had played at an MVC arena since December 2012.

MVC AGAINST UTAH IN POST-SEASON PLAY:  An MVC team has never faced Utah in the NIT.  MVC members are 2-0 all-time against Utah in the NCAA Tournament.  Utah (Pac-12) will represent the 19th team from a Power Conference faced by an MVC member this year - MVC members only had 10-such games last year.  Indiana State will be playing its MVC-best fifth Power program when it faces Utah.

POWER PLAY:  Indiana State is seeking its third-straight win against a team from a Power league (Minnesota, Big Ten; Cincinnati, Big 12; and Utah, Pac-12).  Loyola was the last MVC team to record as many as three wins against Power teams in a post-season run (during its NCAA Tournament Final Four run in 2018:  Miami, Tennessee, Kansas State). Loyola was also the last MVC team to face three-straight Power league teams in a post-season tournament (2021 NCAAs: Georgia Tech-W; Illinois-W; Oregon State-L).  

POSTSEASON MVC WINS:  MVC schools have combined for five post-season wins in 2024, that’s tied for the 10th most in a single season.  Bradley (1), Evansville (1), Indiana State (3) each won at least one game in their respective post-season tournaments.

SECOND-OLDEST IN DIVISION I:  The Missouri Valley Conference is the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division I conference, celebrating its 117th season in 2023-24 (founded in 1907 and behind only the B1G, 1895).