Holiday Hoops -- Nine of the league’s 11 men’s basketball teams are playing in a bracketed event (MTE) this week. MVC teams have combined to post a 5-4 record in completed events so far this season.

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MVC Player of the Week: Trey Campbell, UNI

MVC Newcomer of the Week: Mekhi Lowery, UIC

MVC Freshman of the Week: Rakim Chaney, Valparaiso

Monday, Nov. 24	Network	Time (CT)
Southern Illinois vs. UAB	PassTheBallLive	12:30 PM
Belmont vs. Saint Francis	FloCollege	12:30 PM
Evansville vs. Coll. of Charleston	ESPN+	4:30 PM
Princeton vs. Bradley	ESPNU	6:00 PM
Murray State vs. McNeese State	FloCollege	6:30 PM
Tuesday, Nov. 25	Network	Time (CT)
Bradley vs. Temple/UC San Diego	ESPN network	TBD
Loyola Chicago vs. UNI	CBS SN	3:00 PM
Murray State vs. G. Washington	FloCollege	6:30 PM
Wednesday, Nov. 26	Network	Time (CT)
UNI vs. San Jose State/Tulsa	CBS SN	1/3:30 PM
Belmont vs. Troy/Toledo	FloCollege	TBD
UIC at Robert Morris	ESPN+	1:00 PM
Southern Indiana at Valparaiso	ESPN+	2:00 PM
Indiana State at Louisiana Tech	ESPN+	6:30 PM
Southern Illinois at Memphis	ESPN+	7:00 PM
Bradley vs. TBD	ESPN network	7:30 PM

Two MVC Teams Still Perfect -- Belmont and UNI are both off to 5-0 starts. The Panthers are 5-0 for the first time since the 2019-20 season when they also won their first five games. UNI has beaten four teams that won 20+ games last year, as well as three 2025 NIT teams so far, including the runner-up (UC Irvine). Belmont last won its first five games of a season in 2018-19 (started 6-0). The Bruins earned an NCAA Tournament at-large berth that season. (There are 47 unbeaten teams in NCAA men’s basketball, through games of Sunday, Nov. 23.)

Most Total Wins, NCAA MBB (Since 2018-19)

221 -- Houston

212 -- Gonzaga

198 -- Duke

185 -- Drake

184 -- Kansas

182 -- Purdue

181 -- Liberty

180 -- Auburn, Tennessee

178 -- San Diego State, Utah State

176 -- St. Mary’s

172 -- Belmont, Arizona

171 -- Baylor

What’s the Point? -- The 98 points scored by Drake in a 98-52 Friday win against DIII Buena Vista were the most Drake has scored since beating UIC 107-105 in three overtimes in Chicago on Feb. 28, 2024. It’s the most the Bulldogs have scored in regulation since a 124-48 rout of St. Ambrose on Dec. 21, 2022. Drake also reached a season high with 23 assists – on 39 field goals.

Single-Game Bests, MVC Scoring, 2025-26

108 -- Murray State vs. Mississippi Val. (11/7/25)

104 -- Indiana State vs. Illinois Tech (11/6/25)

101 -- Southern Illinois vs. Kansas City (11/7/25)

99 -- Murray State vs. Nicholls (11/15/25)

98 -- Drake vs. Buena Vista (11/21/25)

98 -- UIC vs. St. Francis (IL) (11/11/25)

96 -- Belmont vs. Fisk (11/21/25)

94 -- Illinois St. vs. Coastal Carolina (11/23/25)

Henderson Hits 20, Again -- In the 11-point win against USI at the Boardwalk Battle, UIC’s Ahmad Henderson II recorded his eighth career 20-point game, third in a Flames’ uniform and second this season (23 points against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 3 at Credit Union 1 Arena). Henderson made a career-high 14-of-15 free throws, the most made foul shots by a UIC player since Nov. 14, 2022, when Tre Anderson went 15-of-20 from the line in a win over Jacksonville State at Credit Union 1 Arena.

MVC MBB: Number of 20-Point Games, 2025-26

3 -- Javon Jackson, Murray State

2 -- Rakim Chaney, Valparaiso

2 -- Ahmad Henderson II, UIC

2 -- Quel’Ron House, Southern Illinois

2 -- Jaquan Johnson, Bradley

2 -- Jalen Quinn, Drake

Beacons Off to 4-1 Start -- Valparaiso won 90-75 at Cleveland State in its last outing, and three of the Beacons’ top eight scorers were unavailable due to illness. With the victory, Valpo stretched its winning streak to three and holds a 4-1 record through five games for the first time since 2019-20. The 15-point margin of victory marked the team’s most lopsided road triumph since a 20-point victory at Illinois State on Jan. 21, 2023. The 90 points were Valpo’s most on the road since Nov. 15, 2017, a 94-69 victory at SIUE.

King of the Hill -- Murray State’s Fred King leads the nation in field goal percentage. He’s connected on 25 of 32 field goals this season (78.1 percent). Belmont’s Drew Scharnowski (66.7 percent accuracy) also ranks among the national leaders (he’s 26th). Indiana State’s Ian Scott is also among the Top 50 nationally (63.8 percent).

NCAA Leaders (Free Throw Percentage)

1. Fred King, Murray State -- 78.1

2. Matt Van Komen, Marshall -- 78.0

3. Michael Nwoko, LSU -- 76.0

4. Flory Bidunga, Kansas -- 75.0

4. JaJuan Nicholls, Tennessee Tech -- 75.0

4. Julius Mims, New Mexico St. -- 75.0

26. Drew Scharnowski, Belmont -- 66.7

42. Ian Scott, Indiana State -- 63.8

Margin Call -- Illinois State defeated Coastal Carolina on Sunday, 94-42. ISU’s 42 points allowed are tied for the fourth-fewest allowed in a NCAA Division I game this season, and are tied for the 21st-lowest in program history since 1950. The margin of victory (52 points) is tied for the seventh-highest in a game in program history, and the highest against a NCAA Division I opponent.

2025-26 Margin of Victory (DI opponents only)

72 -- Gonzaga (vs. Southern Utah)

64 -- Georgia (vs. Md. Eastern Shore)

64 -- UConn (64 vs. UMass-Lowell),

59 -- Louisville (vs. South Carolina State)

58 -- Illinois (vs. Jackson State)

58 -- Duke (vs. Niagara)

55 -- Duke (vs. Army)

55 -- Gonzaga (vs. Texas Southern)

54 -- Arkansas (vs. Jackson State)

52 -- Illinois State (vs. Coastal Carolina)

Salukis Roll Past Delaware -- Southern Illinois won the first game of its bracketed event on Sunday against Delaware in the Jacksonville Classic. It marked the first game this season that SIU was not led in scoring by Quel’Ron House, who entered averaging a Missouri Valley Conference-high 20.3 points per game. House scored 10 against Delaware. Three Salukis finished with 12 points each: Prince Aligbe, Drew Steffe and Davion Sykes as SIU rolled to a 20-point victory.

It’s a Steal -- Jaquan Johnson of Bradley had nine steals against UT Martin, which matches an all-time MVC single-game record. He’s ninth nationally in steals per game.

NCAA Steals Leaders

1. Javontae Campbell, Bowling Green (MAC) -- 4.40

1. Tyler Cochran, Rhode Island (Atlantic 10) -- 4.40

3. Amarri Monroe, Quinnipiac (MAAC) -- 3.80

4. Tamin Lipsey, Iowa St. (Big 12) -- 3.75

5. Drake Allen, Utah St. (Mountain West) -- 3.60

6. Cam Amboree, Southern U. (SWAC)-- 3.50

7. TJ Burch, Wright St. (Horizon) -- 3.40

7. Brock Harding, TCU (Big 12) -- 3.40

9. Jaquan Johnson, Bradley (MVC) -- 3.20

Coming off the Bench -- Murray State leads the MVC in bench scoring this season with more than 40 points per game coming from its non-starting players. The Racers rank 16th in the nation (40.17).

NCAA Leaders (Bench Scoring)

1. McNeese (Southland) -- 53.00

2. Richmond (Atlantic 10) -- 48.60

3. Tarleton St. (WAC) -- 45.57

4. Georgia (SEC) -- 44.14

5. Davidson (Atlantic 10) -- 44.00

16. Murray St. (MVC) -- 40.17

Charity Tosses -- In the win against Ball State, Indiana State shot 100% from the foul line for the first time since Dec. 1, 2024, vs. Tarleton State (9-for-9 against Ball State). Notably, it marked the first time since Feb. 2, 2025 at Belmont where the Trees shot fewer than 10 free throws. Meanwhile, UIC leads the MVC and ranks in the Top 20 in free throw percentage.

NCAA Leaders, Free Throw Percentage

1. Colorado St. (Mountain West) -- 85.6

2. Lipscomb (ASUN) -- 83.3

3. Saint Louis (Atlantic 10) -- 83.2

4. Colgate (Patriot) -- 81.8

5. Maryland (Big Ten) -- 81.6

18. UIC (MVC) -- 79.7

Strong Defensive Starts -- UNI leads the MVC in scoring defense through three games (59.0), which ranks eighth nationally. Illinois State (sixth) and Belmont (12th) rank among the NCAA best in 3FG percentage defense, and Belmont ranks eighth in the nation in field goal percentage defense.

NCAA Leaders, Scoring Defense

1. Syracuse (ACC) -- 53.3

2. Houston (Big 12) -- 53.4

3. Seton Hall (Big East) -- 54.6

4. Louisiana Tech (CUSA) -- 55.8

5. Duke (ACC) -- 57.0

6. Gonzaga (WCC) -- 57.8

7. Saint Mary’s (CA) (WCC) -- 57.8

8. UNI (MVC) -- 59.0

NCAA Leaders, 3FG Defense

1. Jacksonville St. (CUSA) -- 18.8

2. Weber St. (Big Sky) -- 19.0

3. Middle Tenn. (CUSA) -- 22.2

4. Syracuse (ACC) -- 23.0

5. Maine (America East) -- 23.3

6. Illinois St. (MVC) -- 23.4

7. Marist (MAAC) -- 23.5

12. Belmont (MVC) -- 24.5

NCAA Leaders, FG Percentage Defense

1. Syracuse (ACC) -- 31.0

2. Kennesaw St. (CUSA) -- 31.5

3. Louisiana Tech (CUSA) -- 32.5

4. North Carolina (ACC) -- 32.7

5. Duke (ACC) -- 33.0

6. Gonzaga (WCC) -- 33.3

7. Tennessee (SEC) -- 34.0

8. Belmont (MVC)-- 34.3

Aces Topple Oregon State -- Evansville opened the Paradise Jam with a first-round victory over Oregon State on Nov. 21. In the first meeting between the teams since the 1989 NCAA Tournament, it was Josh Hughes leading the way with the third double-double of his career and second of the season. He scored a season-high 16 points while grabbing a career-best 12 boards.

MVC Double-Doubles, 2025-26

3 -- Ian Scott, Indiana State

2 -- Josh Hughes, Evansville

2 -- Mekhi Lowery, UIC

Nation’s Second 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 119th season in 2025-26.

Four Postseason Teams in 2025 -- The Missouri Valley Conference had four teams in postseason play in men’s basketball as Drake (NCAA), Bradley (NIT), UNI (NIT), and Illinois State (CBI) represented the MVC. MVC schools have combined for 12 wins in post-season play the past two seasons. The six postseason wins in 2024-25 matches the ninth-best total in league history.

13-4 in NCAA First Round -- Including Drake in 2025, MVC teams are 13-4 in their first game in the NCAA tourney dating back to 2012. The league has combined for 21 wins in the NCAA Tournament in the past 12 NCAA championships and has had multiple bids 16 times since 1994.

 

MVC Player of the Week

Trey Campbell, UNI

G, 6-4, 195, Sr., Cedar Falls, Iowa (Cedar Falls High)

Campbell led the Panthers with 17 points per game on the week, including a season-high 19 points in an overtime road win at reigning NIT runner-up UC Irvine. He made a season-high seven baskets at UC Irvine, including the game-tying layup and free throw that helped the Panthers to a one-point overtime victory and UNI’s first 5-0 start in six years. Campbell recorded a career-high six steals against Northern Illinois.

MVC Newcomer of the Week

Mekhi Lowery, UIC

G, 6-7, 204, Jr., Bellwood, Ill. (Oswego East High) | Towson

Lowery averaged a double-double during UIC’s two games last week at the Boardwalk Battle in Daytona Beach, Fla., posting 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game with a sensational .706 field-goal percentage (12-of-17) and a pair of double-doubles, his first in a UIC uniform. Lowery flirted with a triple-double in Thursday’s matchup with 2025 NCAA Tournament participant High Point, finishing with a career-high 15 points (on 7-of-9 shooting), a game-high 10 rebounds and a career high-tying seven assists. He then added 13 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) and a team-high 10 rebounds in Saturday’s wire-to-wire victory over Southern Indiana. He was named to the Boardwalk Battle All-Tournament Team.

MVC Freshman of the Week

Rakim Chaney, Valparaiso

G, 6-3, 185, Fr., Rockford, Ill. (Rockford Auburn / 212” Sports Academy)

Chaney had a team-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 3-of-4 from 3 in a 15-point win at Cleveland State. He also squeezed four rebounds and dished out a career-most seven assists while adding one block and one steal. Chaney became the first Valpo player with a 23-point, seven-assist game since Ron Howard on Jan. 27, 2005. He became the second freshman in the country with a 23-point, seven-assist game this season (NJIT’s David Bolden).