Title Town - Belmont earned its first outright MVC title in men’s basketball with its win Saturday against Indiana State. Belmont has earned 13 regular season conference championship in the last 21 years – spanning three different conferences (ASUN, OVC, MVC). Belmont, Houston, and Louisville are believed to be the only three NCAA Division I programs to win men’s basketball conference championships in three different leagues over the last two decades.
- Player of the Week: Quel'Ron House, Southern Illinois
- Newcomer of the Week: Elijah Crawford, UIC
- Freshman of the Week: JT Pettigrew, Valparaiso
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- The State Farm MVC Tournament will be contested for the 50th time in 2026. This year's tournament is March 5-8, 2026, in St. Louis, Mo., at Enterprise Center.
- 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.
| Tuesday, Feb. 24 |
Network |
Time (CT) |
| *Bradley at UIC |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
|
|
|
| Wednesday, Feb. 25 |
Network |
Time (CT) |
| *Illinois State at UNI |
ESPNU |
6:00 PM |
| *Evansville at Belmont |
ESPN+ |
6:30 PM |
| *Drake at Valparaiso |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
| *Indiana State at Southern Illinois |
ESPN+ |
7:00 PM |
|
|
|
| Saturday, Feb. 28 |
Network |
Time (CT) |
| *Valparaiso at Evansville |
ESPN+ |
3:00 PM |
|
|
|
| Sunday, March 1 |
Network |
Time (CT) |
| *UIC at Indiana State |
ESPN+ |
12:00 PM |
| *Murray State at Bradley |
ESPN2 |
1:00 PM |
| *UNI at Drake |
ESPN+ |
2:00 PM |
| *Southern Illinois at Evansville |
ESPN+ |
3:00 PM |
| *Belmont at Illinois State |
CBS SN |
4:00 PM |
|
|
|
| *denotes MVC contest |
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MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE 2025-26 MEN’S BASKETBALL
2025-26 MVC Stats (PDF) |
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MVC Standings
MVC Media Guide |
MVC Composite Schedule |
MVC NBA Draft Database
NET Rankings & NET Archive |
Statistics Rankings Summary (Sort by Team or Conf)
NATIONAL COLLEGE BASKETBALL SITES / METRICS
ESPN College Basketball Home |
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EvanMiya CBB Home Page |
Bart Torvik CBB Home Page |
Bracketologists.Com Home Page
KenPom |
Valley Hoops Insider |
NCAA Division I MBB Home Page
Range of Seeds -- Belmont has locked up the No. 1 seed for the 2026 State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament (March 5-8) at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo. There are 11 league games remaining, yielding a total of 2,048 different win-loss combinations.
Possible Range of Tournament Seed*
Bradley - 2-3-4-5-6
Murray State - 2-3-4-5
UIC - 2-3-4-5-6-7
UNI - 3-4-5-6-7-8
Illinois State - 3-4-5-6-7-8
Valparaiso - - 3-4-5-6-7-8
Southern Illinois - 6-7-8-9
Drake - 8-9
Indiana State - 10-11
Evansville - 10-11
*all mathematical possibilities are listed (some seed placements are unlikely, requiring massive shifts in current NET rankings).
Nothing But NET: MVC at 9 -- The Missouri Valley Conference is ranked No. 9 as a conference in the NCAA NET ratings (Feb. 23). Belmont (54) headlines eight MVC programs that rank in the Top 150. The Bruins are joined by UNI (85) and Illinois State (94) in the Top 100. Belmont’s 56 WAB (wins above bubble) tops the Conference. Belmont’s performance-based metrics (KPI, SOR, WAB) averages to 47.7 -- also the best in the Missouri Valley. Belmont’s predictive-based metrics (KenPom, T-Rank, BPI) also leads the MVC (71.7).
NET Ratings, By Conference (Leaders)
1. SEC
2. Big 12
3. Big Ten
4. ACC
5. Big East
6. Mountain West
7. Atlantic 10
8. West Coast
9. Missouri Valley
10. American
| Metrics, MVC Leaders |
| Team |
NET |
KPI |
SOR |
WAB |
POM |
T-Rk |
BPI |
| BEL |
54 |
37 |
50 |
56 |
54 |
68 |
93 |
| UNI |
85 |
81 |
120 |
112 |
85 |
83 |
92 |
| ILS |
94 |
116 |
129 |
129 |
98 |
106 |
101 |
| MUR |
101 |
82 |
99 |
97 |
116 |
124 |
117 |
| UIC |
110 |
134 |
160 |
167 |
102 |
107 |
119 |
| BRAD |
111 |
95 |
114 |
109 |
127 |
133 |
116 |
| SIU |
118 |
114 |
196 |
237 |
115 |
130 |
123 |
| VALPO |
150 |
150 |
143 |
187 |
145 |
142 |
174 |
| POM - KenPom; BPI - ESPN Power Index; SOR - Strength of Record; WAB - Wins Above Bubble; T-Rank - BartTorvik |
Percentage of Opportunities -- Through games of Feb. 22, there are 41 Division I men’s basketball teams that have a winning record in games against the top two quadrants. Belmont finds itself in good company, as it’s 83.3 win percentage against Q1/Q2 opponents is sixth nationally -- all teams that are better are ranked in the AP Top-25 poll this week.
| Top 10 (Winning Percentage vs. Q1/Q2) |
| #9 Gonzaga |
WCC |
11-1 |
0.917 |
| #3 Michigan |
Big Ten |
19-2 |
0.905 |
| #1 Duke |
ACC |
16-2 |
0.889 |
| #2 Arizona |
Big 12 |
16-2 |
0.889 |
| #6 UConn |
Big East |
14-2 |
0.875 |
| Belmont |
MVC |
5-1 |
0.833 |
| #11 Virginia |
ACC |
12-3 |
0.800 |
| #5 Houston |
Big 12 |
15-4 |
0.789 |
| #4 Iowa St. |
Big 12 |
15-4 |
0.789 |
Getting to 20 Wins -- In MVC men’s basketball history, there have been 211 programs to reach 20 wins in a season, including two teams this year. Belmont is just the fifth, however, to reach its 20th victory by Jan. 31.
MVC Teams To Record 20th Win By Jan. 31
2013-14 -- Wichita State (Jan. 22) -- final record: 35-1
1985-86 -- Bradley (Jan. 25) -- final record: 32-3
2011-12 -- Creighton (Jan. 28) -- final record: 29-6
2014-15 -- UNI (Jan. 31) -- final record: 31-4
2025-26 -- Belmont (Jan. 31)
20 Wins Entering Arch Madness -- Since 1994, three or more teams have reached 20+ wins in the same season 14 times prior to the conference tournament. Only twice have four teams reached 20+ wins prior to the MVC Tournament (2023, 2025). Five league teams enter the final week of the regular season in 2026 with 18+ wins: Belmont (25), Murray State (20), Bradley (19), Illinois State (18), and UNI (18).
3 Teams w/20+ Wins Entering Arch Madness
1994 -- Bradley#, Southern Illinois*, Tulsa*
2000 -- Creighton*, Indiana State*, Missouri State#
2004 -- Creighton#, Southern Illinois*, Wichita State#
2005 -- Creighton*, UNI*, Southern Illinois*
2006 -- Missouri State#, UNI*, Wichita State*
2007 -- Bradley#, Missouri State#, S. Illinois*
2008 -- Creighton#, Drake*, Illinois State#
2009 -- Creighton#, Illinois State#, UNI*
2010 -- Illinois State#, UNI*, Wichita State#
2020 -- Bradley, Loyola, UNI (COVID, no post-season)
2022 -- Drake, Loyola*, Missouri State#
2023 -- Belmont, Bradley*, Drake#, Indiana State, S. Illinois
2024 -- Bradley#, Drake*, Indiana State#
2025 -- Belmont, Bradley#, Drake*, UNI#
*denotes NCAA; #denotes NIT
Road Warriors -- Belmont is 11-2 in true road games this season after going 9-4 in true road games last year. Since 1975-76, only 18 MVC teams (all of them won the league’s regular-season title) have won 10 or more road games in a season. Sixteen played in the NCAA Tournament, one was ineligible for post-season play, and the other won the NIT. Only two teams in that span won more than 11 road games in a season.
MVC MBB “True” Road Wins, Since 1975-76
13 -- Bradley (1985-86)* [NCAA Tournament]
12 -- Wichita State (2013-14)* [NCAA Tournament]
11 -- Belmont (2025-26)
11 -- Bradley (1981-82)* [NIT Champions]
11 -- Southern Illinois (2003-04)* [NCAA Tournament]
*denotes MVC regular-season champ
Home Cooking -- MVC teams are 57-42 (.576) in MVC home games this year after going 65-54 (.546) last year. The MVC has only finished below .600 twice in the past 10 seasons/
Doing it With Defense -- UNI ranks in the Top 4 nationally in both scoring defense and three-point percentage defense. UNI is 13-4 this season when allowing 60 points or fewer.
Scoring Defense, NCAA Leaders
1. UNI (MVC) -- 61.1
2. Houston (Big 12) -- 62.0
3. Duke (ACC) -- 63.1
4. UT Martin (OVC) -- 63.4
5. West Virginia (Big 12) -- 63.5
3FG Percentage Defense, NCAA Leaders
1. UT Arlington (WAC) -- 26.8
2. Marist (MAAC) -- 27.6
3. Saint Louis (Atlantic 10) -- 27.7
4. UNI (MVC) -- 28.1
5. Hawaii (Big West) -- 28.2
Making Shots -- Belmont ranks fourth in the NCAA in effective field goal percentage and ranks in the Top 6 nationally in both overall field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage. The Bruins’ current shooting percentage (51.6) would rank seventh best in a season in MVC history.
2025-26 Field Goal Pct. Leaders
1. Miami (OH) (MAC) -- 53.4
2. Liberty (CUSA) -- 52.1
3. Bellarmine (ASUN) -- 52.0
4. Saint Louis (Atlantic 10) -- 51.7
5. Belmont (MVC) -- 51.6
2025-26 3FG Pct. Leaders
1. Yale (Ivy League) -- 41.0
2. Saint Louis (Atlantic 10) -- 40.8
3. Miami (OH) (MAC) -- 40.3
4. Liberty (CUSA) -- 40.2
5. Boston U. (Patriot) -- 39.7
6. Belmont (MVC) -- 39.7
Johnson Leads the Braves -- Jaquan Johnson of Bradley leads the league in steals and ranks second nationally with 77 this season. His per-game steals average is fifth in the NCAA.
NCAA Leaders, Steals Per Game
1. Javontae Campbell, Bowling Green -- 3.21
2. Prophet Johnson, Sacramento St. -- 2.77
3. Aaron Nkrumah, Tennessee St. -- 2.75
4. Tyler Cochran, Rhode Island -- 2.70
5. Jaquan Johnson, Bradley -- 2.66
On Target -- Belmont’s Tyler Lundblade ranks second in the nation with his 93.4 free throw percentage accuracy. That figure currently ranks fifth-best for a single season in MVC history. Lundblade also ranks in the Top 10 in the NCAA in three-pointers attempted (5th, 253) and threes made (2nd, 102).
MVC Single-Season Leaders, FT Percentage
.975 -- Blake Ahearn, Missouri St., 2003-04
.949 -- Rick Fields, Indiana State, 1982-83
.947 -- Blake Ahearn, Missouri St., 2004-05
.936 -- Blake Ahearn, Missouri St., 2005-06
.934 -- Tyler Lundblade, Belmont, 2025-26
.930 -- Mike Glenn, Southern Illinois, 1976-77
.925 -- Blake Ahearn, Missouri St., 2006-07
NCAA Leaders, FT Percentage
1. Isaiah Moses, Eastern Wash. (Big Sky) -- 93.6
2. Tyler Lundblade, Belmont (MVC) -- 93.4
3. Joshua Dent, Saint Mary’s (CA) (WCC) -- 92.7
4. Brayden Maldonado, Seattle U (WCC) -- 92.5
5. Miles Barnstable, Tulsa (American) -- 92.4
Roster Rebuilds -- Only three MVC teams returned more than half of their playing roster from last season -- of the league’s total 166 roster spots in 2025-26, 61.4 percent of the players are new to their programs. ESPN research indicates Murray State is one of just nine DI programs with no players returning from last year’s roster.
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
Quel’Ron House, Southern Illinois
G, 6-0, 180, So., Louisville, Ky. (Seneca HS) | Jacksonville State
House averaged 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals per game in Southern Illinois’ 2-0 sweep on the Iowa road swing. House led the Salukis with six rebounds and five assists in Wednesday’s win over Drake, and powered his team with key buckets in a 21-point performance at UNI, SIU’s first victory over the Panthers in Cedar Falls since Jan. 5, 2019.
MVC Newcomer of the Week
Elijah Crawford, UIC
G, 6-3, 187, So., Augusta, Ga. (Brewster Academy) | BYU
Crawford averaged 16.0 points, 7.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds, highlighted by his first career double-double, as the Flames posted a 1-1 week. Crawford turned in his double-double in a Feb. 18 win at Evansville with 10 points and a career-high 10 assists, followed by a game-high 22 points (including a career-high 9-of-10 free throws) in a four-point loss to Valparaiso on Feb. 21. It was Crawford’s third 20-point game of the season, while his 10 assists at Evansville made him just the third Valley player with double-digit assists in a game this year.
MVC Freshman of the Week
JT Pettigrew, Valparaiso
F, 6-8, 220, Fr., Lisle, Ill. (Bolingbrook)
Pettigrew averaged 16.5 points per game and 5.5 rebound per game this week, helping Valpo to a 2-0 week with victories over teams that were both in second place in the league at the time of the contest. Pettigrew added four assists and five steals during the week going 3-for-3 from 3 and 8-for-9 at the stripe. He led the Beacons in stopping Bradley’s 10-game head-to-head winning streak on Wednesday, scoring 22 points - one shy of a career high. In Saturday’s win at UIC, which cooled off a team that had won 11 of its previous 13 games, he had 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals to help the Beacons secure the season series sweep of UIC. His six rebounds on Saturday elevated his season total to 190, breaking Valpo’s freshman rebounding record that had stood since 1999-2000.