MVC MBB Game-Day Update

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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.

Valparaiso at UIC (ESPN+) -- 2:00 PM CT

Wednesday's 38-point margin of victory at Evansville was the Flames' largest in a road game in 73 years, dating back to a 116-60 win at George Williams College on Feb. 13, 1953 (well before UIC's program elevated to NCAA Division I status in 1981-82).
With a Win on Saturday at UIC, Valpo would own its highest conference win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017-18 outright, becoming the first Valpo team to win 10 Valley games in a season; sweep the regular-season series from UIC for the first time since the Flames joined the MVC in 2022-2023; and pick up its fifth win in a six-game span and improve to 8-3 in its last 11 games.

?Southern Illinois at UNI (ESPN+) -- 5:00 PM CT

UNI has scored 80+ points in four straight games, while at least four Panthers have scored in double figures in the same stretch. Northern Iowa's last stretch of scoring 80 or more points in five consecutive games came back during the 1988-89 season.
Last time out, Damien Mayo Jr. tied career-highs with 22 points and five made threes to help Southern Illinois out of an early deficit and defeat Drake 66-61 Wednesday night in Des Moines.

Evansville at Murray State (ESPN+) -- 3:00 PM CT

The first meeting in Evansville (Jan. 7) was a 79-69 winner for the Racers, their seventh win against the Aces in eight meetings since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in the 2022-23 season.
At home, the Racers have won the last four meetings with UE since their last win here in 2015. The day marks the final home game seniors including Javon Jackson, Fred King, Mason Miller and JJ Traynor.
Midweek against UIC, Evansville's Trent Hundley led the Purple Aces with 12 points as he converted four 3-pointers.

Indiana State at Belmont (ESPN+) -- 7:00 PM CT

Through games played Feb. 19, Belmont is tied for fifth nationally in victories, trailing Gonzaga, Miami (OH), Michigan, and High Point.
The Bruins lead the nation in true road victories (11) and road/neutral victories (13) – with an average margin of victory away from home of nearly 16 points.
Belmont has eight players with double figure made 3-point field goals – including fifth-year wing Aidan Noyes who has made 16 3-pointers over his last six games since returning to the lineup Jan. 24.Indiana State is 8-1 when giving up 73 points or less and 2-17 when allowing 74+ points. The Sycamores defeated Belmont in the two team's previous meeting, 81-80 (ot), in one of those two victories when allowing 74+ points

Illinois State at Bradley (ESPN2) -- 7:00 PM CT

ISU has outscored its MVC opponents by 36 points in the first half (third best) and 60 in the second half (second best) in conference games this season, as the Birds are one of four schools to have a positive scoring margin in both halves
ISU's Ty'Reek Coleman's 298 points this season are tied for the ninth-most by a freshman in program history, seven behind eighth place on the list
The Braves rank at or near the top of the MVC in several categories. Possessing the league's third-best scoring offense at 76.93 points per game, Bradley also has the second-best three-point percentage in the conference at 36.4 percent. Defensively, Bradley leads the conference turnover margin at forcing over four more turnovers per game than it commits. The mark also ranks in the top 10 in the country.

Missouri Valley Conference