MVC MEN S BASKETBALL

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1 MVC MEN S BASKETBALL MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE UPDATE MVC Contact: Mike Kern, Associate Commissioner Office: Cell: kern@mvc.org 1818 Chouteau Ave. St. Louis, MO Standings (End of Regular Season) Non-Conf: Missouri Valley Overall Records W L Pct. PF PA W L Pct. PF PA H A t25 STK RPI SOS Loyola Chicago Won Southern Illinois Lost Illinois State Lost Drake Lost Bradley Lost Indiana State Won Evansville Won Missouri State Lost UNI Won Valparaiso Won MVC Home Games: Non-Conf.: (H: 53-7; A: 12-25; N: 17-12) vs. Top-25: 1-6 (Non-Conf.) Champions The Feb. 24 victory against Illinois State extended Loyola s winning streak to seven games and gives the Ramblers their most wins since , when that squad went 27-6 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16. It was a record-breaking regular season for Loyola, which established a new school standard with 15 conference wins, claimed its first outright conference title since , and won its most overall games since that year. Title Town The MVC has had eight different regularseason champs in the past 12 seasons (Creighton-2009, 2013; Drake-2008, Illinois St.-2017; Loyola-2018; Missouri St.-2011; UNI-2009, 2010; Southern Illinois-2007; Wichita State-2012, 2014, 2015, 2017). Here s a look at titles by current MVC members (most recent in parentheses): Regular-Season* Tourney Bradley 6 (1996) 2 (1988) Drake 7 (2008) 1 (2008) Evansville 1 (1999) none Illinois State 6 (2017) 4 (1998) Indiana State 2 (2000) 3 (2011) Loyola 1 (2018) none Missouri State 1 (2011) 1 (1992) UNI 2 (2010) 4 (2015) Southern Illinois 8 (2007) 5 (2006) Valparaiso none none *includes outright and shared championships A Bakers Cousin Only three in the league s 111-year history have all teams reached 13+ wins, including this year. The MVC has not had a season in which every team reached 14 or more wins. In the league s 111 seasons, the MVC has had all teams reach 11 or more wins 10 times (including this year). Only five times in the MVC s 111 seasons have all league teams reached 12 wins (including this year). Season (No.) Date* Last to Reach 12 Wins (10) Illinois St./Evansville (7) Wichita State (10) Indiana State (10) Bradley (6) Oklahoma State *Date last team reached 12 wins No. - indicates number of league teams that year +all teams reached 13+ wins in these seasons No Teams with 20 Losses This season will mark the first time since that no MVC team lost 20 or more games. That s only happened three times in the past 20 seasons (1999, 2006, 2007) -- all years in which the MVC had multiple bids in the NCAA Tournament. The season was also the last time no Valley team lost as many as 19 games, which will be the case this season, too. MVC Rated No. 8 The Conference ranks No. 8 in the RPI. The MVC hasn t been as high as No. 8 in a season-ending RPI since Notably, the MVC joins the Big East, the Big 12 and the SEC as the only leagues this year with all teams 175 or better. (There are a total of 351 Division I teams.) The MVC also has seven teams in the Top 150. The last time the MVC had seven top-150 teams was also in After a stretch of seasons in which the MVC ranked in the Top 10 in the conference rankings in nine of 11 seasons, the league was No. 13 and No. 12 in the past two seasons Conference RPI No. of Top No. of Top No. of Sub No. of Sub No. 9 in KenPom Ratings The MVC s No. 9 conference rating in KenPom is its best since the season (also No. 9). The last time the league was better than ninth in KenPom s rankings was in 2008, when the league hit its high-water mark of No. 7 (also achieved in 2005, 2006, and in 2007). / MISSOURIVALLEYVIDS / MVCSPORTS

2 FEBRUARY 25, 2018 PAGE 2 The Gap Band Loyola (15-3) won the MVC regular-season race by four games this season over second-place Southern Illinois (11-7). In 2014, Wichita State (18-0) tied a league record with a six-game margin between it and the league s second-place team (Indiana State, 12-6). Recently, Southern Illinois won the league by five games in , and only two other schools since 1986 have won the league by a gap of four games (Illinois State in and Wichita State in ). Bradley shares the league record with a six-game cushion (achieving that in ). Every eligible MVC team since World War II to win the league by a four-game (or more gap) has played in the NCAA Tournament. Including Loyola this year, it s happened 11 times since The previous eligible nine teams combined for a 15-8 NCAA tourney mark (Wichita State was on probation in 1983.) MVC Champs w/4-game Gaps Bradley (6) NCAA: Wichita State (6) NCAA: Oklahoma State (5) NCAA Champs Indiana State (5) NCAA Final Southern Illinois (4) NCAA: Cincinnati (4) NCAA Final Bradley (4) NCAA: Wichita State (4) ineligible Illinois State (4) NCAA: Wichita State (4) NCAA: Loyola (4) No. 1 Seed Success Counting 2017, the top-seeded team has won the tournament 15 times in 41 tries, but it has happened only eight times in the 27- year history in St. Louis. History of Top Seed in STL In 27 previous MVC Tournaments in St. Louis, the No. 1 tournament seed has: 10 - Lost in the Semifinals 9 - Lost in the Championship Game 8 - Won the Tournament Good News for Champs? In the 41 seasons the league has conducted a post-season tournament (from 1977 through last year), there have been 47 regular-season champions (outright or shared). Thirty-eight of those 47 teams earned either the AQ or an at-large berth into the NCAA tourneys. Top Seed = NCAA In 2011, Missouri State became the first No. 1 MVC Tournament seed and regularseason champ in 18 years not selected for the NCAA Tournament. Notably, only six top-seeded teams in 40 MVC tournaments have failed to reach the NCAAs (Bradley-1982, Southern Illinois-1990, Southern Illinois-1992, Illinois State-1993, Missouri State-2011, and Illinois State-2017). Top Two Seeds = Semifinals In the 27 previous MVC Tournaments played in St. Louis, the top seed has reached the semifinals every time, and the No. 2 seed has lost just once in the quarters (a combined 53-1 record in their first tournament games). Best Pole Position? Thirty-eight of 41 previous MVC tournament champions were seeded 1, 2, or 3. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have had the most success, combining for 31 titles. Last year, Wichita State was the No. 2 seed and defeated top-seeded and regular-season cochampion Illinois State in the title game. Avoiding Thursday In the 41 previous seasons of the MVC Tournament, only three times has a seed worse than a No. 3 won the title (No. 4 Creighton won in 2000, No. 5 Indiana State won in 2001, and No. 4 UNI won in 2016). Only one team that played in the opening round has won a quarterfinal game (No. 7 seed Bradley beat No. 2 seed Creighton, 76-68, in the 1998 tournament.) Only 36 times in NCAA history has a team won four (or more) games to win its conference postseason tournament title. Last year, four teams accomplished the feat Clemson (SoCon) 2009 ~Cleve St. (Horizon) 1985 Auburn (SEC) 2010 Houston (C-USA) 1997 #Marquette (C-USA) (Big East) 1998 UNLV (WAC) 2012 Detroit (Horizon) 1999 Charlotte (C-USA) 2012 Colorado (Pac 12) 2000 Saint Louis (C-USA) 2012 Louisville (Big East) 2000 Arkansas (SEC) 2012 Western Ky. (Sun Belt) 2001 Iowa (Big Ten) 2013 NC A&T (MEAC) 2002 Siena (MAAC) Liberty (Big South) 2004 Xavier (A-10) 2013 Western Ky. (Sun Belt) 2006 Xavier (A-10) 2014 =Milwaukee (Horizon) 2006 Syracuse (Big East) 2015 VCU (Atlantic-10) 2006 Hampton (MEAC) Hampton (MEAC) 2007 N. Texas (Sun Belt) 2016 Austin Peay (OVC) 2008 Pitt (Big East) 2017 Duke (ACC) 2008 Coppin St. (MEAC) Kent State (MAC) 2008 *Georgia (SEC) 2017 Michigan (Big Ten) 2009 Miss. State (SEC) 2017 Troy (Sun Belt) #4 games in 67 hours; *2 games on 3/15/2008; ~Won 4 games in seven 5 games in 5 days +Won 4 games in six days; =Won 4 games in 8 days Worst Pole Position? The sixth-seeded teams have gone a combined 7-27 in tournament games in St. Louis. Since the league expanded to its current 10-team format in 1997, only one team that has played in the opening round has reached the semifinals (won two games). Bradley, seeded No. 7 in 1998, beat 10th-seeded Drake and then it toppled No. 2 seed Creighton, before falling in the semifinals to Missouri State. Notably, the Braves were 9-9 in league play that year, despite being a No. 7 seed. Only Five Have Done It Just five MVC coaches have won or shared the league s regular-season title after having won an MVC title as a player. Coach-Player Regular-Season Champs as Player as Coach J. Craig Ruby, Mizzou 1918, , 22 George Rody, Okla. St. 1922* 1931 Chris Lowery, S. Illinois , 07 Dan Muller, Illinois St. 1997, Porter Moser, Loyola 1989^ 2018 *played at Kansas; ^played at Creighton Players, Then MVC Coaches? Only MVC coach to win MVC Tournament as a player and coach: Chris Lowery, Southern Illinois Only MVC coaches to win MVC Tournament as a player and reach title game as a coach: Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois), Dan Muller (Illinois State) Only MVC coaches to reach title game of MVC Tournament as a player and coach: Chris Lowery (SIU), Dan Muller (ILS), Jim Les (Bradley) Only MVC coaches to win MVC Tournament as a player and later become head coach for a team in the MVC: Chris Lowery (SIU/SIU), Paul Lusk (SIU/MSU), Porter Moser (CU/ILS-LUC), Dan Muller (ILS/ILS), Jim Les (BRAD/BRAD), Kevin McKenna (CU/INS). No. 15 for Hinson Barry Hinson of SIU (15) and Ben Jacobson of UNI (12) are two of three to coach their teams in 12 or more MVC tourneys. Hinson s 15th tournament surpasses former Creighton coach Dana Altman for the most Arch Madness coaching appearances. Most Coaching Appearances MVC Tournament Barry Hinson, Missouri State (9)/Southern Illinois (6) 14 Dana Altman, Creighton Ben Jacobson, UNI 11 Rich Herrin, Southern Illinois; Marty Simmons, UE 10 Jim Molinari, Bradley; Royce Waltman, Indiana State Gregg Marshall, Wichita State

3 FEBRUARY 25, 2018 PAGE 3 RPI: 40 or Better? Since , 1030 of 1071 eligible teams with an RPI of 40 or better have made the NCAA Tournament. Illinois State, at 33 last year, was the only Top 40 RPI team excluded in In the past 18 years, only 28 eligible teams, including eight from the MVC, have not made the NCAA Tournament with an RPI of 40 or better. And in 2006, Missouri State had an RPI of 21 and failed to earn a spot in the field. That remains an NCAA record. Top 50 RPI = Post-Season Since the season (the first year in which RPI was publicly shared), the MVC has had 50 teams with RPIs of 50 or better on Selection Sunday. All 50 teams earned a post-season berth, including 36 teams who were rewarded with an NCAA Tournament bid. The other 14 teams played in the NIT (12 of those 14 have occurred since 2005). MVC Top-40 RPI Teams, Not in NCAA Tourney 21* -- Missouri State (2006) Illinois State (2008) Illinois State (2017) Missouri State (2000) Missouri State (2007) Bradley (2007) Creighton (2006) *denotes NCAA record When it Matters Most Since the 2011 post-season, the MVC has the second-best record of any conference (behind the SEC) in the NCAA, NIT, CIT and CBI, combined. That overall mark includes a record in the NCAA Tournament. League Records, Post-Season (since 2011) ACC Missouri Valley Big Ten Pac SEC WCC Big East American Big Mountain West Land of Lincoln The MVC s four Illinois schools all are in the Top 114 of the RPI (and are also the top four in Division I in the state.) Loyola leads the way with its 25-5 mark and No. 33 rating in the RPI (as of Feb. 25). M*A*S*Hed The league recorded non-conference success despite a rash of injuries and illnesses that hit the starting lineups. During the regular-season non-league slate, a total of 63 games were missed by starters (or projected starters). League-champion Loyola, notably, lost only one game this year (at Bradley, by two points) when both starting guards -- Ben Richardson and Clayton Custer -- were in the lineup. Richardson missed 10 games (broken hand), while Custer missed 5 games (sprained ankle). They were both out for losses at Milwaukee and at Missouri State. In addition to the 63 non-conference games missed by starters, a total of 33 league games were missed by established starters. Rambling On... Loyola s victory at No. 5 Florida on Dec. 6 was its first over an AP Top 25 team since a victory at No. 15 Butler on Feb. 15, It also marked the Ramblers first win over an AP top-five squad since a win vs. No. 4 Illinois on Dec. 22, Prior to the Florida win, Loyola had never defeated an AP top-five team on its opponent s home floor. MVC vs. the Top 25 Loyola beat No. 5 Florida on Dec. 6, marking the ninth-straight season the MVC has had at least one non-conference top-25 victory. In four of the last six years, the league has had regularseason top-25 wins by multiple MVC schools. Loyola s top-5 win marked the 31st top-5 non-league win in MVC history, but marked the first top-5 non-league win on the road since Dec. 6, 1967 (exactly 50 years), when then-mvc member Louisville beat No. 5 Kansas, Power Aid Since 1994, an MVC member has beaten the following teams from power conferences in the NCAA Tournament: Alabama, Arizona, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas (three times), Louisville, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh (twice), Seton Hall, Tennessee (three times), Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin. MVC teams are a combined in the NCAA Tournament since 1994 (with 10 Sweet 16 trips and one Final Four). Notably, 26 of the 35 wins in that span have been vs. power conference schools. Centurions, 3x UNI s Bennett Koch scored 25 points and joined the 1,000 point club for the Panthers in a road victory over Valparaiso on Feb. 20. Koch is the third member of his family to score 1,000 points for the Panthers. His older brothers Adam (1,186 points ) and Jake (1,113 points ) each surpassed 1,000 career points. The Koch trio is one set of four known brothers to reach 1,000 career points as Division I athletes: Koch Adam (1,186), Jake (1,113), Bennett (1,000) Tripucka Tracy (1,973), Todd (1,445), Kelly (1,719) Barry Jon (1,355), Brent (1,304), Drew (1,253) Tallent Bob (1,017), Mike (1,085), Pat (1,725) Loyola Ranks No. 2 At.536, Loyola is No. 3 in the NCAA in field goal percentage in home games. At.514 overall, the Ramblers also are No. 2 in the NCAA for all games. Loyola s.514 mark is the best in the MVC since the advent of the 3-point line (t9th-best all-time). FG Pct., Home Games Only 1. Michigan State Loyola Chicago Arizona William & Mary Creighton FG Pct., All Games 1. Saint Mary s Loyola Chicago Michigan State Arizona William & Mary Field Goal Percentage, Season -- MVC All-Time.542 West Texas State, Creighton, Tulsa, Wichita State, Bradley, Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Bradley, Loyola, Southern Illinois, Home Cooking The MVC has a record in home games (inclusive of non-league and league games), third best in the NCAA. Team G W-L Pct. 1. SEC Big MVC Big Ten

4 FEBRUARY 25, 2018 PAGE 4 MVC Players of the Week Player Newcomer N13 Brenton Scott, Ind. St. Kavion Pippen, S. Illinois N20 Keyshawn Evans, Ill. St. Marques Townes, Loyola N27 Donte Ingram, Loyola Tywhon Pickford, UNI D4 Bennett Koch, UNI Kavion Pippen, S. Illinois D11 Dru Smith, Evansville Cameron Krutwig, Loyola D18 Milik Yarbrough, ILS Milik Yarbrough, ILS D26 Alize Johnson, MSU Milik Yarbrough, ILS J2 Milik Yarbrough, ILS Milik Yarbrough, ILS J8 Reed Timmer, Drake J.T. Miller, Missouri State J15 Alize Johnson, MSU Tywhon Pickford, UNI J22 Donte Ingram, Loyola Cameron Krutwig, Loyola J29 Clayton Custer, Loyola Milik Yarbrough, ILS F5 Ryan Taylor, Evansville Kavion Pippen, S. Illinois Reed Timmer, Drake F12 Alize Johnson, MSU Kavion Pippen, S. Illinois F19 Reed Timmer, Drake Milik Yarbrough, ILS F25 Ryan Taylor, Evansville Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Active MVC Leaders Through games of Feb. 24, MVC Active Scoring Leaders 1. Reed Timmer, Drake (17) Brenton Scott, Indiana State (38) Donte Ingram, Loyola Blake Simmons, Evansville Bennett Koch, UNI Ryan Taylor, Evansville Donte Thomas, Bradley Alize Johnson, Missouri State Armon Fletcher, Southern Illinois Graham Woodward, Drake 850 MVC Active Rebounding Leaders 1. Alize Johnson, Missouri State Donte Thomas, Bradley Donte Ingram, Loyola Brenton Scott, Indiana State Obediah Church, Missouri State Klint Carlson, UNI Bennett Koch, UNI Brandon Murphy, Indiana State 418 MVC Active Assists Leaders 1. Duane Gibson, Evansville Blake Simmons, Evansville Reed Timmer, Drake Ben Richardson, Loyola Brenton Scott, Indiana State 241 MVC Active Steals Leaders 1. Brenton Scott, Indiana State Ben Richardson, Loyola Duane Gibson, Evansville Tyler Smithpeters, Southern Illinois Blake Simmons, Evansville 100 MVC Active Blocks Leaders 1. Obediah Church, Missouri State (9) Emondre Rickman, Indiana State Nick McGlynn, Drake Daouda Ndiaye, Illinois State Thik Bol, Southern Illinois 76 *career totals only include years in which a studentathlete participated in the MVC. [No.] - indicates MVC all-time rank. Dialing In From Long Distance Indiana State s Jordan Barnes is averaging pointers per game and is third nationally with 112 makes. His pointers made this season is an ISU single-season record (surpassing Michael Menser s 92). Only five times in MVC history has a player reached 100 treys in a season. Kyle Korver s 100 treys were the previous most in league history by a sophomore. MVC All-Time Leaders, 3-Pointers in a Season 134 Troy Hudson, Southern Illinois, (Sr.) 129 Kyle Korver, Creighton, (Sr.) 118 Jeremy Crouch, Bradley, (Sr.) 112 Jordan Barnes, Indiana St., (So.) 103 Adam Leonard, Missouri St., (Jr.) 100 Kyle Korver, Creighton, (So.) Braves are Best at Home Bradley leads the nation in field goal percentage defense at home. FG Pct. Defense, Home Games Only 1. Bradley Michigan State Cincinnati UC Irvine Southern University Freshman Rebounders UNI s Tywhon Pickford - the nation s leading rebounder for players 6 5 or shorter, established a UNI freshman rebounding record, and he moved into the MVC s all-time Top 10 for single-season rebounds by a freshman. Loyola s Cameron Krutwig has 194 and is poised to become just the 15th MVC freshman to reach 200 caroms. Here s the list: Rebounds by Freshman, Single-Season Bests 1. Cliff Levingston - Wichita St. ( ) Doug McDermott - CU ( ) Bob Harstad - Creighton ( ) Benoit Benjamin - Creighton ( ) Josh Cunningham - Bradley ( ) Ashraf Amaya - S. Illinois ( ) Jamie Arnold - Wichita State ( ) Tywhon Pickford - UNI ( ) Michael Ruffin - Tulsa ( ) Cleo Littleton* - WSU ( ) Danny Granger - Bradley ( ) Jordan Caroline - S. Illinois ( ) Eric Coleman - UNI ( ) Patrick O Bryant - Bradley ( ) Obediah Church - MSU ( ) Rick Shipley - S. Illinois ( ) Cameron Krutwig - Loyola ( ) Carl Richard - Indiana State ( ) Seth Tuttle - UNI ( ) Luke Jackson - Bradley ( ) Hersey Hawkins - Bradley ( ) 182 *Littleton played as a freshman during the Korean Conflict, permissible by the NCAA (freshmen weren t allowed to play before ). Winning with Defense Since 2010, every team that has led the MVC in field goal percentage defense has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Both Bradley and Missouri State rank in the Top 35 in the nation in both scoring defense and FG pct. defense. NCAA Leaders/Scoring Defense Team Rank PPG UNI t Loyola Chicago Evansville t Bradley Missouri State NCAA Leaders/FG Percentage Defense Team Rank FG Def. Bradley Missouri State Best Since Jan. 7 Loyola is 9th-best in the NCAA since guards Ben Richardson (Dec. 30) and Clayton Custer (Jan. 7) returned from injuries, allowing just 61.7 points per game (in 15 games). NCAA Leaders, Scoring Defense (Since Jan. 7) 1. Virginia 13g 51.8 ppg 2. Cincinnati 13g 54.8 ppg 3. UC Irvine 13g 58.8 ppg 4. Vermont 14g 60.4 ppg 5. New Mexico State 13g 60.8 ppg 6. UCF 12g 61.3 ppg 7. Saint Mary s 14g 61.3 ppg 8. Davidson 14g 61.6 ppg 9. Loyola Chicago 15g 61.7 ppg 10. Middle Tennessee 13g 62.2 ppg Doubling Up Alize Johnson of Missouri State has a league-leading 19 double-doubles, and he is tied for fourth in the NCAA. Only five MVC players in the past two decades has had 15 or more double-doubles in a season, and only one (Egidijus Mockevicius) has reached 20 double-doubles in a season. MVC Single-Season Leaders (last 20 seasons) Egidijus Mockevicius ( ) 34g 27 Egidijus Mockevicius ( ) 34g 20 Joe Breakenridge, UNI ( ) 28g 17 Alize Johnson, MSU ( ) 31g 19 Alize Johnson, MSU ( ) 33g 17 Eric Coleman, UNI ( ) 32g 16 Jackie Carmichael, ILS ( ) 33g 15 Jackie Carmichael, ILS ( ) 35g 15 MVC Leaders ( ) Alize Johnson, Missouri State Phil Fayne, Illinois State 26 7 Milik Yarbrough, Illinois State 29 6 Tywhon Pickford, UNI 30 5 Nick McGlynn, Drake 31 5 Donte Thomas, Bradley 31 5

5 FEBRUARY 25, 2018 PAGE 5 Leading the League, Again Evansville s Ryan Taylor leads the MVC in scoring. Fueled by three-straight scoring titles by D.J. Balentine and Jaylon Brown last year, the Aces have had a stranglehold on that statistic, marking the first time since a 5-year stretch from when three different Bradley players (Hersey Hawkins-twice, Anthony Manuel, Curtis Stuckey-twice) led the MVC. Sign of Things to Come? Only 11 times in the past 40 seasons (since ) has the MVC had a better non-conference regular-season winning percentage than this year s.651 (82-44) ledger. Here are the top in that span, with notable post-season success. Non-Conf Regular-Season Bests (Last 40 Years) NCAA, 2 NIT NCAA, 2 NIT NCAA, 2 NIT UNI - Sweet 16* NCAA, 1 NIT Tulsa - NIT title NCAA, 1 NIT NCAA, 3 NIT^ NCAA, 2 NIT NCAA, 2 NIT Indiana State - Final Wichita State - Final NCAA, 2 NIT~ NCAA, 2 NIT *Missouri State won CIT title in 2010 ^Bradley reached CBI championship series in 2008 ~Bradley lost CIT championship game in 2009 Four Teams Reach 10 Wins Four MVC teams reached 10 non-conference regular-season wins for just the 12th time in the league s 111-year history. A total of 17 teams all-time have won 10 or more non-conference games in a season (inclusive of post-season games). Year w/4+ Teams w/10+ Non-Conference Wins (Houston, SLU, OSU, TU, Detroit, BU) (OSU, WSU, Tulsa, SLU, Detroit) (Tulsa, SLU, WSU, Houston, Detroit) (Cincy, Bradley, Drake, SLU, WSU) (Cincy, WSU, Bradley, Tulsa, SLU*) (WSU, CU, Bradley*, UE*, UNI*) (Oklahoma St., Bradley, SLU, Detroit) (Cincinnati, Bradley, WSU, Drake) (Wichita St., Drake, Bradley, Cincy) (Louisville, Bradley, Tulsa, Drake) (Tulsa, WSU, Drake, Illinois State*) (Drake, Creighton, ILS*, Bradley*) (Creighton, ILS, Drake, Bradley*) (Missouri St., UNI, WSU, Illinois State) (Creighton, UNI, ILS*, Wichita State) (Evansville, Loyola, UNI, Wichita St.) (Bradley, Evansville, Loyola, MSU) *denotes fewer than 10 during regular-season Drake Among Most Improved Drake is tied for 15th in the NCAA among the list of most-improved teams. Team N.C. A&T UC Santa Barbara Missouri Oregon St Washington Hartford Idaho St Michigan St Murray St Nebraska Niagara St. Fran. Brooklyn Tulane UNLV Drake South Dakota St Off the Bench Valparaiso leads the MVC and ranks 37th nationally in bench scoring. The Crusaders have averaged 25.6 points per game from their non-starters. MVC, Bench Scoring G Pts. PPG 1. Valparaiso Bradley Missouri State UNI Drake Indiana State Loyola Chicago Illinois State Southern Illinois Evansville MVC Leaders, Bench Scoring, Last 20 Seasons 1. Creighton ( )^ Wichita St. ( )* Creighton ( )* Wichita State ( )^ Creighton ( )^ Creighton ( )* *NCAA Tournament team; ^NIT Tournament team Experience a Factor? Here are the MVC s rankings for experienced teams, according to KenPom. National rank and MVC place is denoted. Team Exp (Natl Rank) MVC Drake 2.49 (7) t3rd Missouri State 2.47 (8) t7th Southern Illinois 1.99 (85) 2nd Loyola 1.79 (156) 1st Indiana State 1.76 (167) 6th Evansville 1.64 (204) t7th UNI 1.63 (207) t7th Valparaiso 1.48 (249) 10th Illinois State 1.41 (265) t3rd Bradley 1.37 (275) 5th KenPom s experience calculation weights the experience of each player on the roster based on minutes played. Players that have played less than 10% of their team s minutes are not included. The New Guys Several MVC newcomers have made an impact in their first years in the league. Milik Yarbrough of Illinois State is the only first-year player in the league to rank in the Top 10 in both scoring (4th) and rebounding (5th). Southern Illinois Kavion Pippen joins Yarbrough as the only MVC newcomers to rank in the Top 20 in both categories. Six first-year MVC players rank among the league s Top 25 in scoring, while seven of the Top 18 rebounders are in their first years in the league. Newcomers, Ranked by Scoring Average 4. Milik Yarbrough, Illinois State Bakari Evelyn, Valparaiso Kavion Pippen, Southern Illinois Marques Townes, Loyola Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Qiydar Davis, Indiana State Tywhon Pickford, UNI Markus Golder, Valparaiso 9.4 Newcomers, Ranked by Rebounding Average 2. Tywhon Pickford, UNI Milik Yarbrough, Illinois State Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Elijah Childs, Bradley Kavion Pippen, Southern Illinois Dainius Chatkevicius, Evansville William Tinsley, Illinois State Qiydar Davis, Indiana State Markus Golder, Valparaiso Tyreke Key, Indiana State Marques Townes, Loyola 3.9 All-Around Leaders Alize Johnson of Missouri State leads the league in total points-rebounds-assists per game average (29.2) this season - that figure ranks 44th nationally. Illinois State leads the league with three in the Top 10 of the P-A-R leaderboard, while Indiana State also has two among the Top 10. Top MVC P-A-R Leaders (thru 2/25) Player, School RPG APG PPG TOT Alize Johnson, Missouri St Milik Yarbrough, Illinois St Ryan Taylor, Evansville Reed Timmer, Drake Jordan Barnes, Indiana St Phil Fayne, Illinois State Brenton Scott, Indiana St Keyshawn Evans, Illinois St Armon Fletcher, S. Illinois Tevonn Walker, Valparaiso Road Warriors Loyola s 9-4 (.692) road winning percentage is tied for 7th-best in the nation (for teams with a minimum of 13 road games played this season).