Sunday, December 7, 2025

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/7/2025


Sunday Best Bets Shows Value in Missouri Kansas Showdown--Busting Brackets

Belmont Middle Tennessee Rematch Should Be Close Again

Belmont Bruins at Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders

This should be a pretty good basketball game. When these two teams met a season ago, the Bruins won by three. This game is expected to be much like that. This time it is played in Murfreesboro. Belmont is the better basketball team, but they will need to be at the top of their game to grab this in state road win.

Betting Pick: Belmont Bruins -1.5 over Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders

Final Score Prediction: Belmont 82-78 over Middle Tennessee State

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Sunday, Dec 7th--Hoops HD

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Belmont @ Middle Tennessee – Belmont takes the short trip down to Murfressboro. A win will get them to 9-1 on the year and be their third true road win of the season



Bradley dominates Northern Illinois to win its third consecutive game--The Bradley Scout

Bradley WBB Drops Road Contest at Nebraska--bradleybraves.com
Bradley WBB Begins Three-Game Homestand Sunday Against Chicago State--bradleybraves.com
Bradley Women's Basketball Roster Update--bradleybraves.com



Bulldogs Storm Back but Cannot Finish Rally in Home Loss to WIU--godrakebulldogs.com



Fast start leads to lopsided victory for Illinois State over Chicago State--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Snap Four-Game Skid With 64-46 Win Over Eastern Illinois--goredbirds.com



Sycamores ground Screaming Eagles 77-55--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores down Screaming Eagles on Sunday afternoon--gosycamores.com



Panther men’s hoops falls to Wichita State in overtime--unipanthers.com



Men's Basketball Battles Hard in 80-66 Loss at #3 (Mid-Major) Yale--uicflames.com

Women’s Basketball Wins MVC Opener at Valparaiso--uicflames.com



A little crazy and a little delusional: Inside the mind of Courtney Boyd--The Victory Bell

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/6/2025


Week 5 Weekend Watchlist--Basket Under Review

#85 Belmont (-2) at #142 MTSU, 4:30 PM ET, ESPN+.

Great in-state battle here. This doesn't have a cool name like Battle of the Boulevard, but it's a fun test of two items: the power of an elite shooting offense in Belmont versus the inexplicable shot-killing powers of the Murphy Center. You should read this if you haven't, IMO!

MTSU's wonky defense (no jumpers allowed, but everything gets funneled to the rim) is a fun matchup against the usual Belmont motion offense that has shooters everywhere and will work hard to get open. As always at the Glass House, jumpers are an open question, and a Belmont team that wants a ton both ways versus an MTSU one that wants everything to go inside is going to be intriguing. - Will Warren

Men's Basketball Visits Middle Tennessee Sunday--belmontbruins.com


Women's Basketball Falls to 4-5 After Loss to Princeton--Belmont Vision
Receiving-Votes Princeton Too Much for Bruins Saturday Afternoon at the Curb--belmontbruins.com



Bradley basketball vs Northern Illinois: Everything to know from Braves win over Huskies--Peoria Journal Star
MBB Recap: Braves earn 29-point Victory over NIU--bradleybraves.com



Bulldogs Come Up Short Against Blazers, 74-69--godrakebulldogs.com



Moeller scores career high as UE battles to the finish at WKU--gopurpleaces.com

Trip to Saint Louis on Deck for Women's Basketball--gopurpleaces.com



Walker’s Near-Triple-Double Leads Redbirds to Lopsided Win--goredbirds.com

Illinois State women look to snap out of offensive doldrums--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Return Home For In-State Showdown With Eastern Illinois--goredbirds.com



Slessinger's Sycamores looking to ground Screaming Eagles--Terre Haute Tribune-Star



Murray State moves to 7-3, defeats Bellarmine 81-68--WPSD Local 6
Racers Push Home Win Streak to seven in Win Over Bellarmine--goracers.com

Four in a Row Away from Home, Racers Handle Governors--goracers.com



Live Updates: Wichita State wins it in OT--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
College Men's Basketball: Wichita State rallies in OT to top UNI--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Panther men’s hoops falls to Wichita State in overtime--unipanthers.com

UNI women’s basketball: Panthers pick up the program’s first victory over Toledo--unipanthers.com



Salukis wreck Redhawks in regional rivalry 76-71--The Daily Egyptian

SIU Grits Out Thrilling 76-71 Win Over SEMO--siusalukis.com



Men's Basketball Back on the Road Sunday at Yale--uicflames.com

Flames Fall in Final Seconds to Ohio, 72–70--uicflames.com
Women’s Basketball opens Missouri Valley Conference Play Sunday at Valparaiso--uicflames.com



Introducing Valparaiso's new President--The Victory Bell
Vick shines as Valparaiso bounces back--The Victory Bell
Seven Beacons Finish in Double Figures as Valpo Rolls to Victory--valpoathletics.com

Women's Basketball Returns Home to Host UIC in MVC Opener--valpoathletics.com

Friday, December 5, 2025

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/5/2025

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Thursday, Dec 4th--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-High Point may win a lot of games this year, but after last night’s 86-84 loss at home to Southern Illinois I’m now thinking that if they want to make the NCAA Tournament one of those wins better be that last Big South Tournament game. It was Southern Illinois’s first road win of the season and the game winning layup came as time expired after a High Point turnover.

-Richmond got a really nice 84-76 win at Belmont, which is a win that I think they’ll end up getting a lot of credit for. Belmont is not a top 25 team by any means, but they are good and are not easy to beat on the road. It was the first loss of the season for the Bruins, who are still poised to have a good year. As for Richmond, I think it’s a sign that they can compete against a lot of the teams they’ll face in the Atlantic Ten. It’s a lot harder to go to Belmont and win than it is to go to about half the places in the A10 to win.



Shooting Struggles Snap Belmont’s Undefeated Run--Belmont Vision



MBB Preview: Bradley set for weekend matchup with NIU--bradleybraves.com

Rapid Recap: Women’s basketball splits results at Fort Myers Tip-Off--The Bradley Scout



12.5.25 Game Analysis--Basket Under Review

ELSEWHERE:

  • If an Eric Henderson defense is going to do one thing, it's deny the rim, and to date Drake owns a 1st percentile rim rate allowed, per Synergy data....



Taking stock of UE basketball one month into 2025-26 season--Evansville Courier & Press
UE travels to Western Kentucky for Saturday matinee--gopurpleaces.com



Illinois State seeks to extend winning streak in Saturday home game--The Pantagraph
Final Non-Conference Home Game Ahead for Men's Basketball--goredbirds.com



Screaming Eagles, Sycamores to throw down on the hardwood--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Men's basketball set for Sunday afternoon action against Southern Indiana--gosycamores.com



Tiger Whitaker comes home to Bank Saturday to face Racers--Murray Ledger and Times
Racers Home to Bellarmine Saturday - 1999-00 Team To Be Honored--goracers.com

Ford’s final game at Johnson ends with win--Murray Ledger and Times
Turner: Peay will not be the same team from last year--Murray Ledger and Times



UNI women's basketball: Panthers head to Ohio for a matchup with Toledo--unipanthers.com



SIU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAME CAPSULE SEMO AT SIU--Dawg Bites
Women’s Basketball to Host SEMO for Saturday Matchup--siusalukis.com

Thursday, December 4, 2025

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/4/2025

Under the Radar – Week 5--Hoops HD

After that we run through the other 21 UTR conferences and discuss teams like High Point and McNeese suffering surprising losses, Liberty has also struggled out of Conference USA but teams like Western Kentucky have come out strong. Both Buffalo and Miami OH are unbeaten out of the MAC and Akron is another tough team to watch. The MVC, Big West, and Sun Belt appear to be strong from top to bottom. We discuss all that, and more. And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.



Men's Basketball Falls to Richmond--belmontbruins.com

Bruins Pick Up Gutsy Win at Middle Tennessee Wednesday Night--belmontbruins.com



Bradley’s Bully Is Leading the Way--Valley Hoops Insider



Drake men’s basketball owns the court against Western Illinois University--The Times-Delphic



Check out how Illinois State responded to having its leading scorer out--The Pantagraph
Kinziger’s big second half propels ISU to sixth-straight win--The Vidette



Sycamores prevent NIU Huskies comeback in home win--Indiana Statesman



Miller: Hustle plays led to better offense against Morehead State--Murray Ledger and Times

Racer women endure Morehead in road fight--Murray Ledger and Times
Currie-Jelks earns national player honor--Murray Ledger and Times



UNI men’s basketball renews rivalry with Wichita State on Saturday night--unipanthers.com

College Women's Basketball: Win pushes UNI to the top of the Valley--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier



Southern Rallies, Wins Thriller Over High Point--siusalukis.com



Women’s Basketball Heads to Ohio in Next Stop of Road Trip--uicflames.com



Men's Basketball to Host CCSJ in Final Game Before Finals--valpoathletics.com

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/3/2025

The Other Men’s Top 25: Utah St. jumps to No. 1--Mid-Major Madness

Belmont is top 100 in all three metrics: 35th in the NET, 75th in KenPom and 92nd in Torvik.

Here is the full ranking:

Ranking

Team (First-Place Votes)

Points

Last Week

9 Belmont 70 23
11 Northern Iowa 59 8

Others Receiving Votes:

Davidson 17; UNC Wilmington 13; Hawaii 11; Boise St. 10; Kent St. 10; Central Connecticut 10; Loyola Marymount 9; UAB 9; Miami OH 9; Illinois St. 8; Northern Colorado 7; Grand Canyon 6; Iona 5; South Alabama 4; Winthrop 3; Richmond 2; Columbia 2; East Tennessee St. 1

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Wednesday, Dec 3rd--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-RICHMOND AT BELMONT. I highlight this because I think both teams are good and while it’s unlikely that either ends up around the bubble, it’s also not entirely impossible. This would probably be the biggest win of the season for either team up to this point, so it’s a pretty big game. It’s also just a fascinating matchup.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Southern Illinois @ High Point – High Point will likely be favored in all of their remaining games and if they win out I can’t imagine them not being inside the bubble

Winning MTEs & Weekly Awards--Valley Hoops Insider

Winning MTEs & Weekly Awards

While Tennessee State neighbor Belmont was claiming the Coconut Hoops Tournament, Tyler Lundblade was named the MVP. Lundblade averaged 19.3 points-per-game and is this week’s MVC ‘Player of the Week’. His award is the first this season for the 8-0 Bruins. He leads the Valley in free-throw percentage, made three-pointers and is third in scoring.

Newcomers Making Their Mark

Drake split a pair of games with ‘power five’ conference teams and Jalen Quinn was outstanding. The Loyola Chicago transfer scored 20 points during the Bulldogs’ loss to LSU and added 31 in their win over Georgia Tech. He averaged 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists against that top competition and is the Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’. Quinn is the Valley’s second leading scorer (17.5 ppg) and is fifth in assists (3.88).

Profound First-Year Players

Four Missouri Valley Conference freshmen rank in the league’s top 16 in scoring. Murray State’s Roman Domon led the Racers last week scoring 40 points in three games. The native of France is the Valley’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ becoming the third different rookie to claim the weekly award. Ironically, the MVC’s top scoring freshman, Illinois Chicago’s Andy Johnson (14.9 ppg) is yet to earn one of the awards. Valparaiso’s Rakim Chaney (14.0), Illinois State’s Ty’Reek Coleman (13.6) are ranked tenth and eleventh in the league scoring race. Domon (12.1) is sixteenth and Johnson is ninth.

NET Looks Good--Valley Hoops Insider



Teams of the Week: Thoroughly Prepared Men of Michigan--Basket Under Review

HONORABLE MENTION: REMAINING CONFERENCE AWARDS

MISSOURI VALLEY: BELMONT - Capped off a terrific week in Fort Myers by traveling up the East Coast and winning a true road game at Charleston. At the event, the Bruins knocked off Saint Francis with ease, and put away Toledo by a 15-point margin. Bruins get a ton of love for its beautiful offense, which now ranks 4th nationally in eFG%, but how bout the defense only allowing a nationally 17th lowest eFG% as well? What a great combination as we inch closer to Valley play.

Belmont’s eight-game winning streak ends with loss to Richmond--Main Street Nashville
Men's Basketball Plays Richmond Wednesday--belmontbruins.com


The Women’s Other Top 25: Some shuffling in top 15, but teams remain same--Mid-Major Madness

Belmont and Harvard were the next two, with a pair of Mountain West teams following in UNLV and Colorado St. Ball St. jumped to 15, and Santa Clara was No. 16. Massachusetts and Columbia held steady at 17th and 18th. Saint Joseph’s and Montana St. rounded out the top 20.

Princeton came in at 29th in the NET and 39th in Torvik. The Tigers are 7-1 and have won five straight games. They knocked off Rhode Island on the road and DePaul at home last week. They have a loaded upcoming schedule with consecutive games against Seton Hall, Belmont, Rutgers and George Mason.

Here is the full ranking:

Ranking

Team

Last Week

11 Belmont 9

Women’s Basketball Visits Middle Tennessee Wednesday Night--belmontbruins.com



Bradley basketball vs Washington State recap: BU wins on dunk in final seconds--Peoria Journal Star
Ahmet Jonovic’s slam secures Braves’ last-second win vs. Washington State--The Bradley Scout
Alex Huibregtse named Busey Bank Scholar-Athlete of the Week--bradleybraves.com
MBB Recap: Bradley battles back and earns a victory over Washington State--bradleybraves.com

Bradley WBB Heads to Nebraska to Conclude Road Trip--bradleybraves.com



Braden Appelhans sets record in Drake win over Western Illinois--Des Moines Register
Drake Basketball sees big wins on road over holiday break--The Times-Delphic
Bulldogs' Three-Point Barrage Buries Leathernecks, 108-57--godrakebulldogs.com

Drake women's basketball falls to Lindenwood, drops sixth straight--Des Moines Register
Lions Spoil Character Counts! Day with Wire-to-Wire Win Over Drake Women--godrakebulldogs.com



Turnbull and Hundley key UE victory over Ball State--gopurpleaces.com

Purple Aces Fall at Purdue--gopurpleaces.com



Illinois State’s Boden Skunberg--Valley Hoops Insider
Illinois State men's basketball returns home to battle Eastern Kentucky--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Fly Past Colonels for Seventh Consecutive Win--goredbirds.com

ISU women's basketball drops conference opener to UNI--The Vidette
Redbirds Fall In MVC Opener At UNI, 68-54--goredbirds.com



Sycamores blast Red Devils 99-57--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores dominate in 99-57 victory over Eureka--Indiana Statesman
Sycamores rout Red Devils 99-57 on Tuesday night--gosycamores.com

22s are wild as Kelsey, ISU women's basketball slip by NIU 69-61--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Trees complete perfect homestand with win over Northern Illinois--gosycamores.com



Murray State growing through early struggles--WPSD Local 6
Miller: Morehead gives Racer men chance to work on rebounding--Murray Ledger and Times
Racer men close strong against Morehead--Murray Ledger and Times
Racers Post 6 In Double-Figure Scoring in Win Over Eagles--goracers.com


Mid-Major Madness Women’s Player of the Week Voting: Nov. 24-30--Mid-Major Madness

Feast Week is in the rearview mirror, and several mid-major women’s players feasted on the opposition. There were a bunch of good candidates to be finalists for our player of the week.

So, without further ado, here are the five nominees: Sharnecce Currie-Jelks (Murray State),
Kira Reynolds (UT Arlington), Meadow Roland (UNLV), Adrianna Smith (Maine) and Macy Spencer (High Point).

You can vote for your choice at the bottom of this article.

Sharnecce Currie-Jelks (Murray State)

Currie-Jelks had a pair of double-doubles last week to help guide the Racers to a 2-0 week at the Daytona Beach Classic. She averaged 27.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 63% from the field. Her best performance of the week came in an 88-83 win over George Mason in which she posted a career-best 32 points and 11 rebounds. That point total is the most by a Missouri Valley player this season. The Jackson, Tenn., native then had 23 points and 10 rebounds in an 82-77 win over Boston College, which was the program’s first-ever triumph over an ACC opponent. The junior leads the MVC at 20.9 points per game for the season.

Murray State using success in Daytona Beach Classic as turning point in season--WPSD Local 6
Racer women heading to Morehead means big homecoming for Ford--Murray Ledger and Times
Ford Shines in Homecoming Game, Racers Down Eagles--goracers.com



College Men's Basketball: UNI by 65; Panthers roll Division III Coe College--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Taking Flight--Northern Iowan
Campbell passes 1,000 career points as UNI men’s basketball rolls Coe--unipanthers.com

College Women’s Basketball: UNI leaning on defense in MVC opener--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
LIVE BLOG: Illinois State at UNI women's basketball--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
UNI WBB split games in Las Vegas--Northern Iowan
UNI women’s basketball: Panthers open MVC play with a win over Illinois State--unipanthers.com



Salukis stun Panthers in buzzer-beating comeback 86-84--The Daily Egyptian
Salukis aim to slow High Point's high-powered offense--siusalukis.com

SIU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAME CAPSULE SIU at UAB--Dawg Bites
Salukis Run Into Hot Shooting Again, Fall 81-54 at UAB--siusalukis.com



Men's Basketball Drops Last-Second 63-62 Decision to Arkansas-Pine Bluff--uicflames.com



Valparaiso announces new President--The Victory Bell
Signature win slips away from Valpo in OT--The Victory Bell
The Marquette Ride Home Episode--The Victory Bell
Valpo loses a heartbreaker in OT--The Valpo Vault
Valpo Pushes Marquette to Brink in Overtime Road Setback--valpoathletics.com

Monday, December 1, 2025

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/1/2025

Week 5 Watchlist: So Can the Pope--Basket Under Review

Wednesday, December 3

C Games

#141 Southern Illinois at #79 High Point (-9), 7 PM ET, ESPN+. This is a battle of the 'Rons: Cam'Ron Fletcher of High Point and Quel'Ron House of Southern Illinois.

#110 Richmond at #75 Belmont (-7), 7:30 PM ET, ESPN+. Well, look: you either like fun or you don't. This is fun. Belmont could go absolutely nuts at the rim in this game...if they can get there. Richmond has been fabulous at stunting drives to the basket by simply packing things all the way in, but their actual FG% allowed once you get there is hilarious. Fun battle in that regard.



MBB Preview: Bradley to host Washington State--bradleybraves.com



Men's Basketball Preview: Western Illinois & UAB--godrakebulldogs.com



Illinois State Wins Imagination Bracket, Richmond defeats Charlotte in consolation game--Mid-Major Madness
5 in 5: A Look at the Week Ahead in Women's College Basketball--Basket Under Review

5 Teams to Watch This Week

Illinois State

Missouri Valley Conference play starts this week, and Illinois State opens on the road at Northern Iowa. After dropping their last three games, Illinois State is going to be looking to right the ship a bit as they open their conference slate. They will also host Eastern Illinois this week and will attempt to sweep their schedule this week and create some momentum as they roll into conference play.



After rough Alcorn State loss, ISU will try to recover Tuesday vs. Eureka--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Indiana State hosts Eureka on Tuesday night--gosycamores.com

Allen named Hannig Construction Indiana State Student-Athlete of the Week--gosycamores.com



Missouri Valley MBB Weekly Update 12.01.25--The Missouri Valley

MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook (Dec. 1)--The Missouri Valley