Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 Missouri Valley League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
Through three games, Richmond is technically tracking as the fastest Chris Mooney tempo over the last five years by nearly five possessions per game....[Subscriber Content]
We run through the other 21 UTR leagues and discuss ... Valparaiso’s big win at Purdue and South Dakota State’s big win at Kansas State, and how those two faced off against each other tonight.
Sophomore guard Rakim Chaney returned to Valparaiso this offseason after starting 31 out of 33 games as a freshman and helping the Beacons to 18 wins under head coach Roger Powell. He’s already taken his play up another level this season and last week, led Valparaiso to the programs first ever road win over a top-25 opponent with a double-overtime masterpiece.
Chaney might have only started the week off with 10 points, three rebounds, and three steals in a win over Western Illinois. However, he later dropped 35 points on 14-for-22 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and dished six assists to lead an upset of No. 24 Purdue with two overtime periods, the first player in program history to finish with that statline. He even nailed a buzzer-beater in overtime to ensure a second extra period where Valparaiso secured the eventual upset.
-VALPARAISO AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE. Both teams are 2-0, both have notable road wins with Valpo winning at Purdue and South Dakota State winning at Kansas State, so that makes both of these teams more accomplished than many of the teams that are currently ranked in the top 25 but have only won home buy games, so of course we are going to highlight it! I’m looking forward to this one!!
Others receiving votes: UC Irvine 17; Belmont 16; East
Texas A&M 15; Tulsa 15; South Dakota St. 12; South Florida 12;
Tennessee Tech 11; Furman 11; UNC Wilmington 10; Richmond 8; Akron 8;
Charleston 8; UNLV 7; Illinois St. 6; Yale 6; Morgan St. 3; Penn 2;
Charlotte 1; Utah Valley 1; UC Santa Barbara 1
Kinziger has produced one of the most remarkable shooting starts in the
country, making 11 of 16 three-pointers through two games. He scored 30
points against Saint Mary's and followed with 16 against Central State,
giving him 47 points entering Monday's visit to Purdue.
His performance is particularly impressive because of his size. Listed under
six feet tall, Kinziger must consistently create opportunities against
taller defenders, making his efficiency and offensive movement especially
important.
Monday's game against Purdue offers an immediate opportunity to demonstrate
whether his remarkable start can continue against Big Ten competition.
5. UIC: A defense worth watching in the Missouri Valley
UIC enters Monday's game against UNC Greensboro at 2–0 after defeating St.
Francis (Illinois) 96–47 and Robert Morris 79–56. The Flames' most
encouraging performance came against Robert Morris, when they held the
Colonials to 24 second-half points and forced 13 turnovers after halftime.
Rashund Washington Jr. contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds, demonstrating
the two-way production that could make him an important figure for UIC.
The Flames haven't faced the same level of competition as Saint Louis or
Nevada, making this the most provisional selection. However, their defensive
activity and early offensive balance make them worth monitoring as Missouri
Valley play approaches.
Ok, this one was easily the most surprising of the bunch.
Valpo, who entered the night about 100 spots below Purdue across every
ranking category anyone uses, went into West Lafayette and handed the Matt
Painter a 83-80 upset in double overtime.
In a game full of big shots, the final was fired by Justus McNair, and it
gave Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr. the biggest win of his career and
Valpo its first win over a high-major program in nearly a decade.
Fourth-year Head Coach Roger Powell has Valparaiso off to one of its most memorable starts in program history. The Beacons began the season with a dominant 80-58 victory over Western Illinois on Monday before making the trip to West Lafayette for a Friday evening showdown against Purdue. After forcing overtime, Valpo knocked down a pair of buzzer beaters – one to send the game to a second overtime and one to claim an 83-80 2OT victory. The win marked the Beacons’ first win over a power conference opponent in almost 10 years (November 21, 2016 vs. Alabama) and snapped a 19-game losing streak against Big 10 opponents. Now 2-0 on the season, Valpo will look to keep up its momentum when it visits South Dakota State on Wednesday night.
How could we not talk about the 2-0 Valparaiso Beacons in the On Fire
category? They started off the season with a dominating 80-58 victory
over Western Illinois where JT Pettigrew led the team with 18 points.
Plenty of players got to see time on the court in the rout, but what
stood out to me was their defense. They finished the game with seven
steals, led by Rakim Chaney with three steals, and five blocks, led by
Carter Hopoi with three. In fact, the Beacons are ranked 105th in
defensive efficiency per KenPom.
They followed up their strong showing in the first game with what will
most likely end up being at least a top-ten most electric game of the
entire 2026-2027 season. The Beacons traveled to Mackey Arena to take
on Purdue where they knocked off the Boilermakers 83-80 in
double-overtime. Rakim Chaney poured in 35 points and racked up eight
rebounds, six assists, and one steal. At the end of the first
overtime, he missed a free throw with four seconds left, got the
rebound, ran outside, and knocked down the game-tying three to send
the Beacons to double-overtime. JT Pettigrew was the star of the last
overtime, knocking down the game-winning three as the clock expired.
Coming into the season, there were some discussions around how good
Valparaiso could be? JT Pettigrew is a strong player and retaining
Chaney after a strong freshman performance helped elevate their
ceiling. Through the first week of the season, it looks like they
could be fighting at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference this
season.
Cooling Down
Bradley
11/02/26 KenPom: 173rd
11/09/26 KenPom: 207th
When you are just one week into the season, rankings can be very
volatile, however, Bradley suffered a tough 63-52 loss at home to
Pacific, which was picked to finish 5th in the WCC. There were some
offensive concerns coming out of their 53-48 loss to SIUE in their
last exhibition game, and that carried over to the regular season.
While they did beat their non-Division I opponent 85-41, shooting just
29% overall and 23% on 30 attempts from beyond the arc isn’t going to
get the job done.
This is a new-look Bradley Braves team. They didn’t retain a single
player from last season, and it seems like they have some kinks to
work out with their schemes.
They’ll look to bounce back as they have a matchup that could help
them regain some momentum against Davidson on the road on Tuesday.
They’ll also take on Coppin State and George Mason as part of the
Showdown in St. Pete. They’ll have two opportunities against A-10
opponents that would put the Pacific loss behind them if they are able
to pull out two strong wins for the conference.
Yes, Purdue is 0-2 with a loss to Valparaiso on the season. That is true.
But there are definitely some redeeming qualities amid the panic for the
Boilermakers....{Subscriber Content]
#219 IU Indy (-2.3) at #296 Indiana State, 7 PM ET, ESPN+ IU
Indy led the country in free-throw rate last season and is right back at it
with 62 attempts per 100 shots. Indiana State is 0-2, shooting a 39%
effective field goal percentage, and already putting teams on the line a
lot. Have you ever seen a team take 50 free throws in a game?
Wednesday, November 11
Last week, Wednesday was the worst night of the week. This week, it’s one of
the best. Clear the evening.
B Games
#97 Green Bay at #109 Illinois State (-0.5), 7:30 PM ET, ESPN+ Green Bay went 25-8 last season, opened with a 76-60 loss at Duke,
and then got its first win. Illinois State is 2-0 and plays fast, averaging
80 possessions per 40 minutes. Nevaeh Thomas is averaging 21.5 points and
8.5 rebounds, and Trista Fayta has 6.5 assists per game. Horizon vs. Valley
on a Wednesday night.
Thursday, November 12
C Games
#136 Northern Iowa at #5 Iowa (-31.2), 8:30 PM ET, BTN An
in-state game between Iowa’s big two. It won’t be close, but Iowa will be
four days removed from UConn and three days from Vanderbilt. Freshman
McKenna Woliczko is shooting 89% inside and 56% from three. Iowa is grabbing
49% of its own misses.
Friday, November 13
B Games
#138 Troy at #144 Belmont (-2.5), 12 PM ET, ESPN+ The best
lunchtime game of the week. Troy plays at a 95th-percentile pace. Belmont is
0-2, playing slow and shooting a 43% effective field goal percentage after
losing its top five scorers. Kenley McCarn is averaging 16.5 points a game.
Fast vs. new.
C Games
#297 Valparaiso at #313 Purdue Fort Wayne (-1.8), 11 AM ET, ESPN+ Valpo went 0-32 last season and is 0-2 this season with a 36%
effective field goal percentage. Fort Wayne is 0-2. The SICKO GAME tradition
continues with an 11 AM tip. Can Valpo win a game?
Saturday, November 14
A lighter Saturday. Save your energy for Sunday.
B Games
#109 Illinois State at #117 Saint Louis (-2.1), 2 PM ET, ESPN+ Valley vs. A-10, and it should be a shootout. Saint Louis is shooting
a 61% effective field goal percentage, and Tyonna Bailey is averaging 27
points a game. Illinois State plays fast and has Nevaeh Thomas (21.5 PPG).
It’s the Redbirds’ second game in four days after Green Bay on Wednesday.
In Valparaiso’s stunning 83-80 double overtime win at Purdue — the program’s
first true road win over a Big Ten opponent ever and first win over a
power-conference team since 2016 — it was Chaney who shined the brightest.
The sharpshooting guard helped the Beacons overcome a 15-point deficit by
dropping a career-high 35, the most by a Valpo player since Alec Peters had
35 on Dec. 22, 2016, against Santa Clara. With the Beacons trailing 70-67 in
the final seconds of the first OT, Chaney hit an incredibly tough corner
three to keep the game going.
Rakim Chaney’s 35-point outburst led Valpo to a shocking upset win over
Purdue
Valparaiso vs. Purdue, of all games, delivered what will undoubtedly be one
of the best moments of the season. The Beacons fell behind 19-4 early in the
first half, but fought back and forced overtime. In the extra period, they
were down by 3 with 4 seconds to go, and then this happened:
After a back-and-forth double overtime, Daniel Jacobsen hit a shot with 5
seconds to go to tie the game. Then...
The Beacons
pulled off the upset
thanks to McNair's shot and 35 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists from Rakim
Chaney.
Purdue falls to 0-2 for the first time since the 1976-1977 season.
Check out this very
wholesome post-game interview
with Valpo head coach Roger Powell and his former coach Bruce Weber.
