What's Up In The Missouri Valley

Monday, February 23, 2026

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/22/2026

1 Storyline for Each Mid-Major Conference Heading Into Final Weeks--Mid-Major Madness

Missouri Valley: New conference, same Belmont
Four seasons ago, Belmont and Murray State left the OVC, where they were perennial giants, for the stronger MVC, a move expected to raise the level of competition and program profile over time but also away from the security of more easily-secured tournament appearances, at least in the short term. Well, no matter because they’ve adjusted quite well. Belmont will finish its fourth year with 12 wins or more in league play, and at 15-3 has a three-game lead in the league. Murray State has cooled off considerably following a hot start, but still sits 12-7, just a half game out of second place, an improvement under first-year head coach Ryan Miller after three years of mediocre play. Now, parlaying that into the first conference tournament title for either team will be much easier said than done, as several other teams (Illinois State, UIC, Bradley, Northern Iowa) have shown the capability of making some noise in Arch Madness.

Belmont beats Indiana State, wins its first Missouri Valley Championship--Main Street Nashville
Men's Basketball Secures MVC Regular Season Championship on Senior Night--Belmont Vision
Men's Basketball Defeats Indiana State to Secure Outright MVC Regular Season Championship--belmontbruins.com

Illinois State Snaps Women’s Basketball’s Four-Game Winning Streak in OT--belmontbruins.com
Bradley Gets Past Belmont, 51-47, Sunday Afternoon in Peoria, Illinois--belmontbruins.com

How Illinois State came up short vs the Bradley Braves 7-foot-1 Serbian center--Peoria Journal Star
'Twenty-six': How Bradley Braves basketball had Illinois State's number in rematch victory--Peoria Journal Star
Braves bully Illinois State in redemption of blowout loss earlier this season--The Bradley Scout
MBB Recap: Braves earn 50th win in Peoria over Illinois State--bradleybraves.com

Rapid Recap: Women’s basketball defeated by top conference opponent, loses undefeated home record--The Bradley Scout
Bradley WBB Comes Up Short Against Murray State--bradleybraves.com
Bradley WBB Takes Down Second-Place Belmont, 51-47--bradleybraves.com

Senior Day Spoiled as UIC Takes Rematch Victory Over Drake Women--godrakebulldogs.com

Racers finish with 88-73 win over Purple Aces--gopurpleaces.com

Aces Defeat UNI in OT to Complete Regular Season Sweep--gopurpleaces.com

Illinois State second-half rally fizzles as Bradley claims rivalry victory--The Pantagraph
Preparing for war: Illinois State and Bradley gear up for second “I-74” matchup--The Vidette
Redbirds Fall on the Road--goredbirds.com

Illinois State women work overtime to secure Missouri Valley victory over Belmont--The Pantagraph
Doneelah Washington’s historic night propels Redbirds over Bruins in 83-78 overtime battle--The Vidette
13-1: Redbirds lose undefeated touch in CEFCU to Murray State on Senior Day--The Vidette
Washington, Martin Will Redbirds To 83-78 Overtime Win Over Belmont--goredbirds.com
Redbirds Fall to Racers on Senior Day--goredbirds.com

Sycamores to face challenge at MVC-leading Belmont--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Indiana State men's basketball loses 87-70 to MVC regular-season champion--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores fall to Bruins on Saturday night--gosycamores.com

Indiana State women halt five-game losing skid, hold off Salukis on Senior Day--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores secure Senior Day win over Salukis behind strong fourth quarter--gosycamores.com

2/22 Racer Rewind--WPSD Local 6
Racer men hold rope against UE on Senior Day--Murray Ledger and Times
Sensational Senior Day - Racers Beat Aces to Win 20th--goracers.com

Murray State dominates Bradley in 72-40 win, increases lead in MVC--WPSD Local 6
And down the stretch they came!; Racer women storm back to win for first time ever in Normal--Murray Ledger and Times
Racer women use defense to dominate Bradley--Murray Ledger and Times
Road Racers Run Past Braves--goracers.com
Racers Chase Down Redbirds in Second Half Flurry--goracers.com

LIVE BLOG: Southern Illinois at UNI basketball--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
College Men's Basketball: Furious UNI comeback falls short in waning seconds--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Panther men’s basketball comeback falls short in loss to SIU--unipanthers.com

UNI women’s basketball: Panthers bested by Purple Aces in overtime--unipanthers.com

Salukis exorcise Iowa demons in 59-57 victory over Panthers--The Daily Egyptian
Southern Beats UNI to Sweep Iowa Road Swing, 59-57--siusalukis.com

Tight Match Ends with 81-73 Southern Loss at Indiana State--siusalukis.com

Men’s Basketball Edged by Valparaiso, 71-67--uicflames.com

Women’s Basketball Earned Hard-Fought Victory at Drake Sunday--uicflames.com

History in the Making--The Victory Bell
Planting the Seeds: Valpo's path to a first-round bye--The Victory Bell
Valpo Leaves Chicago with a Statement Win--The Valpo Vault
Men's basketball hangs on to defeat Bradley--The Torch
Valpo Clinches Highest MVC Win Total Since Joining League with Key Road Win at UIC--valpoathletics.com
Valpo Looks to Push Winning Streak to Four on Senior Night--valpoathletics.com

Friday, February 20, 2026

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/20/2026

Men's Basketball Plays Indiana State Saturday--belmontbruins.com

Aces Continue Homestand with UNI--gopurpleaces.com

Illinois State-Bradley part two: Rivalry shifts to Peoria for key Missouri Valley tussle--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Head Over on I-74 in Search of Rivalry Sweep--goredbirds.com

Redbirds Return Home To Host Belmont Friday In Big MVC Matchup--goredbirds.com

Flames pull away late, defeat Sycamores in Thursday night barnburner--gosycamores.com

Racers Host UE Saturday - Honor Senior Quartet--goracers.com

Racer women had their wakeup call, now must handle tough Bradley--Murray Ledger and Times
First Place Racers Travel to Peoria--goracers.com

UNI men’s hoops hosts Southern Illinois for Senior Day on Saturday--unipanthers.com

Leading Off: UNI basketball teams earn MVC wins--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

Women’s Basketball Drops Second Straight, Falls to UNI--siusalukis.com

Men's Basketball Hosts Valparaiso Saturday on Senior Day--uicflames.com

Thursday, February 19, 2026

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/19/2026

Under the Radar – Week 16--Hoops HD

From there we run through the other 22 UTR conferences. Liberty and Navy are on the verge of clinching 1st place in their conferences. Stephen F Austin is a potentially dangerous team that is just two wins away from clinching the Southland. The OVC is also logjammed with six teams that can still end up in 1st place. Belmont is looking really strong out of the Missouri Valley. We discuss all that, and more! And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.

2.18.26 Game Analysis--Basket Under Review

QUICK TAKES:
Illinois State and Murray State have somewhat been mirrors of each other in MVC play with up and down seasons and feeling like the true potential hasn't really been fulfilled.... [Subscriber content]

The Breakfast Buffet: Injuries have decimated the Big 12, Darius Acuff, Creighton--College Hoops Today

On The Side

Belmont’s Casey Alexander has the Bruins at 24-4 after Sunday’s massive win against Murray State. This could be the second program that Alexander — who was previously the head coach at Lipscomb — takes to the NCAA Tournament.

Meet the Mid-Major Power Paying Men’s College Basketball’s New Transfer Portal Tax--Sports Illustrated

Women’s Hoops Visits Illinois State Friday Night--belmontbruins.com

Mid-Major Madness Men’s Player of the Week Voting: Feb. 9-15--Mid-Major Madness

Jaquan Johnson - Bradley
Head coach Brian Wardle is well on his way to a fourth straight season with 20+ wins as Bradley currently sits 18-9 overall and 11-5 in the Missouri Valley at second-place in the standings. The sophomore emergence of Jaquan Johnson has been a major reason why: standing just 5-foot-11, he’s become one of the nation’s most dynamic mid-major guards.
This past week, he led an upset of the conference’s first-place team in Belmont, beating out the Bruins 95-84 in overtime with 31 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. On the road at Southern Illinois just days later, Johnson managed 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in a double-digit win over the Salukis.

Bradley basketball vs Valparaiso: Everything to know about the Braves loss to Beacons--Peoria Journal Star
‘We were not tough enough’: Braves last-minute comeback is not enough to defeat Beacons--The Bradley Scout
Bradley falls on the road to Valparaiso--bradleybraves.com
MBB Preview: Bradley Hosts I-74 Rival Illinois State on Saturday Night--bradleybraves.com

Bradley WBB Hosts Murray State on Friday--bradleybraves.com

Drake basketball falls to Southern Illinois, drops seventh straight--Des Moines Register
Bulldogs Stumble Against Southern Illinois, 66-61--godrakebulldogs.com

Bulldogs Muster Strong Close to Complete Comeback Victory--godrakebulldogs.com

Purple Aces fall to Flames in midweek contest--gopurpleaces.com

Where does Evansville basketball stand entering final two weeks of season?--Evansville Courier & Press

Ty'Reek Coleman provides spark as Illinois State burns past Murray State--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Run Past Racers for Season Sweep--goredbirds.com

Illinois State women play host to second-place Belmont--The Pantagraph

Sycamores' skid reaches four--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Late scoring surge sends Panthers past Sycamores--gosycamores.com

Slumping Sycamores to meet Flames--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
UIC pulls away late, beats ISU women 95-80--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Trees set to host UIC--Indiana Statesman
Sycamores, Flames face off Thursday to begin homestand--gosycamores.com

Miller: Racer men must have short memory tonight--Murray Ledger and Times
Illinois State goes with small ball, hammers Racer men--Murray Ledger and Times
Tenner waited for his chance, now is making most of it--Murray Ledger and Times
Racers Fall at Illinois State - Domon Joins Freshman 400-Point Club--goracers.com

Are the Panthers Ready to Pounce?--Valley Hoops Insider
College Men's Basketball: UNI pulls away in second half, down Indiana State--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Dunkin’ on the Dogs--Northern Iowan
Four-ever in the rafters--Northern Iowan
Panther men’s basketball cruise in second half in 81-60 win at Indiana State--unipanthers.com

Mid-Major Madness Women’s Player of the Week Voting: Feb. 9-15--Mid-Major Madness

Ryley Goebel – Northern Iowa
Goebel had a sensational game in UNI’s win over Indiana State. The senior forward notched 32 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks, and three steals. Those 16 rebounds were a career high, and 32 points matched a career best. That was her ninth double-double of the season. She shot 12-of-16 from the floor. The Urbana, Iowa, native became the only player in Missouri Valley history with 200+ career blocks and steals.

UNI WBB catches fire, defeats Sycamores in McLeod Center--Northern Iowan
UNI women’s basketball: Panthers down Salukis in a 29-point rout--unipanthers.com

Salukis put Drake in the doghouse in 66-61 victory--The Daily Egyptian
Mayo's Hot Shooting Helps Dawgs Flip the Script in Win at Drake--siusalukis.com

UNI runs roughshod over Saluki Women--Southern Illinoisan
Homestand Ends on Thursday for Women’s Basketball as They Host UNI--siusalukis.com

Balanced Attack Fuels Men’s Basketball to 84-46 Win at Evansville--uicflames.com

Balanced Attack Lifts Women’s Basketball Past Indiana State--uicflames.com

Stop, Drop and (Beacons) Roll--The Victory Bell
Valpo Knocks down Top MVC Team, 79-72--The Valpo Vault
Valpo Matches Highest MVC Win Total with Breakthrough Victory Over Bradley--valpoathletics.com
Two of The Valley's Hottest Teams Face Off Saturday in Chilly Chicago--valpoathletics.com

Beacons Succumb to Late Drake Run--valpoathletics.com

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/17/2026

Title Chasing: A Look at Each NCAAW Conference--Basket Under Review

Missouri Valley (MVC)

Murray State: 13-1
Belmont: 12-2

As long as Murray State doesn't go 0-2 this week while Belmont goes 2-0, this conference race will heavily skew towards Murray State. There is a world where Murray State can essentially lock up the #1 seed and the conference title if they go 2-0 while Belmont goes 0-2. Alas, Murray State is in a great position right now.

Meaningful Games to Watch This Week

2-20: Murray State @ Bradley
2-20: Belmont @ Illinois State
2-22: Murray State @ Illinois State
2-22: Belmont @ Bradley

The only thing that will change the #1 seed race much is a 2-0 week by Belmont and a 0-2 week by Murray State. Heck, even if both Bradley and Illinois State go 2-0 against the pair this week, they will still only have a combined 4.6% chance to grab the top seed.

Big Production = Weekly Honors--Valley Hoops Insider

Big Production – Players of the Week
Bradley’s Jaquan Johnson became the first Braves’ player to record three, thirty-point games in a season since the 1990-91 season when he torched Belmont for 31 points. The sophomore guard becomes the first Valley player to be named ‘Player of the Week’ three times this season.
Newcomers Producing
Illlinois Chicago’s Ejijah Crawford continues to be one of the Valley’s biggest ‘change agents’. The BYU transfer averaged 15 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds during the Flames’ two victories. This week’s honor is Crawford’s second ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award in the last four weeks. UIC is 10-3 since he joined the lineup. UIC’s win at Drake was its first since 1978.
Freshman Shining
Valparaiso played three games last week, winning two of them and freshman J.T. Pettigrew earned two, double-doubles along the way. The Valley’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ averaged 18 points and eleven boards over the three games and joins teammate Rakim Chaney as two-time recipient of the award.

What Belmont's Casey Alexander said about being mentioned for Kansas State job--Nashville Tennessean

Teams of The Week: Don't Badger Us--Basket Under Review

HONORABLE MENTION: REMAINING CONFERENCE AWARDS
MISSOURI VALLEY: BRADLEY - Braves solved the Belmont mystery! It took overtime, but Bradley became the only team since January 4th to beat the Bruins. Jaquan Johnson certainly enjoyed the looks he was getting from deep, going six-for-10 en route to a 31-point showing. Alex Huibregtse has been a steady player all year, very underrated, and also connected on six treys. The Braves hit 17 as a squad, a deliberate part of the formula against Belmont's defensive construct. The quality play did not stop there, the Braves went to in-state foe Southern Illinois on Sunday and proceeded to hand the Salukis a 70-60 defeat. A far different game plan in the Saluki win as this game was more defensive-focused, holding SIU to 0-for-15 shooting from deep. Yikes. Johnson added 24 points, but mostly from inside the arc in this one. The Braves are 11-5 and are close to securing a much-needed Arch Madness bye.

MBB Preview: Bradley Travels to Valparaiso to Battle the Beacons--bradleybraves.com

Rapid Recap: Women’s basketball survives road stretch with Evansville and Southern Illinois--The Bradley Scout

Men's Basketball Preview: Southern Illinois--godrakebulldogs.com

Men’s basketball hosts UIC on Wednesday evening--gopurpleaces.com

Illinois State faces Murray State in home stretch of Missouri Valley season--The Pantagraph
Men's Basketball Looks to Rebound Against Racers--goredbirds.com

Sycamores to clash with Northern Iowa--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores prepped for the visiting Panthers on Wednesday night--gosycamores.com

MVC Crunch Time - Racers at Redbirds--goracers.com

UNI men’s hoops visits Indiana State for midweek MVC matchup--unipanthers.com

Southern Begins Iowa Road Swing at Drake Wednesday Night--siusalukis.com

Men's Basketball Makes Midweek Visit to Evansville--uicflames.com

Beacons Head to Drake Thursday Evening--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/16/2026

The Men’s Other Top 25: South Florida makes huge jump as top 10 remains virtually unchanged--Mid-Major Madness

Here is the full ranking:

Ranking

Team (First-Place Votes)

Points

Last Week

8 Belmont 84 9

25 Murray St. 12 20

Others Receiving Votes:

Northern Colorado 11; Austin Peay 11; North Dakota St. 9; Bradley 9; Montana St. 9; Harvard 8; UC Santa Barbara 6; Boise St. 5; Cal Baptist 4; Charleston 3; Merrimack 3; Sam Houston St. 3; Navy 2; Dayton 2; NJIT 2

Ranking	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points	Last Week
8	Belmont	84	9
25	Murray St.	12	20

Week 16 Watchlist: There's a Way Out of This--Basket Under Review

#49 Belmont: at Illinois State, March 1 (+0.41 WAB). Belmont, even if they can run the table in the regular season, probably doesn't have enough to make the field as an at-large at 27-4. Three Q3 losses are a tough sell. But...I mean, a +1.1 WAB in an average season gets you on the 11 line. I'm aware that yesterday's price is not today's price, but can we at least agree we'd rather see 29-5 Belmont in the NCAA Tournament instead of 20-13 TCU?
Wednesday, February 18
C Games
#111 Murray State at #98 Illinois State (-4), 9 PM ET, ESPNU. The MVC race officially ended Sunday night thanks to Belmont turning a 17-point deficit into a 17-point win in spectacular fashion at Murray State. At best, this might be for second or third place, which does still matter in the MVC's format. Mostly, I just want some proof of life from both of these teams. They're a combined 9-11 in their last 20 games.
Friday, February 20
C Games
NCAAW: #109 Murray State (PK) at #136 Bradley, 7 PM ET, ESPN+. The women's MVC race is kind of incredible. This is 13-1 Murray at 11-4 Bradley, with 12-2 Belmont lurking if Bradley can hold serve on their home court.

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Monday, Feb 16th--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Yesterday was rather non-cataclysmic. Illinois handled Indiana no problem 71-51, and Belmont overcame a 17pt second half deficit to win by 17 at Murray State 87-70.

Men's Basketball Defeats Murray State Behind Epic Second Half--belmontbruins.com

Women's Basketball Dismantles the Beacons--Belmont Vision
Bruins Rout Valparaiso 77-37 Sunday Afternoon for Fourth-Straight Victory--belmontbruins.com