What's Up In The Missouri Valley 3/2/2026

Arch Madness 2026 Preview: Belmont Leads Deepest Missouri Valley Bracket in Years--Busting Brackets
Forde Minutes: Big East Bubble Burst and Small-Conference Tournament Previews--Sports Illustrated

The Little Dance, Part I

Ball knowers know—this is the good stuff. The two weeks before Selection Sunday are as much fun as the real thing, with more than 300 teams still alive and hoping to go as far as they can. As always, The Minutes is here for a sprint through the conference tournaments—half of them this week, and the other half next week.

Missouri Valley (9)

When: March 5–8.

KenPom conference rating: Ninth out of 31.

Inspiration: Indiana State 1979, which was 33–0 behind Larry Bird before losing to Michigan State in the national championship game. 

Best player: Bradley guard Jaquan Johnson is second in the Valley in scoring (17.4 ppg) while also producing 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and league-best 2.6 steals. 

Best March coach: Second-year Southern Illinois coach Scott Nagy has won five single-bid tournaments, three at South Dakota State and two at Wright State. He’s 24–12 in league tournament play.

Top seed: Belmont (26–5, 16–4), with two of those league losses in overtime.

Dark horse: Third-seed Illinois State (20–11, 12–8), which was inconsistent but closed with a flourish, beating Northern Iowa on the road and handing Belmont just its second loss in the last 15 games.

Minutes pick: Illinois State (10), which kept a talented nucleus of players from being poached in the transfer portal to set up this season.

Final Weekly Honors--Valley Hoops Insider

Final Weekly Players of the Week

Evansville’s A.J. Casey had a Saturday to remember. The 6’9 senior scored a career-high 37 points and banked in a game-winning three-pointer. Casey’s 37-point performance was the highest for an MVC player this season and he is the Valley’s ‘Player of the Week’.

Newcomers are Shining

Illinois State’s Boden Skunberg propelled the Redbirds into the third seed at Arch Madness. The North Dakota State transfer averaged 14.5 points and six rebounds during the Redbirds’ sweep of Northern Iowa and Belmont. Skunberg’s finishing kick earns him the Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award.

Wild Rookie Breakout

Valparaiso’s J.T. Pettigrew keeps doing amazing things. The 6’9 rookie hit the game-winning shot to defeat Drake and averaged 16 points and 6.5 rebounds during the Beacons’ two games. Pettigrew’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ award is his fourth, tying Murray State’s Roman Domon for the most weekly honors. During league contests, he is second (13.0) to Domon (15.3) in scoring and leads the rookies in rebounding average (7.1).

Casey Alexander Finalist for Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award--belmontbruins.com

Bruins Close Out Home Portion of Regular Season Monday Night Versus Southern Illinois--belmontbruins.com

'Leave ... a legacy': Bradley Braves basketball's four seniors finish as winners at home--Peoria Journal Star
Those four guys mean a ton to this program’: Bradley seniors shine on senior night to clinch second seed in MVC tournament--The Bradley Scout

Illinois State closes regular season on high note with better seed--The Pantagraph

Sycamores face Valpo in MVC Tournament opener at 7 p.m. Thursday--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Indiana State closes out regular season with win over UIC--Indiana Statesman
Indiana State to play Valparaiso in opening round of 2026 MVC Tournament--gosycamores.com

Racer men fight shorthanded, but can’t beat Bradley--Murray Ledger and Times
Racers Receive Arch Madness Assignment--goracers.com

Racer women win Valley title on home court; Storing memories in Bank; Final home game yields giant day for Racer women--Murray Ledger and Times

College Men's Basketball: UNI waxes Drake, earns six seed in MVC tournament--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

Salukis finish regular season strong in 81-67 win vs Aces--The Daily Egyptian
Salukis Outlast Evansville, Win Fourth in a Row as Arch Madness Looms--siusalukis.com

UIC Seeded Fifth for MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament--uicflames.com

5 things to know about Valparaiso basketball's season heading into Arch Madness--The Times
Valpo Wraps up Regular Season--The Valpo Vault
Men's basketball makes history, more to come--The Torch

Missouri Valley Conference Announces Game Times / Seeds for State Farm MVC Tournament--The Missouri Valley
MVC Men's Basketball Coaches Q&A With Media--The Missouri Valley
MVC Announces Men's Basketball Players of the Week--The Missouri Valley

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 3/1/2026

Week 17 Weekend Watchlist--Basket Under Review

Sunday, March 1

B Games

#55 Belmont (-1) at #98 Illinois State, 5 PM ET, CBSSN.

This season finale for Belmont is more or less meaningless, save for building out an at-large case that I wish would gather more steam than it seems to be gathering. You want me to prefer 18-10 TCU (50th KenPom) or 19-9 Missouri (51st) over 26-4 Belmont (55th)? Well, I’m not going to, so quit asking. 

Anyway, this carries some meaning for Illinois State depending on the results of other games. If all favorites win in the other MVC games this weekend, Illinois State either finishes fourth (win) or sixth (loss) in the league. If Valpo loses to Evansville AND Indiana State beats UIC (around a 12% chance), I think Illinois State can finish as high as third with a win. In any case, they are very likely to finish somewhere from fourth to sixth with an extreme outside shot at third. You can read all of these scenarios here.

MVC Tournament Seeding #ArchMadness - The Final 64 Scenarios: pic.twitter.com/PDUAEqbwg8

— Matt Hackman (@mjhackman) February 26, 2026

Based on the way these two match up, I’d initially think of this as a points explosion and a game that simply comes down to whichever’s defensive weakness is less weak. The first game kind of got there - Belmont won 80-69 mostly because they hit so many shots that Illinois State’s huge rebounding edge got washed out - but it was also an anomaly where two great offenses had to take significantly more midrange twos than they’re used to. (Also, this was Snowmageddon in Nashville, so the crowd was thinned out.) I don’t trust much of anything about how Illinois State defends ball screens, and almost any scenario involving a screener favors Belmont on offense to me. The Bruins dumped an absurd 1.53 PPP on ISUred in Nashville in P&R sets, partially because the Redbirds just…never adjusted. Even pick-and-pops were left wide open:

0:00

/0:09

P&R isn’t a huge feature of Belmont’s offense but I’m not really sure how ISUred plans on guarding any sort of screening action when 1) Belmont is among the nation’s very best in dribble handoffs and 2) Illinois State runs the same basic, laissez-faire drop coverage against those too. The good news here is that matching up a weak two-way rebounding unit with arguably the best two-way rebounding team in the MVC certainly favors the Redbirds. This Belmont team is far better defensively than the Belmont teams of old, but they’ve had major struggles in overcommitting on drives to the paint, allowing an absolutely monstrous amount of kickout threes this year. It allows them to wall off the rim exceptionally well, but they’re going to be vulnerable to a huge shooting day from Boden Skunberg and/or Landon Wolf. Bonus points if this is the day Johnny Kinzinger hits threes. Whichever offense blinks first loses. - Will Warren

C Games

#115 Murray State at #127 Bradley (-4), 2 PM ET, ESPN+.

I think it’s possible for the loser here to fall out of the top 5 in the Valley, and thus lose out on a bye spot in Arch Madness, but I’m not entirely certain of the tiebreaker scenarios. First meeting between these two saw Jaquan Johnson struggle to his worst offensive game of the season, shooting 2-12 against Murray State drop coverage. Johnson has been on an offensive tear to close out the regular season however, and Bradley desperately needs his ball screen and dribble creation in the rematch in Peoria. The Racers were in the middle of racing out to an 8-0 Valley start when they first met the Braves back on January 4, but since that blazing start they’ve gone 4-7 with truly awful perimeter defense. Since that 8-0 start, the Racers have played like the 192nd best team in the country, with the 293rd defense. Yes, a -11% 3PT% delta in that stretch is brutal, but the rim defense has been just as bad, sitting at 310th in 2PT% defense in that span. If Johnson plays like he has of late on the ball and the Racers defend on the ball like they have of late, the Braves should finish out with a home win and an Arch Madness bye. - Jordan Majewski

Arch Madness bracket is set. After top-seeded Belmont, the field is wide open.--Post-Dispatch

Conference tournaments only route to NCAAs for Nashville area college basketball teams--Main Street Nashville

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Sunday, March 1st--Hoops HD

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-Belmont @ Illinois State (Missouri Valley) – Belmont has already wrapped up 1st place and should be positioned to end up on about the 12 line if they can win out through the conference tournament. This will be a bit of a test on the road tonight.

March Madness 2026: The 68 things to know to get you ready for conference tournaments and the Big Dance--CBS Sports

Top mid-major outfits

40. Belmont (26-4): Arch Madness will be a zoo, but Belmont is the top-shelf team in the Missouri Valley. Big man Drew Scharnowski hammers dunks left and right, and there's size and shooting everywhere. Belmont's offense ranks No. 1 in effective field goal percentage, and this is one of the best shot-blocking teams that coach Casey Alexander has ever had.

Scariest team on each of the top-12 seed lines

68. 12 seed: Belmont. This mid-major roster doesn't look like a typical mid-major roster. Too big. Too much shooting. Too many real players. 

Men's Basketball Falls in the Final 90 Seconds at Illinois State--belmontbruins.com

Women’s Basketball Celebrates Seniors with 88-79 Win Over Indiana State Saturday--belmontbruins.com

Bradley basketball vs Murray State: How the Braves captured the No. 2 seed with a win--Peoria Journal Star
How the Bradley Braves got the last laugh by beating Murray State for Valley's No. 2 seed--Peoria Journal Star
MBB Recap: Braves beat Racers in Regular Season Finale--bradleybraves.com

Rapid Recap: Women’s basketball drops final away game to UIC on Education Day--The Bradley Scout

UNI basketball takes down Drake in MVC regular-season finale--Des Moines Register
Drake Falls to UNI in Regular Season Finale--godrakebulldogs.com

Balanced Bulldogs Beat Salukis on the Road--godrakebulldogs.com

Casey’s triple at the buzzer gives UE win over Valparaiso--gopurpleaces.com
Men’s basketball drops season finale to SIU--gopurpleaces.com

Runner, Norkus Lead Aces Against Murray State--gopurpleaces.com

Illinois State meets league champion Belmont in final regular season game--The Pantagraph
Grit and Grind: Redbirds knock off conference champion Bruins in regular-season finale--The Vidette
Big Second Half Leads ISU to Senior Day Win--goredbirds.com

Redbirds handle business against winless Beacons--The Vidette
Five Redbirds Score In Double Figures In 83-42 Road Win At Valpo--goredbirds.com

Indiana State men prepare for Senior Day--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
ISU routs Flames on Sycamores' Senior Day, plays Valpo in STL--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores close regular season with Senior Day victory over UIC--gosycamores.com

Bruins outlast female Sycamores in Music City--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Bruins outlast Sycamores Saturday night in Music City--gosycamores.com

Racers Fall at Bradley in Season Finale--goracers.com

Record Setting Racers are MVC Outright Champs--goracers.com

UNI men’s basketball cruises to 75-53 win at Drake--unipanthers.com

College Women's Basketball: UNI shooting overwhelms UIC at McLeod--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
College Women's Basketball: UNI retires jersey of Jacqui Kalin--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

SIU falls to Drake on Senior Day--Southern Illinoisan 
Drake’s Elite Passing and Shooting Carves Up Salukis on Senior Day--siusalukis.com
Southern Kicks Off Final Road Trip of Regular Season at Belmont on Monday--siusalukis.com

Men’s Basketball Drops Regular-Season Finale at Indiana State--uicflames.com

Women’s Basketball Drops Saturday Matinee at UNI--uicflames.com

How Roger Powell Jr. has cultivated a winning culture within Valparaiso basketball again--The Times
Beacons shift focus to Arch Madness after buzzer-beating loss--The Victory Bell
Evansville Banks in Buzzer-Beater as Valpo Drops Regular-Season Finale in Heartbreaking Fashion--valpoathletics.com

Beacons Drop Senior Day Matchup Versus Illinois State--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/27/2026

Men’s College Basketball’s Coaching Carousel: Names to Know As Jobs Open--Sports Illustrated

Casey Alexander, Belmont

Alexander has won 20-plus games in 10 straight seasons dating back to his time at Lipscomb and has the best team in the Missouri Valley this season. He has proven himself to be one of the top evaluators of high school talent in the country and has one of the nation’s top offenses this season. Alexander has beaten back interest from other jobs in the past but is expected to be a hot commodity this time around. He could be in the mix at Kansas State and in play at potential vacancies at Oklahoma and Georgia Tech as well. 

20 Other Head Coaches to Monitor 

• Ryan Miller, Murray State

Men's Basketball Has Record-Breaking Night In Blowout Over Evansville--Belmont Vision

Women’s Basketball Hosts Indiana State for Senior Day Saturday--belmontbruins.com

Bulldogs Survive Late Push by Evansville in 87-85 Thriller--godrakebulldogs.com

Men’s basketball set for final regular season weekend--gopurpleaces.com

Runner Scores 36, Reaches 1,000 Career Points Against Drake--gopurpleaces.com
Aces Head to Murray for Saturday Afternoon Contest--gopurpleaces.com

Illinois State women finish strong to topple Southern Illinois--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Begin Final Three-Game Road Swing At Valparaiso--goredbirds.com

Miller: Sunday’s game acts as Racer men’s Arch Madness opener--Murray Ledger and Times
Big Sunday Awaits Racers at Bradley in MVC Final--goracers.com

Racer women maintain focus, bury Indiana State--Murray Ledger and Times

College Women's Basketball: UNI thumps winless Valparaiso for 10th league win--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
UNI women's basketball: Panthers set to retire Jacqui Kalin’s jersey ahead of a matchup with UIC--unipanthers.com

Women’s Basketball Visits UNI in Final MVC Road Game Saturday--uicflames.com

Valpo Basketball is Cool Again--The Victory Bell

Senior Day on Tap Saturday for Women's Basketball--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/26/2026

The Men’s Other Top 25: Miami (OH) moves up to No. 1, Saint Louis slides to two--Mid-Major Madness

Here is the full ranking:

Ranking	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points	Last Week
T-6	Belmont	91	8

Others Receiving Votes:

George Mason 12; Murray St. 12; UC Irvine 11; Portland St. 10; Utah Valley 9; Bradley 8; Harvard 8; Merrimack 7; Kent St. 5; Navy 4; Winthrop 3; Sam Houston St. 3; Saint Joseph’s 3; UMBC 2; East Tennessee St. 1; Colorado St. 1

Dropped from Rankings:

Goerge Mason – 14; Winthrop – T-22; UC Irvine – 24; Murray St. – 25

Stretch Run Weekly Honors--Valley Hoops Insider

Stretch Run Top Players

Southern Illinois’ sweep of the Iowa schools was sparked by Quel’Ron House’s overall play and key baskets. The Valley’s fifth leading scorer (15.4 ppg) is a two-time ‘Newcomer of the Week’ and this week claims his first ‘Player of the Week’ nod. House is the twelfth different MVC player to earn the league’s top weekly honor.

Newcomer List Is Crowded

Ejjah Crawford is making a late push to become the MVC’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’. This week the UIC sophomore is receiving his second straight and third of the last five weeks, ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award. UIC split a pair of games and Crawford averaged 16 points, seven assists and 3.5 rebounds. He recorded a double-double against Evansville and scored 20 points against Valparaiso. His third weekly acknowledgement ties him with Valpo’s Owen Dease.

Freshmen Successful Stretch Run

Ever since Roger Powell Jr. became the head coach at Valparaiso, freshmen make big headlines. The program boasts of the last two ‘Freshman of the Year’ awards, and this week’s weekly winner, J.T. Pettigrew earned his third ‘Freshman of the Week’ award. Valpo swept their two games and Pettigrew averaged 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. While Murray State’s Roman Domon has been selected four times, Pettigrew and Belmont’s Eoin Dillon have been named three.

Pettigrew is the Valley’s third leading rebounder (7.1).

Bracketeer Rocco Miller Joins the Pod--Valley Hoops Insider

Mid-major rankings: Which teams can play way onto March Madness bubble?--USA TODAY

College basketball mid-major power rankings

8. Belmont (25-4)

The Bruins make their debut in the top 10 of the rankings as they continue a blistering run through Missouri Valley play. Coach Casey Alexander’s team has won 12 of its past 13 games, with the only loss coming on the road against a 19-win Bradley squad. Belmont is the only Division I team ranked in the top five nationally in both 2-point percentage (61.3%) and 3-point percentage (40.3%).

Bubble Watch: Late February mega update--Busting Brackets

Belmont (25-4) (NET: 53)

0-0 (Q1), 5-1 (Q2), 11-3 (Q3), 9-0 (Q4)

There’s a long list of quality mid-majors once again this season who are likely missing out on the Big Dance if they falter in their league tournaments. Belmont has been really incredible for a majority of the season and thanks to their metrics still have an outside shot, though it’s pretty precarious.

The Bruins haven’t played a single Quad 1 game, but do have a marvelous 5-1 mark against Quad 2 foes. A big win at UC Irvine was the first and they’ve added to that number during MVC play, with road wins over other contenders in Northern Iowa, UIC, Southern Illinois, and Murray State.

A lot of winning has occurred in Nashville, but those three Quad 3 losses likely sink the Bruins’ realistic chances. They lost tough home games against Richmond and Southern Illinois and were upset at Indiana State right before New Year’s. All of these contests were over a month and a half ago but it plagues the resume nonetheless.

It’s the final stretch of regular season play and there isn’t too much left to prove for the regular season champions of the MVC. Belmont can boost their metrics a bit more with a Quad 2 game at Illinois State on Saturday but it’s almost certainly a lost cause if they can’t win Arch Madness and get that automatic bid.

Meet Eoin Dillon, the clutch secret weapon in Belmont's stellar season--Basket Under Review
Tyler Lundblade sets record for three-pointers as Belmont cruises to victory--Main Street Nashville
Men's Basketball Sets 3-Point Field Goal Record in Victory over Evansville--belmontbruins.com

Bradley basketball vs UIC: Everything to know about the Braves 2 OT loss--Peoria Journal Star
‘We were playing with fire’: Braves defense flames out in overtime loss to Illinois-Chicago--The Bradley Scout
MBB Recap: Bradley drops road contest in double overtime to UIC--bradleybraves.com
MBB Preview: Bradley to face Murray State in Regular Season Finale--bradleybraves.com

Women’s basketball wins rematch over Belmont, raises awareness for pediatric cancer promotion--The Bradley Scout
Bradley WBB Falls at UIC, 66-53--bradleybraves.com

Bulldogs Fall In Final Seconds at Valpo--godrakebulldogs.com

Women's Basketball Preview: Evansville & Southern Illinois--godrakebulldogs.com

UE men fall in midweek contest at Belmont--gopurpleaces.com

Aces to Host Drake for Crucial Conference Clash--gopurpleaces.com

Illinois State travels to Northern Iowa for tiebreaking Missouri Valley contest--The Pantagraph
Johnny Kinziger nets game winner as Illinois State registers crucial road win--The Pantagraph
Redbirds Pick Up Season Sweep of Panthers with Win in Cedar Falls--goredbirds.com

Washington’s career-setting week earns fourth MVC Player of the Week honors--The Vidette
Redbirds use dominant second half to surge past Salukis in home finale--The Vidette
Redbirds Close Home Slate With Win Over Salukis--goredbirds.com

Enel St. Bernard delivering blocks, dunks in first season as a Sycamore--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Graves' squad heading to Carbondale with 5-game MVC losing streak--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores fall at Southern Illinois--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores fall to Salukis 66-55--Indiana Statesman
Men's basketball drops midweek contest at Southern Illinois--gosycamores.com

Prackett gets double-double, but ISU women fall at Murray State--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Blue and White travel to play Racers--Indiana Statesman
Sycamores struggle in road setback at Murray State--gosycamores.com

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

Missouri Valley (MVC)

Murray State: 15-1
Belmont: 12-4

Murray State doesn't have the #1 seed and the conference title locked down yet, but there is no way that they don't win two of their remaining four games. So I'm considering this race over and finalized.

Murray State staying focused ahead of Indiana State, with MVC regular season title up for grabs--WPSD Local 6
Turner: Racer women can envision big moments, as long as they maintain sharp focus--Murray Ledger and Times
Racers Clinch Share of Second Straight Valley Title--goracers.com

College Men's Basketball: Illinois State edges UNI in barn burner--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Salukis defeat men’s basketball team for season sweep--Northern Iowan
UNI men’s basketball falls short in 71-69 loss to Redbirds in home finale--unipanthers.com

UNI's Twedt has white coat ceremony on floor of McLeod Center after game--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
LIVE BLOG: Valparaiso at UNI women's basketball--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Twedt Time: Jenna Twedt lifts Panthers over Salukis, 77-48--Northern Iowan
Jacqui Kalin’s jersey retirement set for Saturday, February 28 against UIC--unipanthers.com
UNI women’s basketball: Panthers rout Beacons in stop-and-go contest--unipanthers.com

SIU gets big senior night win over Indiana State--Southern Illinoisan
Salukis show their strengths in 66-55 senior night win--The Daily Egyptian
22-0 Run Powers Salukis to Senior Night Victory over Indiana State--siusalukis.com

Quiet Second Half Sinks Salukis, 78-60, at Illinois State--siusalukis.com

Men’s Basketball Wins 2OT Thriller over Bradley, 93-86--uicflames.com

Women’s Basketball Defeats Bradley in Front of Record-Breaking Home Crowd--uicflames.com

PHOTOS: Valparaiso University hosts Drake in men's basketball--The Times
JT Pettigrew's game-winner evidence of freshman's growth at Valparaiso--The Times
WATCH: Valparaiso's JT Pettigrew hits a game-winning 3 to beat Drake--The Times
A Shot of Belief: Pettigrew's heroics lift Valpo--The Victory Bell
Valpo wins on Pettigrew Buzzer-Beater Shot--The Valpo Vault
Valpo Looks to Extend Winning Streak to Five in Saturday's Regular-Season Finale at Evansville--valpoathletics.com
Pettigrew Hits Game-Winner in Closing Seconds to Lift Valpo to Thrilling Win Over Drake--valpoathletics.com

Beacons Fall Thursday Evening at UNI--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 2/23/2026

Week 17 Watchlist: The Finale of February--Basket Under Review

Tuesday, February 24

C Games

#127 Bradley at #102 UIC (-4), 8 PM ET, ESPN+. Thanks to what I'll charitably call a collapse by the entire Missouri Valley, Bradley can get closer to wrapping up a second-place finish in the MVC with a win here. This does matter a little thanks to the MVC's quality this year. Your seventh-place finisher is most likely Valpo, who is 20 spots off the pace of any of the top six at KenPom. The problem, obviously, is that UIC is straight-up better.

Wednesday, February 25

C Games

#98 Illinois State at #85 Northern Iowa (-5), 7 PM ET, ESPNU. Arch Madness can get very mad very fast, with the preseason favorite now being likely to finish 6th and the best defense in mid-majordom a month ago being 5th:

MVC Tournament Seeding Probabilities (Weighted) #ArchMadness - 11 Games Remaining: pic.twitter.com/9Eym6IeuYH

— Matt Hackman (@mjhackman) February 22, 2026

MBB Preview: Bradley Heads to Chicago for their second matchup against the Flames--bradleybraves.com

Missouri Valley leader Murray State storms back in second half to upend Illinois State--The Pantagraph

Sycamores struggle to contain Belmont in 87-70 road loss--Indiana Statesman

Women’s Sycamores split weekend games--Indiana Statesman

The Women’s Other Top 25: North Dakota St. emerges as No. 1 following upsets in Atlantic 10--Mid-Major Madness

Four new teams joined the poll this week. Murray St. came in at No. 19. Navy followed at 20. Davidson returned to the Other Top 25 at No. 22. Louisiana Tech was 24^th. They replaced Santa Clara, Arkansas St., Massachusetts and Idaho.

Here is the full ranking:

Ranking	Team	Last Week
19	Murray St.	NR

Heat Check Report: Who's Peaking at the Right Time?--Bracket Busters

Heating Up

Valparaiso

Photo: Valparaiso Athletics

• 02/16/26 KenPom: 158th

• 02/23/26 KenPom: 145th

Watch out, the Valparaiso Beacons are heating up! The Beacons have won three games in a row and five out of their last six games including two solid wins against Bradley 79-72 and UIC on the road 71-67 this week. Valpo has already surpassed their most wins in conference since joining the Missouri Valley Conference and they close out against Drake who is ice cold and Evansville who has just four wins against Division I opponents. They are favored to win both games which would put them at 18-13 on the season and 12-8 in the MVC heading into Arch Madness.

Looking back at their wins in conference, they’ve also taken down Northern Iowa while sweeping UIC and picking up a win against Illinois State. They’ve played Murray State close, losing 85-79, and lost twice to Belmont by just a combined five points. They’ve shown that they can easily compete with anyone in the conference and shouldn’t be overlooked in the always chaotic Arch Madness.

Over the course of the season, they’ve been driven by their defense which during this last stretch of six games has held opponents to 76 points or less in their five wins. They sit at 125th in defensive adjusted efficiency per KenPom and 183rd in offensive adjusted efficiency. Here’s how the rest of their metrics shape up:

• Offensive:

  • 331st in effective field goal percentage

  • 102nd in turnover percentage

  • 105th in offensive rebounding percentage

  • 86th in free throw attempt vs field goal attempt

  • 229th in three-point shooting

  • 342nd in two-point shooting

  • 79th in block percentage

  • 6th in steal percentage

• Defensive:

  • 122nd in opponent effective field goal percentage

  • 162nd in opponent turnover percentage

  • 67th in opponent three-point shooting

  • 196th in opponent two-point shooting

  • 54th in opponent free throw percentage

  • 107th in opponent block percentage

  • 61st in opponent non-steal turnover percentage

  • 112th in opponent three-point attempt vs field goal attempt

  • 71st in opponent assist per field goal made

Putting these metrics together, you’ll see that they offensively aren’t a great shooting team. However, they use their defense to apply pressure. They are 308th in tempo, so playing fast doesn’t fit into their style. They play excellent defense on the perimeter, so they force opponents to take contested shots from outside, limiting their ability to get into the paint.

Owen Dease has been one of the most consistent pieces for Valpo this season. He’s averaging 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 46.3% overall and 40.7% from three-point. He is 222nd in the country in three-point shooting and 138th in free throw shooting percentage.

Freshman JT Pettigrew has been very underrated as he is averaging 11.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 37.4%. His 27% possession usage rate is 183rd, while his 10.4% offensive rebounding percentage is 209th in the nation. He is 108th in fouls drawn per game at 5.9 which translates into a strong 53.6 free throw rate which is 155th.

MVC Men's Basketball Weekly Notebook (2-23-2026)--The Missouri Valley

MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook (Feb. 23)--The Missouri Valley