What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/25/2024

12/25/24 WEDNESDAY NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

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• Loyola Chicago and Murray State are trying to salvage a win on the trip...

Murray State vs. Loyola-Chicago preview--Racer Basketball

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/24/2024

MVC/OVC Pre-Christmas All-Stars--Valley Hoops Insider

Bond Setting New Marks

(St. Louis, MO) – The final pre-Christmas all-stars were announced by the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conferences. Northern Iowa’s Leon Bond III produced the highest scoring game of the MVC season and Lindenwood’s Jadis Jones continues to be the OVC’s top rookie.

Players of the Week

Bond scored a Valley-best 37 points during UNI’s win over Montana. That total was the third best in Panther history and this week’s ‘Player of the Week’ finished the week with 17 points in UNI’s loss to Washington State. Bond is third in the Valley (.602) in field goal percentage.

Pre-Christmas All-Stars Newcomers

Indiana State’s Samage Teel earned his third ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award. The Sycamore senior sparked INS to a pair of wins, including a Valley leading second win. Teel made 71 percent of his shots and averaged 19 points per game, including a 26-point performance against Murray State.

Freshmen of the Week

Illinois State’s Jack Daugherty hit four three-pointers in both of the Redbirds’ games. The 6’8 freshman picked up some extra minutes during Sunday’s game when starter Johnny Kinziger went down with an injury. This week’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ has recorded five games with that many triples which is twentieth nationally.

Belmont’s balance has Bruins poised for another successful season--Mid-Major Madness

Duke Deen named Busey Bank Scholar-Athlete of the Week--bradleybraves.com

Teel named GoGo Squeez ISU Student-Athlete of the Week--gosycamores.com

Milton's season-high 28 points not enough as critical mistakes doom Murray State in double-overtime loss to Charlotte--WPSD Local 6
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic; Prohm calls Diamond Head event a ‘great experience’ for team, fans, national exposure--Murray Ledger and Times
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic; UNCC steals win from Racer men with free throws, Rosado off bench--Murray Ledger and Times
Lindsay replaces Ellington in starting five--Racer Basketball
Episode 225: Here's the 'Ride Home' after Murray State 2OT loss to Charlotte--Racer Basketball
Charlotte outlasts Murray State in 2OT--Racer Basketball
Episode 226: Here's a Christmas Eve edition of the 'Fast Break'--Racer Basketball
Honolulu Heartbreaker – Racers Fall to Charlotte in 2OT--goracers.com

SIU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OVERTIME--Dawg Bites

Valparaiso's Justus McNair hits half-court buzzer-beater to complete epic comeback over Western Michigan--Yahoo Sports

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/23/2024

The Other Top 25: Three-way tie atop the ranking between Memphis, Utah St. and San Diego St.--Mid-Major Madness

Memphis, Utah St. and San Diego St. tied atop the Other Top 25 this week with Dayton just one point behind them. Drake rounded out the top five.

Drake sits 49^th in the NET, 77^th in Torvik and 78^th in KenPom. Three of its 11 victories have come in the first two quadrants.

Below is the full ranking:

The Other Top 25: Dec. 23, 2024

Ranking	Team (First Place Votes)	Points	Previous
5	Drake	103	6
21	Bradley	33	21

Receiving Votes:

Santa Clara 13; Grand Canyon 8; Wichita St. 6; Columbia 6; Colorado St. 5; Belmont 4; North Dakota St. 4; North Texas 2; Samford 1; Western Kentucky 1; McNeese St. 1

Kendall Holmes Named MVC Newcomer of the Week--belmontbruins.com

Dinnebier Earns Second Straight MVC Player of the Week Honor--godrakebulldogs.com

Runner ends non-conference play as MVC Freshman of the Week--gopurpleaces.com

Illinois State topples Cornell for fourth consecutive win--The Pantagraph
Illinois State men’s basketball close out non-conference schedule with win over Cornell--The Vidette
Jack Daugherty Named MVC Freshman of the Week--goredbirds.com

Teel captures third MVC Newcomer of the Week award--gosycamores.com

Strong Second Half Pushes Bears Past Gauchos--missouristatebears.com

12/23/24 MONDAY NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

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DIAMOND HEAD

• Charlotte returned Rosado, but it did nothing to help them defensively, as they were punked on the dribble (allowing 1.4 PPP off the bounce to Hawaii) and at the rim (1.5 PPP). Murray State’s strength is the speed of their backcourt on the ball and getting to the rim...

Murray State can't overcome cold first half, drops first game in Diamond Head Classic--WPSD Local 6
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic; Racer men experience shooting thaw, too late to beat Nebraska--Murray Ledger and Times
Episode 224: Here's the 'Ride Home' after the Racers fall to Nebraska 66-49--Racer Basketball
'Anemic' offense sinks Racers in Hawai'i--Racer Basketball
Murray State vs. Charlotte preview--Racer Basketball
Poor Shooting Leads Racers to Loss vs Nebraska at Diamond Head Classic--goracers.com

Leon Bond captures MVC Player of the Week honors--unipanthers.com

Recap | Southern Illinois Stumbles in Second Half in 75-57 Defeat against UAB--siusalukis.com

Beacons fill their stockings in rout over CCSJ--The Victory Bell

MVC MBB Weekly Notebook (12.23.24)--Missouri Valley

MVC Women's Basketball Weekly Notebook (December 23)--Missouri Valley

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/22/2024

Redbirds Pick up Gritty Road Win over Cornell--goredbirds.com

How competitive will Missouri State basketball be in its final season in the MVC?--Springfield News-Leader

12/22/24 SUNDAY NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

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DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC

• Former Iowa State coaches Prohm and the Mayor tilt in a game that doesn’t set up particularly well for Murray State....

Episode 223: Here's your Sunday game day edition of the 'Fast Break'--Racer Basketball
Murray State vs. Nebraska preview--Racer Basketball

SIU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL QUICKIE GAMER UAB 75, SIU 57--Dawg Bites

Women’s Basketball Ends Non-Conference Play with a 91-45 home victory over Ohio Sunday--uicflames.com

The Valparaiso Brotherhood--The Victory Bell
Valpo Downs CCSJ in Nonconference Finale--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/22/2024

Bruins Battle 16th-Ranked Kentucky to the End in Non-Conference Finale--belmontbruins.com

Bradley basketball vs Canisius score today: Braves hammer Canisius--Peoria Journal Star

Three takeaways from Drake men's basketball's win vs. Green Bay--Des Moines Register
Bulldogs Complete Non-Conference Slate, Defeat Green Bay 72-62--godrakebulldogs.com

Drake Closes Non-Conference Slate with Win at St. Thomas--godrakebulldogs.com

Michael Day sets scoring high against Cardinals--gopurpleaces.com

Palomo sets career three point high at Loyola Chicago--gopurpleaces.com

Illinois State basketball wraps up pre-holiday schedule at Cornell--The Pantagraph
ISU Closes Non-Conference Season at Cornell--goredbirds.com

Check out how two former Redbirds fared in their return to Illinois State--The Pantagraph
Blazers' three-point shooting downs Illinois State women's basketball--The Vidette
Redbirds Drop Non-Con Finale to Blazers, 71-68--goredbirds.com

Sycamores dominate UHSP 101-53--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
DAVID HUGHES: It's time to think positive about ISU men's basketball again--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores secure five-game win streak with win vs UHSP; Travel to Ohio State on Dec. 29--gosycamores.com

Boilermakers down Sycamores 87-68 in women's basketball--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Stahl shines in Sycamores’ non-conference finale--gosycamores.com

Missouri State vs UC Santa Barbara: How to watch, live updates, game highlights--Springfield News-Leader

Weekend Bracket Impact Games: North Carolina looking to change its trajectory--Bracketville

Additional Bracket Impact Games for December 21 and 22:

Sunday, Dec. 22	Bracket Impact
Nebraska vs. Murray State	Cornhuskers open play at the Diamond Head Classic. Losing to the Racers would cost them a potential bracket spot on Monday.

Episode 221: Here's your Saturday morning 'Fast Break' from Honolulu--Racer Basketball
Episode 222: My conversation with Murray State freshman Trey Boggess--Racer Basketball
Aloha! Racers Open Diamond Head Classic vs Nebraska--goracers.com

College men's basketball: UNI can't overcome poor first half, drop game to Washington State--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
UNI men’s basketball comeback falls short against Cougars--unipanthers.com

Leistikow's Iowa women's basketball vs. UNI thoughts: Taylor McCabe, Maya McDermott shine--Des Moines Register
Hannah Stuelke's late flurry helps Iowa women's basketball hold off Northern Iowa--Des Moines Register
How Northern Iowa nearly stunned Iowa in Friday-night thriller--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Panther comeback comes up just short against No. 22 Iowa--unipanthers.com

SIU MEN’S BASKETBALL UPDATED GAMER HIGH POINT 94, SIU 81--Dawg Bites
BOX SCORE HIGH POINT 94, SIU 81--Dawg Bites
GAME CAPSULE UAB AT SIU--Dawg Bites
Dibba’s 27 can’t lift Salukis over High Point in home loss--The Daily Egyptian
Recap | Salukis Struggle Early in Loss to High Point, 94-81--siusalukis.com

Preview | Women's Basketball Returns Home to Face UAB on Sunday--siusalukis.com

Men's Basketball Spreads The Wealth in 79-68 Win at Seattle U.--uicflames.com

Women’s Basketball Closes Out Non-Conference Play in a Sunday Matinee Match-Up against Ohio--uicflames.com
UIC Women’s Basketball Adds Jarius Powers for the 2025-26 Season--uicflames.com

NCAA Basketball: Picks/Preview for Day 47 of 2024-25 season, including Auburn vs Purdue--Busting Brackets

It didn’t look like there would be much to talk about with the Friday schedule, but we were all wrong. It was the night of improbable comebacks. In the first game of the day, Valpo was down 21 points with 6 minutes left in the game. The Beacons went on a 24-2 run in that time and won the game with a half-cour three. It was a heartbreaking loss for Western Michigan who had dominated the game up until that point.

McNair's buzzer-beater completes improbable Valparaiso comeback--The Victory Bell
Buzzer-beaters are the norm at Valparaiso--The Victory Bell
Poetic Justus: McNair Buzzer-Beater Caps Remarkable Comeback as Valpo Stuns Western Michigan--valpoathletics.com
After Friday's Viral Victory, Valpo Returns Home to Close Nonconference vs. CCSJ--valpoathletics.com

Beacons clipped in double overtime--The Victory Bell
Near Ecstasy Turns into Double-Overtime Agony for Women’s Basketball Saturday--valpoathletics.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/20/2024

Men's Basketball Falls to UC Irvine--belmontbruins.com

Braves set to host Golden Griffins in Non-Conference Finale--bradleybraves.com

Braves fall to Hatters in final non-conference match up--bradleybraves.com

Men's Basketball Preview: Green Bay & Belmont--godrakebulldogs.com

Final non-conference game set for Saturday--gopurpleaces.com

Aces women’s basketball ends non-conference play at Loyola Chicago--gopurpleaces.com

Indiana State hosts UHSP on Saturday afternoon--gosycamores.com

ISU women set to take on Boilermakers--Tribune-Star staff report
Sycamores close non-conference slate Saturday at Purdue--gosycamores.com

Martin, Bears Prep for Sunday Showdown with UCSB--missouristatebears.com

Women’s Basketball Dominates Southern Miss for Fourth Straight Win--missouristatebears.com

Ailing Racer men seek sunshine in Paradise--Murray Ledger and Times
Episode 220: Here's your Friday morning 'Fast Break' from Honolulu--Racer Basketball

Halloween comes to December; Racer women use Bama disaster as fuel for ripping of Catamounts--Murray Ledger and Times
Episode 219: It's the 'Ride Home' after Murray State's win over Western Carolina--Racer Basketball
Racers head to Valley play on a high note--Racer Basketball

SIU’s Jarrett Hensley--Valley Hoops Insider
SIU MEN’S BASKETBALL Game Preview: 3 Things to Watch--Dawg Bites
Preview | Salukis Host High Point for Rockin’ Christmas Beach Party Saturday--siusalukis.com

What's Up In The Missouri Valley 12/19/2024

Under the Radar – Dec 18th--Hoops HD

After that, we run through the other 21 UTR conferences and discuss ... and Bradley is looking strong in the Missouri Valley along with Drake, who remains undefeated.

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Thursday, Dec 19th--Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Bradley held off San Francisco in a 66-64 thriller to improve to 9-2 and pick up what is probably their biggest win of the year. Bradley still has a lot of work to do, and their margin for error is small, but I do think they have a path to the NCAA Tournament along with Drake. They’ll have to basically blow through the MVC in order to get there, but they’re good enough to do it and the opportunity is there.

.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-UC IRVINE AT BELMONT. This is an interesting road game for what is a very good UC Irvine team and it’s an important one if they want to finish the season inside the bubble. If you’ve been following Under the Radar, you know that we feel this is a team that can make the NCAA Tournament. Belmont is 9-2 on the season, and 5-1 at home. They’ll likely win a lot of home games, so the committee should take note of this game if UC Irvine is able to pull it off.

Mid-Major Madness Men’s Player of the Week: Jamichael Stillwell, Milwaukee--Mid-Major Madness

Honorable Mentions

Jonathan Pierre (Belmont)

Pierre lifted the Bruins to a road win at Richmond with a D-I career-high of 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help see out the 96-86 victory.

12/19/24 THURSDAY NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

Subscriber Content

• The only offense to give UC Irvine any trouble whatsoever was Weber State, who posted 1.15 PPP (and still lost) via elite ball screen manipulation through Threatt and pick and pops with Koehler against the Eaters’ hyper disciplined drop coverage. Can Belmont do that? Not really....

How walk-on journeyman Tyler Lundblade has become one of Belmont basketball's best players--Nashville Tennessean

Women's Basketball Travels to Nationally-Ranked Kentucky Friday--belmontbruins.com

Quick Takes: Oklahoma shocks Michigan, UConn survives Xavier--Bracketville

Additional Quick Takes:

Bradley held off San Francisco in Peoria for a nice resume victory, 66-64. Bracket Effects: The Braves still have to work to do to become a viable at-large. As for San Francisco, a missed chance for a potential Quad 1 road win. USF is now 0-3 vs. Quad 1 opponents. The Dons get two chances each against Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga in West Coast Conference play. Those outcomes are likely to determine where the Dons sit on Selection Sunday.

Bradley basketball vs San Francisco: Braves rally to win physical, defensive battle--Peoria Journal Star
Rapid Recap: Deen catches fire in second half to lead Braves to Quad 2 win--The Bradley Scout
Bradley defeats San Francisco in marquee Mid-Major Matchup--bradleybraves.com

Braves dominate Bethune Cookman in first game of Hatter Classic--bradleybraves.com

Women's Basketball Preview: St. Thomas & Evansville--godrakebulldogs.com

UT Arlington defeats Aces in Texas--gopurpleaces.com

8 takeaways from Illinois State's convincing win over Northern Illinois--The Pantagraph
Illinois State men's basketball tame the NIU Huskies in dominant fashion--The Vidette
Balanced Redbirds Topple Northern Illinois 81-60--goredbirds.com

Birds Host Blazers Friday in Final Home Game of 2024--goredbirds.com

Sycamores put away Murray State 84-74--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Teel keeps powering Sycamores to victories--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Sycamores set to take on University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy on Saturday--Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Indiana State wins fourth straight with victory over Murray State--gosycamores.com

Missouri State basketball, Cuonzo Martin avoid disaster by rallying to beat D2 Lincoln--Springfield News-Leader
Second-Half Heat Pushes Bears Past Lincoln--missouristatebears.com

Lady Bears Close Non-Conference Slate Against Southern Miss--missouristatebears.com

Terre Haute ... still a problem; Indiana State’s home mastery of Racer men continues--Murray Ledger and Times
Racer rally falls short at Indiana State--Racer Basketball
Episode 218: A huffing and puffing 'Fast Break' from Indianapolis--Racer Basketball
Second Half Rally Falls Short For MSU at Indiana State--goracers.com

Racer Ford walks on rare ground among nation’s point guards--Murray Ledger and Times
Racer women seek to put Bama debacle in rear-view mirror tonight--Murray Ledger and Times
Turner not mad, but disappointed after Bama loss--Racer Basketball
Racers End Nonconference Schedule with 110-79 Victory--goracers.com

Panther men’s basketball to face Washington State in Las Vegas--unipanthers.com

3 things to watch as No. 22 Iowa women's basketball closes non-conference schedule vs. UNI--Des Moines Register
UNI at Iowa women’s basketball glance: Time, TV, game notes (Dec. 20, 2024)--Cedar Rapids Gazette
Mythical state women’s basketball championship on the line when UNI, Iowa collide Friday--Cedar Rapids Gazette
Panthers close non-conference slate at Iowa--unipanthers.com

Men's Basketball Wraps Up Non-Conference Slate Friday in Seattle--uicflames.com

Flames Fall in Battle Against No. 5 LSU in front of Record-Breaking Crowd Friday Night--uicflames.com

Beacons fall late to St. Louis--The Victory Bell
Women's Basketball Welcomes Detroit Mercy for Christmas Party at the ARC Saturday--valpoathletics.com

State Farm MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight (Dec. 19)--Missouri Valley