The Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball teams are entering the second half of their MVC schedules, with Indiana State and Missouri State hoping to end losing streaks.
The Sycamores stand 9-12 overall and 3-7 in the Valley going into Wednesday’s 7 p.m. game against Missouri State (7-14, 0-10). After starting the conference schedule 3-1, ISU has lost six consecutive games, all to MVC foes, and eight of the last nine overall. First-year Sycamore head coach Matthew Graves’ squad last won on Jan. 4, a 66-62 victory at MVC rival Evansville.
Coach Cuonzo Martin’s Missouri State squad hasn’t won since a 68-56 nonconference victory over UC-Santa Barbara on Dec. 22. While the Bears are a decent 5-5 on their home floor in Springfield, their record away from Great Southern Bank Arena is 2-9, and they’ve lost their first 10 MVC games.
Home-court advantage hasn’t been significant in the league, thus far. MVC teams have a combined record of 30-30 (.500) on the road during conference play — the best road-win percentage in at least the past 10 seasons. Still, league-leading Bradley is 10-1 at home in Carver Arena, not to mention 16-3 against teams over .500.
At the halfway point, the race for the top four spots in the final standings — a status that earns those teams a first-day bye in the MVC postseason tournament March 6-9 at St. Louis — are currently filled by first-place Bradley (9-1), Drake (8-2), Belmont (7-3) and Northern Iowa (7-3). Bradley’s lone Valley loss, so far, was a 64-57 setback to Drake on Jan. 8 at Peoria.
In an overall tight conference race, thus far, Illinois-Chicago holds fifth place at 6-4, followed by Murray State at 5-5; Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Evansville, all at 4-6; Indiana State and Valparaiso at 3-7; and Missouri State last at 0-10.
Since 1992-93, 42 of 44 MVC teams in the lead (or co-lead) at the midway point have reached postseason play, according to the Valley office. Last year, Indiana State made the NIT and finished as runner-up after holding a 9-1 MVC record and sole possession of first place at the halfway point of the Valley schedule.
Midway through the 20-game MVC schedule, the individual statistical leaders are Drake’s Bennett Stitz in scoring at 19 points per game and Sasa Ciani of Illinois-Chicago in rebounding at 8.4 per game. ISU’s Samage Teel is fifth in scoring at 16.1 ppg and Sycamore Aaron Gray is 13th in rebounding at 5.4 a game.
