Conference Weekend Series Begin Sunday

League Play Begins With 4 Games

(St. Louis, MO) – The long-awaited conference weekend series begin for Missouri Valley Conference teams. Sunday the conference schedule opens with four afternoon games.

The Valley’s reconfigured schedule involves weekend series where teams host the same opponent on back-to-back days. Each MVC squad is scheduled to play four home and four road series. Conference teams have a ‘travel partner’ they will play in a home and home scenario over two different midweek dates.

Since Valparaiso has imposed a coronavirus pause of basketball activities. Their weekend games with Bradley have been postponed.

Sunday’s Matchups

Drake (9-0) @ Indiana State (3-2) – 12 pm – ESPN+

Darian DeVries’ Bulldogs began the season by knocking off Big Twelve member Kansas State and have kept on rolling. While the Bulldogs played two, non-Division 1 teams, they won four games against Summit League foes and beat Air Force and Chicago State.

Indiana State is battle tested. While they are 3-0 at home against Ball State, Southeast Missouri and D2 Truman, they were very competitive at Purdue and Saint Louis.

Drake leads the Valley in shooting percentage (.536) and Indiana State is second last (.443). The Sycamores were picked fourth in league’s the preseason poll. Drake’s Roman Penn leads the league, averaging six assists per game.

Missouri State (3-0) @ Northern Iowa (1-4) – 3 pm – ESPN+

Missouri State canceled its first five games, but the Bears were undefeated during their first three games. UNI started the season by losing four of its first five games and then paused operations. MSU’s Isiaih Mosley (19 ppg) and Gaige Prim (18.7) are the Valley’s top two scorers now that UNI’s A.J. Green (22.3 ppg) is out for the season.

Northern Iowa hasn’t played a game since losing at Richmond in early December.

Illinois State (3-3) @ Loyola Chicago (4-2) – 3 pm – MVC TV

Illinois State is the league’s highest scoring team (91.3 ppg) and the Redbirds allow the most points (82.3). Loyola continues to be a shooting enigma. The Ramblers are the league’s second best shooting team and its second worst free throw shooting squad.

Preseason all-Valley center Cameron Krutwig is the league’s fourth leading scorere (17.0 ppg).

Evansville (2-4) @ Southern Illinois (6-0) – 3 pm – ESPN+

The Purple Aces have split four games with Ohio Valley Conference teams and lost to Louisville and Prairie View A&M. Coach Todd Lickliter’s team is finding its identity, they are third in the Valley in three-point shooting.

SIU is 6-0 for the first time since 2003-04. The Salukis are led by last year’s ‘Freshman of the Year’ Marcus Domask’s 17.7 points per game. Fellow sophomore Trent Brown leads the Valley with .571 three-point percentage.

The weekend series begin Sunday and continue on Monday.

Do Good

 

 

You can send a life-saving gift during this Christmas Season. Thousands of West African refugees have beenbeing displaced. Click here to learn more and to give.