Eight Game Saturday – Two Big Ones

Five of the Games on the Road

(West Africa) – It’s an eight game Saturday for Missouri Valley Conference teams. While every game is important for the 56-24 MVC, Drake’s (8-1) game at Nevada (7-0) is huge and Northern’ Iowa’s (3-6) contest at Toledo is very big.

Illinois State rides a three game winning streak into its Horton Field House game with Norfolk State and Murray State plays the “Battle of the Border’ game with long-time rival Austin Peay. Missouri State’s home game with Sam Houston State has been designated ‘Art Hains’ day in honor of its hall-of-fame broadcaster.

Valparaiso is the only Valley team facing a ‘money conference’ school when it travels to Blacksburg, Virginia for a game with West Virginia.

Belmont and Indiana State play regional rivals. The Bruins travel to Murphreesboro to tangle with Middle Tennessee and the Sycamores host Southern Indiana.

Eight Game Saturday – The Two Big Ones

Drake visits undefeated Nevada in the Jack Jones Classic. A triple header is being hosted in Henderson, Nevada. New Mexico faces Santa Clara in the first game. The Bulldogs and Wolfpack play the middle game and the evening’s final contest is between UNLV and Loyola Marymount.

Drake has won five straight games and the Wolfpack have won six in-a-row. This is a quadrant one game for each team. The NCAA’s National Evaluation Tool (NET) defines this ‘neutral site’ game between Drake (75 NET) and Nevada (30) as Quad One. For these two ‘mid-major’ teams the stakes are very high.

6:30 pm – Baller TV.com

Similarly, UNI’s game at Toledo is very big. The Rockets are a top 100 team in the NET (94), therefore this is a Quad Two game for the Panthers.

1:00 pm – ESPN+

Eight Game Saturday – Regional Rivals

Murray State’s ‘Battle of the Border’ resumes at Austin Peay. The two neighbors have played 135 times with Murray leading the series 90-45 and the Racers have claimed the last three victories. First year head coach Corey Gipson is an Austin Peay grad and was formerly and assistant at Missouri State.

6:15 pm – ESPN+

Belmont meets Middle Tennessee for the 43rd time. The Blue Raiders have a 24-18 edge in the series but the Bruins have won three of the last four and ten of the last 14 contests.

7:30 pm – CBS Sports Network

Indiana State has won seven straight games and hosts regional rival Southern Indiana. The Sycamores have risen to 18 in NET rankings and even winning this game won’t build its resume. USI comes in at 340. There are rumors that Sycamore star guard Isaiah Swope, a former USI Screaming Eagle has a small injury and may not play.

1:00 pm – ESPN+

Eight Game Saturday – Special Occasions

For the second straight season, Illinois State returns to historic Horton Field House for a unique home contest. Norfolk State visits the Redbirds. Ryan Pedon’s team has won three straight and at 6-3 is enjoying its best nine game start since 2009-10. The Redbirds played in Horton from 1963 until 1988.

6:00 pm – ESPN+

Missouri State will be honoring hall-of-famer Art Hains Saturday. The ‘voice of the Bears’ nearly lost his life last football season due to West Nile Disease. His recovery has been documented often on our site. Saturday’s game will be a celebration of his return to broadcasting Missouri State sports. Sam Houston State is the opponent.

6:00 pm – ESPN+

Playing an ACC team is a special occasion. Valparaiso takes on the 6-3 Hokies. The Beacons (4-5) have dropped three straight.

11:00 am – VT Sports Net

Valley teams are then off until Tuesday.

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