MVC Men's Basketball Notebook - Dec. 30
And It Begins
The nation’s second oldest Division I athletic conference begins its 107th season of basketball on Jan. 1, with three conference games scheduled on New Year’s Day. By Sunday (Jan. 5), each league team will have played two MVC games.
Still Perfect
Through games of Sunday, Dec. 29, a total of eight Division I teams are unbeaten:
13-0: Arizona, Ohio State,
Wichita State, Wisconsin
12-0: Oregon, Syracuse, Toledo
11-0: Iowa State
Best Starts Ever
Wichita State (13-0) will next look to extend a school record with a 14th victory to start a season when the Shockers open conference play at Southern Illinois. Counting WSU, a total of 18 MVC teams have started a season 13-0 or better; the last was Illinois State in 2008-09 (The Redbirds started 14-0 that year). Only 11 teams in the MVC’s 106-year history have started a season with 14 straight wins.
Perfect on Jan. 1 ... ?
Since 1994-95 (the previous 19 seasons), there have been 114 total NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams that were unbeaten on Jan. 1. Notably ...
•90 of those 114 made the NCAA Tournament
•52 of those 90 teams reached the Sweet 16
•17 of those 52 reached the Final Four
•5 of those 17 won the national title
Picked Last, Great Start
Drake has the league’s second-best RPI (71) and fourth-best non-conference schedule strength (143). Drake’s three losses have been at Saint Mary’s (by 4 points), to nationally ranked Iowa, and an overtime loss to New Mexico State. The Bulldogs were 3-1 on the road; the last time Drake won three road non-league games was during 2007-08 (when it went 28-5, won the league, and went to the NCAA Tournament).
Shockers at No. 7 This Week
Wichita State is ranked No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 8 in the AP Poll this week (Dec. 30). The Shockers finished 2012-13 ranked No. 4 in the coaches poll but were not ranked in the final regular-season AP poll. Only five MVC teams have cracked the AP Top 10 in the past 20 years, and before this year (Dec. 23) Wichita State was the last to do it -- in 2006.
Valley of Doom?
For the first time in its history, Illinois State defeated a Big East school, a ranked school, and a Big Ten school in the same year. Wichita State’s resume includes two SEC wins and a Big East win. A list of key wins in 2013-14:
N17 -- Indiana State 83, #21 Notre Dame 70
N17 -- Illinois State 68, Northwestern 64
N25 -- Wichita State 90, DePaul 72
N29 -- Missouri State 73, Texas A&M 67
D7 -- Illinois State 81, #25 Dayton 75
D14 -- UNI 77, VCU 68
D14 -- Wichita State 70, Tennessee 61
D17 -- Wichita State 72, Alabama 67
D22 -- Illinois State 69, DePaul 64
http://www.mvc-sports.com/mbasketball/n ... ---dec-30/
