2024–25 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball season
| 2024–25 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Teams | 12 |
| TV partner(s) | CBS, CBSSN, Gray Media, MC22 |
| Regular Season | |
| Regular season champions | Drake |
| Season MVP | Bennett Stirtz |
| MVC Tournament | |
| Champions | Drake |
| Runners-up | Bradley |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake † | 17 | – | 3 | .850 | 31 | – | 4 | .886 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bradley | 15 | – | 5 | .750 | 28 | – | 9 | .757 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 14 | – | 6 | .700 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belmont | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 22 | – | 14 | .611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UIC | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 17 | – | 14 | .548 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 9 | – | 11 | .450 | 16 | – | 17 | .485 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 14 | – | 18 | .438 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Evansville | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 11 | – | 21 | .344 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valparaiso | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 15 | – | 19 | .441 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri State | 2 | – | 18 | .100 | 9 | – | 23 | .281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 MVC tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2024–25 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2024, followed by the start of the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in December 2024 and ended in March 2025.
With a win over Evansville on February 26, 2025, Drake clinched the regular season championship for the third consecutive season.[1]
The MVC tournament was held March 6 through March 9, 2025 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Drake won the tournament championship for the third consecutive year, defeating Bradley in the championship game.[2]
Drake point guard Bennett Stirtz was named the conference's player of the year. Drake's head coach Ben McCollum was named conference coach of the year.[3]
The season was the final season for Missouri State in the conference, as they joined Conference USA on July 1, 2025.[4]
Head coaches
Coaches
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Year at school | Overall record | MVC record | MVC championships | NCAA Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | Casey Alexander | Lipscomb | 6 | 140-54 | 39-21 | 0 | 0 |
| Bradley | Brian Wardle | Green Bay | 10 | 181-145 | 97-85 | 2 | 1 |
| Drake | Ben McCollum | Northwest Missouri State | 1 | 31-4 | 17-3 | 1 | 1 |
| Evansville | David Ragland | Butler (asst.) |
3 | 33-66 | 15-45 | 0 | 0 |
| Illinois State | Ryan Pedon | Ohio State (asst.) |
3 | 48-52 | 25-35 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana State | Matthew Graves | Indiana State (asso. HC) |
1 | 14-18 | 8-12 | 0 | 0 |
| Missouri State | Cuonzo Martin | Missouri | 4* | 70-64 | 28-46 | 0 | 0 |
| Murray State | Steve Prohm | Iowa State | 7* | 149-81 | 29–31 | 0 | 1 |
| Northern Iowa | Ben Jacobson | Northern Iowa (asst.) |
19 | 374-246 | 209-139 | 4 | 4 |
| Southern Illinois | Scott Nagy | Wright State | 1 | 14-19 | 8-12 | 0 | 0 |
| UIC | Rob Ehsan | Stanford (asst.) |
1 | 17-14 | 10-10 | 0 | 0 |
| Valparaiso | Roger Powell Jr. | Gonzaga (asst.) |
2 | 22-44 | 9-31 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
- Year at school includes the 2024–25 season.
- Overall and MVC records are from time at current school and are through the end of the 2024-25 season.
- Steve Prohm previously held the head coaching position at Murray State from 2011-2015, when the Racers were part of the Ohio Valley Conference. The overall win totals and tournament appearances from this time are included, but not conference wins/losses.
- Cuonzo Martin previously held the head coaching position at Missouri State from 2008-2011, where the Bears captured a MVC regular-season championship in the 2010-11 season.
Preseason
Preseason poll
The preseason awards and coaches' poll were released by the league office on October 2, 2024.[5]
| Rank | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bradley (46) | |
| 2. | Northern Iowa (2) | |
| 3. | Murray State (1) | |
| 4. | Illinois State | |
| 5. | Drake | |
| 6. | Belmont | |
| 7. | Southern Illinois | |
| 8. | Indiana State | |
| 9. | Evansville | |
| 10. | Valparaiso | |
| 11. | Missouri State | |
| 12. | UIC | |
| (first place votes) | ||
Preseason All-Missouri Valley teams
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Preseason Player of the Year | Duke Deen, Bradley |
| Preseason All-MVC First Team | Duke Deen, Bradley |
| Tytan Anderson, Northern Iowa | |
| Darius Hannah, Bradley | |
| Johnny Kinziger, Illinois State | |
| Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso | |
| JaCobi Wood, Murray State | |
| Preseason All-MVC Second Team | Trey Campbell, Northern Iowa |
| Nick Ellington, Murray State | |
| Jacob Hutson, Northern Iowa | |
| Zek Montgomery, Bradley | |
| Malachi Poindexter, Illinois State | |
| Preseason All-MVC Third Team | Kennard Davis Jr., Southern Illinois |
| Ali Dibba, Southern Illinois | |
| Cam Manyawu, Drake | |
| Filip Skobalj, UIC | |
| Bennett Stirtz, Drake |
Source[6]
Regular season
Conference matrix
This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play, including postseason tournament games.[7]
| Belmont | Bradley | Drake | Evansville | Illinois State |
Indiana State |
Murray State |
Missouri State |
Northern Iowa |
Southern Illinois |
UIC | Valpo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs BU | – | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 1-1 |
| vs BR | 1-1 | – | 2-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0-3 |
| vs DU | 0-2 | 1-2 | – | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0-2 |
| vs UE | 1-1 | 1-0 | 2-0 | – | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 0-2 |
| vs IlSU | 2-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 | – | 1-1 | 0-1 | 0-3 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-1 |
| vs InSU | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | – | 1-1 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 |
| vs MrSU | 2-0 | 3-0 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-0 | 1-1 | – | 1-0 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0-2 |
| vs MoSU | 2-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 0-1 | – | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| vs UNI | 0-2 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0-2 | – | 1-1 | 0-2 | 2-0 |
| vs SIU | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 1-1 | – | 0-2 | 1-1 |
| vs UIC | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 2-0 | – | 1-2 |
| vs VU | 1-1 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 2-1 | – |
| Total | 14-8 | 17-6 | 20-3 | 8-13 | 11-11 | 8-13 | 10-12 | 2-19 | 14-7 | 9-13 | 10-11 | 8-15 |
Player of the week
Every Monday, throughout the season, the Missouri Valley Conference named a player of the week and a newcomer of the week.
| Date | Player of the week | Newcomer of the week |
|---|---|---|
| November 12, 2024[8] | Javon Jackson, UIC | Samage Teel, Indiana State |
| November 18, 2024[9] | KyeRon Lindsay, Murray State | Vincent Brady II, Missouri State |
| November 26, 2024[10] | Bennett Stirtz, Drake | Mitch Mascari, Drake |
| December 2, 2024[11] | Duke Deen, Bradley | Dez White, Missouri State |
| December 16, 2024[12] | Chase Walker, Illinois State | Jonathan Pierre, Belmont |
| December 23, 2024[13] | Leon Bond III, Northern Iowa | Samage Teel (2), Indiana State |
| December 30, 2024[14] | Tytan Anderson, Northern Iowa | Saša Ciani, UIC |
| January 6, 2025[15] | Tayshawn Comer, Evansville | Jonathan Pierre (2), Belmont |
| January 13, 2025[16] | Trey Campbell, UNI | Carter Whitt, Belmont |
| January 20, 2025[17] | Kennard Davis Jr., Southern Illinois | Javon Jackson, UIC |
| January 27, 2025[18] | Bennett Stirtz (2), Drake | Carter Whitt (2), Belmont |
| February 3, 2025[19] | Chase Walker (2), Illinois State | Bennett Stirtz, Drake |
| February 10, 2025[20] | Tyler Lundblade, Belmont | Bennett Stirtz (2), Drake |
| February 17, 2025[21] | Duke Deen (2), Bradley | Samage Teel (3), Indiana State |
| February 24, 2025[22] | Bennett Stirtz (3), Drake | Tayshawn Comer, Evansville |
| March 3, 2025[23] | Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso | Tyler Lundblade, Belmont |
Honors and awards
All-Conference awards and teams
The MVC announced its all-conference teams and major honors on March 5, 2025.[24]
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Larry Bird Player of the Year | Bennett Stirtz, Drake |
| Coach of the Year | Ben McCollum, Drake |
| Defensive MVP | Connor Turnbull, Evansville |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Tavion Banks, Drake |
| Newcomer of the Year | Bennett Stirtz, Drake |
| Freshman of the Year | All Wright, Valparaiso |
| First Team | |
| Bennett Stirtz, Drake | |
| Jonathan Pierre, Belmont | |
| Duke Deen, Bradley | |
| Chase Walker, Illinois State | |
| Samage Teel, Indiana State | |
| Tytan Anderson, Northern Iowa | |
| Second Team | |
| Tayshawn Comer, Evansville | |
| Kennard Davis Jr., Southern Illinois | |
| Darius Hannah, Bradley | |
| Johnny Kinziger, Illinois State | |
| Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso | |
| Third Team | |
| Trey Campbell, UNI | |
| Ali Dibba, Southern Illinois | |
| Mitch Mascari, Drake | |
| Zek Montgomery, Bradley | |
| Carter Whitt, Belmont |
Postseason
MVC Tournament
| Opening Round Thursday, March 6 MVC TV Network/ESPN+ | Quarterfinals Friday, March 7 MVC TV Network/ESPN+ | Semifinals Saturday, March 8 CBSSN | Final Sunday, March 9 CBS | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Drake | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Southern Illinois | 86 | 8 | Southern Illinois | 53 | ||||||||||||||
| 9 | Indiana State | 85 | 1 | Drake | 57 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Belmont | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Belmont | 76 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Illinois State | 70 | 5 | Illinois State | 63 | ||||||||||||||
| 12 | Missouri State | 54 | 1 | Drake | 63 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Bradley | 48 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Bradley | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Murray State | 74 | 7 | Murray State | 62 | ||||||||||||||
| 10 | Evansville | 53 | 2 | Bradley | 70 | ||||||||||||||
| 11 | Valparaiso | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Northern Iowa | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | UIC | 50 | 11 | Valparaiso | 64 | ||||||||||||||
| 11 | Valparaiso | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
Source:[25]
NCAA Tournament
The winner of the MVC tournament, Drake, received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. No other team received a bid to the tournament.
| Seed | Region | School | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | West | Drake | defeated (6) Missouri 67–57 | eliminated by (3) Texas Tech 64–77 | - | - | - | - |
| W–L (%): | 1–0 (1.000) | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | Total: 1–1 (.500) |
National Invitation Tournament
Bradley, having come within one win of the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, received an exempt bid to the 2025 NIT as the No. 3 seed in the Dayton region.[26] Northern Iowa also received an at-large bid and were placed in the Dallas region to face off against SMU, the top-seeded team in the region.[27]
| School | First round | Second Round | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Iowa | lost to (1) SMU 63-73 | - | - | - | - |
| Bradley | defeated North Alabama 71-62 | defeated (2) George Mason 75-67 | lost to Chattanooga 67-65 | - | - |
| W–L (%): | 1–1 (.500) | 1–0 (1.000) | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) Total: 2–2 (.500) |
College Basketball Invitational
Illinois State received an invite to the 2025 CBI tournament as the top overall seed, based on a variety of metrics including KenPom rating.[28] There, they would go undefeated to claim their first NCAA Division I postseason title.[29]
| Seed | School | First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois State | defeated Presbyterian 78-70 | Bye | defeated Incarnate Word 78-73 | defeated Cleveland State 79-68 |
| W–L (%): | 3–0 (1.000) | 1–0 (1.000) | 0–0 (–) | 1–0 (1.000) | 1–0 (1.000) Total: 3–0 (1.000) |
References
- ^ https://godrakebulldogs.com/news/2025/2/26/mens-basketball-drake-sneaks-past-evansville-to-claim-outright-regular-season-title.aspx
- ^ https://godrakebulldogs.com/news/2025/3/9/mens-basketball-drake-claims-third-consecutive-mvc-championship.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/3/5/arch-madness-drake-sweeps-top-player-coach-honors-in-missouri-valley-mens-basketball.aspx
- ^ https://conferenceusa.com/news/2024/5/9/general-cusa-adds-missouri-state.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/10/2/bradley-picked-as-mvc-mens-basketball-preseason-favorite.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/10/2/bradley-picked-as-mvc-mens-basketball-preseason-favorite.aspx
- ^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/mvc/men/2025.html
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/11/12/mvc-mens-basketball-weekly-notebook-11-12-24.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/11/18/mvc-mens-basketball-notebook-11-18-24.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/11/26/mvc-mens-basketball-weekly-notebook.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/12/2/mens-basketball-mvc-mbb-weekly-notebook-12-2-2024.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/12/16/mvc-weekly-mens-basketball-notebook-12-16-24.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/12/23/mens-basketball-mvc-mbb-weekly-notebook-12-23-24.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/12/30/mens-basketball-mvc-mbb-weekly-notebook-12-30-24.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/1/6/mens-basketball-mvc-mbb-weekly-notebook-1-6-2025.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/1/13/mens-basketball-mvc-mbb-weekly-notebook-1-13-25.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/1/20/mvc-mens-basketball-weekly-notebook-jan-20.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/1/27/mvc-mens-basketball-weekly-notebook-1-27-25.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/2/3/mens-basketball-mvc-mbb-weekly-notebook-2-3-2025.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/2/10/mvc-mens-basketball-weekly-notebook-2-10-25.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/2/17/mvc-announces-mens-basketball-weekly-awards.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/2/24/mvc-mens-basketball-weekly-notebook-2-24-2025.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/3/3/mvc-announces-weekly-mens-basketball-honors.aspx
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/3/5/arch-madness-drake-sweeps-top-player-coach-honors-in-missouri-valley-mens-basketball.aspx
- ^ "Arch Madness - Missouri Valley Conference - Tournament Central". mvc-sports.com. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
- ^ "Bradley to continue postseason play in 2025 NIT against North Alabama". mvc-sports.com. March 16, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
- ^ "UNI men's basketball accepts 2025 NIT bid". mvc-sports.com. March 16, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
- ^ https://mvc-sports.com/news/2025/3/11/mens-basketball-redbirds-accept-bid-to-play-in-college-basketball-invitational-presented-by-purple.aspx
- ^ https://collegebasketballinvitational.com/2025-cbi_championship-recap/