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The only game today, Saturday, Jan. 23, is Valparaiso at Illinois State at 5 pm on Marquee Sports Network and ESPN3-
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba.../date/20210123
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba.../date/20210123
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Valparaiso was on a 5-game losing streak, including an 0-3 start in MVC games, but they lead Illinois State wire to wire today to win 69-60 at ISU.
Valpo jumped ahead early, lead by 13 points at halftime (36-23), and never trailed in the game.
Both teams played pretty well and shot the ball well, but a 42-32 rebounding edge, and a 13-5 advantage in second chance points gave Valparaiso the edge.
Final score- Valparaiso 69 Illinois State 60-
These 2 teams will play again Sunday at Redbird Arena at 5:00 pm Central. It is on ESPN+.
The other game Sunday is Loyola at Bradley at 3 pm on the MVC TV Network (FOX Sports Midwest / Indiana / Kansas City / NBC Sports Chicago, and online at FoxSports Go and ESPN+).
Sunday, Jan. 24 MVC schedule-
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One more observation.... if anyone else watched this game, one of the top players for Valparaiso was freshman Connor Barrett, who sank 4 of 9 three pointers for 12 points, most of them at key points that stopped ISU runs and kept Valpo in control of the game. Connor Barrett is a 6'5" freshman guard from Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois. He didn't play much in Valpo's early season games, but with the absence of senior guard Nick Robinson, who recently opted out, he has gotten a lot more playing time and moved into the starting lineup. And he is making the most of the opportunity. After going 4-9 today, he is shooting 22-54 on the season (40.7%), which is the best 3-point percentage by far among Valparaiso guards, and one of the top percentages in the MVC.
Barrett averaged 12 points as a senior at Loyola Academy in 2018-19, and made 64 three pointers shooting at 38%. But he did not receive any Division I offers. He decided to attend Brewster Academy in New Hampshire in 2019-20 to try to garner D1 interest. He was a non-starter at Brewster, and still got very little D1 interest playing with 7 other kids on the Brewster team who signed NLI's to higher-level schools. Valparaiso was his only D1 offer. Most coaches passed on him because he was described as not athletic enough for Division I. But it shows just how valuable shooters like him can be.
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MVC schedule for Sunday, January 24-
2 games today-
Loyola at Bradley- 3 pm on MVC TV Network (FOX Sports Midwest / Indiana / Kansas City / NBC Sports Chicago, and online at FoxSports Go and ESPN+) and ESPN+ (in non-blacked out regions)
Valparaiso at Illinois State- 5 pm on Marquee Sports Network and ESPN3Comment
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In the Valparaiso-Illinois State game, Valparaiso jumped out to a early lead, extending it to 16 points in the first half, then taking a 12 point lead into halftime 38-26.
ILSU slowly chipped away at the lead in the 2nd half, and finally took their first lead since early in the game with about 2 minutes left in the game. But despite some obvious fatigue, Valpo hung on, made their free throws in the final minute and won the game. For the second day in a row, Valpo played their key starters 33 to 39 minutes.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...meId=401275975
Valparaiso improves to 5-9 overall and 2-3 in the MVC. Illinois State drops to 5-10 overall and 2-7 in the MVC.
One other interesting fact- this was Valparaiso's 7th straight win over Illinois State.
Standings-
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