3 Survive Busy Week
 All 10 MVC men's basketball teams played three games in six days last week (with games on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday). Just three of them survived the week unscathed as Creighton, Drake, and Wichita State all went 3-0. No other league team was better than 1-2.

Player of the Week
Ben Simons, Drake, Jr., 6-8, Fwd., Cadillac (Mich.) High
 Simons averaged 19.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game to help Drake go 3-0 the past week. The Valley’s leading three-point shooter was 10-22 (.455) from beyond the arc in the three games, and shot 53% overall from the field (18-34), while adding four assists. Simons was consistent, scoring 21, 17 and 21, and draining 3, 3 and 4 three-pointers. He also shot 13-of-14 from the free-throw line (.929) to climb into the No. 3 spot in the Valley rankings (.860).

Newcomer of the Week
Grant Gibbs, Creighton, Jr., 6-4, Gd., Marion (Iowa) [Gonzaga Univ.]
 Gibbs scored in double-figures all three games while helping Creighton to a 3-0 week. Gibbs averaged 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while also shooting 50 percent from the floor and 75 percent at the line. He began his week with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists in a three-point win over UNI on Tuesday. On Friday at Illinois State, Gibbs earned his first career double-double when he had 10 assists and tied his career-high with 12 points. Gibbs added seven rebounds in the victory. On Sunday in a win over Southern Illinois, Gibbs had 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists.

Bracket Busting
 The announcement of the 2012 SEARS BracketBuster field will take place on Monday, Jan. 30. During the first nine years of BracketBusters, the MVC is 23-15 in games that have been featured on television. The 23 wins are more than any other league.

3 in the Top 40
 This year, three MVC teams rank in the Top 40 of the RPI. The last time the MVC had more than 2 teams in the Top 40 of the RPI was in 2005-06 when 5 league teams ranked in the Top 40 at season's end. Four of them played in the NCAAs.

MVC vs. the Top 50
 Last year, the MVC compiled a 5-33 record against the RPI Top 50 during the regular season. This year (thru Jan. 15), the MVC has already compiled 11 top-50 victories (Creighton is 4-0 vs. the Top 50.)

Notable Top-50 Non-MVC Wins
11 UNLV (Wichita State won, 89-70, home)
22 Colorado State (UNI won, 83-77, home)
25 Northwestern (Creighton won, 87-79, home
32 Vanderbilt (Indiana State won, 61-55, road)
37 San Diego State (Creighton won, 85-83, road)

MVC in Elite Company
 Three MVC teams are in the Top 35 of the RPI. The only other leagues with three or more teams in the Top 35 of the RPI are the Big 12 (4); the Big East (6); and the Big Ten (6), and the SEC (3). Other top-10 rated leagues and their team representation in the Top 35 include: Atlantic-10 (2); ACC (2); Conference USA (2); the Mountain West (2); and the Pac-12 (0).

Road Warriors
 The league has a 15-15 non-conference road record this year (after going 8-31 on the road last year in non-league play). Through games of Jan. 15, the only schools nationally that have not lost a road game this year include Murray State (7-0); Wichita State (5-0); Syracuse (4-0); Baylor (4-0); New Mexico (4-0); Kansas (3-0); and Virginia (3-0). Creighton's six true road wins (the Bluejays are 6-1 on the road) rank behind only Cleveland State (8-2); Murray State (7-0); Middle Tennessee (7-1); Iona (7-2); Wagner (7-2); Oral Roberts (7-3); Loyola-Maryland (7-4); and Lehigh (7-5).

McDermott Ranks No. 2
 Creighton's Doug McDermott ranks second on the national scoring chart at 24.3 points per game. The only man ahead of him is Weber State’s Damian Lillard, who averages 25.5 points per game.

Ryan Right Behind
 Colt Ryan of Evansville, meanwhile, is No. 14 nationally with his 20.2 average. The MVC has not had a player average more than 20 points per game since 2001 (Illinois State's Tarise Bryson, 22.8).

1,000-Point Scorers
 Doug McDermott closed his week with 25 points against Southern Illinois and has become the nation’s only active sophomore to surpass 1,000 career points. Here's a look at the league's active career leaders, entering this week. MSU's Kyle Weems ranks No. 43 on the all-time MVC scoring list. Hersey Hawkins (Bradley, 1984-88) holds the league record (3,008 career points). Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati, 1957-58) holds the league single-season scoring record for a sophomore (984 points). So far, McDermott has 437 points this season.

ACTIVE MVC CAREER SCORING LEADERS
1,674 - Kyle Weems, Missouri State (Sr.)
1,350 - Toure' Murry, Wichita State (Sr.)
1,281 - Colt Ryan, Evansville (Jr.)
1,140 - Antoine Young, Creighton (Sr.)
1,018 - Doug McDermott, Creighton (So.)
  928 - Johnny Moran, UNI (Sr.)
  922 - Carl Richard, Indiana State (Sr.)

National Stat Leaders
 The Missouri Valley enters this week with a host of teams/players ranked among the Top 10 nationally. Creighton leads the nation in field goal percentage (51.6) and 3PG percentage (45.7).

MVC Active Scoring Leaders (thru Jan. 15)
1 - Creighton (FG percentage, 51.6)
1 - Creighton (3FG percentage, 45.7)
2 - Creighton (assists per game, 19.6)
2 - Doug McDermott, CU (24.3 ppg)
4 - Creighton (assist to turnover ratio, 1.52)
6 - Creighton (scoring offense, 82.7 ppg)
7 - Michael Bizoukas, MSU (3.14 assist/to ratio)
9 - Evansville (turnover margin, +4.9)

Creighton is No. 18
 Creighton is up four spots to 19th in the Associated Press poll, matching a season high (Dec. 5). This is the sixth time in seven weeks the Jays have been ranked by the writers. In the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, Creighton went up three spots from 21st to 18th. This is the ninth straight week that Creighton has been ranked by the coaches, which includes a season-high of 17th on Dec. 5. Wichita State is receiving votes in both polls.