The Mountain West and Missouri Valley conferences announced an agreement to renew the annual Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge for men’s basketball.
“The reintroduction of this Challenge Series is a positive step for both leagues,” says MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin. “Tough non-conference scheduling has always been paramount in improving our league’s stature on the national scene. The series helps institutions in both leagues achieve that goal.”
The renewed Challenge Series will feature head-to-head match ups between 10 Mountain West and Missouri Valley teams annually, with each conference hosting five of these games a season. Wyoming will play at Indiana State on November 16.
Annual matchups for teams in the Challenge Series will be based upon factors including the previous year’s achievements, records and RPI rankings as well as projected rankings/strength of teams in the upcoming season, based on composite sources. Each season will be considered separately in terms of matchups, therefore, games from the previous year’s Challenge Series may not be returned.
“Bringing back the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge is mutually beneficial for both leagues,” MW Commissioner Craig Thompson said.
The Mountain West has ranked in the Top 10 of the NCAA’s final RPI report in nine of the last 10 years, while the Valley has been in the Top 10 eight times during that same span. The leagues have combined for nine Sweet 16 and one Final Four (Wichita State) appearances over the last decade.
“Improving overall non-conference schedules and providing quality opponents is important to the Mountain West. Aligning with another consistent Top-10 RPI league has proven to be successful as demonstrated during the last Challenge Series with the Missouri Valley from 2009-2013,” Thompson said.
The previous Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge Series ran from the 2009-10 through 2012-13 seasons, the Mountain West has a 22-13 edge in the 35 previous games, which included a lopsided 8-1 record in games against the Missouri Valley Conference in 2010. At least three Mountain West teams advanced to the NCAA tournament each year during that four-year span, including a league-record five teams in 2013 and four in both 2010 and 2012. The MW’s 16 overall NCAA tournament participants during that period mark the best four-year tally in the 16-year history of the league.
In the 2015 Challenge Series, games will be played across November and December. In future seasons, Challenge Series contests will primarily be played during a nine-day window beginning the weekend after Thanksgiving.
