Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge fields for 2016 announced
12/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences have announced next season’s pairings for the MW/MVC Challenge Series in men’s basketball. Nine of the 10 games will take place on the same date (Dec. 3, 2016).
The agreement between the Mountain West and Missouri Valley conferences is in the second year of a four-year term. This year, the MW won the series, 6-4, with the final games being played this past Sunday. The MW has an all-time series edge of 3-1-1 in five previous Challenge seasons, including an overall advantage of 28-17 in games played in association with the series.
The Challenge Series features head-to-head competition between 10 Mountain West and 10 Missouri Valley teams annually, with each conference hosting five games apiece each season.
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.
Television rights for each Challenge Series contest will be controlled by the home team’s conference television agreement, which will dictate the distribution of the game and all related matters, including tip times. Below are the matchups for the 2016 MW-MVC Challenge Series:
Date Matchup Location
Saturday, December 3 San Diego State at Loyola Chicago, Illinois
Saturday, December 3 Indiana State at Utah State Logan, Utah
Saturday, December 3 Northern Iowa at Wyoming Laramie, Wyoming
Saturday, December 3 Boise State at Evansville Evansville, Indiana
Saturday, December 3 Missouri State at Air Force Colorado Springs, Colorado
Saturday, December 3 Wichita State at Colorado State Fort Collins, Colorado
Saturday, December 3 Nevada at Bradley Peoria, Illinois
Saturday, December 3 New Mexico at Illinois State Normal, Illinois
Saturday, December 3 Fresno State at Drake Des Moines, Iowa
Monday, December 19 Southern Illinois at UNLV Las Vegas, Nevada
