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Players of the week
• Overall: Illinois State forward Dinma Odiakosa. The senior from Nigeria averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field in two road wins.
• Newcomer: Illinois State guard Austin Hill. The junior from Covington, Ky., averaged 12 points in a reserve role. He also shot 50 percent from the field.
Valley leaders
Illinois State's Osiris Eldridge and Dinma Odiakosa are trying to become the first players from the same team to win the league's scoring and rebounding titles since 1992.
Eldridge entered the week leading the Valley with a 15.7 scoring average, while Odiakosa is the top rebounder at 8.6 per game.
The last time a team had a player or players finish first in the two statistical categories was when Southern Illinois' Ashraf Amaya did it in 1992. The statistical double has happened eight times in the past 50 years, with the same person, not teammates, doing it on six of the occasions.
Strong ending
Drake's Josh Young is one senior that wants to go out with a bang instead of a whimper.
The Bulldogs guard has averaged almost 18 points in his past nine contests. He has scored 20 points or more in four of the games, the most by a Valley player during the stretch.
Young became the Bulldogs' all-time leading scorer earlier this season, and he added a second school record when he made four 3-point baskets in a loss to Indiana State. He has 244 career 3-pointers to go with 1,710 points.
Bits and pieces
• Evansville guard Troy Taylor has made a dramatic turnaround at the free-throw line during the past seven games. The freshman has made 16 of his past 18 free-throw attempts after opening the season by barely shooting 50 percent (28 of 54) from the line in the first 18 games.
• Northern Iowa's win over Creighton on Tuesday improved the Panthers to 12-0 at home this season. Northern has two home games remaining — Saturday against Old Dominion and Feb. 27 against Illinois State — and could tie the school record for consecutive home wins in the Division I era.
• Indiana State's Aaron Carter has six career four-point plays, including four this season.
• Bradley's win over then-No. 18 Northern Iowa was its first at home against a nationally ranked team since 1982.
— Steven Pivovar
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