ESPN has selected the Drake at Missouri State men's basketball game for distribution on ESPNU on Sunday, Feb. 18.   The game will tip at 3 p.m. CT.   The network has also selected the Loyola at Evansville game for distribution on The Valley on ESPN3 on that day with a 3 p.m. CT tip.  The network designations were previously listed as TBD on the MVC schedule.

Drake was picked to finish last in the MVC this year and Missouri State was the pre-season favorite, but both teams find themselves in the heart of the MVC men's basketball race at the midway point of the conference season.  Drake is alone in second place with a 6-3 league record, while Missouri State is just a game back at 5-4.  The game features two of the top candidates for the league's Larry Bird Player of the Year Trophy.  Drake's Reed Timmer is among the league's top scorers and is poised to become the all-time leading scorer in Drake history.  Missouri State's Alize Johnson was the pre-season choice for Player of the Year.  He's among the national leader in double-doubles and leads the Conference in rebounding.  Meanwhile, Jarrid Rhodes (pictured) has led the team in scoring in each of MSU's past two games.  Drake beat Missouri State on Jan. 20, 61-58, in Des Moines.

The Loyola-Evansville game also features two of the best players in the league.  Ryan Taylor of Evansville leads the MVC in scoring at 19.8 points per game, which included a 22-point effort in a road win at Valparaiso last night.  Clayton Custer of Loyola, meanwhile, has guided the Ramblers to a 17-4 record this season.  For the season, Custer is contributing 12.9 points per game, and the Ramblers are 15-1 with him in the lineup this season compared to just 2-3 when he does not play.  Following a 23-point win at Drake last night, the Ramblers have won six straight games.  The Ramblers are 13 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 1984-85 season when they reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and finished 27-6 overall.  Loyola won a 7-point game in the teams' first meeting this season (Dec. 30).

Using the wildcard/netflex model, the Missouri Valley Conference -- in conjunction with its television partners -- reserves clearance windows for select dates throughout the season and waits until three weeks before the contest(s) to determine network clearances.