Mississippi Valley State will not play a home basketball game until Jan. 9. By then, the HBCU will have played 16 games, crossed the country, and faced some of college basketball’s biggest programs.
The road stretch could bring in close to $1 million in guarantee payments for an athletic department that needs the revenue. It also puts the work of earning those checks on a team trying to find its footing under a new head coach.
That is the assignment awaiting Mike Davis.
Valley’s first 14 games make up its entire nonconference schedule. All 14 are on the road. Two away games to begin Southwestern Athletic Conference play extend the streak to 16 before Prairie View A&M visits Itta Bena for the home opener. The list of hosts includes Oklahoma, Arkansas, Michigan, UConn, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Texas Tech and Baylor.
The real measure comes in January
National attention may follow Valley’s road results, especially against the biggest names on the schedule. Those scores will tell part of the story. They will not explain why the games were scheduled or what the Delta Devils are trying to build through them.
By the time Valley finally hosts Prairie View A&M on Jan. 9, the guarantee games could have delivered meaningful revenue. Davis will be looking for a different return: a team that has stayed together, improved and is ready to compete in its own conference.
For Mississippi Valley State, those two goals have to coexist. The road trip helps fund the program’s present. What Davis and his players make of it will help determine its future.