The Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) Delta Devils men’s basketball team currently sits at the bottom of the NCAA Division I rankings, holding a disheartening 364th place on both the NCAA’s NET Ranking and KenPom.com. Strikingly, they have yet to win against any other Division I opponents this season. Despite this, a stroke of social media genius has emerged from a surprising source: the team’s unofficial Twitter account, @MVSUMBB. This account has skyrocketed in popularity, gaining an astonishing 170-fold increase in followers since November. There’s just one curious twist—this rise to social media stardom isn’t driven by anyone within the athletic department.
Managed by an anonymous individual completely outside of MVSU’s official sphere, @MVSUMBB has embraced a unique, engaging approach that has captured the attention of college basketball fans far and wide. Early on in the season, they blended typical game-day tweets on where to catch the action with playful banter directed at rival teams. Their bold criticisms of the NCAA’s ranking system, along with lighthearted highlight reels that cleverly obscure rather disappointing scores, have put them in the limelight. Their cheeky posts even included playful jabs at top teams like No. 8 Tennessee and the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers.
Instead of the usual dreary updates marking their losses, the account has taken on a more entertaining tone, swapping out mournful scorelines for quirky phrases such as “we covered” or “don’t worry about it.” This creative reframing has resonated deeply, garnering well over 7,300 followers and nearly 20 million impressions in just a few months—a phenomenal feat for an account representing such an underperforming team.
According to a spokesperson for MVSU, the account is not affiliated with the university’s athletic department and is run by an unknown entity. Interestingly, this has only added to the intrigue. Though it includes “parody” in its bio, @MVSUMBB is actually the brainchild of Oliver Fell, a sports journalism student at Arizona State University. His background includes operating a successful account, NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners, where he tracked various teams for clips. Over time, he recognized that many programs, particularly those on the lower end of the spectrum like MVSU, were sorely lacking in social media representation.
When Fell noticed that the @MVSUMBB handle was up for grabs and given the comedic goldmine provided by MVSU’s status as one of the lowest-ranked teams, he seized the opportunity. “From September until now, I’ve been kind of playing the long con,” he admits. Initially, he began with ordinary posts celebrating #CollegeColorsDay and sharing fun trivia, but a turning point came after MVSU faced a staggering loss of 111-39 against Missouri. With a tweet that cleverness turned their defeat into an inside joke—”MVSU – 39, Missouri – More than that”—the account exploded, reaching over a million views overnight.
“I never anticipated racking up four million impressions in a single night,” Fell reflects, amused by the serendipitous success. What began as a light-hearted commentary on a struggling team has transformed into a platform with 340,000 profile views, suggesting genuine engagement from fans looking for updates or just a good laugh.
Just days after the Missouri game, MVSU’s assistant coach Khalid Campbell reiterated that @MVSUMBB is not an official platform of the team. Meanwhile, the official account, @ValleyStateMBB, has been unusually quiet since March 2023, languishing with only 338 followers.
Reports from credible sources, including *The Athletic*, reveal that schools like MVSU often lack the financial resources needed to maintain a vibrant social media presence. Like many smaller programs, the athletic department’s strategy often revolves around “buy games” where they are compensated for playing stronger teams, enabling them to stay afloat amidst financial challenges.
Interestingly, despite the unofficial nature of Fell’s account, many players from the team have been supportive of his efforts, with one inviting him to catch a game. “Regardless of the account’s legitimacy, it’s allowing them to showcase their film,” Fell emphasizes. For these athletes, exposure can lead to opportunities—some may even hope to transfer to bigger programs someday, and having their skills showcased to a wider audience could be a game changer.
Although he has yet to attend a game at the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex, Fell feels a sense of camaraderie with the Delta Devils now, dedicating time to track their seasons and cheer them on from afar. He’s also connected with other sports team account managers who have expressed admiration for his independence in curating this account—many wishing they had similar freedom.
Fell has ambitions beyond this iconic parody account. He aspires to make a career in social media management and content creation. Committed to maintaining the MVSU account throughout the season—and possibly for another year while he pursues a master’s in mass communications—Fell has even joked that he might eventually “enter the transfer portal” himself after graduation. In his own way, he’s turning the misfortunes of a struggling basketball season into a narrative of connection, creativity, and hope for a brighter, albeit humorous, future.
