One of the most intriguing mid-major conference tournaments in men’s college basketball tips of in St. Louis, Missouri with the Missouri Valley Conference tournament − popularly known as Arch Madness.
Typically held the week before Selection Sunday, the conference tournament is one to pay attention to given the MVC’s track record in sending multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament. Although not a regular occurrence − it last sent two teams to March Madness in 2021 − a case could be made depending on the results inside the Enterprise Center.
Drake enters as the regular season champion and the projected automatic bid in the USA TODAY Sports Bracketology, but quality teams in Bradley − which beat the Bulldogs last month − and Northern Iowa lurk and could punch their tickets to the big dance. Bubble teams will certainly keep their eyes on this tournament to see if any bid-stealing will occur.
Missouri Valley Conference tournament schedule, bracket, scores
First round
Thursday, March 6
Southern Illinois vs. Indiana State, 1 p.m.
Illinois State vs. Missouri State, 3:30 p.m.
Murray State vs. Evansville, 7 p.m.
Illinois-Chicago vs. Valparaiso, 9:30 p.m.
Second round
Friday, March 7
Drake vs. Southern Illinois-Indiana State winner, 1 p.m.
Belmont vs. Illinois State-Missouri State winner, 3:30 p.m.
Bradley vs. Murray State-Evansville winner, 7 p.m.
Northern Iowa vs. Illinois-Chicago-Valparaiso winner, 9:30 p.m.
Semifinals
Saturday, March 8
Drake-Southern Illinois-Indiana State winner vs. Belmont-Illinois State-Missouri State winner, 3:30 p.m.
Bradley-Murray State-Evansville winner vs. Northern Iowa-Illinois-Chicago-Valparaiso winner, 6 p.m.
Championship
Sunday, March 9
Semifinal winners, 2:15 p.m.,
Missouri Valley Conference tournament favorite
Will we have the second-ever three-peat in the MVC? Drake is the favorite to win the conference tournament after a dominant season with a 27-3 record and 17-3 mark in conference play, with wins in 15 of its last 16 games. The Bulldogs play some of the best defense in the country, allowing only 59.2 points per game, third-best in Division I. Opponents have scored more than 70 points in just four games as first-year head coach Ben McCollum has continued the winning for Drake with a program regular season record in wins.
The Bulldogs will try to be the first team since Southern Illinois in 1993-95 to win three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference tournaments. However, one team that could prevent that is Bradley, which finished second in the regular season and split the season series with Drake. Northern Iowa is another to watch. The Panthers nearly beat Drake last month before falling in overtime.
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Missouri Valley Conference tournament top players
Bennett Stirtz, Drake – The conference player of the year had no trouble transitioning to the Division I level after he was one of four players to follow McCollum from Northwestern Missouri State. He led the conference in points (18.9), assists (5.9) and steals (2.2) per game, the third player in the league to achieve the feat in the same season.
Duke Deen, Bradley – A back-to-back first team all-conference selection, Deen does it all offensively for the Braves with 14.1 points and 3.8 assists per game. He’s also a dangerous 3-point shooter with a 41.1% mark from beyond the arc.
Tytan Anderson, Northern Iowa – Not only does Anderson lead the Panthers with 15.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, but he sets the tone defensively. His play in the second half of the season was critical to Northern Iowa finishing as a No. 3 seed.
Connor Turnbull, Evansville – Good luck trying to score on this 6-foot-10-inch junior. He averages 1.87 blocks per game, ranking 30th in the country. His impact in conference play with an average of 11.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in league games.
NCAA tournament bubble storylines for the Missouri Valley Conference
It’s likely only one spot in the NCAA men tournament for the Missouri Valley Conference, but it depends on how Drake performs. Currently slotted a No. 12 seed in the recent bracket projection, the Bulldogs have an interesting case should they lose in the championship game. They have are 5-0 in Quad 1 and 2 games, but the NET ranking of 60 isn’t a spot where most at-large teams can have confidence. For reference, Indiana State finished No. 29 in the NET with a 28-6 record last year and missed the tournament.