2018 MVC tournament preview and season review

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 17: Loyola (Il) Ramblers guard Donte Ingram (0) and Loyola (Il) Ramblers guard Ben Richardson (14) celebrate after defeating the University of Illinois - Chicago Flames on December 17, 2016 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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The 2018 Missouri Valley Conference tournament, Arch Madness, kicks off Thursday evening, with one of the most balanced MVC fields in over a decade.

The Missouri Valley Conference tournament, known as Arch Madness, kicks off Thursday night with the most competitive field since 2006 — where the MVC earned a conference record four NCAA tournament berths (with the Missouri State Bears left out of the bunch with a 21 RPI, by the way).

Arch Madness encompasses a four-day period at the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis, home of the St. Louis Blues hockey team. The MVC tournament is celebrating 25 years in St. Louis and this year’s event has the promise of being one of the most exciting ones to date. As of Monday morning, the MVC boasts the eight best conference in the RPI rankings and every one of its teams holds a place of 175 or better, with three in the top 100.

The MVC is one of the oldest conferences in NCAA basketball, with an elite group of former members, including the likes of the:

Cincinnati Bearcats
Creighton Bluejays
Houston Cougars
Iowa Hawkeyes
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas State Wildcats
Louisville Cardinal
Memphis Tigers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Missouri Tigers
Saint Louis Billikens
Wichita State Shockers

The MVC is full of NBA greats including Larry Bird, Walt Frazier, Danny Granger, Hersey Hawkins, and Oscar Roberson. 88 MVC players have donned an NBA jersey, with 7 active players among the bunch. Alize Johnson of the Missouri State Bears is a projected first-round NBA pick, working out with the Boston Celtics over the summer while earning Most Valuable players honors Adidas Nations event, schooling big brand Power 5 players such as Bruce Brown, Michael Porter Jr., Mikal Bridges and Yante Maten.

The conference is more than just a one-team show, with a balance from top to bottom in the standings. No 2018 MVC team will finish with 20 losses, and any seed 1-10 has the capability of cutting down the nets at Arch Madness, earning an NCAA tournament bid in the process.

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