The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament figures to be a hotly-contested one as teams compete for an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.
The Missouri Valley Conference always produces one of the best tournaments in the country, and Loyola-Chicago will be looking to return to the dance with another victory in Arch Madness.
The Missouri Valley Conference has seen better days, but it is still one of the most competitive mid-major leagues in the country. Just last season, the MVC gave us Loyola-Chicago, which shocked the world by advancing all the way to the Final Four.
The Ramblers (19-12, 12-6 in MVC play) are back atop the league, clinching the top seed in Arch Madness, but their return to the dance is far from a sure thing. Unlike last year, when the Ramblers could have earned an at-large with their resume, Loyola-Chicago needs to win the MVC’s automatic bid to try and bring Sister Jean back to March Madness.
Loyola-Chicago has an advantage as the top seed as they have a bye while they await the winner of the 8/9 matchup between Indiana State (15-15, 7-11) and Valparaiso (14-17, 7-11). If the Ramblers win their quarterfinal matchup, they will get the winner of the 4/5 game featuring Missouri State (16-15, 10-8) and Bradley (17-14, 9-9).
The other top contender for the MVC’s automatic bid is Drake (23-8, 12-6), which lost out on the top seed after getting swept by Loyola-Chicago in the regular season. The Bulldogs, who are the No. 2 seed in Arch Madness, also get a bye while they await the winner of the 7/10 game between Illinois State (16-15, 9-9) and Evansville (11-20, 5-13).
Next up for Drake would be the winner of the 3/6 game against either Southern Illinois (17-14, 10-8) and Northern Iowa (14-17, 9-9). The Bulldogs went 3-1 against those teams this season, with their only loss coming at Northern Iowa back on Jan. 13.
The tournament will be held from March 7-10 in St. Louis, with the championship game being televised on CBS. Print out your full MVC bracket here and pull up a seat on the couch this weekend for some great Arch Madness action.