The Missouri Valley tournament, affectionately referred to as “Arch Madness,” returns to St. Louis for what should be another thrilling weekend of postseason basketball. The top two favorites are obvious, but there is plenty of intrigue in the middle seeds.
Missouri Valley tournament 2015: Bracket, schedule and results
Everybody wanted to see Wichita State vs. Northern Iowa III, but Illinois State had other ideas.
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Wichita State and Northern Iowa are the alpha and omega of the MVC this year, running neck-and-neck at the top and splitting their regular-season series. The Shockers edged out the Panthers by just one game to win the top seed.
Returning most of the same core that went to the Final Four in 2013 and was undefeated in the regular season last year, Wichita is once again poised for another deep run in March. This time, the Shockers are joined by UNI, who gave them their only conference loss and took VCU to double overtime in December. Led by breakout star Seth Tuttle, the Panthers are out to prove they deserve their No. 11 AP ranking. A rubber match between these two on a neutral court could be an instant classic.
That’s not to say the rest of the conference is an also-ran. If anybody is going to ruin our dreams of seeing the Shockers and Panthers again, it could be one of Illinois State, Indiana State or Evansville, who beat the Panthers early in conference play. At any rate, the second tier of the MVC is more respectable than it has been in recent years, and the next four days will be filled with drama.
The format
All 10 teams are eligible. The bottom four seeds must play an extra game, with the first-round winners advancing to face the top two seeds. After that, the tourney follows a standard eight-team format.
The first three rounds of the tournament are broadcast on MVC TV Network, in conjunction with select FOX Sports regional markets. Check your local listings. The championship round will be televised nationally on CBS.
The teams
Bracket
A complete bracket can be found here.
Schedule and results (all times Eastern)
Thursday, March 5 (First round)
Game 1: No. 9 Southern Illinois 55, No. 8 Missouri State 48
Game 2: No. 10 Bradley 52, No. 7 Drake 50 (OT)
Friday, March 6 (Quarterfinals)
Game 3: No. 1 Wichita State 56, No. 9 Southern Illinois 45
Game 4: No. 4 Illinois State 71, No. 5 Evansville 67
Game 5: No. 2 Northern Iowa 71, No. 10 Bradley 46
Game 6: No. 6 Loyola-Chicago 81, No. 3 Indiana State 53
Saturday, March 7 (Semifinals)
Game 7: No. 4 Illinois State 65, No. 1 Wichita State 62
Game 8: No. 2 Northern Iowa 63, No. 6 Loyola-Chicago 49
Sunday, March 8 (Championship)
Northern Iowa 69, Illinois State 60
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