In the end, the best team in the Missouri Valley Conference is the one that advances to the NCAA tournament. Loyola-Chicago won the MVC in the regular season by four full games, but still likely needed to win the conference tournament to get into the Big Dance.
Arch Madness 2018: Bracket, schedule, scores, teams, and more for MVC Tournament
Loyola-Chicago has punched its ticket to the dance.
Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
The Ramblers have done just that. Loyola won tight games against Northern Iowa and Bradley in the first two rounds, then blew out Illinois State, 65-49, to lock in the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Ramblers are projected as a No. 12 seed in the NCAA tournament. This is how they got there.
The Stake
Loyola-Illinois is favored to win the 2018 State Farm MVC Tournament as they are currently riding a seven-game winning streak with an overall record of 25-5. All the Ramblers have to do is hold serve and win three games to receive an automatic bid. The No. 1 seed should not face any problems until the championship game, where they could face the No. 2 seed Southern Illinois Salukis, who will be looking to send the Ramblers to the NIT.
The Format
The Missouri Valley Conference tournament is single elimination, featuring all 10 conference teams. The top two seeds face the winners of the No. 8/No. 9 and No. 7/ No 10 matchups, while the No. 4/No. 5 and No. 3/No. 6 seeds play each other. If you are one of the top six teams, it will take three victories to win the title.
The Bracket & Schedule
Here is the full tournament bracket and day-by-day schedule. Game times are subject to change. We’ll be updating it with results along the way.
Thursday, March 1 — First Round
Game 1: No. 9 UNI 60, No. 8 Evansville 50
Game 2: No. 7 Missouri State 83, No. 10 Valparaiso 79
Friday, March 2 — Quarterfinals
Game 3: No. 1 Loyola 54, No. 9 UNI 50
Game 4: No. 4 Drake 61, No. 5 Bradley 63
Game 5: No. 2 Southern Illinois 67, No.7 Missouri State 63
Game 6: No. 3 Illinois State 77, No. 6 Indiana State 70
Saturday, March 3 — Semifinals
Game 7: No. 1 Loyola 62 vs. No. 5 Bradley 54, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Game 8: No. 2 Southern Illinois 68 vs. No. 3 Illinois State 76, 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Sunday, March 4 — Championship Game
Game 9: No. 1 Loyola 65, No. 3 Illinois State 49
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