I’ve already covered the Big South and Horizon tournaments, as well as the A-Sun, Northeast, Patriot, OVC, and WCC. The Missouri Valley, along with Bucknell, Belmont, and the WCC power duo of Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s already covered, sports two potential Bid Stealers as both Creighton and Wichita State should be in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in Arch Madness this week.
There is, however, a good chance that a team outside of the MVC’s top pair takes home the tournament title and accompanying ticket to the big dance. Northern Iowa, Illinois St, Indiana St., and Evansville combined have a nearly 20% chance to win the title, with each having a better than 3% chance. For Creighton and Wichita State, they still have plenty to play for. Right now, both teams are looking at a seed in the middle of the pack, and they want to do everything they can to move off the 8 and 9 seed lines. A couple wins in the conference tournament could shift them into the 5-7 seeds and greatly increase their chances of reaching the Sweet 16.
| Sd | Team | Qtrs | Semis | Finals | Champ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creighton | 89.3 | 72.1 | 46.9 | |
| 2 | Wichita State | 90.9 | 62.7 | 33.0 | |
| 3 | Northern Iowa | 51.2 | 19.6 | 7.5 | |
| 6 | Illinois State | 48.8 | 16.4 | 5.6 | |
| 5 | Indiana State | 52.5 | 13.7 | 3.1 | |
| 4 | Evansville | 47.5 | 10.4 | 3.1 | |
| 9 | Drake | 54.2 | 6.7 | 2.4 | 0.4 |
| 8 | Bradley | 45.8 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 0.3 |
| 10 | Southern Illinois | 62.8 | 6.8 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| 7 | Missouri State | 37.2 | 2.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Next up: The Southern, MAAC, and Sun Belt conferences get under way Friday.