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MVC Basketball: Conference tournament preview and predictions

By Doug Winkey

Mar 8, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Northern Iowa Panthers head coach Ben Jacobson reacts in the game between the Illinois State Redbirds and the Northern Iowa Panthers during second half in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament at Scotttrade Center. Northern Iowa Panthers won 60-69. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Northern Iowa Panthers head coach Ben Jacobson reacts in the game between the Illinois State Redbirds and the Northern Iowa Panthers during second half in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament at Scotttrade Center. Northern Iowa Panthers won 60-69. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Let the madness begin! We are just days away from conference tournaments tipping off, with MVC basketball starting on Thursday in St. Louis.

Wichita State enters as the prohibitive favorite one-seed after finishing 16-2 in conference play. The backcourt duo of Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker have powered the Shockers through the year. They also have one of the best defenses in America to help keep the team in games.

Challenging them are several strong teams in Evansville, Illinois State, and Northern Iowa. All three have had bursts this year that put them in the conversation for potential spoiler. Evansville is the strongest contender, but defending champions UNI will have something to say about things as well. For their part, Illinois State plays great defense to keep them in the mix.

Evansville’s Edigijus Mockevicius is potentially the best professional prospect in the whole tournament. The Lithuanian senior averages 16.6 ppg, 14 rpg, and 2.8 bpg while shooting 66% from the field. The big man will be one of the big difference makers in the MVC. He’s got dynamic D.J. Balentine as a teammate who averages over 20 points and four assists.

The first round matchup that I find most interesting is Illinois State-Indiana State. The two split the regular season, with the rubber match on Friday. Illinois St has the edge with a better record, but this would be the biggest upset in the first round and the one most likely to happen given how truly close these teams are in statistical output.

With all that, let’s rank the order of teams as I think they’ll finish in the MVC.

Next: 10: Bradley Braves