Missouri Valley Basketball: 2021 Conference Tournament preview
By Joey Loose
First Round
8) Bradley vs 9) Southern Illinois
These two teams have played brilliantly at times this season, but there’s been a lot of inconsistency as well. For the Braves, the issue stems from the suspension of several of their key players, including 2nd Team All-MVC forward Elijah Childs. For the Salukis, they’ve had remarkable shooting efforts but other nights where the offense just doesn’t flow.
Southern Illinois recently played two incredibly close games on the road at Loyola and seems to be playing solid ball to end the season. The two teams split the season series, with both games played at Bradley, and these Braves did just knock off Drake last weekend.
Prediction: Bradley 64, Southern Illinois 60
7) Northern Iowa vs 10) Illinois State
Without AJ Green, the Panthers struggled this season, falling so far as missing out on the first-round bye. Meanwhile, Illinois State as a program has really been scuffling in recent years. The Redbirds offense, in particular, has been bad, aside from a big win against rival Bradley a few weeks ago. These two teams just played in Normal this past weekend, with the Panthers taking both games on the road. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Northern Iowa favored again, but it’s quite hard to beat a team three times in one season.