Busting Brackets
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Missouri Valley Basketball: 4 key questions in final weeks of regular season

By Harry Schroeder

Dec 20, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Drake Bulldogs head coach Darian DeVries watches action against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Drake Bulldogs head coach Darian DeVries watches action against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Belmont’s Ben Sheppard Missouri Valley Basketball Ovc Belmontvseku 25
Belmont’s Ben Sheppard Missouri Valley Basketball Ovc Belmontvseku 25 /

One of the wildest Missouri Valley Basketball Conference races in recent memory is taking place before our eyes. Six teams have a legitimate shot at winning the regular season crown and eight of the league’s twelve teams have reason to believe they can win the postseason tournament.

Arch Madness is hosted at a neutral site (St. Louis) and negates the advantage a higher ranked team would gain in ‘home court’ based league tournaments. At best, the Valley champion will have lost at least four conference contests.

During this thirty-third edition of the MVC St. Louis-based conference tournament, the top four teams will receive a bye into the tournament quarterfinals. Eight teams are faced with winning four games in four days to earn an invite to the NCAA Tournament.

With less than a month left in the MVC regular season, preseason favorite Drake (21-5, 12-4) struggled early in the conference season but has been the league’s best team for the past month. The Bulldogs feature the Valley’s most experienced team and the conference’s top scorer in Tucker DeVries and assist man in Roman Penn. Drake has won seven straight games.

Bradley (19-8, 12-4) typically saves its best basketball for late season and tournament time and Brian Wardle’s Braves have been on fire lately. The Braves have won six straight and are a deep and veteran team. Their big frontcourt and versatile backcourt give Wardle the ability to different styles when needed. Bradley’s defensive mindset serves them well when the games matter most.

Southern Illinois, Belmont, Indiana State and Missouri State are also in the running for both the regular season and tournament titles. Murray State and Northern Iowa are just another step behind, but if either gets hot they could make significant noise during the season’s closing weeks and could do damage at Arch Madness.

Before league members descend upon the Gateway City, there are four questions that we must answer.