Some of the Missouri Valley Conference’s hottest teams are playing in the conference tournament’s ‘play-in round’. While no Valley team has ever won an Arch Madness crown from a seed worse than fifth, this year’s six, seven and eighth seeded teams are all legitimate contenders.
We know the odds are stacked against a team needing to win four games during the four days of the tournament, and that only one ‘play-in round’ participant has ever reached the finals of this tournament. This is the fiftieth MVC postseason gathering and the thirty-sixth to be held in St. Louis. This could be a unique MVC championship.
Sixth seeded Northern Iowa (19-12, 11-9) is coached by twenty-year veteran Ben Jacobson. The ‘Dean of Valley Coaches’ has claimed four Arch Madness titles and has a team that was picked to finish second in the league.
Seventh seeded Valparaiso (17-14, 11-9) has found a way to win close games that they previously lost and finished the season winning six of their last eight contests. Only a 35-foot, banked in triple prevented them from winning their last game at Evansville.
Coach Roger Powell Jr. has his team believing they can beat anyone and if the game is close, they are bound to win.
Eighth seeded Southern Illinois (16-5, 10-10) finished the season on a four-game winning streak and recording six victories in their last seven outings. Veteran coach Scott Nagy has five conference tournament championships on his resume from his days in the Summit and Horizon Leagues.
He knows how to lead a team to promised land.