2015 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Preview
(SportsNetwork.com) – Arch Madness begins on Thursday, March 7 as the 39th annual Missouri Valley Conference kicks off at the Scottrade Center, running through Sunday, March 8, with the winner earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
For the second time, the MVC Tournament will feature a pair of Top-25 teams as Wichita State and Northern Iowa distinguished themselves as not only the class of the conference, but as powerhouses on the national scale.
It came down to the last game of the season and it was the Shockers that prevailed over the Panthers in a head-to-head battle to earn the Missouri Valley Conference’s regular-season title, Wichita State’s second in a row and ninth overall.
The Shockers closed out the regular season with eight straight wins and split a pair of games with the Panthers. However, the all-important season-finale against Northern Iowa resulted in a 14-point win for Wichita State (74-60), earning the team the top seed.
Wichita State was led this year by junior guard Ron Baker, who finished fifth in the conference in scoring (15.2 ppg) and was second in the voting for Player of the Year, while earning All-MVC First-Team honors. Joining him on the all-conference first team is fellow junior guard Fred VanVleet (12.5 ppg, MVC-best 5.4 apg). Senior guard Tekele Cotton, a second-team member, was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
Northern Iowa tied Wichita State for the best overall record in the league at 27-3, but the Panthers came up just short in the conference standings, at 16-2. The team had an impressive 16-game win streak halted in the season finale.
Like the Shockers, the Panthers were well represented in terms of all- conference accolades. Senior forward Seth Tuttle (15.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) was named the MVC Player of the Year and obvious first-team selection. Junior Wes Washpun earned the Sixth Man Award.
Both Wichita State and Northern Iowa earned first-round byes into the quarterfinal round on Friday.
Thursday’s first round will feature a pair of games, with eighth-seed Missouri State (11-19, 5-13) taking on ninth-seed Southern Illinois (11-20, 4-14) and seventh-seed Drake (9-21, 6-12) battling 10th-seed Bradley (8-23, 3-15).
The Bears faded down the stretch with losses in six of their last eight games, but they have the advantage of sweeping Southern Illinois in the regular season. The Salukis brought a halt to a five-game skid with a win over Drake in the regular-season finale.
The Bulldogs also failed to produce many victories down the stretch with losses in two straight and four of their last five games. However, Drake also has the upper hand in the first round with a pair of victories already over Bradley. The Braves closed the regular season with six straight losses.
Quarterfinal action on Friday will include the top two seeds against the winners of the first round contests, as well as third-seed Indiana State (15-15, 11-7) against sixth-seed Loyola Chicago (18-12, 8-10) and fourth-seed Illinois State (19-11, 11-7) against fifth-seed Evansville (19-11, 9-9).
The Sycamores failed to produce on a consistent basis in the second half of the season, alternating wins and losses over the last 12 games. Two of those victories however, came against Loyola-Chicago. The Flames though, finished strong, with wins in their last two games and four of their last six overall.
The Redbirds come into the postseason with some momentum, winning four straight to end the regular season, including a 69-67 overtime decision against Evansville in the finale to complete a season sweep of the Purple Aces. Evansville comes in cold, with three straight losses to end the campaign.
It’s hard to imagine Wichita State of Northern Iowa getting knocked off here. Both are certain to earn bids to the NCAA Tournament, but Wichita State’s momentum just may get the Shockers the automatic bid in what should be a classic battle with the Panthers.
Sports Network Predicted Champion: Wichita State
Categorized in: NCAA Basketball