Arch Madness begins with 12 Missouri Valley Conference teams vying to continue their season and add another trophy to their respective showcases. Only one team can win the MVC Tournament title and clinch a berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Scout sports staff breaks down who they think will be this year’s Arch Madness champion.
UNI
By Cristina Solano
Northern Iowa has several factors that could make it a spoiler in Arch Madness. They have an incredible coaching staff led by Ben Jacobson, a five-time Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Coach of the Year, and the third-best defensive team in the conference. The Panthers have won the last seven of their nine games leading up to St. Louis.
During the regular season, they dominated UIC, a team they could face in the quarterfinals. The Panthers are expected to enter the tournament looking for revenge against Drake, having lost both games in the regular season, with key players such as Tytan Anderson, first team All-MVC and All-Defensive Team, Trey Campbell, who started all 31 games this season, and Leon Bond, who averaged 10.4 points per game and 4.8 rebounds. Undoubtedly, the Panthers can compete for the title this weekend.
Drake
By Ethan Diamond
The back-to-back Arch Madness champions enter as the favorites to win the tournament again and return to March Madness. Despite having a completely different roster than the previous two years, the Bulldogs surprised many this year. Led by MVC Coach of the Year Ben McCollum, the Bulldogs only lost three games in the Valley. Hired from Division II Northwest Missouri State, McCollum brought two of Drake’s most impactful players.
Junior guard Bennett Stirtz broke out and won MVC Player of the Year and MVC Newcomer of the Year, launching himself into NBA Draft conversations. Senior forward Daniel Abreu scored second on the team and made the MVC All-Defensive team. The one thing this team lacks is experience, and the only question is, will they be able to beat teams who have played in the ultra-competitive Arch Madness before? They’ve defied the odds all season, so I’m picking them to win Arch Madness.
Bradley
By Steffen White
The Braves are peaking at the right time, having won six of their last seven contests, including tilts against Drake on the road and Northern Iowa at home. Bradley started the year as the favorite to win the Valley, mainly due to its experience and retained starters. That still applies to upperclassmen Duke Deen, Darius Hannah, Zek Montgomery and Christian Davis.
Who knows what it takes to win this tournament? Head coach Brian Wardle will have his Braves ready. This is a better team than the previous Bradley teams that have come up short in years past. These seniors returned for one more shot at winning the Valley, and I don’t think they will let this opportunity go to waste.
Illinois State
By Owen Dimpfl
This might not be the most popular pick, but it is a dark-horse pick. The Redbirds have been up and down all season long, experiencing the highest of highs with wins over Bradley and Belmont, but they also battled inconsistencies from week to week. Illinois State closed the regular season by winning three of its last four games, and the offense is firing with Johnny Kinzinger and Chase Walker.
Illinois State’s path to an Arch Madness title certainly isn’t easy as the No. 5 seed and in the upper half of the bracket with top-seeded Drake. Their first-round and quarterfinal matchups will be against teams they have already beaten this season. If the Redbirds make it to the semifinal on Saturday, they could be in store for a third matchup against Drake. It’s hard to beat a team three times in a row, especially when Illinois State has only lost by a combined 11 points in both losses. Illinois State is a legitimate sleeper that could wreak havoc in St. Louis.
Belmont
By Latif Love
Belmont’s incredibly dynamic offense has made it one of the most dangerous teams in the Missouri Valley Conference all season. The Bruins lead the MVC in points per game, rank ninth in the nation in 3-point percentage, 37th in effective field goal percentage and 50th in offensive efficiency.
Belmont is led by seniors Johnathan Pierre and Carter Whitt and junior Tyler Lundblade, who all rank in the top 25 in scoring for the conference. Lundblade is especially dangerous. The sniper is ranked the third most efficient player in college basketball despite shooting a heavy diet of three-point shots.
However, the Bruins’ problems have come on the other side of the ball. Although Belmont is a handful, the Bruins have been easy pickings for opposing offenses. The team allows 77.7 points per game, the second-worst mark in the conference.
The team has thrived this season because they can outscore nearly any opponent, but if they want to leave St. Louis as champions, the Bruins will need to be a lot more focused on defense.
