Hunting a Bye

Five of Top Six Valley Teams in Action

(St. Louis, MO) – Six Missouri Valley Conference teams are hunting a bye at Arch Madness. While Belmont hasn’t wrapped the championship just yet, the Bruins have virtually assured themselves the ability to by-pass St. Louis’ Thursday games.

Five of the league’s top six teams are playing Monday night. UIC has the day off.

The league’s top five teams receive a first round bye at the conference tournament and the aforementioned Bruins have a two game lead over Murray State. They lead Bradley and Illinois State by three (on the loss side).

Valley teams have six or seven games remaining before the March 5 tip-off of Arch Madness. The bottom five teams are trying to build momentum prior the St. Louis ‘family reunion’.

Top Teams Hunting a Bye

Belmont (22-3, 12-2) @ Bradley (16-9, 9-5) – 7 pm – ESPN+

Bradley is trying to stay relevant in the regular season title and in a five team battle for the other four bye spots. The young Braves are still looking for some consistency. After winning their first three league contests Brian Wardle’s team has gone 6-5 with never winning or losing more than three in-a-row.

Including Monday’s game with Belmont, Bradley plays four of its final six against the other top teams.

Belmont is not only the Valley’s top team, but it is one of the nation’s top road teams. The Bruins are 10-1 in true road games but Bradley is 11-1 at home. So something has to give Monday.

Northern Iowa (15-9, 7-6) @ Murray State (18-7, 10-4) – 9 pm – CBS Sports Network

UNI is hunting for a bye, but the Racers are trying to keep their regular season title hopes alive. Each of these teams have rebounded from a mid-season down turn. After losing five in a row, the Panthers have won two straight and three of their last four games.

Murray State dropped four-in-a-row and have rebounded and won their last two to stay within arm’s reach of Belmont.

Northern Iowa’s slump coincided with the injury to forward Tristan Smith. He played eight minutes in the Panthers’ most recent win.

Murray needs to take care of business Monday and then Thursday against Indiana State before hosting Belmont next Saturday.

Illinois State (16-8, 8-5) @ Evansville (5-19, 1-12) – 7 pm – ESPN+

The Redbirds need to take care of business against last place Evansville. Illinois State has split its last four games and the defending CBI champs are still looking for answers. Guards Johnny Kinziger and Jack Daugherty have struggled to find their groove, but the Redbirds continue to defend and rebound well.

UE’s disappointing season has been tempered by the outstanding play of freshman guard Leif Moeller. The German-born rookie is the leagues’s twelfth leading scorer (13.6 ppg) and tied for second in assists (3.8).

Staying Relevant in the Race

Valparaiso (12-12, 6-7) @ Drake (12-13, 6-8) – 6:30 pm – ESPN+

These two still have a chance to fight their way into the top five, but the loser of this game is likely eliminated from that competition. Valpo has won four of its last six games and the Beacons are having their best-ever MVC season. Drake has been fighting uphill all season and after winning three straight games to jump into that top five conversation, the Bulldogs dropped three in-a-row.

Bulldog guard Jalen Quinn is the Valley’s top scorer (19.9 ppg).

Trying to Find Hope

Southern Illinois (10-14, 4-9) @ Indiana State (10-14, 3-10) – 6 pm – ESPN+

Neither of these teams are happy with their seasons, but they have had their moments. These two dealt Belmont their two losses and they both defeated Illinois State. Indiana State lost a triple overtime game to Bradley and lost by two at both Drake and UIC.

While SIU struggles offensively, but the Egyptian Dawgs are a passionate defensive team. Scott Nagy’s team ranks second in steals and in blocked shots. The Sycamores lead the Valley in assists, but injuries to their post players has been a constant struggle.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo, courtesy of BradleyBraves.com.