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Thursday, November 28, 2024
Seventh-seeded Missouri State had No. 2 seed Evansville right where it wanted in the teams’ Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal Thursday night-tie game, 15 minutes to play, pressure squarely on the higher seed. Then, with quiet efficiency on its next three possessions against the Bears’ matchup zone defense, the Purple Aces scored six straight points-layup, layup, two free throws. Evansville would not trail again.
As conference tournament play picks up, we get reminded quickly of how great March basketball is. Plus one team’s star is done while another team’s complement returns, and more tournament action ahead.
Wichita State has earned much of the recognition in the Missouri Valley Conference this year, and deservedly so, but let it not be forgotten that Northern Iowa is the defending champion of Arch Madness. And there are plenty of veterans still around from that team who know how to get the job done again.
At the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, it’s the tradition unlike any other: the winner of the first round game between the eighth and ninth seeds annually goes on to give the top seed a hard time in the quarterfinals.
UAB won the regular season in Conference USA, but still has another hurdle to climb for the NCAA Tournament. If they pass that, they could be a sleeper once in the field.
In a tight early MAAC Tournament game, Rider eliminated Quinnipiac, with a little help from a fast second-half start and good rebounding.
In the latest edition of Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis, Ted and Phil Kasiecki get into the start of the best month of basketball, as Championship Week is now upon us.
With the way this season has played out from the first night, it’s no surprise whatsoever that it has taken just three days of conference tournaments to see complete destruction in some brackets.
Arkansas-Little Rock, San Diego State, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Valparaiso, Wichita State. All five share a lot in common as teams who are highly questionable to receive bids to this year’s NCAA tourney if they don’t win their conference tournaments. Those five also share something else in common, though: all will finish the season as sole, undisputed champions of conferences that play a double round-robin schedule.
Ahead of the announcement by the conference, as well as the conference tournament, we take a look at how one man voted for the CAA’s postseason awards.
