2018 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament

The 2018 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament, popularly referred to as "Arch Madness", was the postseason men's basketball tournament that completed the 2017–18 season in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Tournament was held at the Scottrade Center, now known as the Enterprise Center, in St. Louis, Missouri from March 1–4, 2018.

2018 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament
ClassificationDivision I
Season2017–18
Teams10
SiteScottrade Center
St. Louis, Missouri
ChampionsLoyola–Chicago (1st title)
Winning coachPorter Moser (1st title)
MVPDonte Ingram (Loyola–Chicago)
TelevisionCBS, CBSSN, MVC TV (ESPN3)
← 2017
2019 →
2017–18 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Loyola Chicago 15 3   .833 32 6   .842
Southern Illinois 11 7   .611 20 13   .606
Illinois State 10 8   .556 18 15   .545
Drake 10 8   .556 17 17   .500
Bradley 9 9   .500 20 13   .606
Indiana State 8 10   .444 13 18   .419
Missouri State 7 11   .389 18 15   .545
Evansville 7 11   .389 17 15   .531
Northern Iowa 7 11   .389 16 16   .500
Valparaiso 6 12   .333 15 17   .469
2018 MVC tournament winner

The Tournament marked the first tournament with Valparaiso as a member of the MVC, having replaced Wichita State when the Shockers joined the American Athletic Conference in June 2017.

The tournament's top seed, Loyola–Chicago defeated the No. 3 seed Illinois State in the championship game to receive the Missouri Valley's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Seeds

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Teams were seeded by conference record, with ties broken by overall record in conference games played between the tied teams, then (if necessary) by overall adjusted RPI on the day following the conclusion of the regular season as calculated in Collegiate Basketball News' Men's RPI Report. The top six seeds received opening round byes.

With a win at Southern Illinois on February 21, Loyola–Chicago clinched the outright MVC championship and the No. 1 seed.[1]

Seed School Conference Tiebreaker 1 Tiebreaker 2
1 Loyola–Chicago 15–3
2 Southern Illinois 11–7
3 Illinois State 10–8 1–1 vs. Drake RPI: 84
4 Drake 10–8 1–1 vs. Illinois St RPI: 162
5 Bradley 9–9
6 Indiana State 8–10
7 Missouri State 7–11 1–1 vs. Evansville,
1–1 vs. N. Iowa
RPI: 133
8 Evansville 7–11 1–1 vs. Missouri St,
1–1 vs. N. Iowa
RPI: 137
9 Northern Iowa 7–11 1–1 vs. Missouri St,
1–1 vs. Evansville
RPI: 141
10 Valparaiso 6–12

Schedule

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Game Time * Matchup Score Television
Opening round – Thursday, March 1
1 6:00 pm No. 8 Evansville vs. No. 9 Northern Iowa 50–60 MVC TV [ESPN3]
2 8:30 pm No. 7 Missouri State vs. No. 10 Valparaiso 83–79
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 2
3 12:00 pm No. 1 Loyola–Chicago vs. No. 9 Northern Iowa 54–50 MVC TV [ESPN3]
4 2:30 pm No. 4 Drake vs. No. 5 Bradley 61–63
5 6:00 pm No. 2 Southern Illinois vs. No. 7 Missouri State 67–63
6 8:30 pm No. 3 Illinois State vs. No. 6 Indiana State 77–70
Semifinals – Saturday, March 3
7 2:30 pm No. 1 Loyola–Chicago vs. No. 5 Bradley 62–54 CBSSN
8 5:00 pm No. 2 Southern Illinois vs. No. 3 Illinois State 68–76 OT
Final – Sunday, March 4
9 1:00 pm No. 1 Loyola–Chicago vs. No. 3 Illinois State 65–49 CBS
* Game times in CST; rankings denote tournament seed.

Tournament bracket

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Opening round
Thursday, March 1
MVC TV/ESPN3
Quarterfinals
Friday, March 2
MVC TV/ESPN3
Semifinals
Saturday, March 3
CBSSN
Final
Sunday, March 4
CBS
            
1 Loyola–Chicago 54
9 Northern Iowa 50
8 Evansville 50
9 Northern Iowa 60
1 Loyola–Chicago 62
5 Bradley 54
4 Drake 61
5 Bradley 63
1 Loyola–Chicago 65
3 Illinois State 49
2 Southern Illinois 67
7 Missouri State 63
7 Missouri State 83
10 Valparaiso 79
2 Southern Illinois 68
3 Illinois State 76*
3 Illinois State 77
6 Indiana State 70

* denotes overtime period

References

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  1. ^ Greenstein, Teddy (February 21, 2018). "Loyola clinches Missouri Valley title with 75–56 win over Southern Illinois". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 22, 2018.