The Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball tournament, currently promoted as Hoops in the Heartland, is an annual basketball tournament which features the women's basketball teams of each of the Missouri Valley Conference member universities. The tournament determines which MVC team receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.
| Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference basketball championship | |
| Sport | College basketball |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | Vibrant Arena at The MARK |
| Current location | Moline, Illinois |
| Played | 1983, 1987–1992 (as Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament) 1993–present (as MVC Tournament) |
| Last contest | 2024 |
| Current champion | Drake Bulldogs |
| Most championships | Missouri State Lady Bears (11) |
| Official website | MVC-Sports.com Women's Basketball |
First held at the end of the 1982–83 basketball season, the tournament was originally conducted by the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference, a women's sports conference formed in that school year by six MVC members plus four members of what is now known as the Summit League. In 1985, the Gateway took on football as its only men's sport. Following the 1991–92 school year, the MVC absorbed the women's side of the Gateway (which by that time had eight MVC members) and spun off its football side into what is now the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The MVC maintains all historic records of Gateway women's sports.
Tournament champions by year
editTournament championships by school
edit| School | # of Tournament Championships | Last Tournament Championship |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri State | 11 | 2019 |
| Drake | 9 | 2024 |
| Illinois State | 5 | 2022 |
| Wichita State† | 3 | 2015 |
| Creighton† | 2 | 2012 |
| Evansville | 2 | 2009 |
| Northern Iowa | 2 | 2011 |
| Southern Illinois | 2 | 1990 |
| Bradley | 1 | 2021 |
| Eastern Illinois† | 1 | 1988 |
- †Former member of the MVC
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "WBB Tournament Championship: Drake 74, UNI 69 (OT)". The Valley (Missouri Valley Conference). March 12, 2017. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017.
- ^ "WBB Tournament Championship: Drake 75, UNI 63". Missouri Valley Conference. March 11, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "Lady Bears Capture 11th MVC Tourney Title with 94-79 Win Over No. 21 Drake". Missouri Valley Conference. March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ^ "Valley Champs Set to Dance". Bradley University. March 14, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ "Illinois State Claims MVC WBB Tournament Title with 50-48 Win Over UNI" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "MVC Hoops in the Heartland Championship - Drake 89, Belmont 71" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. March 12, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Drake Punches Its Ticket to NCAA Tournament". Missouri Valley Conference. March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.