A thrilling 2018 Missouri Valley Tournament came to a close Sunday afternoon at the Scottrade Center between No. 1 seeded Loyola and No. 3 seeded Illinois State. It ended with the Ramblers doing their usual thing, and that is winning basketball games. For the first time since 1985, Loyola is heading to the NCAA Tournament…
By: Sammy Stava @StavaOnSTL No. 3 seeded Illinois State was looking to get back to the MVC Tournament Championship game from a season ago. The Redbirds needed one more win, but first they had to get past No. 2 seeded Southern Illinois. Just like every game in this year’s Arch Madness, it has been tough…
By: Sammy Stava @StavaOnSTL The last team to beat No. 1 seeded Loyola was No 5 seeded Bradley back on January 31st. The two teams met again for an MVC Semifinal clash Saturday afternoon at the Scottrade Center, the first of two games between all Illinois schools. There was a different outcome this time around,…
By: Sammy Stava @StavaOnSTL After falling short in the MVC Tournament Championship Game one year ago, No. 3 seeded Illinois State started their quest for a redemption run Friday night at the Scottrade Center against No. 6 seeded Indiana State. The Redbirds looked motivated all night long as they took a big step forward in…
By: Sammy Stava @StavaOnSTL The first two meetings between No. 2 seeded Southern Illinois and No. 7 seeded Missouri State were decided by a combined three points. The Salukis won them both, 79-77 on January 27th and 81-80 in overtime on February 14th , and they’ve also won seven consecutive games against the Bears. Missouri…
By: Sammy Stava @StavaOnSTL For the first time since the 2009-2010 season, No. 5 seeded Bradley earned a first-round bye to the MVC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Braves relished that opportunity and played like a top-five seeded team, especially in the second half. Down 35-27 at halftime, Bradley got exactly what they needed, a 12-0 run…
By: Sammy Stava @StavaOnSTL At halftime of the first game of MVC Quarterfinal Friday, Clayton Custer, the MVC Larry Bird Player of the Year and No. 1 seed Loyola’s leading scorer was held scoreless at the half. That may have been worrisome for the Ramblers, but Porter Moser’s team still led 25-21 at the break…
By: Sammy Stava @StavaOnSTL In the Thursday prime-time tilt between No. 7 Missouri State and No. 10 Valparaiso, something had to give. Missouri State senior and NBA prospect Alize Johnson’s college days are almost coming to a close, and the Valparaiso Crusaders were making their MVC Tournament debut. It has been a disappointing season to…
By: Sammy Stava @StavaOnSTL Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson was in unfamiliar territory Thursday night in St. Louis at the Scottrade Center. For the first time in his 12-year career at UNI, his Panthers team was playing in the first round at the MVC Tournament. Though playing under that scenario didn’t seem to rattle…
By: Sammy Stava              The Missouri Valley regular season came to a close on Saturday, and now it’s on to the MVC Tournament, where 10 teams will play for their postseason lives to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. There were five games played on Saturday, most notably top-seeded Loyola winning their…