This season, Missouri Valley basketball had four teams battling for the top spot. Northern Iowa stole it away from Loyola (Chicago) after beating them on the final day of the regular season. There really is no clear-cut favorite in the Missouri Valley basketball tournament this year, but many people will tell you that the Ramblers are. In reality, this is truly a four-team race between Loyola, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, and Drake. This should be a tough competitive MVC Tournament and one of the most electric ones this year. The following contains the Missouri Valley Tournament bracket and schedule, as well as a preview of what we can expect to see.
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Missouri Valley Basketball Standings
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Seed |
| Northern Iowa | 14-4 | 18-10 | 1 seed |
| Missouri State | 13-5 | 22-9 | 2 seed |
| Drake | 13-5 | 22-9 | 3 seed |
| Loyola Chicago | 13-5 | 22-7 | 4 seed |
| Bradley | 11-7 | 17-13 | 5 seed |
| Southern Illinois | 9-9 | 16-14 | 6 seed |
| Valparaiso | 6-12 | 13-17 | 7 seed |
| Illinois State | 5-13 | 12-19 | 8 seed |
| Indiana State | 4-14 | 11-19 | 9 seed |
| Evansville | 2-16 | 6-23 | 10 seed |
Missouri Valley Tournament Schedule
Dates: March 3-6
TV Schedule: ESPN+ (First Round, Quarterfinals); CBSSN (Semifinals); CBS (Championship)
Venue: Enterprise Center – St. Louis, MO
Byes: Top 6 teams get single
Defending Champion: Loyola (Chicago)
Missouri Valley Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (7) Valparaiso 81, (10) Evansville 59
- (8) Illinois State 58, (9) Indiana State 53
Quarterfinals
- (1) Northern Iowa 78, (8) Illinois State 65
- (2) Missouri State 67, (7) Valparaiso 58
- (3) Drake 65, (6) Southern Illinois 52
- (4) Loyola (Chicago) 66, (5) Bradley 50
Semifinals
- (4) Loyola (Chicago) 66, (1) Northern Iowa 43
- (3) Drake 79, (2) Missouri State 78 (OT)
Championship Game
- (4) Loyola (Chicago) 64, (3) Drake 58
Loyola (Chicago) advances to NCAA Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference Breakdown
This year has been wide open in Missouri Valley basketball. Usually, Loyola (Chicago) or Northern Iowa separates themselves from the pack, but that has not been the case in 2022. The defending champion Ramblers are again a force to be reckoned with in the nip-and-tuck MVC. However, it wouldn’t come as a shock to see them lose to Bradley in the First Round of the MVC Tournament bracket. Northern Iowa, on the other hand, saw its season get off to a brutal start. They quietly finished the year off by winning nine of their final 10 games to land the 1-seed in the Missouri Valley Tournament.
Missouri State, Drake, and Bradley sort of fall into the conference’s “Tier Two”. Drake has respectable wins over Richmond, Northern Iowa, and Loyola (Chicago) twice this season. Led by guard Tucker Devries, the Bulldogs have what it takes to make a run through the MVC Tournament bracket. Missouri State has been surprisingly strong this season. A big part of their success has been strong shooting and turnover-free margin. The Bears finished the regular season ranked 18th in three-point percentage, seventh in points scored, 35th in points per game, fifth in free throw percentage, and 28th in turnovers. Isaiah Mosley and Gaige Prim lead the way for the Bears with both players averaging 15+ points per game.
The last team on this second tier is Bradley. The Braves won the Missouri Valley basketball tournament in both 2019 and ’20 and are a sneaky team again this season. They have wins over Northern Iowa, Loyola (Chicago) and Drake. However, they did lose to Missouri State by narrow margins twice. Bradley’s philosophy is focused on controlling the boards and playing tough defense. They also have a trio of players averaging in double figures scoring.
Team Stats | 2022 Missouri Valley Basketball Tournament
(1) Northern Iowa Panthers
NET Ranking: 97 (No. 5 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 90 (No. in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 111.6 (No. 43)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 102.8 (No. 155)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +3.62 (No. 97)
(2) Missouri State Bears
NET Ranking: 65 (No. 2 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 61 (No. 2 in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 114.6 (No. 22)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 102.3 (No. 146)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.72 (No. 136)
(3) Drake Bulldogs
NET Ranking: 89 (No. 3 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 88 (No. 3 in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 109.1 (No. 76)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 100.1 (No. 106)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.80 (No. 133)
(4) Loyola (Chicago) Ramblers
NET Ranking: 31 (No. 1 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 32 (No. 1 in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 112.5 (No. 31)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 96.7 (No. 49)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +2.70 (No. 109)
(5) Bradley Braves
NET Ranking: 96 (No. 4 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 91 (No. 4 in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 106.0 (No. 132)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 97.2 (No. 59)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +1.44 (No. 124)
(6) Southern Illinois Salukis
NET Ranking: 130 (No. 6 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 119 (No. 6 in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 103.6 (No. 179)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 99.2 (No. 89)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +0.48 (No. 142)
(7) Valparaiso Beacons
NET Ranking: 217 (No. 8 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 211 (No. 8 in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 103.2 (No. 188)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 106.4 (No. 233)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +1.36 (No. 126)
(8) Illinois State Redbirds
NET Ranking: 194 (No. 7 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 184 (No. 7 in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 106.5 (No. 124)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 107.6 (No. 258)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +1.09 (No. 130)
(9) Indiana State Sycamores
NET Ranking: 233 (No. 9 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 230 (No. 9 in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 99.8 (No. 259)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 104.3 (No. 186)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +3.32 (No. 103)
(10) Evansville Purple Aces
NET Ranking: 321 (No. 10 in MVC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 311 (No. 10 in MVC)
Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 93.0 (No. 339)
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 106.2 (No. 228)
Strength of Schedule Rating: +2.96 (No. 106)
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