NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Breakdown: Missouri Valley Conference

Dates:  March 3-6

Bracket:  Missouri Valley

Sites:  All games will be played in St. Louis, MO.

Television:  The championship will be broadcast on CBS.

Tourney Fact:  The top seed has won the conference tournament the last three years.

Favorites:  Missouri St. (23-7, 15-3), led by conference player of the year Kyle Weems, was the top team in the Valley during the regular season, but Wichita St. (23-7, 14-4) has been right with Bears all season.  The Shockers would love to meet Missouri St. in the championship to avenge two earlier losses.  It looks more and more like the Missouri Valley is a one-bid-conference that makes this tournament extra special.

Best of the Rest:  Indiana St. (17-13, 12-6) played both Missouri St. and Wichita St. tough during the regular season.  So don’t be surprised if the Sycamores pull an upset and slide into the final.

Sleeper:  It may be hard to call the two-time defending champion Northern Iowa (19-12, 10-8) a sleeper, given the fact the Panthers are more than capable of knocking off the top seed and advancing to the title game. 

Also, check out other conference tournament breakdowns: Big South Conference, Horizon League, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, and America East Conference