LOYOLA IS TOP SEED FOR 2018 STATE FARM MVC TOURNAMENT
From the Missouri Valley Conference
ST. LOUIS — Loyola (25-5, 15-3 MVC) is the State Farm MVC Tournament top seed after securing the league’s regular-season title with a gap of four games between it and second-seeded Southern Illinois. The regular-season title is the first for the Ramblers as an MVC member, having joined the Conference for the 2013-14 season.
In their previous four MVC seasons, Loyola has been seeded 10th (2014), 6th (2015), 8th (2016) and 5th (last year). The Feb. 24 victory against Illinois State extended Loyola’s winning streak to seven games and gives the Ramblers their most wins since 1984-85, when that squad went 27-6 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16.
It was a record-breaking regular season for Loyola, which established a new school standard with 15 conference wins, claimed its first outright conference title since 1984-85, and won its most overall games since that magical 1984-85 campaign.
Southern Illinois (19-12, 11-7 MVC) is the tournament’s No. 2 seed after finishing the season in sole possession of second place. The Salukis haven’t been as high as a No. 2 seed in the State Farm MVC Tournament since winning the league in 2007.
Meanwhile, Drake (16-15, 10-8 MVC) and Bradley (19-12, 9-9 MVC) will play one another in the first round again, having played against one another in the Opening Round in five of the past six seasons. This time, they will play as a No. 4 seed (Drake) and No. 5 seed (Bradley). Bradley was last seeded as high as No. 5 in 2010, while Drake hasn’t been better than a No. 4 since it won the regular-season title and the tournament in 2008.
Illinois State (16-14, 10-8 MVC) is the No. 3 seed by virtue of a tiebreaker (better RPI: 84) than Drake (162). Indiana State (13-17, 8-10 MVC) is the No. 6 seed; Valparaiso (15-16, 6-12 MVC) is the No. 10 seed; and seeds 7-8-9 were determined using the league’s final tiebreaker (adjusted RPI from the Sunday, Feb. 25, report of The RPI Report/Collegiate Basketball News).
Missouri State (RPI of 133), Evansville (137) and UNI (141) all tied for 7th place with identical 7-11 records and all split with one another during MVC play. MSU was awarded the No. 7 seed by virtue of a better RPI. Last year, RPI was used to break three ties in the standings (for No. 1/2 seed; for 6/7 seed and for 9/10 seed).
This year’s tournament is the 42nd MVC post-season tourney and 28th-straight in St. Louis.
The top seed has won the title eight times in St. Louis, but just five times in the past 11 tries (Drake-2008, UNI2009, UNI-2010, Creighton-2013, Wichita State-2014). Notably, only three times has a seed worse than No. 3 won the tournament (No. 4 Creighton in 2000, No. 5 Indiana State in 2001, and No. 4 UNI in 2016). And the tourney’s top two seeds are a combined 53-1 in their first games in the 27 years in St. Louis. Of current members, Southern Illinois and UNI own the most tournament titles, with five each. Other current members who have won an MVC Tournament title include Bradley (2), Drake (1), Illinois State (4), Indiana State (3) and Missouri State (1).
The tournament features nine games in four days and ends Sunday, March 4. For the 13th-straight year, CBS Sports will carry the title game, while the first six games will air on the MVC Television Network. CBS Sports Network will the two semifinal games on Saturday for the second-straight year. All nine games will air in the St. Louis metro area. KTRS Radio 550 AM will carry all games but the semifinals (Saturday), which will air on either WSDZ Radio 1260 AM (if Missouri State plays) or KXFN Radio 1380 AM (if Missouri State is eliminated). MSU games will air on KXFN Radio 1380 AM and will co-exist on KTRS Radio 550 AM for any Bears’ games on Thursday, Friday or Sunday.
In 2011, Missouri State became the first No. 1 MVC Tournament seed and regular-season champ in 18 years not selected for the NCAA Tournament. Notably, only six top-seeded teams in 40 MVC tournaments have failed to reach the NCAAs (Bradley-1982, Southern Illinois-1990, Southern Illinois-1992, Illinois State-1993, Missouri State-2011, and Illinois State-2017).
Thirty-eight of 41 previous tournament champions were seeded 1, 2, or 3. The top two seeds have had the most success, winning a combined 31 times, and the top two seeds have won 18 titles in St. Louis (in 27 total tries). The last 12 MVC tournament champions have consisted of five top seeds, five No. 2 seeds, a No. 3 seed, and a No. 4 seed.
Since the league expanded to its current 10-team format in 1997, only one team that has played in the opening round has reached the semifinals (won twice). Bradley, seeded No. 7 in 1998 (with a 9-9 league record), beat No. 10 Drake and then upset No. 2 Creighton, before falling in the semifinals to Missouri State. Notably, the sixth-seeded teams have recorded a combined 7-27 mark in tourney games played in St. Louis, although Missouri State won its first game as a No. 6 seed in 2017
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