Arch Madness is upon us. The second-oldest conference in Division I is hosting its 50th conference championship tournament and 35th in St. Louis. Eleven teams will be vying for the Missouri Valley Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

It’s time to take a look at what this year’s tournament looks like and see what each team brings to the table.

First and Second Round matchups

Thursday Schedule:

Game 1: No. 8 Southern Illinois vs. No. 9 Drake (3:30 p.m.)

Game 2: No. 7 Valparaiso vs. No. 10 Indiana State (*6 p.m.)

Game 3: No. 6 Northern Iowa vs. No. 11 Evansville (*8:30 p.m.)

Friday Schedule:

Game 1: No. 1 Belmont vs. 8/9 Winner (noon)

Game 2: No. 4 Murray State vs. No. 5 Illinois-Chicago (*2:30 p.m.)

Game 3: No. 2 Bradley vs. 7/10 Winner (6 p.m.)

Game 4: No. 3 Illinois State vs. 6/11 Winner (*8:30 p.m.)

*Approximate game times

Belmont

The Bruins are the No. 1 overall seed in Arch Madness and are fresh off winning the MVC regular season title. They are led by graduate guard Tyler Lundblade. Lundblade averages 15.8 points per game and is ranked second in the nation in three-pointers made this season with 112. He is this year’s winner of the Larry Bird Player of the Year trophy, which was announced on March 4. Outside of Lundblade, Belmont has redshirt sophomores who are helping lead them into St. Louis. Forwards Sam Orme and Drew Scharnowski are second and third in scoring for the Bruins, respectively. They are the top two rebounders on the team, with Scharnowski averaging six a game and Orme averaging 5.1. Scharnowski was named to the All-MVC first team and Orme to the All-MVC second team. MVC Coach of the Year Casey Alexander has a deep squad that looks to capture their first MVC championship and get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019, when they were in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Bradley

Head coach Brian Wardle has coached his seventh 20-win team, the most in program history. It’s also his fourth straight 20-win season. To say Bradley isn’t a favorite to make it to championship Sunday is crazy. Some would say that this is the most physical team in the tournament, and in a tournament where all the games are more physical than any during the regular season, that could play to Bradley’s favor. Sophomore guard Jaquan Johnson leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game, which is 4.8 points per game more than the second leading scorer on the team. His 2.6 steals per game is the highest in the conference and good for sixth in the nation. Johnson is nicknamed “Bully” for the way he gets to the rim, absorbs contact and finishes at the basket. His 5’11”, 195-pound frame is not one you want to be in front of if he gets downhill off of a flat ball screen. Johnson was named as the team captain for the MVC’s most improved team on March 3, and played his way onto the All-MVC first team and All-MVC defensive team. Graduate guard Alex Huibregtse is the second on the team in scoring (12.6 PPG) after transferring to Peoria after spending 2020-2025 at Wright State. He was named to the All-MVC third team and All-Newcomer team. And you can’t talk about Bradley without mentioning their 7’1” paint presence, Ahmet Jonovic. While not a focal point of the offense, he leads the team in rebounds (5.4) and field goal percentage (52.5%).

Illinois State

In a pre-season poll by the professional and student media members of the MVC schools, Illinois State was picked to win the conference. The team that returned the most players in the conference from a season ago beat Belmont in the final game of the regular season. Their junior dynamic duo of Chase Walker and Johnny Kinziger has been the talk of the conference, despite finishing third. Walker leads the team in points and rebounds, averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Walker was named pre-season Player of the Year in The Valley and found his way to the All-MVC first team. Kinziger was second on the team in scoring (11.3 PPG) and led the Redbirds with 3.2 assists per game. His best scoring night this season came against Valpo when he dropped 21, but it feels like he’s due for a big game in St. Louis. The Redbirds have had high expectations all season long. Can they live up to them in the tournament?

Murray State

Fifteen new players, a first-year head coach and a brand new staff (outside of two people) helped lead the Racers to their best finish since joining The Valley in the 2022-2023 season. Ryan Miller used his connections to players he recruited during his assistant coach tenure to assemble a squad that looked like they might run away with the conference early on. Despite cooling off in late January, Murray State has all the tools to knock off anyone that stands in their way during Arch Madness. Senior guard Javon Jackson has been the lead scorer for the Racers all season long, finishing the season averaging 16.2 points per game. The All-MVC second team member also leads the team in steals, which isn’t saying much for the worst defensive team in the league, but Miller (or any coach for that matter) won’t turn down extra possessions. Senior center Fred King had Racer Nation excited to have a big man who could battle with the likes of Walker for Illinois State and Scharnowski for Belmont. His 13 points and 8.4 rebounds per game will have teams keeping an eye on him the whole tournament. He won the league’s Newcomer of the Year award. We can’t talk about Murray State without talking about the “French phenom,” freshman forward Roman Domon. After making his first start against UIC on Feb. 3, he has drawn attention from national media outlets. He’s second on the team in scoring (13.9), rebounds (5.1) and steals (1.1). He’s been a fan favorite all season and is the winner of both the Freshman and Sixth Man of the Year awards. The team is deep, and if they get out to a hot start in any game in St. Louis, they’ll be a tough out.

UIC

After a 0-4 start in league play, the Flames ripped off an eight-game win streak to find themselves in the conversation for a first-round bye in Arch Madness. In one of the more interesting matchups of the weekend, they have to play Murray State for a third time. They only lost the first two matchups by a combined 11 points, and a case could be made that they might’ve won the second game if sophomore guard Elijah Crawford didn’t get ejected early within the first few minutes of the contest. Besides that, UIC can battle with any team they may face. Crawford leads the team with 13.2 points per game, 4.6 assists per game and 1.4 steals per game despite only appearing in 19 games this season. After being named to the All-MVC second team, it goes without saying that he’s an X-factor for the Flames. Junior guard Ahmad Henderson II will be a tough guard for whoever is matched up against him. His averages may be less than Crawford’s, but he played the full season. Freshman guard Andy Johnson is the third-highest scorer for the Flames, averaging 11.7 points per game. While his game totals during league play don’t leap off the page, he did still put up 25 points against Bradley while shooting 63% from the field. He was named to the All-Freshman team. This team beat some of the best teams in the league and was in close games with the ones they didn’t beat. UIC controls their own destiny in St. Louis.

Northern Iowa

UNI does not score many points, averaging 69.3 per game. They also don’t allow teams to score a lot of points, averaging 61.1 points scored by opponents. Their scoring defense is No. 1 in the country. If ever there was a team whose calling card was defense, the Panthers are that team. Head coach Ben Jacobson, in his 20th season, has UNI in a prime position to be the best team that didn’t receive a bye. Senior guard Trey Campbell is the No. 1 option for the Panthers. His 13.2 points per game, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals lead the team and booked him a spot on the All-MVC first team. Campbell has continued to improve in each of his four years at UNI and will be a key factor for the Panthers. Redshirt junior Leon Bond III is the second leading scorer and team leader in rebounds and blocks. If Campbell isn’t stealing the ball, Bond may be swatting a shot attempt. The exact reason why he was named to the All-Defensive team. They say defense wins championships. Can UNI prove that sentiment right?

Valparaiso

Valpo might be the sleeper to do some major damage in St. Louis. The Beacons went 7-3 in their last 10 games of the year, and if not for an Evansville buzzer-beater, they had a chance to get a top-five seed in Arch Madness. They’re the seventh seed in the tournament, but have wins over UIC, UNI, Bradley and only lost by a combined five points in their two games against top-seeded Belmont. Led by a two-headed monster of redshirt senior forward Owen Dease and freshman forward JT Pettigrew. Dease leads the team with 13.2 points per game and has the team’s highest free-throw percentage. Dease’s play earned him a spot on the All-MVC third team. Pettigrew is one of six true freshmen on the Beacons roster and has won several Freshman of the Week awards this season. He averages 12.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.5 per game. Pettigrew was named to the All-Newcomer and All-Freshman teams. Valpo was a semi-finalist at Arch Madness last year. Can head coach Roger Powell get the Beacons to the championship game this year?

Southern Illinois

SIU’s season was fine. They finished above .500 for the whole season by a single game and went 10-10 in conference play. Something the Salukis can hang their hat on from the regular season is that they’re one of five teams that beat top-ranked Belmont. The Salukis kick off Arch Madness when they meet Drake for a rubber match after the teams split the season series. Head coach Scott Nagy would probably love to get past the Bulldogs and get another shot at Belmont (who they also split the season series with), but despite a down year from Drake, they may not want to overlook them. The Salukis will be relying on sophomore guard Quel’ron House to carry a lot of the load for them. His 14.7 points, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game are all team-highs. He averages 4.7 points per game more than the next highest scorer on the team. His contributions earned him a spot on both the All-MVC second team and the All-Newcomer team. It’s not fair to say that the Salukis won’t find success if he gets locked down, but it may be harder. Redshirt sophomore guard Drew Steffe averages 10 points and 2.6 assists per game for the Salukis. A reliable second option offensively that can take some pressure off of House if not kept in check.

Drake

The back-to-back-to-back MVC tournament champions find themselves in a much different spot than in the past five years. The Bulldogs have had a bye each of the past five tournaments and this year sit in the nine seed, kicking off this year’s edition of Arch Madness. Their 12-19 record is the worst record they’ve had since the 2017-2018 season, when they finished 17-17. Drake only has one player averaging double-digit points this year, and that is senior guard Jalen Quinn. His 19.4 points per game leads the league and he was named to the All-MVC first team and the All-Newcomer team. Drake and SIU will play in their third matchup of the season after splitting the regular season series. Despite a nine-game losing streak to finish the season, the Bulldogs will look to turn the page and get back to championship Sunday.

Indiana State

The Sycamores haven’t been able to find the same success they had since Josh Schertz was head coach in the 2023-2024 season, where they finished the season 32-7. Despite only winning 11 games this year and being the 10th seed, their matchup against Valpo on the opening day of Arch Madness might be the most intriguing of the first two rounds. In both of their matchups against the Beacons this season, they lost by a combined five points. Indiana State got a jolt of momentum after ending the season with a 16-point win over UIC on Senior Day. The Sycamores are led by graduate forward Ian Scott, whose 13.5 points per game leads the team and is the eighth highest in the conference. He also leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.5 per game. Graduate guard Camp Wagner is second in scoring average (11.8 PPG) and is third in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (34.4%). While the Sycamores have struggled this season, they have wins over Belmont and Illinois State. Can head coach Matthew Graves and the Sycamores make a miracle run to the Arch Madness title game?

Evansville

The Purple Aces finished last in the conference this season. Only seven wins on the year and three in league play. They only average 67.2 points per game as a team and their first-round matchup is against UNI, who allows the least amount of points scored in the country. To say they have the toughest path through Arch Madness, while obvious, might be an understatement. Senior forward AJ Casey was a massive bright spot for Evansville, leading the team in points per game (13.2 PPG) and field goal percentage (51.7%). He was the only Purple Ace to be named to an All-MVC team, finding his way onto the third team. Senior forward Conor Turnbull has only appeared in 16 games this year, but could be the shot of adrenaline that Evansville needs to make a surprising splash in Arch Madness.

And there you have it, a glimpse into each team as we get prepared for Arch Madness. This is widely considered one of the best conference tournaments every year, and this year certainly shouldn’t disappoint. Enjoy the tournament and all of the fun college basketball games that are ahead. Let the Madness begin!