The first day of Arch Madness took place in St. Louis today, featuring four matchups to kick off a jam-packed weekend of basketball.
Below is a brief look at each of the games that officially opened the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament’s first round.
No. 8 Southern Illinois vs. No. 9 Indiana State
Indiana State, which faced Southern Illinois in its last game Sunday on Senior Day, failed to replicate its 18-point win from Terre Haute, falling to the Salukis 86-85 on Thursday.
The game started with a high-scoring first half, as both teams combined for 90 points heading into the break. The Sycamores came out strong behind sharpshooter Camp Wagner, who knocked down three 3-pointers early. However, Indiana State endured a four-minute field goal drought late in the first half, allowing the Salukis to take a 47-43 lead.
In the second half, both teams traded blows, but Davion Sykes sealed the win with a clutch game-winning layup with 4.1 seconds left.
Southern Illinois advances to face No. 1 seed Drake on Friday at 1 p.m. ET, while Indiana State concludes a tough season in the post-Josh Schertz era.
Key Performers:
- Ali Dibba (Southern Illinois): 30 points, 9 rebounds
- Aaron Gray (Indiana State): 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3-5 from 3-point range
- Kenard Davis Jr. (Southern Illinois): 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4-7 from 3-point range
No. 5 Illinois State vs. No. 12 Missouri State
On paper, Illinois State was favored in this matchup, and the Redbirds lived up to expectations, cruising to a 70-54 win.
Missouri State struggled offensively throughout the first half, shooting just 31% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Illinois State tallied 38 first-half points, with 13 coming from the hot hand of Johnny Kinziger.
The second half followed a similar script, as the Bears attempted to claw back but were hindered by continued shooting woes — particularly from 3-point range, where they finished just 5 of 19 to close the contest.
Illinois State moves on to face No. 4 seed Belmont at 3:30 p.m. ET Friday, while a tumultuous season and time in the Missouri Valley Conference for Cuonzo Martin and the Bears comes to an end.
Key Performers:
- Johnny Kinziger (Illinois State): 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3-5 from 3-point range
- Michael Osei-Bonsu (Missouri State): 10 points, 6 rebounds, 5-5 from the field
- Chase Walker (Illinois State): 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
No. 7 Murray State vs. No. 10 Evansville
The first game of the evening session saw Murray State defeat Evansville 74-53.
The opening half featured plenty of missed shots and turnovers, but the Racers capitalized on their hot 3-point shooting, hitting seven triples at a 50% clip.
The second half followed suit, with Murray State knocking down seven more 3-pointers — including four from Terence Harcum — while playing physical defense to stifle Evansville’s offense.
With the win, Murray State advances to face No. 2 seed Bradley at 7 p.m. ET Friday in Arch Madness. Evansville’s season comes to a close.
Key Performers:
- Terence Harcum (Murray State): 31 points, 10-11 from the field, 7-7 from 3-point range
- Connor Turnbull (Evansville): 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks
- Kylen Milton (Murray State): 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4-6 from 3-point range
No. 6 UIC vs No. 11 Valparaiso
Valparaiso closed out the evening with an upset victory over UIC, 67-47, securing the final spot in the quarterfinals and avenging a regular-season finale loss to the Flames.
The game started sluggishly, with both teams enduring prolonged scoring droughts. In the first 11 minutes, they combined for just 27 points.
Valparaiso found its rhythm in the final nine minutes of the half, led by Cooper Schwieger, who scored 15 of the Beacons’ 37 points to take a 37-21 halftime lead.
The second half was “All Wright” for Valparaiso, as the Beacons guard — one of the best names in college hoops—helped seal the win with 10 second-half points, finishing with 22 overall.
Strong performances from Wright and Schwieger, coupled with UIC’s shooting struggles, secured the late-night victory to close out Day 1 of the MVC Tournament.
Valparaiso advances to face No. 3 seed Northern Iowa at 9:30 p.m. ET. Friday in Arch Madness. UIC, meanwhile, ends a season that exceeded expectations.
Key Performers:
- All Wright (Valparaiso): 22 points, 9-16 from the field, 3-6 from3-point range
- Ethan Pickett (UIC): 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1-3 from 3-point range
- Cooper Schwieger (Valparaiso): 17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks
