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Arch Madness delivers chaos: Northern Iowa and UIC surge into wild MVC championship game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
If you love college basketball in March, the Missouri Valley Conference tournament has delivered exactly what fans hope for this time of year.
Upsets. Shockers. Brackets getting ripped apart in real time.
The first three days of Arch Madness in St. Louis have been absolute chaos, and now the tournament heads into Sunday’s championship game with a matchup few people predicted. No. 5 seed UIC will face No. 6 seed Northern Iowa with the MVC’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid on the line.
For a conference that has built a reputation on producing Cinderella stories, the road to the title game has already felt like its own March Madness preview.
Belmont’s dominant season ends in stunning fashion
Everything seemed to point toward Belmont entering the tournament.
The Bruins finished the regular season 26-5 and won the MVC outright with a 16-4 conference record. Coach Casey Alexander’s team looked like the clear favorite to win Arch Madness and return to the NCAA Tournament.
But March has a way of ignoring expectations.
In one of the biggest moments of the tournament so far, No. 9 seed Drake delivered a shocking 100-79 win over Belmont in the quarterfinals. Just like that, the top seed and tournament favorite was gone.
The loss was especially painful because Belmont likely needed the conference’s automatic bid to reach the NCAA Tournament. With a NET ranking outside the safest at-large range, the Bruins now appear headed for the NIT instead of March Madness.
And once Belmont fell, the entire bracket opened up.
The madness takes over in St. Louis
After Belmont’s early exit, the rest of the tournament quickly turned unpredictable.
Drake briefly looked like the team of destiny after pulling off the massive upset, but that momentum didn’t last long. UIC stepped in during the semifinals and controlled the game, beating the Bulldogs 72-51 to earn a spot in the championship.
On the other side of the bracket, Northern Iowa quietly built its own impressive run.
The Panthers rolled past Illinois State earlier in the tournament before delivering another surprise Saturday night with a 73-69 victory over No. 2 seed Bradley. It was a tough, physical game that Northern Iowa managed to control late.
When the dust settled, the championship matchup featured the No. 5 seed and the No. 6 seed.
That is Arch Madness in a nutshell.
More: Ohio Valley Conference crowns winner and heads to NCAA Tournament
Northern Iowa and UIC now one win from March
Both teams arrive at Sunday’s championship game playing their best basketball of the week.
UIC has looked comfortable throughout the tournament, defeating Murray State in the quarterfinals before shutting down Drake in the semifinals. The Flames have leaned on solid defense and balanced scoring to push through the bracket.
Northern Iowa has taken a slightly different path, grinding through tough games and relying on its defense and experience in close situations.
Now both programs are just one win away from the same goal.
An automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Another Valley Cinderella waiting to happen
The Missouri Valley Conference has long been one of the most entertaining leagues when March arrives.
This is the conference that has given college basketball unforgettable tournament runs from programs like Loyola Chicago and Wichita State. Northern Iowa has also delivered famous moments of its own on the national stage.
This year will add another chapter to that history.
With Belmont already out and the MVC expected to receive just one NCAA Tournament bid, Sunday’s championship game becomes a true winner-take-all moment.
One team will celebrate on the floor in St. Louis and head to March Madness.
The other will be left thinking about how close it came.
And if this year’s Arch Madness has shown anything, it is that the Missouri Valley Conference still knows how to create the kind of chaos that makes March basketball so much fun.
More college basketball news:
- Ohio Valley Conference crowns winner and heads to NCAA Tournament
- Cameron Boozer makes history for Duke in blowout win over North Carolina
- Duke puts final touches on top overall seed in NCAA Tournament
- Kansas star Darryn Peterson says he ‘might run It back’ for another season
- Dan Hurley ejected in UConn loss to Marquette as Big East could review incident
- LIU Sharks become first team into 2026 NCAA Tournament after unusual NEC situation
- John Calipari reaches coaching milestone that few in college basketball history have touched
- Kansas is flirting with a dangerous number that almost never wins the national title
- March Madness bubble watch: Indiana leads massive night of must-win games
- Arch Madness begins Thursday in St. Louis as Belmont leads deep Missouri Valley bracket
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