Two of the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference faced major challenges in the MVC tournament Friday, with Missouri State winning a narrow victory over Southern Illinois and the defending champs, Northern Iowa, losing 60-57 to Creighton. Only the Wichita State Shockers won convincingly, opening up a 13-point lead over Bradley in the first half on their way to a 70-56 victory. They'll join Missouri State, Creighton, and Indiana State in the sem-final round of the MVC Tournament bracket. Today's TV schedule is a little less crowded than yesterday's, but I'll explain it to you anyway, in the spirit of Arch Madness.
Missouri State and fifth-seeded Creighton will face off at 1:35 on Fox Sports Midwest; after a reasonable grieving period Missouri Valley Conference fans will be allowed, discreetly, to watch Wichita State and Indiana State at 4:05. If Creighton wins they will join the winner of that game at 1:05 on CBS Sunday, just one win away from finally earning that "Creighton State" monicker they've wanted for so long.
Missouri State, victimized by Mamadou Seck all night, will be pleasantly surprised to learn that he's not allowed to join Creighton for either game.