Drake’s Atin Wright celebrates his team taking a late lead in its game against Bradley, Saturday evening at Enterprise Center. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
ST. LOUIS, MO — An entire season of back and forth games and tense, emotional battles will come down to the best two teams squaring off one last time on Sunday, when Missouri Valley Conference regular season champion Indiana State takes on defending conference tournament champion Drake in the 2024 Arch Madness championship game.
Top-seeded Indiana State reached the final by burrowing through Northern Iowa in the semifinals, while Drake had to battle back from an early 14-point deficit to take down a tough Bradley club that came to Enterprise Center with upset on its mind.
Sunday’s winner will not only claim the league crown but also the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament that comes with it.
Some think both teams deserve to be in the tournament no matter who wins on Sunday, but the only way to know for sure you’re in is to win on Sunday.
The Sycamores and Bulldogs have met twice before this season, with each team winning the matchup on its home floor. Now at a neutral site, where Madness is always happening, the chance to leave no doubt about who the champ should be comes on Sunday. Tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m., with the game being televised nationally on CBS.
MVC Arch Madness Tournament
Saturday, March 10, Championship Sunday — Enterprise Center
Championship Game – No. 2 Drake vs. No. 1 Indiana State, 1 pm, CBS
The top three seeds, Indiana State, Drake, and Bradley, all won in blowouts, while No. 4 seed Northern Iowa was tested, but held on for a tense win over No. 5 seed Belmont.
Here’s a quick recap of Saturday’s semifinal games:
#1 Indiana State 94, #4 Northern Iowa 72
The top-seeded Sycamores simply blew the doors off No. 4 seed Northern Iowa on Saturday.
Indiana State was up by 10 points, five minutes into the game and never led by less than eight points at any point the rest of the game.
The key stretch came in the first 10 minutes of the second half, when Indiana State outscored Northern Iowa 26-11 to turn a somewhat close 44-33 halftime lead into a 70-46 blowout.
Overall, the Sycamores hits 15 three-pointers, led by all-conference big man Robbie Avila, who drained five — including four in a row in the early part of the first half. Avila finished with a game-high 21 points.
Teammate Isaiah Swope also hit five three’s and finished with 15 points. Sophomore Ryan Conwell had a big day as well. He finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
Indiana State (28-5) will now head into the MVC Tournament championship game on Sunday, where it will face Drake (27-6). Jacob Hutson had 21 points for Northern Iowa, which finished its season with a 19-15 record.
#2 Drake 72, #3 Bradley 67
Bradley jumped on top early, but couldn’t make that lead stick, as Drake rallied back to tie the game at halftime.
Then in the second half, the Bulldogs hit a couple of clutch shots in the late going and were able to hold off the Braves for a 72-67 win.
Junior Atin Wright scored 20 points — 15 in the second half, including a pair of back-to-back three’s that gave Drake the lead for good with six minutes to go. Teammate Tucker DeVries, the MVC’s Player of the Year, added 17 points, including a jumper with 25 seconds to go that gave the Bulldogs the breathing room it needed to finish off the night.
Drake is now 27-6 on the season. Bradley, which was led by Connor Hickman’s game-high 21 points, is 22-11. The Braves are not likely to get invited to the NCAA Tournament, but have a good shot at earning a bid into the NIT.
