Everybody Is Playing!

(St. Louis, MO) – It is an uncommon Saturday where all the Missouri Valley, all the Ohio Valley and all the Great Lakes Valley Conference schools are playing league games and everyone has Sunday off.

There are some critical matchups as these leagues ALL have less than one month left before their conference tournaments.

Missouri Valley Conference –

League leading Northern Iowa and Wichita State both host, what would appear to be inferior opponents (Drake & Missouri State respectively) and need to keep winning for their national resumes and to set up a winner-takes-all scenario for their end of season game.

Illinois State (15-8)(7-4) plays the proverbial ‘trap game’ at Southern Illinois (9-15)(2-9). The Redbirds are a hot team on the rise in the Valley, and have dates with UNI and Wichita State this coming week. Will they get caught peeking ahead?

Indiana State (11-12)(7-4) travels to Loyola and Evansville (16-7)(6-5) hosts Bradley. ISU and UE are battling the Redbirds for the third and fourth spots in the MVC race.

Every game except for the Evansville contest with Bradley can be seen on some form of the ESPN network.

Ohio Valley Conference –

With all 12 teams playing conference games, there is none bigger than Belmont’s (15-8)(7-3) visit to Morehead State (11-14)(6-4). After a rough non-conference beginning, the improving Eagles could be tied for the East Division lead with the Bruins by the end of today’s activities.

Since eight teams earn the right to play in ‘Music City Madness’ critical head-to-head matchups abound. Four teams own only two league wins. Two of them play each other, when Tennessee Tech hosts Jacksonville State.

Since the third and fourth place teams receive a first round bye in the tournament, square offs between Eastern Illinois (14-9)(7-3) and Southeast Missouri (10-13)(4-6) and SIUE (9-12-)(5-5) and UT-Martin (14-8)(6-3) are huge. The two division winners receive a double bye and the next two teams with the best record receive a single bye.

All six games can be seen on the OVC Digital Network.

Great Lakes Valley Conference –

Only Truman’s (16-6)(8-4) game at Southern Indiana (14-6)(7-5) has an immediate impact on head-to-head standings. Like the OVC, not all the teams in the GLVC qualify for the conference tournament, so every game is significant.

Seeding and possible home games in the first round of the tournament are all at stake in the closing weeks of the season. Quincy, Jewell and Maryville are all 5-7 and trying to qualify.

Nationally ranked Bellarmine and UW-Parkside (both 11-1) and UIndy (10-2) are all battling for the top spot in the East. Parkside is on the road at William Jewell.

All the games can be seen by logging on the GLVC website.

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