The State of the Valley

One on One with Doug Elgin

(St. Louis, MO) – The Missouri Valley Conference is on the rise again. Conference commissioner Doug Elgin says the evidence is on the floor and on improving league facilities. During the celebration of 30 years of Arch Madness in St. Louis, Elgin discussed a wide range of topics with our Harry Schroeder.

Arch Madness 30 could better be called ‘Arch Chaos’ due to the way the games have played out. The lower seeded teams have won half of the games and seventh seeded Valparaiso is playing in today’s championship game.

For the first time in tournament history the top seeded team failed to win its quarterfinal game. Northern Iowa fell to eighth seeded, in-state rival, Drake. For the second time in the Arch Madness history books, the second seeded team lost in the quarterfinals. Loyola had not lost to Valpo since the Crusaders joined the league, but during the ‘Chaos’, they were eliminated.

After last year’s rare 5 versus 6 championship game, this year’s title bout finds a 4 facing a 7.

On The Rise

During his 32nd year as Valley Commissioner, Elgin believes the league is on the rise. Following the departures of Creighton and Wichita State, the league has taken some national PR hits. Loyola’s run to the 2018 Final Four created some newfound luster, but attendance had slipped at the local institutions and at Arch Madness.

Elgin points to improved league-wide NET rankings, improving facilities at member institutions and rebounding attendance as signs of growth. Speaking of growth, Elgin is even softening his stance on maintaining a ten-team league configuration.

He talks about all of that and more in our conversation.

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