The Missouri Valley Conference
By Matt Shetler
The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC
or “The Valley”) is a Division I athletic conference who’s
members reside in the Midwestern United States. The MVC consists
of ten members competing in nineteen men’s and women’s Division
I sports. The Valley’s headquarters are located in St. Louis,
Missouri and the commissioner of the conference is Doug Elgin.
Founded in 1907, the MVC is the second oldest Division I
conference. The conference is considered one of the top
“mid-major” conferences in the nation; although in recent years,
the conference has been considered a “high-major”, due to its
success in men’s basketball.
The MVC was formed after a split of the Missouri Valley
Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA). Several schools
joined the MVC while several others kept the MVIAA name, which
would eventually become the Big Eight Conference (now known as
the Big 12). Both conferences claimed 1907 as their founding
date as well as the same history through 1927. There was
considerable debate over which was the original conference and
which was the spin-off.
Throughout the years, there have been thirty-two different
members of The Valley. Current members of the conference
include: Bradley University, Creighton University, Drake
University, the University of Evansville, Illinois State
university, Indiana State University, Missouri State University,
the University of Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois University
and Wichita State University.
Even though the MVC hasn’t sponsored football since 1985,
several members compete in the sport in the Missouri Valley
Football Conference. While the two share the same name, they are
both separate administratively.
The MVC makes its name off the success of its basketball
programs. The annual conference tournament is one of the biggest
draws in the Midwest. The MVC Tournament, also known as “Arch
Madness”, is played in St. Louis , Missouri produces one of the
NCAA’s largest attendance figures for a post-season tournament
every year.
The valley is known for having one of the largest, most
dedicated fan bases in all of the nation. One school in
particular, Creighton, resets the state of Nebraska attendance
record for collegiate basketball every season.
The 2006-07 season, the MVC took its place among the best
basketball conferences in the nation. Valley teams combined to
have a 74-27 non-conference record, including an astounding 44-1
mark at home. The MVC finished in the Top 6 in RPI, ahead of BCS
conferences and gained multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament for
the twelfth time in fourteen seasons.
In the last three seasons (as of 2008), the MVC has three Sweet
16 representatives: the Bradley Braves, Southern Illinois
Salukis and Wichita State Shockers. The Drake Bulldogs and
Creighton Blue Jays have also experienced success in March
Madness. Drake also spent several weeks ranked in the nations
Top 10 during the 2007-08 season. In both men’s and women’s
basketball, the MVC has sent fifteen teams to post-season play
in the last three seasons.
The MVC has also experienced great success in other sports
during the 2007-08 season. For the first time in league history,
four teams earned NCAA bids in volleyball. In men’s soccer,
Creighton ran its streak of NCAA Tournament appearances to
sixteen, while Bradley advanced to the Elite 8. In baseball,
Wichita St. advanced to the NCAA Super Regional, falling one win
shy of its eighth College World Series appearance. The Shockers
won the CWS in 1989.
