What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 3/13/2021

Top-seeded Lady Bears earn their semifinal spot--Quad-City Times
Defense lifts Bradley past UNI--Quad-City Times
Balanced Drake finishes strong, advances--Quad-City Times
With late free throw, Loyola rambles on--Quad-City Times
Top seed withdraws, Valley alters tourney--Quad-City Times
Citing risk, Lady Bears withdraw from tourney--Quad-City Times
Watch now: MVC Women's Basketball Tournament staying in Quad Cities through 2024--The Pantagraph

Braves beat UNI, advance to Hoops in Heartland semifinals--Bradley Scout
PREVIEW: Braves set to take on No. 21 Missouri State in MVC semifinals--Bradley Scout
Haack Helps Power Braves To Semifinals With 62-59 Win Over UNI--bradleybraves.com

Bracket Watch Daily: Oklahoma State’s final push for a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament--The Athletic

• Assuming Kansas and Virginia remain in the bracket and the door to the field isn’t swung wide open, the bubble is a big, confusing mess. Or at least the coveted final spot is. Teams with golden chances on Friday — Seton Hall, Ole Miss and SMU — all fell. Others such as Louisville, Boise State and Xavier flamed out in their conference tournaments. That means teams such as Drake and Syracuse can breathe a little easier. There are four potential bid thieves left: Oregon State in the Pac-12, Georgetown in the Big East and Cincinnati or Memphis in the AAC.

Bubble Watch Live: Georgetown, Memphis, Oregon State and the bid thieves that are lurking for the 2021 NCAA Tournament--The Athletic

Others
Waiting game: Drake, Saint Louis, Boise State, Colorado State
Drake (23-4, 15-3; NET: 43, SOS: 172): Sometimes, you have to hand it to the comments section. On Thursday, Tim L. wrote: “I am still not sure why a win over Loyola Chicago (1 out of 3 tries) means you are a tournament team.” You know what? Tim kind of has a point. We’ve been decidedly pro-Drake all along, not only because the at-large deck is always stacked against mid-major teams from leagues like the Valley but also because Drake has had a really nice season and is in our view a good enough team to deserve a spot in the field. Beating Loyola Chicago is nothing to scoff at; the metrics think that’s a top 10 team. And Drake does have five Quadrant 2 wins, four on the road. But yeah, the late-season loss to Bradley, the untimely injuries, the tenuous bubble status in the first place, arguments like Tim’s finding a receptive audience in the committee room … it’s all adding up to that familiar scenario wherein the committee talks itself into a team such as Seton Hall or Mississippi, and then we all spend the back half of our Sunday angrily fast-talking on the radio (OK, maybe that’s just us) about how unfair this system is to mid-majors. We’re not saying we think that will happen. Just that we’ve seen this movie before. Be forewarned.

Drake women's basketball: Bulldogs grind past Valparaiso in MVC Tournament quarterfinals--Des Moines Register
Drake advances to MVC Tournament final after Missouri State withdraws over positive COVID-19 tests--Des Moines Register
Women’s Basketball Pushes Past Valpo Into Hoops In The Heartland Semifinals--godrakebulldogs.com

Watch now: ISU women suffer one-point loss in MVC Tournament quarterfinals---The Pantagraph
Watch now: Illinois State women hopeful season didn't end with MVC Tournament loss--The Pantagraph
Heartbreak in the Heartland: Redbirds fall to Loyola-Chicago in quarterfinal--Vidette Online
Redbirds Fall to Loyola Chicago in Heartbreaking MVC Tournament Quarterfinal--goredbirds.com

NCAA Tournament Seeding: The Cases For and Against Loyola Chicago--The Catch and Shoot
Loyola – Prepping for the Dance--Valley Hoops Insider
Finalists for Defensive Player of the Year--Valley Hoops Insider

Loyola Women’s Basketball Advances to MVC Semifinals for First Time in Program History--Loyola Phoenix
Day’s Career Night, Chandler’s Clutch Free Throw Push Loyola Past Illinois State, Into MVC Semifinals, 61-60--loyolaramblers.com

Happening Hoops CBI Bracketology--Happening Hoops

College Basketball Invitational (12 teams)

Next out of the field from closest to furthest (Top to bottom)

Montana State (12-9 Big Sky)
Texas State (18-7 Sun Belt)
Missouri State (17-7 Missouri Valley)
UAB (22-7 CUSA)
Jacksonville State (18-9 OVC)
Chattanooga (18-8 SoCon)
NC A&T (11-10 MEAC)

No. 17 MSU Lady Bears advance to Valley semifinals with win over Southern Illinois--Springfield News-Leader
MSU Lady Bears back out of MVC Tournament after COVID-19 case within opponent's program--Springfield News-Leader
COVID-19 forces Lady Bears to opt out of MVC tournament--The Standard