After Wednesday's regular season-ending loss at Indiana State, Illinois State needed four things to happen this weekend to get the No. 8 seed in next week's State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball tournament. On Thursday, the first three came through with flying colors. All the Birds need now is an SMS home victory over Evansville on Saturday, and they're in.
The tournament starts Thursday with all games played at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa. It's ironic the Redbirds need help from SMS; they beat the Bears twice this season for the first time in 15 years. Now, Illinois State players, coaches and fans will be die-hard Bears fans--at least on Saturday.
The biggest favor the Redbirds needed was a Wichita State win over Evansville, and the Shockers--who had lost nine of their last 10-- accommodated Illinois State with a 74-67 win over the Aces, now 5-12. Another Drake loss this weekend was also on the agenda and Northern Iowa edged the Bulldogs 53-50 in Cedar Falls.
The Redbirds, 5-13 in the Valley, needed the most help this weekend from Southwest Missouri State--two wins--and the Bears accommodated with an 86-56 win over Southern Illinois at Hammons Student Center. That officially ended SIU's thready chances at earning the No. 8 seed. The Salukis are 3-14.
If the Redbirds get in, it would be their first trip to the Valley Tournament since 1998.
Although the Bears have been hot lately--they're 4-1 since their 60-56 home loss Feb. 13 to Illinois State--they did lose the first meeting with the Aces, 60-53 in Evansville. But SMS has been hot lately, averaging 82 points per game since their loss to the Redbirds. They broke a team season record with their 173rd three-point field goal in the win over SIU.
Ironically, Illinois State's two wins over SMS would provide the necessary edge the Birds would need to win the tiebreaker with Evansville. The Aces and ISU split during the regular season, so the tiebreaker would go to the Valley's regression matrix, which, essentially, rewards teams for wins over higher-finishing teams and provides an additional point for beating a team on the road.
If the Bears win and the Redbirds get in, they will play Creighton in the first round. The Jays, 13-4, will be the No. 1 seed win or lose Saturday at Northern Iowa. Creighton wins the potential tiebreaker with Indiana State, 13-5, by virtue of the Jays' home win over Wichita State.
