Illinois State earns No. 3 seed in Missouri Valley Tournament

AKOON-PURCELL
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and the Redbirds will battle Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Tournament. (WJBC File Photo)

By Andy Dahn

BLOOMINGTON – After ending the season tied with Evansville for the No. 2 seed in the MVC, the Illinois State Men’s Basketball team has earned the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

The Redbirds will face No. 6 Indiana State on Friday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m. Dan Muller’s team finished the season 18-13 overall and 12-6 in conference play, their best regular-season finish since 2008. The last time ISU was as high as a No. 3 seed in the tourney was in 2010 (the Redbirds were also a No. 3 that year.)

For the fourth time in five seasons, Wichita State will enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed. Evansville earned the No. 2 ranking, UNI enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed and Southern Illinois is the No. 5 seed. The field is rounded out by No. 7 Missouri State, No. 8 Loyola, No. 9 Bradley and No. 10 Drake.

Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].

 

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