#8 Southern Illinois (12-18, 5-13) vs. #9 Illinois St. (12-18, 5-13)
Scottrade Center; St. Louis, MO
6:05 PM CST
FSN
These two teams will tip off Arch Madness in the 8/9 game with the winner advancing to play top seed Missouri St. After splitting games in the regular season, the tournament game could be anyone’s match. Both teams are in close proximity to the St. Louis area. Will fans show up or will they stay at home and watch it on television, hoping for a win, and then catching the noon game on Friday? It has been a tough year for Chris Lowry, coaching with suspended players and a couple of the court personnel changes during the offseason. Coach Jankovich has experienced some growing pains as well after the loss of quality seniors off season. Will either team catch fire and win a couple games in St. Louis?
#7 Drake (13-17, 7-11) vs. #10 Bradley (11-19, 4-14)
Scottrade Center; St. Louis, MO
8:35 PM CST
FSN
Will Bradley be able to repeat their performance from last weekend? That performance, a 90-64 win over the same Drake team they will face tonight, on senior day in Peoria, including a career-high 33 points from All-Valley player Andrew Warren. With the match-ups already determined before the game, Drake knew they would be facing the Braves a few days later in St. Louis. These two teams are a couple of the hotter teams in the lower half of the Valley standings. Each team has won five of their last eight games. For Bradley, it all started with a home win against Creighton after a slow start to the conference season. During Drake’s run, they also had a home win against Creighton. Bradley fans have been supportive of their team in St. Louis in the past. Will that continue with them playing on Thursday night?