Missouri Valley Conference Tournament bracket and schedule: Winding road ends with Ramblers in top spot

And that’s how it turned out.

After plenty of twists and turns and surprises in the standings — both upward and downward — the Missouri Valley is where many expected it to be as the attention shifts to St. Louis. Preseason favorite Loyola Chicago is in the top spot, as the Ramblers earned the No. 1 seed while sharing the regular season title with upstart Drake.

In a league that saw all but one team finish with at least seven wins, it would seem that nearly every program has a chance at cutting down the nets in the Enterprise Center. Here’s what the bracket looks like in a wide open field:

Tournament Bracket

How to Watch

First Round (Thu., March 7)

MVC TV will air both games. ESPN+ ($) will stream both games.

Game 1: No. 9 vs. No. 8, 7 p.m. (FS Midwest/NBCS Chicago Plus)

Game 2: No. 10 vs. No. 7, approx. 9:30 p.m. (FS Midwest Plus/NBCS Chicago Plus)

Quarterfinals (Fri., March 8)

MVC TV will air all four games. ESPN+ ($) will stream all four games.

Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. No. 1, 1 p.m. (FS Midwest/NBCS Chicago Plus)

Game 4: No. 5 vs. No. 4, approx. 3:30 p.m. (FS Midwest/NBCS Chicago Plus)

Game 5: Game 2 Winner vs. No. 2, 7 p.m. (FS Midwest)

Game 6: No. 6 vs. No. 3, approx. 9:30 p.m. (FS Midwest)

Semifinals (Sat., March 9)

CBSSN will air both games.

Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 3:30 p.m.

Game 8: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, approx. 6 p.m.

Championship (Sun., March 10)

Game 9: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 2 p.m. (CBS)