Championship Central |
Tournament Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced the bracket for its 2021 Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament on Saturday evening, following the conclusion of the regular season.
Eight league programs advance to the postseason after earning a berth based on the GLVC Point Rating System (PRS) rankings. Quarterfinal contests will tip on Wednesday, March 3, from the campuses of seeds Nos. 1-4, with the four winners moving on to the highest-remaining seed for the semifinals on Saturday, March 6. The GLVC champion will be determined on Sunday, March 7.
On the heels of a 13-game winning streak and Central Division crown, Truman State University (18-1, 4.47 PRS) cruised to the top seed in this year’s tournament. The Bulldogs are looking to repeat as GLVC champions, following the team’s title run last season as the 3-seed. Truman hosts eighth-seeded University of Indianapolis (10-11, 3.024 PRS) on Wednesday in Kirksville, Mo., for a 7:30 p.m. Central tip. UIndy picked up a 77-74 comeback win in the regular season finale on Saturday over Lindenwood University, and went 10-4 down the stretch after dropping each of its first seven games. Truman swept the season series: 66-64 at UIndy on Nov. 29 and 79-67 at home on Feb. 4.
Second-seeded University of Missouri-St. Louis (12-5, 3.74 PRS) welcomes seventh-seeded Lindenwood (10-9, 3.026 PRS) to the Mark Twain Building on Wednesday, which is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. CT. The Tritons have lost their last two games to fellow-tournament squads, but most recently earned a 71-65 win over Southwest Baptist University back on Feb. 4. The Lions, winners of three of their final four regular season contests, are looking to win their second game over the Tritons on Wednesday after defeating UMSL on Dec. 18, 84-72, in St. Louis, Mo.
Third-seeded Southwest Baptist (15-6, 3.64 PRS), winners of this season’s West Division, makes it second-straight trip to the GLVC postseason, and will host rival Drury University (9-9, 3.06 PRS) on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. CT tip. The Bearcats enter the tournament as winners of four of their last five contests, with the team’s lone loss coming to top-seeded Truman on Saturday to close the regular season. Drury, which has not played since Feb. 13, has also won four of its last five contests heading into the league tournament. The Panthers defeated three Conference tournament contenders during that stretch, but fell victim to SBU in the teams’ two meetings this season. SBU tamed the Panthers, 75-63, on Jan. 21, before dominating them in the rematch on Jan. 26, 81-46.
McKendree University (10-8, 3.19 PRS) earned the four-seed for the 2021 tournament, and will host fifth-seeded Lewis University (11-9, 3.15 PRS) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT. Shaking off a short two-game skid on Thursday, the Bearcats downed Missouri-St. Louis, 74-71, to close out the regular season with a win. Lewis, who handed Maryville University an 81-58 loss on Saturday in the season finale, has won its last two games heading into postseason play. McKendree and Lewis split the season series, as the Flyers claimed the first meeting, 78-63, on Dec. 18, before dropping a 70-52 decision the very next night.
The University of Southern Indiana (11-4), originally the second seed per the final PRS standings after earning the East Division title, were forced to opt out of the tournament due to return to play procedures as a result of COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The Screaming Eagles’ misfortune was to the benefit of UIndy, as the Greyhounds were originally slotted at No. 9 in the final ratings. They, along with seeds 3-8, moved up one place in the final bracket. As a result of the shift, McKendree also earned the right to host after bumping up from seed No. 5 to No. 4.
No spectators will be permitted to attend the 2021 GLVC Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament. For more information on the postseason event, visit the championship homepage at
GLVCsports.com/2021hoops.