ST. LOUIS -- Wichita State’s capping a Conference-record 34-0 start to a season with its 83-69 victory over Indiana State in the finals of the 2014 State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament has been selected as the top moment in the 40-year history of the event by a vote of the league’s fans.
In a month-long, online voting campaign sponsored by Aetna, Missouri Valley Conference fans chose from a list of 39 State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Championship flashbacks to determine the Top 10 tournament moments since the event in 1977.
In the 2014 Arch Madness finale against Indiana State, Larry Bird Trophy recipient Fred VanVleet collected 22 points and five assists, and tournament most outstanding player Tekele Cotton scored 20 points.
In the process, Wichita State claimed its first Arch Madness title after trips to the championship game in 2010 and 2013 and its third overall State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament crown.
In addition to the Shockers’ victory in 2014, the other top five moments include Wichita State’s Xavier McDaniel compiling a double-double (34 points and 13 rebounds) in the 1985 final versus Tulsa, Illinois State’s Rickie Johnson helping the Redbirds take the 1983 crown against Tulsa, UNI’s Ben Jacobson guiding the Panthers to the 2004 crown in double-overtime against Missouri State and Indiana State’s Michael Menser collecting had 32 points in the 2001 semifinals versus Creighton.
The remainder of the top 10 moments include Deon Jackson’s game-winning three-pointer for Bradley against Missouri State in the 1996 semifinals, Illinois State shooting nearly 60 percent from the field in its 1998 win over Missouri State in the finals, Larry Bird’s 20 points and 10 rebounds helping Indiana State defeat New Mexico State in the 1979 tourney final, Seth Tuttle leading UNI in 2015 to its third Arch Madness title in seven years and Randall Falker’s 17 points and 16 boards keying Southern Illinois to the 2006 Arch Madness title versus Bradley.
#1 -- Shockers Stand Tall in Cotton – March 9, 2014;
Larry Bird trophy recipient Fred VanVleet collected 22 points and five assists, and tournament MVP Tekele Cotton scored 20 points, as Wichita State claimed its first Arch Madness title with an 83-69 victory over Indiana State in 2014 at Scottrade Center.
#2 -- X Marked the Spot for WSU – March 9, 1985;
MVC Player of the Year Xavier McDaniel was a one-man wrecking crew, collecting 34 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, as Wichita State slipped past Tulsa, 84-82, in the 1985 State Farm MVC Tournament title game at Maxwell Convention Center.
#3 -- Redbirds Soar over Hurricane – March 12, 1983;
Playing at Horton Field House in Normal, Illinois, Illinois State had four players in double figures, including a game-high 22 points from Rickie Johnson, as the Redbirds captured the 1983 MVC Tournament crown with an 84-64 triumph over Tulsa.
#4 -- UNI’s Ben Was Not Gentle in OT – March 8, 2004;
In the only double-overtime final in tournament history, Northern Iowa and Missouri State traded baskets for 50 minutes, before tournament MVP Ben Jacobson, who finished with 26 points, provided the winning margin in a 79-74 triumph at Scottrade Center in 2004.
#5 -- What a Menser He Was – March 5, 2001;
Indiana State’s Michael Menser became just the fifth player to score 32 or more points in St. Louis, as the fifth-seeded Sycamores upset Creighton in the 2001 semis. ISU went on to become lowest seed ever to win Arch Madness.
#6 -- Deon Had the Right Stuff – March 3, 1996;
In the 1996 semifinals of Arch Madness at Scottrade Center, Bradley trailed Missouri State by one with 20 seconds remaining. After a loose ball scramble near the top of the key, Deon Jackson hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired to produce a Braves’ 64-62 triumph.
#7 -- Dan Was the Man versus Bears – March 2, 1998;
Illinois State shot nearly 60 percent from the field, as tourney MVP Dan Muller led five Redbirds in
double-figures with 17 points to produce an 84-74 victory over Missouri State in the 1998 State Farm MVC Tournament title game at Scottrade Center.
#8 -- Larry Was Legendary in The Finals – March 3, 1979;
National Basketball Player of the Year Larry Bird compiled 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, as Indiana State grabbed a 14-point halftime lead and rolled to a 69-59 triumph over New Mexico State in the 1979 State Farm MVC Tournament finale at the
Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana.
#9 -- Teenage Mutant Ninja Tuttle – March 8, 2015;
In a tale of two halves, Illinois State raced to a 14-point halftime lead in the 2015 State Farm MVC Tournament finale against Northern Iowa, but the Panthers, led by Larry Bird Trophy recipient Seth Tuttle, outscored the Redbirds, 47-24, in the second half for a 69-60 triumph at Scottrade Center.
#10 -- That’s Enough from Falker – March 5, 2006;
In the 2006 State Farm MVC Tournament championship game, Bradley, which upset regular-season champion Wichita State in the semifinals, took a one-point halftime lead, but Southern Illinois rode the play of tourney MVP Randal Falker who had 17 points and tied an Arch Madness single-game record for
rebounds with 16 to key a 59-46 victory.