Martin Proud of Missouri State's Accomplishment, Ready for MVC Tournament

Saturday, Missouri State (23-7, 15-3) won its first Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship outright, holding off Wichita State (23-7, 14-4) 69-64. Jermaine Mallet had 18 points and Will Creekmore had 13 points for the homestanding Bears.

"This is a milestone victory for our program and an incredible day for our University and the city of Springfield," said Bears coach Cuonzo Martin. "It has been a team effort from start to finish, and we could not have made it to this point without the support of everyone here."

The team will now turn its attention toward Arch Madness, the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis starting Thursday. More than likely, Missouri State will have to emerge victorious in the tournament to advance to its first NCAA Tournament since 1999.

MSU can't even overlook the quarterfinals or semifinals before thinking of playing in the championship game, especially with a potential matchup with Northern Iowa looming in the semifinals. UNI (19-12, 10-8), a Sweet 16 team last year, was the only team to win in Springfield this year, beating the Bears 60-59 on Jan. 30.

And assuming there are no major upsets, neither No. 3 seed Indiana State, which defeated Missouri State 70-69 on Jan. 19 to snap its nine-game winning streak, or the No. 2 seed Shockers from Wichita State can be taken lightly.

With only an outside shot at an at-large bid, Martin knows the task at hand. And first things first, the Bears must take care of business in the quarterfinals on Friday.

"We will have to be ready to compete and have to put ourselves in a position to compete," Martin said. "Now we have to put together and prepare for the toughest three days of the season."

The tournament will run from March 3-6 and will conclude with championship game on Sunday in a nationally televised game on CBS. MSU will begin their quest for the dance by facing the winner of the game between No. 8 seed Southern Illinois and No. 9 seed Illinois State.