Oklahoma City, Okla.  •  Ford Center

Thurs., March 18 -- First Round

#8 UNLV vs. #9 UNI (6:10 p.m. CT)

#1 Kansas vs. #16 Lehigh (30 min. after)

 winners face one another Saturday

Wichita, Kan.  •  Charles Koch Arena

Wed., March 17 -- First Round

#6 Nevada at #3 Wichita State (7:05 p.m. CT)

 winner faces Rhode Island/Northwestern

Dayton, Ohio  •  UD Arena

Wed., March 17 -- First Round

#6 Illinois State at #3 Dayton (6:05 p.m. CT)

 winner faces Cincinnati/Weber State

St. Louis, Mo.  •  Chaifetz Arena

Tues., March 16 -- First Round

Indiana State at Saint Louis (8:05 p.m. CT)

 winners face Akron/Green Bay

Omaha, Neb.  •  Civic Auditorium

Tues., March 16 -- First Round

South Dakota at Creighton (7:05 p.m. CT)

Springfield, Mo.  •  JQH Arena

Wed., March 17 -- First Round

Middle Tennessee at Missouri St. (7:05 p.m. CT)

 The Valley has had four or more post-season bids in the same season 16 times, including each of the last seven years.  The league has had six or more qualifiers just three times in league history, including this season.  Four or more teams have qualified for post-season 10 times since the 1999 season, which includes 21 bids to the NCAA Tournament.

 In 2007, Southern Illinois was the seventh MVC team to reach the Sweet 16 since 1994.  Notably, the Missouri Valley has received just 33 total bids from 1994-2010, meaning nearly one of every five Valley NCAA berths since 1994 have resulted in a Sweet 16 trip.

 For the seventh-straight year, 10 time in the past 12 years, and the 16th time in the league's history, The Valley had at least four postseason bids.

 Since 1990-91, 763 out of a total 793 eligible teams between No. 1-40 have made the NCAA Tournament.  Only 16 eligible teams (including seven teams from The Valley) ranked 40 and better in the past 11 years have not made the NCAAs, including San Diego State and Creighton in 2009.  Missouri State (No. 21 in 2006) is the only team 29 or better not selected.  Last year, Creighton was the first team in NCAA history to have a 40 RPI or better and 26 wins to be denied a berth.

 Only two teams not in the RPI Top 50 earned at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 (Florida-56 and Minnesota-62).  In fact, only four teams with an RPI of 52 or better were not selected (Rhode Island-40, Wichita State-43, UAB-45, and Kent State-48).

 Since 1990-91, 39 MVC teams have been rated in the Top 50 of the RPI on Selection Sunday, and 27 have been selected for the NCAA Tournament, the other 12 have earned an NIT bid.  Those 12, including Wichita State this year, are listed below (11 of the 12 have occurred since 2005).

2006 -- Missouri State (21)

2008 -- Illinois State (33)

2000 -- Missouri State (34)

2007 -- Missouri State (36)

2007 -- Bradley (38)

2006 -- Creighton (39)

2009 -- Creighton (40)

1997 -- Missouri State (42)

2010 -- Wichita State (43)

2005 -- Wichita State (45)

2008 -- Creighton (46)

2009 -- Illinois State (47)

 Until 2008, The Valley had two or more teams reach the NCAA Tournament in nine-straight years.  Only the six BCS-football leagues and The Valley had shared that streak of consecutive multi-bid years.  For the first time since 1992-93-94, the league has three-straight seasons with just one NCAA Tournament bid.  Notably, since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams (1985), the MVC has received two or more berths 16 times (out of 26 opportunities).

 The Panthers rank No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense (54.3 ppg) and set an MVC Tournament record by allowing only 44.0 points per game in sweeping its three opponents. The previous MVC Tournament best was 49.0 ppg by Southern Illinois in 2006. 

 UNI claimed its highest ever seed as an NCAA Tournament participant, earning a No. 9 slot in this year's tournament.  The Panthers were a No. 12 seed last year, falling to Purdue by five points in the first round.  Since the bracket expanded to 64 teams (1985), only nine MVC teams (in 47 total bids) have been seeded better than UNI's slot this year.  The league's all-time best in that span was in 2007 (Southern Illinois-4).  Indiana State was a No. 1 seed in 1979 in a smaller bracket.

 Since the bracket expanded to 64 teams (1985), five MVC teams have played in the "8-9" game, and two have won (Illinois State, 1985 and the Redbirds again in 1998).  In those second-round games, ISU lost to top-seeded Oklahoma in 1985, and then lost to top-seeded Arizona in 1998.  The MVC is 0-7 all-time in the NCAA Tournament against No. 1 seeds.

1984   Illinois St. lost to DePaul (2nd Round), 75-61

1985   Illinois St. lost to Oklahoma (2nd Round), 75-69

1994   Tulsa lost to Arkansas (Sweet 16), 103-84

1998   Illinois State lost to Arizona (2nd Round), 82-49

1999   Missouri State lost to Duke (Sweet 16), 78-61 

2006   Bradley lost to Memphis (Sweet 16), 80-64

2007   Southern Illinois lost to Kansas (Sweet 16), 61-58

 The Valley is 83-35 (.703) in non-conference play.  That winning percentage is the 11th best in 103 years of Missouri Valley basketball and the second-best in 30 seasons.

 Since 1994, an MVC member has beaten the following teams from BCS-football conferences in the NCAA Tournament:  Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisville, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Tennessee (three times), Texas Tech, UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin.  Since 1994, The Valley has posted five first-round NCAA tournament victories as a No. 12 seed or worse.  Tulsa (12 seed in 1994) and Bradley (13 seed in 2006) both reached the Sweet 16.  UNI was a No. 12 seed in 2009, falling by five points to fifth-seeded Purdue.

 For the first time since 1915, and only the second time in the MVC's 103-year history, all players on the first-team all-conference unit are seniors:  Adam Koch (UNI), Osiris Eldridge (ILS), Josh Young (DU), Clevin Hannah (WSU), Dinma Odiakosa (ILS).

 In 2008, Illinois State was 24-9 on Selection Sunday and failed to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Prior to that, the last MVC team to win 24 games pre-Selection Sunday and not make the NCAA Tournament was Missouri State in 1997.  Last year, Creighton became the first team in the history of the NCAA to rank in the Top 40 of the RPI with 26 wins and not receive an NCAA tourney bid.  Illinois State, again, had 24 wins on Selection Sunday.  Wichita State had 25 wins on Selection Sunday this season (RPI of 43).   Illinois State, Creighton, and Wichita State all earned NIT bids.

 Wichita State (17-0) set a school record for regular-season home wins.  It is the most home wins since WSU was 19-2 in 1980-81 that included two Valley Tournament wins and two NCAA Tournament wins.  WSU has been undefeated at home only two other times since 1956, 13-0 in 1965-66 and 15-0 in 1986-87.

 Indiana State is making its first appearance in the postseason since participating in the 2001 NCAA Tournament when the Sycamores downed No. 4 Oklahoma in the first round. 

 Missouri State had the biggest one-year jump of any team in the Missouri Valley, going from 11 wins to 20 (+9), leaping from an MVC-worst 212 RPI rating last year to this year's 90 (+122).

 Eight of Creighton's last nine postseason runs have included a game that was decided in the final seconds, including the past eight seasons.  The Bluejays have an MVC record of 13-straight trips to post-season play.  The only 10 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 13 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, State, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.

 By making the 2010 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) field, the Redbirds have earned postseason berths in each of the last three seasons, all NIT bids. The last time ISU made three-straight postseason bids was in 1995-96 (NIT), 1996-97 (NCAA) and 1997-98 (NCAA).