We’re now officially official for Arch Madness.
Northern Iowa (14-15, 9-9) will open the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed in St. Louis, facing sixth-seeded Missouri State (16-15, 7-11) at 8:30 p.m. Friday in the Scottrade Center. The Bears finished in a sixth-place tie with Bradley — but earned the tiebreaker thanks to a better final RPI (216 compared to the Braves’ 220).
Each UNI-Missouri State matchup this season finished close. The Panthers took a 68-64 home loss in round one on Dec. 28 after trailing by as many as 24, but UNI upended the Bears on the road, 55-52, on Feb.