(Photo: Bruce E. Stidham - STIDZ Media/Special to the Springfield News-Leader)
This story will be updated
Missouri State got the help it needed, it did its part and it will avoid the dreaded play-in round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The Bears (15-16, 9-9) concluded its regular season with a 84-59 win over Southern Illinois (16-15 10-8) on Saturday afternoon at JQH Arena.
With the win, combined with Valparaiso's loss to Indiana State earlier in the afternoon, the Bears will more-than-likely be the No. 6 seed at Arch Madness — no matter Drake's result against Northern Iowa on Saturday night.