The 1979

Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament The State Farm Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament, commonly called Arch Madness, is an annual basketball tournament which features the men's basketball teams of each of the Missouri Valley Conference member universities. The t ...

was held February 27–March 3; the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds were played on campus sites and the final was contested at the

Hulman Center The Hulman Center is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.

on the campus of

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

in Terre Haute, Indiana. Led by future Basketball Hall of Fame member

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

, top-seeded

Indiana State Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

defeated in the championship game, 69–59, to win their first MVC tournament title. The Sycamores subsequently received an automatic bid to the 1979 NCAA tournament, where they would advance to the national championship game.

Format

Even without any new Missouri Valley Conference members, the conference decreased the size of the tournament field from nine to eight. In turn, only the top eight teams from the conference's regular season standings were included in the bracket. All eight qualifying teams were placed into the first round, seeded and paired based on regular season conference records. The highest-seeded team in each game served as the host.

Bracket

Note: * indicates host institution

References

{{1979 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament navbox Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament 1978–79 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball season 1979 in sports in Indiana