Basketball players from ten teams are in the Quad Cities today to practice one last time. The Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball tournament begins tonight at the TaxSlayer Center, with the championship game on Sunday.
The Drake Bulldogs come into the four-day tournament with the longest winning streak in the history of the conference at 40 games. Coach Jennie Baranczyk says her top-seeded team is just "focused on being the best every day."
Southern Illinois will take on Indiana State on Friday afternoon. Saluki Coach Cindy Stein says it's going to be tough for any team to beat Drake, calling the Bulldogs, "an offensive machine."
Coach Tanya Warren's Northern Iowa Panthers are seeded 3rd heading into the tournament. They'll face Illinois State Friday at 8:30 P.M.
Today at 4:00 P.M. it's Valparaiso versus Loyola in game 1, followed at 7:00 P.M. by a match-up between Bradley and Evansville.
This year's Hoops in the Heartland includes a breakfast on Friday to celebrate 25 years of women's sports in the Missouri Valley Conference.
This is the third year the MVC has held its women's basketball tournament in the Quad Cities. And last fall, the contract was extended through next year.
WBB_All_MVC by Michelle O'Neill on Scribd
