The tournament, also called Hoops in the Heartland, will be held at the Vibrant Arena from Thursday through Sunday.
Kristen Gillespie is the head coach for Illinois State University.
"Everyone gets really excited when March rolls around," she says. "There's 12 teams that are going to travel to Moline to try to make some memories happen and we want to be one of those teams."
Visit Quad Cities says the tournament helps grow the local economy. Last year, the tournament brought in $1.9 million.
On Wednesday, the Missouri Valley Conference will hold an award ceremony at the Rhythm City Casino Resort.
The first game, between Southern Illinois and Indiana State universities, will start at noon on Thursday at the Vibrant Arena. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
