In the championship game of the 2006 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, No. 2 Southern Illinois (22-10) defeated No. 5 Bradley (20-10) 59-46 behind another strong performance from Randal Falker. The sophomore finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds on his way to being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. This is Southern Illinois fourth tournament title overall, its first since 1995.

SIU trailed by one at halftime, 24-23, but took control in the second half with a strong defensive effort. Bradley went scoreless for the first six after and a half minutes coming out of the break and by then SIU had built a 31-26 lead. Matt Shaw played a key role for the Salukis during the run and the sophomore finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Jamaal Tatum scored 16 points for SIU, 10 in the first half.

Patrick O'Bryant led the Braves with 16 points and had three blocks, but scored only three points in the second half after getting into foul trouble. Tony Bennett registered a double-double scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 boards. Marcellus Sommerville also scored in double figures, tallying 11.

With the win, Southern Illinois earned the Valley's automatic bid into the 2006 NCAA Tournament.