Peoria, IL -- The Bradley Braves are headed to St. Louis, MO for the 2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.
The Arch Madness Field
The 2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament field is set. Belmont, Bradley, Illinois State, Murray State and UIC claimed the top-five seeds in Arch Madness, and have all received first round byes to Friday. First round action on Thursday will begin with Drake and Southern Illinois playing at 3:30, with the winner advancing to play Belmont. Valparaiso and Indiana State will meet at 6:00 p.m. with the winner moving on the face Bradley, and finally Evansville and UNI will play in the Thursday nightcap at 8:30 p.m. with the winner moving on to play Illinois State. Bradley went a combined 3-1 against Valparaiso and Indiana State this season and went 7-3 on the year against teams in their half of the bracket.
Bradley's first game is slated for 6:00 p.m. on Friday against either #7 Valparaiso or #10 Indiana State. All games on Thursday and Friday will air on ESPN+ with the Semifinals on Saturday airing on CBS Sports Network and the Championship game on Sunday airing on CBS. Should Bradley advance they will play at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday against either Evansville, Illinois State or UNI. The championship will be played at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
All-Conference Honors
Bradley collected seven all-Missouri Valley Conference honors this season with the trio of
Jaquan Johnson,
Alex Huibregtse, and
Montana Wheeler all being named among the leagues different categories.
Jaquan Johnson was named to the All-MVC Defensive Team as the MVC's Defensive Player of the Year after finishing the regular season with 80 steals and (2.6 SPG) which ranked first in the conference and 6th nationally. Additionally Johnson was named All-MVC First Team and All-MVC Most Improved Player of the year. This marks the third time in four years that a Brave has won the Defensive Player of the Year award and the first time since 1996-2001 that Bradley has had five straight seasons of at least one All-MVC First Team selection. Johnson also finished as the runner up for the Larry Bird Most Valuable Player Trophy.
Alex Huibregtse didn't waste anytime garnering attention from the MVC, in his first and only season in the conference Huibregtse led the MVC in three-point percentage at 42.8% and was second in made three-pointers with 92. Down the stretch of the season Huibregste caught fire, averaging 16.8 PPG, 2.0 APG, and 2.0 RPG while shooting 53% from the floor and 47% from three-point range. As a result Huibregtse was named to the 2025-26 All-MVC Newcomer Team and All-MVC Third Team.
Montana Wheeler rounds out the All-MVC honors for the Braves following his stellar freshman season which saw him appear in every single game this season averaging 8.4 PPG. 2.9 APG, and 1.2 RPG while shooting 42% from the floor and 34% from three. As a result, Wheeler was named to the All-MVC Bench Team.
History Says!
History Says, under
Brian Wardle. Bradley usually has success advancing through Arch Madness.
Brian Wardle enters as BU's all-time winningest coach in the MVC tournament with a 13-8 record which includes four title game appearances with two championships titles in 2019 and 2020. Bradley has advanced to the semifinals or better in each of the last three seasons. Lifetime Bradley as a program is 43-42 in Arch Madness and is 6-4 as the number two seed. Against current MVC teams Bradley is .500 or better against eight of the other 10 MVC members, Bradley has never played against Belmont in the conference tourney and Southern Illinois is the only team who Bradley is not .500 or better against in tourney play.
Tickets
Single-session tickets will not be available through the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office. To purchase single-session tickets, please purchase through the MVC website.
Purchase Here
Bradley Braves fan sections will be designated Sections 101, 102, 124,125, and 126 behind the team benches in the lower portion closest to the court.
Bradley University students may claim their FREE student ticket at the Enterprise Center Box Office no earlier than ninety (90) minutes prior to a Bradley Braves game. Students must show their Bradley University ID and are able to claim one (1) student ticket for each day Bradley plays. Students will receive a ticket in Sections 111 or 121 while supplies last. The first 30 students that claim will receive a ticket that will be on the floor within the floor corral.
All MVC Arch Madness Tickets are digital this year. If you purchased tickets through the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office, you will access through the
Enterprise Center Ticketmaster Account Manager. For more details on tickets and seating please visit the
Bradley Tournament Central Ticket Page.
