With eye on NCAAs, Missouri State women’s basketball pulls out of conference tourney
The Missouri State women’s basketball team won’t get an opportunity to win its second straight Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and third in six years.
It was the school’s decision to opt out of the event in Moline, Illinois after one game when it was learned the opponent in Saturday’s semifinal, Bradley, had a positive test for COVID-19 on Friday evening.
“Our top priority is to able to play in the NCAA Tournament,” Missouri State athletic director Kyles Moats said. “Our players lost that opportunity last year with the pandemic and the cancellation of the postseason. We have to ensure that our players and our staff get that opportunity this year.”
Missouri State loses out on the opportunity to gain the conference’s automatic bid as tournament champion but the 17th-ranked Bears (21-2) are a shoo-in for an at-large berth. They’re a No. 5 seed in ESPN’s latest projected bracket.
“It’s very unfortunate but playing in the NCAA Tournament is a priority for us, especially after missing the opportunity last season,” Missouri State coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said.