Let the (Arch) Madness Begin!

So, St. Louis is the second saddest city in the United States.

So says BusinessWeek. Mrs. Creighton Otter was perusing the ‘net a bit today and ran across a Top 10 list (is it really top? Shouldn’t it be more like worst?) that places the Gateway City right behind Portland, Oregon, and directly ahead of New Orleans and Detroit using a series of stats that make you feel sad even as you read the blubs.

Jays fans have experienced more joy and jubilation in STL than they have been depressed during the past decade. With Arch Madness championships in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2007, Dana Altman and the rest of the Jays have staked Creighton’s claim as the Team To Beat seemingly year in and year out in the Valley’s postseason tournament.

And this year is probably no different. They are the hottest team in the MVC right now, having won 10 straight games (and 11 of their last 12) and catching the attention of the national sports media. Does that make the always-large target on their backs even bigger? They have the most difficult side of the bracket ahead of them, and they would be crazy to think that anything less than winning the tournament will safely get them into the NCAA tournament.

So, without further ado, this is how they’ll do it. If they don’t win the tournament I’ll be slightly depressed, at least for a little bit, but I’ll never feel like St. Louis is the saddest city in America. Regardless of the outcomes of the games, I’ve had some of the best times of my life in the shadow of the Arch.

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Creighton Otter
Game 1: Indiana State over Drake
Game 2: Missouri State over Wichita State
Game 3: Northern Iowa over Indiana State
Game 4: Bradley over Southern Illinois
Game 5: Creighton over Missouri State
Game 6: Illinois State over Evansville
Game 7: Northern Iowa over Bradley
Game 8: Creighton over Illinois State
Game 9: Creighton over Northern Iowa

Panon
Game 1: Indiana State over Drake
Game 2: Missouri State over Wichita State
Game 3: Northern Iowa over Indiana State
Game 4: Bradley over Southern Illinois
Game 5: Creighton over Missouri State
Game 6: Evansville over Illinois State
Game 7: Northern Iowa over Bradley
Game 8: Creighton over Evansville
Game 9: Creighton over Northern Iowa

Dance Cam Guy
Game 1: Drake over Indiana State
Game 2: Wichita State over Missouri State
Game 3: Northern Iowa over Drake
Game 4: Bradley over Southern Illinois
Game 5: Creighton over Wichita State
Game 6: Illinois State over Evansville
Game 7: Bradley over Northern Iowa
Game 8: Creighton over Illinois State
Game 9: Creighton over Bradley

We'll be posting updates all weekend live from St. Louis. I know a lot of you will be at Arch Madness, too, but for those of you who can't make it I hope you'll turn to BluejayBasketball.blogspot first for all your MVC tournament information needs.

GO JAYS. Hang A Banner.