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Arch Madness will be Arch Madness until at least 2015

Doug McDermott

Doug McDermott kisses the championship trophy as his teammates celebrate after the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship NCAA basketball game, Sunday, March 4, 2012 in St. Louis. Creighton beat Illinois State 83-79 in overtime.(AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

AP

The Missouri Valley is the nation’s preeminent mid-major conference regardless of whether or not the league is having a good season or a down year.

The league is loaded with programs that have a long history of success, gobs of tradition and hoards of fans that would make some of the smaller programs in the major conferences really, really jealous.

That’s why attending Arch Madness is one of the things currently on my College Hoops bucket list. Since 1991, the MVC has held their conference tournament at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO, home of the famous Gateway Arch. (Which is why the tournament was dubbed Arch Madness. The MVC: home of great hoops and clever nicknaming skills!)

Only the Big East, who has used Madison Square Garden as the home of their conference tournament, has had a longer stay at one neutral site. Which is why the news that the MVC has agreed to keep Arch Madness in St. Louis through the 2015 season is notable.

“This was an important decision for our conference, and we are excited to be able to continue the remarkable run that our tournaments have enjoyed in this neutral city,” MVC commissioner Doug Elgin said. “We are indebted to Scottrade Center and to Family Arena and to many corporate supporters who have made it possible for us to grow our tournaments in a first-class fashion at a neutral site.”

Apparently, the Sprint Center in Kansas City and the Quest Center in Omaha have been making a push to host the event. They understand the power of the MVC fanbases.

But at the end of the day, Arch Madness will be Arch Madness for at least three more seasons. Which gives me at least three more years to notch this off my bucket list. That’s a good thing.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.