Along the muddy banks of the mighty Mississippi standing at 630-feet tall from a combination of concrete and stainless steel is an iconic structure instantly recognizable by almost every American with functioning eyes.
St. Louis’ Gateway Arch.
Designed by Eero Saarinen and constructed in the mid-1960s, the Arch is a symbol of westward expansion. It’s the tallest man-made structure in the Western Hemisphere, and it houses one of the most harrowing elevator experiences known to man. The shakiness endured while on that ride during my youth still haunts the psyche to this day.
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The unmistakable monument also represents one of the most underrated Championship Week events — Arch Madness.
Missouri Valley Conference fans from locations like Cedar Rapids, Carbondale and Evansville (I’m forever mayor there) will flock in droves.
Which MVC team will pack its wagon and travel to the NCAA Tournament?
The pick: Indiana State (+165, MGM)
On the at-large fringe, the Fightin’ Larry Birds are the class of the Valley. A personal favorite, the Sycamores are Redwood tall on offense, setting the pace in college basketball in effective field-goal percentage. They shoot an absurd 62.1% inside the arc, 38.4% outside of it and 80.4% from the free-throw line.
Also mind-blowing are the facts that nearly 50% of their shots come from distance and they rank No. 26 in assists-to-field-goals made. The sopping wet bunch from Terre Haute simply downpour buckets with the intensity of a midwestern spring supercell.
Defensively, Indiana State isn’t nearly as efficient, but it is effective. According to KenPom, it's No. 98 in eFG defense, yielding an acceptable 49.3% from two and 32.3% from three. Most noticeably, Josh Schertz’s squad limits opponents’ second chances, as evidenced by the Sycamores’ top-10 ranking nationally in defensive rebound percentage. Big and experienced for a mid-major, they can ball.
What’s most attractive about Indiana State? It’s the seemingly unathletic dad bod and almost comical appearance of sophomore Robbie Avila, whose goggles would make Kurt Rambis jealous.
Nicknamed “Baby Jokic” by some, he’s deceptively sensational whether pounding in the post (64.1 2PT%), knocking down triples (39.6 3PT%), snagging boards or distributing the rock. Plus, he’s an aspiring supermodel. Just look at the Homefield Apparel spread. What a heartthrob.
you know we had to get @Robbie_Avila30 in our new Indiana State shooting shirthttps://t.co/dYHOtME0Bg pic.twitter.com/9hnFRRZVCa
— Homefield (@HomefieldApparl) March 4, 2024
Accompanying “Larry Nerd” are points compilers Jayson Kent (72.7 2PT%), Isaiah Swope (37.6 3PT%), Ryan Conwell (41.3 3PT%), Xavier Bledsoe (37.6 3PT%) and Julian Larry (46.4 3PT%). Again, ISU has dudes. They’ve reached 80 points or more in a game 20 times this season.
Drake, Bradley and Northern Iowa will throw haymakers, but the MVC heavyweight should absorb the body blows. Indiana State is about to take St. Louis by storm.
Just please don’t take the elevator inside The Arch, Avila.