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Here's what to know about Arch Madness

For the first time in the tournament's 33-year history, 12 teams will be in the brackets.

ST. LOUIS — Arch Madness is underway in downtown St. Louis.

The annual Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament is taking place March 2-5 at Enterprise Center. The first game kicked off Thursday at noon, with Northern Iowa beating Illinois State 75-62.

For the first time in its 33-year history, the tournament features a 12-team field.

An automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament is at stake. ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi currently projects the conference tournament winner as the only MVC team to make it to the big dance.

The Bradley Braves enter the tournament as the top seed after finishing the regular season on a 10-game winning streak.

Tickets can be bought here through Ticketmaster.

RELATED: St. Louis police ramp up downtown patrols ahead of Arch Madness, CITY SC home opener

Here's the full tournament schedule:

Thursday, March 2

Game 1: #9 Illinois State (away) vs. #8 Northern Iowa (home) – 12:07 p.m. Central

Game 2: #12 Evansville (away) vs. #5 Indiana State (home) – 2:37 p.m. Central

Game 3: #10 Valparaiso (away) vs. #7 Murray State (home) – 6:07 p.m. Central

Game 4: #11 UIC (away) vs. #6 Missouri State (home) – 8:37 p.m. Central

Friday, March 3

Game 5: Winner Game #1 (away) vs. #1 Bradley (home) – 12:07 p.m. Central

Game 6: Winner Game #2 (away) vs. #4 Belmont (home) – 2:37 p.m. Central

Game 7: Winner Game #3 (away) vs. #2 Drake (home) – 6:07 p.m. Central

Game 8: Winner Game #4 (away) vs. #3 Southern Illinois (home) – 8:37 p.m. Central

Saturday, March 4

Game 9: Winner Game #5 vs. Winner Game #6 –2:35 p.m. Central

Game 10: Winner Game #7 vs. Winner Game #8 – 5:05 p.m. Central

Sunday, March 5

Game 11: Winner Game #9 vs. Winner Game #10 – 1:10 p.m. Central

Credit: Missouri Valley Conference

According to MVC, Arch Madness is the second-longest neutral site tenured collegiate tournament in the United States. 

For more information on the tournament, click here.

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