Ranking Missouri State basketball’s 5 most heartbreaking Arch Madness games

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Missouri State basketball has experienced plenty of heartbreak in the Missouri Valley Conference as it heads into its final Arch Madness appearance before joining Conference USA next season.

The program has undergone many close calls since joining the league in 1990. That includes several critical losses that extended their current NCAA Tournament drought, which will reach 26 years without a miracle run this week in St. Louis.

Here are the five worst moments for the Bears men’s basketball program since joining the Valley.

Honorable mention

Paul Lusk’s Bears lose by 20 to Bradley after announcing infamous cryotherapy incident — Lusk’s Bears were coming off a loss to Drake but were still 15-6 with Alize Johnson on the roster. Hours before their game at Bradley, the school announced two players had been severely injured in a whole-body cryotherapy incident. The Bears lost 72-52 and then lost seven of their last 10 games.

Steve Alford’s Bears lose to Illinois State in 1997 and 1998 Arch Madness title games — In two straight years, the Redbirds topped the Bears at the Kiel Center. In 1997, the Bears lost by three despite getting 27 points from Danny Moore. The next year, they lost by 10 while shooting below 40%. These would’ve hurt worse if it wasn’t for the Sweet 16 run in 1999.

Charlie Spoonhour’s Bears fall to Creighton in 1991 Arch Madness final — Spoonhour led the Bears to the NCAA Tournament in 1990 and 1992 but fell 16 points short to Creighton in the 1991 MVC title game. The Bears shot 33.9% in the loss but rebounded to beat Tulsa in the championship the next year.

5. Drake basketball beats Missouri State right before buzzer in Arch Madness semifinals in back-to-back years under Dana Ford

Dana Ford had two chances to put the Bears into an Arch Madness championship game with rosters featuring some of the best talent to come through the school. Both semifinal games, in 2020 and 2021, against Drake ended with gut punches at the horn. In the first game, Joseph Yesufu won the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/ranking-missouri-state-basketballs-5-090017061.html

Author : Springfield News-Leader

Publish date : 2025-03-04 09:00:00

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