The 2012 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament (also known as "Arch Madness") begins on Thursday, and the Illinois State Red Birds, Southern Illinois Salukis and Bradley Braves are all hoping to make a run to the championship. No. 9 seed Southern Illinois kicks off the tournament with a matchup against the Indiana State Sycamores at 6:05 PM CT, and a win there would catapult them into a showdown with the No. 1 seed Wichita State Shockers on Friday.

The No. 10 seed Bradley Braves are the other first-round matchup on Thursday, as they are slated to take on the No. 7 seed Drake Bulldogs after the conclusion of the Salukis - Sycamores tilt. Meanwhile, the No. 4 seed Red Birds are scheduled to take on No. 5 Northern Iowa Panthers on Friday afternoon. Here is a complete look at the Arch Madness schedule:

Thursday, March 1
Game 1
#8 Indiana State Sycamores  vs. #9 Southern Illinois Salukis
6:05 pm -- MVC TV Network

Game 2
#7 Drake Bulldogs vs. #10 Bradley Braves
8:35 pm -- MVC TV Network

Friday, March 2
Game 3
#1 Wichita State Shockers vs. Winner Game 1
12:05 pm -- MVC TV Network

Game 4
#4 Illinois State Redbirds vs. #5 Northern Iowa Panthers
2:35 pm -- MVC TV Network

Game 5
#2 Creighton Bluejays vs. Winner Game 2
6:05 pm -- MVC TV Network

Game 6
#3 Evansville Purple Aces vs. #6 Missouri State Bears
8:35 pm -- MVC TV Network

Saturday, March 3
Game 7
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
1:35 pm -- MVC TV Network

Game 8
Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
4:05 pm -- MVC TV Network

Sunday, March 4
Game 9
Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8
1:05 pm -- CBS Sports

The full tournament bracket can be found here.

For more on NCAA Hoops, check out the SB Nation NCAA hub at sbnation.com/NCAA-Basketball.