ST. LOUIS— Arch Madness, a four-day men's college basketball tournament is underway at the Enterprise Center. All 12 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference will face off before the final game at 1:15 p.m. Sunday, March 9.  

The St. Louis Sports Commission says several thousand visiting fans are in attendance, spending millions at hotels, bars and restaurants in Downtown St. Louis. 

“Some years it's going to be higher depending on who's got the best season in the Valley and, and which fan bases are coming out. But to be conservative, the 5 million mark is a reasonable estimate,” said Marc Schreiber, President of the St. Louis Sports Commission. “These events draw so many fans from outside the region. It's a great way to get people from outside of St. Louis to spend their money in St. Louis.”

Drake University student Christopher Wilkins is one of over 5,000 visitors. He says the 7-hour road trip was worth a weekend stay Downtown. 

“We want to be here to support our team, of course,” Wilkins said. “We’re spending a couple nights before and after, getting rowdy and having a good time… We're checking out the museums and the statues. Downtown's beautiful. It's just been a great trip.”

Drake University advanced to Game 9 after beating Southern Illinois University on Friday in a 70 to 53 match. Drake will face Belmont University at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The winning team will advance to the final game on Sunday.

The St. Louis Sports Commission says the Missouri Valley Conference will be hosted in St. Louis until at least 2028, unless the Enterprise Center contract is renewed.

“There are several cities that would love to be able to host the Missouri Valley tournament.” Schreiber said. “But a lot of it is the track record of success and relationships… for the Valley to utilize a building like we have in St. Louis, that provides such a great experience for their student athletes, the teams and the fans… It's a good experience for them because they're coming to a connected, walkable downtown.”

The Missouri Valley Conference is the second-longest continuously running neutral-site college basketball event in the nation. Tickets are still available here. See the full game schedule and previous match results here.