By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Caitlin Clark effect may be expanding to other conferences outside of the Big Ten.

The Missouri Valley Conference announced in late April that it will be bringing its women’s basketball tournament to Xtream Arena in Coralville in 2026, not far away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City where Clark played so many games in front of sold-out crowds during his historic career at Iowa.

The Valley, which has played its tournament at Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline, Ill., the past nine seasons, takes its tournament to the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., this season, then follows it with the event in Coralville the next season, wrapping up the rotation with another turn in Moline in 2027.

“You know, I think we’re all trying to find ways, and I don’t like to use the term, take advantage of it, and maybe it is the appropriate term of the new interest and new excitement that we’ve seen over the last 12, 16 months when it comes to women’s basketball,” Valley commissioner Jeff Jackson said on Monday during the first day of the conference’s men’s basketball coaches Zoom availability. “The opportunity to go to Evansville, and what they have already started in terms of how they’re trying to enhance the experience for our young ladies, and then a year later, having a chance to go to Coralville, which is, you know, five minutes outside of Iowa City, and we know the person who’s been so instrumental in that resurrection of women’s basketball in that part of the country.”

Bringing the tournament into the footprint of what has been one of women’s basketball’s prime areas, especially during Clark’s four seasons with the Hawkeyes, made sense, Jackson said.

Asked if the popularity of those games, including the sellout crowds during NCAA tournament games at Carver-Hawkeye, influenced the Valley’s decision, Jackson said, “Well, it certainly didn’t hurt. I think what we liked about all three communities that we re-signed with is just their natural inclination to be excited and enthusiastic about women’s basketball, the fact that it’s important to them, the fact that the facilities are in great shape, the communities are invested, and the people who are leading the charge that we’ve had the chance to really get to know, they’ve done a tremendous job of already in terms of just trying to create the best positive circumstance for our student-athletes.

Jackson said one of those venues could make a good enough impression to get the tournament again for a long-term deal.

“When all three bids came in, none of them stood out so much more than the other that we thought it was a good opportunity to just kind of put our toe in the three different ponds,” Jackson said. “And who knows, maybe one will establish itself as a place that we need to take maybe into stronger consideration. But we’re kind of excited about just seeing what this rotation brings.”

MEMBERSHIP: The Valley will be down to 11 schools when Missouri State leaves after this season to join Conference USA.

Whether the conference will look for one or more replacements is something that is under discussion, Jackson said, and there’s also a chance that the conference will stay at 11 teams.

“It’s amazing how many people struggle with 11,” Jackson said, smiling. “I’ve never had this struggle with 11. It’s … it seems like a number. On Schoolhouse Rock, did they ever do 11? I think they did.

“I don’t think there’s going to be much change from our board and our presidents and chancellors in terms of how they’re looking at membership. You know, we’re always proactive. We’re always thinking about institutions that can either enhance or promote the experiences that we can provide for our student-athletes, the type of presence and the type of reputation that the Missouri Valley Conference has, and simply can be good partners. And I don’t think anything has changed.”

Jackson said Missouri State’s decision, spurred by the school’s move from FCS to FBS football, didn’t surprise him.

“I don’t think the decision made by Missouri State caught anybody by surprise in terms of we know that there’s always been an aspiration there to play FBS football, and we wish them all the best in that endeavor,” he said.

The Valley expanded to 12 teams in 2022 with the additions of Belmont, Murray State and Illinois-Chicago.

“We were really fortunate a couple years ago to add three really strong programs from a basketball and geographical vantage point, and I think that has helped us,” Jackson said. “And I think the same process, and the same thought process, that we had during that time period remains.”

Photo: Missouri Valley Conference commissioner Jeff Jackson speaks on the Valley’s men’s basketball Zoom conference on Monday.