The 1978 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held February 27–March 5; the first two rounds were played on campus sites with the semifinal and final contested at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska, hosted by Creighton University. In a battle of conference newcomers, top-seeded Creighton defeated third-seeded Indiana State in the title game, 54–52, to win their first MVC tournament title. The Bluejays, in turn, received a bid to the 1978 NCAA Tournament.