NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 6 remaining undefeated teams in 2020-21
By Ryan Kay
4. Drake Bulldogs
Team: Drake
Conference: MVC
Record: 13-0
Leading Scorer: ShanQuan Hemphill is averaging 14.2 points per game.
Victories: @ Indiana State (twice) North Dakota, Chicago State, @South Dakota, Air Force, @Kansas State, South Dakota (neutral court), Southern Illinois (twice), Omaha, McKendree, and St. Ambrose.
Net ranking: 20
KenPom ranking: 58
Sagarin ranking: 65
Average ranking: 47
Why they are undefeated: The Bulldog’s defense has been amazing and there is little debate that it is by far the best defense among all mid-major programs at this point of the season. To illustrate how good their defense is this season, they have limited three teams’ offenses to 53 points and another three teams’ offenses to only 55 points.
The outstanding Bulldogs defense has also held other than those six teams to under 55 points, in four other games where they have held four teams to 66 or fewer points. The Bulldog’s defense has been impressive all season as witnessed when they held the Kansas State offensive attack on the road to only 70 points.
In eleven of their thirteen wins, they have shut down their opponents from putting up 66 or fewer points. The most points that they gave up this season was back on November 25th in their season opener on the road against the Wildcats of the Big 12 conference. Drake has also played extremely well away from their home court going 6-0 on the season. They also won on the road against a Power Five and Big 12 opponent in Kansas State to open their season.
Reasons to be Pessimistic: Similar to other various division one teams, the Bulldogs has two wins over non-division one opponents and those victories are not impressive on paper. On the other side of the argument, Drake has beat a Power Five conference opponent but the win at Kansas State is not that impressive as the Wildcats have lost to non-division one opponent Fort Hays State and are 5-8 currently this season.
The Bulldog’s win for example against winless and 0-9 Chicago State is not an impressive non-conference win by any stretch of the imagination. Drake has not faced any ranked competition this season and is unlikely to do so in conference play.
Drake will have Loyola Chicago and Missouri State to challenge them for the conference title in the Missouri Valley Conference but they do not any ranked opponents remaining on their schedule. The Bulldogs have not played since Jan. 4 and their next scheduled game isn’t until Jan. 21st as well.
Next Opponent: Northern Iowa on 01/21