Drake (23-2) (NET: 56)
2-0 (Q1), 2-1 (Q2), 10-1 (Q3), 7-0 (Q4)
Darian DeVries took son Tucker with him to West Virginia in the offseason, but Drake has rebuilt in a major way under Ben McCollum. The Bulldogs look like one of the best mid-major teams once again this season with that impressive record and standing.
They’re flawless in Quad 1 games, albeit with very limited opportunities. They knocked off Vanderbilt to clinch the Charleston Classic in late November and got a nice win at Kansas State a few weeks later, though there aren’t any Quad 1 currently in the MVC.
Frankly, the continued action in conference play can only hurt the Bulldogs, as their only losses are a Quad 2 defeat at UIC and a really tough upset loss at home to Murray State, the Quad 3 stain on the resume. There’s no road to an at-large if they lose another game like that.
At this point, Drake has to win out and hope that some of their opponents can improve their own resumes. Bradley is the closest thing to Quad 1 in the league, but the Bulldogs host them this weekend and clearly need to finish the season sweep over the Braves.