Drake Bulldogs
The Missouri Valley doesn’t get as much talk as the Mountain West and Atlantic 10 when it comes to Bracketology but they have two teams with some level of at-large hopes. But after last weekend’s result, it looks as if Indiana State has a much better shot than Drake.
The Bulldogs do have a solid resume in their own right, with a NET ranking around 50 and now a 5-2 record against the top two quadrants. This week, they kept their at-large hopes alive by holding on to a 92-88 overtime win over Southern Illinois, led by 27 points from last year’s Player of the Year, Tucker DeVries.
This weekend, Drake went on the road and got a nice 74-67 victory over Bradley, which counts as a Quad 1 win. DeVries had 22 points and nine rebounds, while Darnell Brodie went for 19 points on an efficient 7/8 FG shooting.
This win puts Drake at 20-5 and 11-3 in league play. And yes, three Quad 3 defeats are going to be costly for them if they can’t win Arch Madness. If they run the table, which is doable after beating Bradley on the road, they could be in the mix on Selection Sunday.