Larry Ness
Drake Bulldogs v/s Missouri St. Bears 2/26/2008 8:00:00 pm
No. 20 Drake has already clinched its first regular-season Missouri Valley Conference title in 37 years and is coming off a road win over then-No.8 Butler on BracketBuster Saturday. It's the perfect spot here at Missouri St for the Bulldogs to "let down," except head coach Keno Davis has seemingly made his team immune from such happenings. In Drake's 71-64 victory at Butler, Josh Young (16.5) scored a career-high 25 points and hit three clinching free throws after being fouled on a desperation 3-point attempt with 20 seconds left in regulation and Drake leading by just two points. The Bulldogs have won their first regular-season conference title since 1971 and appear to have all but locked up their first NCAA tournament berth since that year. Houston (14.1-4.2) and Emmenecker (7.4-4.6-6.0) join Young as the mainstays in the backcourt, while the 6-8 Cox (11.6-8.4), the 6-5 Korver (9.3-3.8) and the 6-8 Heemskerk (5.5-3.3) are the team's best frontcourt players. While Drake, which was picked to finish ninth in the MVC, is enjoying a remarkable season, Davis wants his team to finish on a high note against eighth-place Missouri State (14-15 / 6-10) and last-place Wichita State. However, this is Missouri State's final home game and the Bulldogs will be trying to end a six-game losing streak at Missouri State, where they are just 1-15 all-time. The Bulldogs beat the Bears 65-54 on Jan 12 in Des Moines, scoring the game's final 11 points over the last four minutes. Young missed that game with a sprained ankle but Klayton Korver stepped up and scored a team-high 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range as Drake snapped a 10-game losing streak versus the Bears. Missouri State may be near the bottom of the MVC but it has been tough to beat at home, going 13-2. The Bears have won their last three games in Springfield by an average of 23.0 PPG. The Bears start the 6-9 Richards (6.7-4.0) at center, alongside of two excellent 6-5 forwards, Mitchell (14.1-6.1) and Lamberth (13.9-4.9). Spencer (7.8-3.3 APG) and Shane (6.4) Laurie plus Fuehrmeyer (7.2-3.9 APG) make up the backcourt. This will be the Bears' first game of the season against a ranked opponent and while I may be "tugging on Superman's cape" here, I'll take the small home dog