Bulldogs over Ramblers – Alex Staab, Contributor
It took until Feb. 7, but the Drake Bulldogs lost their first game of the 2021 season against Valparaiso last weekend.
Prior to that, the Bulldogs had been one of three teams in all of Division I men’s basketball still having an undefeated record, with the other two being the top two teams in the nation: Gonzaga and Baylor.
That says a lot. By no means is Drake on the level of a ‘Zaga or Bears squad, but they can certainly place themselves above the likes of the Loyola Ramblers.
Being one of three remaining undefeated teams comes with a lot of national attention. The Bulldogs found themselves with a lot of pressure on their shoulders, but they’ve stayed true to themselves, which can be the difference between a good and great team.
Another factor you simply can’t prepare for is COVID-19-related postponements. Drake lost five consecutive games last month and went 22 days in between games. The Bulldogs were virtually unaffected, winning five straight games. The only flaw, perhaps, is that all but one of those wins were close calls, including a two-point overtime win against Illinois State.
The Knapp Center can be a tough place to play as it is. When the Bulldogs are 19-1 and 11-0 at home, that home court advantage can increase further. Drake has been allowing a limited number of fans, which creates as best an atmosphere as possible.
That home court advantage gets the national spotlight when the Bulldogs host No. 22 Loyola, with both games airing on ESPN2 this weekend.
Drake can put the loss against Valparaiso behind them and have the chance to showcase their talent with players like Roman Penn and Shanquan Hemphill, so they’re in the driver’s seat.
Loyola has had their run to the Final Four. Now, it’s the Drake Bulldogs’ turn.
A loss isn’t necessarily a loss if you learn from it. It appears as if the Bulldogs have indeed learned from that 17-point loss, as they defeated in-state rival Northern Iowa on Wednesday, 80-59.
Drake will head into the Loyola series with momentum. The two games take place on Feb. 13 and 14 on ESPN2.
Ramble on – Colin Davern, Contributor
The Drake Bulldogs and Loyola Ramblers will meet this weekend in Des Moines as the two heavyweight contenders in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Both teams had the top two seeds in the conference two seasons ago, and they will likely take the top two spots again this season with the weekend series playing a huge role in who gets the top seed. The Ramblers have swept the Bulldogs in the past two seasons, and odds are they will make it three straight.
Both teams have just one loss in the conference, but Loyola’s defeat came against the Indiana State Sycamores who are 8-6, while Drake recently had their perfect record snapped by the sub-.500 Valparaiso Crusaders.
Drake’s loss also caused the team to fall out of the AP top 25 rankings, while Loyola jumped ahead of them and into the No. 22 spot. Loyola is also coming in as the hotter team; only one of their 10 straight wins was decided by less than 10 points. Meanwhile, five of Drake’s last 11 games were won by single digits, and that doesn’t include the 17-point loss just a few days ago. They’ve narrowly skated by in plenty of games, and they’ll likely show why this weekend.
With both games likely to be close affairs, free throw shooting will be an important factor, and Loyola holds a narrow edge at 71.7 percent this season compared to Drake’s 70.9 rate. Loyola also has the best team field goal percentage in the conference, as well as the most accurate individual shooter in Cameron Krutwig with a 60.6 percentage. Krutwig is also the leading scorer this season on either team.
Loyola has a significant advantage over Drake and the rest of the conference in team defense, averaging almost seven points less per game than Drake, who also forces fewer turnovers per game and has a slightly worse turnover differential.
The highly-anticipated two-game series between Loyola and Drake will have huge implications in the regular-season standings with both teams in a good position to make it to March Madness, but if the selection committee has to pick between one of them, or the other if neither wins the conference title in St. Louis, this weekend series will likely be the deciding factor.
