Drake-Creighton Preview

1/21/2008 8:45 PM

By MATT BECKER
STATS Writer

Behind an astonishing start to its season, Drake has cracked the AP poll for the first time in 33 years. To stay ranked, however, won't be easy.

The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs look to remain perfect in the Missouri Valley Conference and extend their school-record winning streak to 16 games Tuesday when they visit Creighton, where they haven't won in nearly six years.

Drake (16-1, 7-0) was not expected to make much noise in the Valley this season. The Bulldogs lost four senior starters from last season's team that finished seventh in the MVC with a 17-15 record - the first time they finished over .500 since 1986-87.

Drake was picked to finish ninth in the Valley this season, but is in sole possession of first place after beating Illinois State 79-73 on Saturday in a matchup of unbeaten MVC teams.

After being just outside the top 25 in last week's poll, the Bulldogs are ranked for the first time since they were No. 16 in the final poll of the 1974-75 season.

"It's pretty exciting for our program," first-year Drake coach Keno Davis said. "We've got to (thank) the fans and the people who work at Drake. It's been a long time."

The Bulldogs have won 15 straight games - the nation's third-longest winning streak behind No. 2 Kansas and No. 1 Memphis - since suffering a 72-66 loss on Nov. 10 at Saint Mary's, which is first among the others receiving votes in the latest AP poll.

"We're just enjoying it, and we feel like we just have to keep the focus on improving as a ballclub," Davis said.

Drake's first matchup as a ranked team should be a challenge.

The Bulldogs were swept in their two-game season series against the Bluejays (14-3, 5-2) for the third straight time last season, and have lost 19 of the last 23 meetings. Drake has also lost five straight at Creighton by an average of 16.6 points since a 75-73 victory on Feb. 25, 2002.

The Bluejays are in third place in the MVC, and have won five straight games after opening conference play with back-to-back losses to Illinois State and Indiana State.

Creighton's recent dominance over Drake shouldn't intimidate the Bulldogs too much, however, as they've managed to stop lengthy losing streaks against other Valley opponents this season. Drake's 61-51 win over Southern Illinois on Jan. 2 ended a 16-game losing streak to the Salukis, and its 65-54 victory over Missouri State on Jan. 12 snapped a 10-game skid against the Bears.

The Bulldogs have won their last three games without conference scoring leader Josh Young (16.3 ppg), who hasn't played since spraining his ankle in the second half of a 75-50 victory over Indiana State on Jan. 9.

A different Drake player has led the team in scoring in each game Young has missed, and against the Redbirds, senior point guard Adam Emmenecker paced the Bulldogs with a career-high 19 points. The former walk-on also had six rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Emmenecker, whose layup at the buzzer gave Drake a 69-68 victory over Bradley on Wednesday, was named MVC player of the week Monday.

The Bulldogs beat Illinois State despite allowing an opponent season-high 54.9 percent shooting. Drake has had success this season behind its solid defense, which ranks third in the league in field goal defense (40.9 percent) and second in scoring (58.1 ppg).

Creighton, meanwhile, boasts the Valley's top offense in scoring (75.2 ppg) and shooting (46.6 percent).

The Bluejays are coming off an 86-69 win over Indiana State on Saturday, as they shot a season-high 57.1 percent, and connected on 12-of-23 shots from the 3-point range. Sophomore Cavel Witter finished with a career-high 21 points, while junior Booker Woodfox had a career-high 20.

"We did some good things, shared the ball well, made some plays for each other and hit some shots," Creighton coach Dana Altman said. "Offensively, (Witter and Woodfox) really played well."

Senior forward Dane Watts, who is averaging a team-high 12.7 points per game, scored 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting in the two games against Drake last season.

The Bluejays are 10-1 at home this season, and have won 22 of 25 games at the Qwest Center Omaha since 2006-07.