Drake-Missouri St. Preview

2/26/2008 10:01 AM

By MATT BECKER
STATS Writer

Drake has already clinched its first regular-season Missouri Valley Conference title in 37 years, is coming off a road win over a top 10 opponent and finishes against two of the worst teams in the league. Coach Keno Davis, though, doesn't want to see his squad stumble and have it impact potential seeding in the NCAA tournament.

The 20th-ranked Bulldogs look to avoid a letdown Tuesday and pick up a rare win at Missouri State, which will be playing its final game ever at the John Q. Hammons Student Center.

Drake (24-3, 14-2) is coming off a 71-64 victory at then-No. 8 Butler on Saturday in a matchup of two of the top mid-majors in the nation.

Josh Young 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 the Bulldogs leading by two points.

"More than anything, it provides a big boost of confidence for our team going into the end of the season and postseason play," said Young, who leads the league in scoring at 16.5 points per game.

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.

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.

"Especially at the end of the season, games always take on more importance, whether you're trying to get into the NCAA tournament or for seeding in your conference tournament or if you're already in you're looking for seeding in the NCAA," Davis said. "We haven't talked a whole lot about end-of-season goals. ... We just want to try to get better by the time our conference tournament ends up."

The Bulldogs are also trying to end a six-game losing streak at Missouri State, where they are just 1-15 all-time.

Drake 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. The Bulldogs have not swept the season series since 2000-01.

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 points.

Missouri State shot a season-high 59.1 percent in its 90-76 home win over Central Michigan on Saturday. Senior forward Dale Lamberth had a game-high 25 points, while Deven Mitchell scored 23.

Lamberth had 19 points against the Bulldogs last month, while Mitchell, who is averaging a team-high 14.1 points, was held to 10.

This will be the Bears' first game of the season against a ranked opponent.