School Databank:
Location: Des Moines, IA
Enrollment: 3,164
Famous sports alumni: Zach Johnson (PGA, Masters Champion)
Last game: Beat Northern Iowa 58-54
Last game vs Creighton: Drake won 68-60 last week in Omaha
Series: Creighton leads 86-53 (Drake leads 34-31 in Des Moines)
Well, the rematch between Creighton and Drake happens tonight in Des Moines, and looky-what-we-have-here, the Bulldogs are still rated. In fact, now they're a Top-20 team (!) and their winning streak has reached 17 games (!).
The last two games, both losses, may have represented a key turning point in the season. Going from 5-2 in the league to 5-4 puts the Jays in an unfamiliar position at the halfway point of the league season. As Otter pointed out in his typically excellent post after the SIU loss, the reality of the current Jays' squad is a rude awakening to many fans who only began following the team during their current run of success. The idea of not competing for a conference title this year is a shock to a lot of people. But you've got to look at the big picture, folks.
Maybe we're all just too close to the situation. I found the thoughts of my college roommate John, who lives in Des Moines and has only seen the Jays a couple of times this year, to be interesting.
"I watched the CU/SIU came last night and came away very impressed with Creighton's athleticism. They should have won that game but just couldn't put SIU away after getting the 10 point lead in the second half. But things like this will happen with a young team and in an environment like the prison yard in Carbondale. Creighton is going to be good next year and could be really, really good in 2 years. Altman has brought in a ton of good young talent. There are no Manny Gakou or Jeffrey Day types on that team. They are all athletic and can run. They just need some experience."
Those are really good points to chew on, I think. It isn't always possible to reload; sometimes you have to take a year to rebuild. And if, in that rebuilding year, you still win 20 games and play in a postseason tournament...well, that's the kind of year a heckuva lot of folks would LOVE to derogatorily call "rebuilding". A year like that is a success at a lot of places.
In a lot of ways, I think Drake's success is due in large part to the presence of their seniors, who seem to be leading their team. Creighton is relying on underclassmen for much of their production, and in their losses, those underclassmen have showed their age.
-Against Illinois State, they were unprepared for the intensity of conference play, fell behind big early, and were unable to rally.
-Against ISU Blue, they were hungover from that loss and didn't respond positively.
-Against Drake, they built a second-half lead, saw Drake claw back into the game, and then missed key free throws late in a close game.
-Against Southern Illinois, they built a double-digit lead, and then the pressure of the moment and the intensity of the ferocious Saluki crowd brought SIU back. And again, they missed key free throws late.
All of those scenarios are the valleys of a team with young players. There have been plenty of hills too, lest we forget. The key is how they respond to the valleys, and how they play in February. Will we see the valleys become fewer and further apart? Will we see improvement in the areas they've struggled in?
Remember, Dana Altman's teams make their moves in February. Don't count this team out yet.
***
Tonight in Des Moines, Drake is attempting a "White-Out" and telling their fans to wear white shirts. Personally, I couldn't be more excited, because finally we'll know exactly how many Jays fans are in attendance. We'll be the ones in blue, baby!
I'm looking forward to my annual trip to the Knapp Center, or Qwest Center East as it were, and in particular I'm looking forward to seeing the rematch of what was a pretty entertaining first game between these two teams. As John tells me, "Keno Davis is the King of Des Moines right now", so I'm curious to see if Drake's fans will represent tonight. They're generally a pretty placid fanbase, and I'm anxious to see if the Knapp will be rockin' tonight. My guess is that it will be absolutely wild.
I predict that Pierce Hibma will have his "One Shining Moment" tonight, as he usually does in Des Moines, and goes off for 15 points. Five three-pointers tonight for Pierce. Mark it down. You bet.
PREDICTION: Jays 64, Drake 61
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