GAME NOTES: The top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference will collide this evening as the Illinois State Redbirds play host to the 15th-ranked Drake Bulldogs. Drake has been arguably the most surprising team in all of college basketball, as it owns a 20-1 overall record and an 11-0 mark against league competition. The Bulldogs took their game on the road on Saturday and managed to knock off Indiana State by an 83-77 final. The victory was the 19th in a row for the team, staggering to say the least. Illinois State is more than capable of putting up a fight tonight, as the squad is 16-6 this season, including 8-3 in conference action. On Saturday, the Redbirds managed to squeak out a 64-63 road victory over Missouri State, and now they return home where they are 11-0 this season. Drake beat Illinois State by a 79-73 margin back on January 19th, but the Redbirds still hold a commanding 43-23 series lead over the Bulldogs.

Drake is led in scoring by Josh Young, as he is scoring 16.1 ppg. Leonard Houston adds 14.4 ppg, and Jonathan Cox is contributing 11.7 ppg to go along with his 8.7 rpg. The Bulldogs are the top scoring team in the MVC, as they are posting 73.7 ppg. As mentioned above, the most recent outing for Drake resulted in a six-point road win over Indiana State on Saturday. Adam Emmenecker played extremely well in that clash, as he established a new career high with 20 points. Emmenecker leads the conference in assists, but he averages only seven points per contest, so the explosion against the Sycamores was certainly unexpected. Young posted 18 points in that tilt, while Houston pitched in 16 points. Drake handed Indiana State its first loss in 10 home games. The Bulldogs really turned it on when necessary, knocking down 7-of-11 three-pointers in the second half.

Osiris Eldridge is the leading scorer for Illinois State this season, as he is netting 15.5 ppg. The fact that there are no other double-digit scorers in the lineup is surprising, especially considering the team's 16-6 overall record. Fortunately, the Redbirds have been a superb defensive team, limiting opponents to 59.8 ppg on 39.9 percent shooting from the floor. In the one- point win over Missouri State, Dom Johnson poured in a season-high 23 points on the strength of a 5-of-7 shooting effort from three-point range. Eldridge tallied 17 points, and Boo Richardson contributed 10 points and six assists. The Redbirds did not dominate any one aspect of the contest, but they showed a great deal of toughness in securing the victory.

Drake is attempting to hand a second straight opponent its first home loss of the season. It is hard to pick against the Bulldogs, so expect them to find a way to make it happen.