Primarily a collection of news links about all 12 Missouri Valley League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
How they got here: The Bulldogs have rolled through the MVC, winning
13 of their last 14 games with a 12-point loss to Bradley as the only
blemish. Drake then stormed through Arch Madness, winning all three games by
double digits, including a 77-51 blasting of regular-season champ Bradley in
the finals.
What you need to know: Darian DeVries has led the Bulldogs to 20 or
more wins in each of his five seasons, exactly half of the 20-win seasons in
Drake history. Drake doesn’t wow anyone statistically, but it finished in
the top three in nearly every Valley category. Perhaps its trademark is its
efficiency with a plus-1.65 turnover margin and only 10.47 turnovers per
game.
Spotlight on: Forward
Tucker DeVries
became only the fourth sophomore to win the Valley’s Larry Bird Trophy as
league MVP and backed it up by taking tournament MVP honors, too. DeVries
(19 ppg) is the son of head coach Darian DeVries and nephew of former
NFL
defensive lineman Jared DeVries.
The Bulldogs will be a trendy pick to win one, if not two, games.
That's because the Missouri Valley's top team has one of the best
mid-major players in the country. Tucker DeVries (19.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg,
38.7% from 3-point range) has the goods. And he's only a sophomore.
DeVries is facilitated by veteran point guard Roman Penn, who will be
ready and anxious for his NCAA Tournament debut; Penn was injured when
Drake danced two years ago.
— Missouri Valley Conference (@MVCsports)
March 12, 2023
The men were the No. 2 seed and topped regular-season champion Bradley in
the title game 77-51. The Bulldogs shot a blistering 67% in the second half
and 56% for the game. This is Drake’s second conference championship. It has
won 27 games, the second most in school history and one behind the 2008
team, which was the other conference championship season.
The women were a surprise to win the title as the four seed. The Bulldogs
beat Belmont 89-71 in the title game. They shot 59% for the game and knocked
down 11 of their 16 field goal attempts in the third quarter. Five players
scored in double figures. Drake dominated top-seed Illinois State by 20
points in the semifinals.
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