What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 3/23/2024

Commissioner Jeff Jackson – Guard Rails--Valley Hoops Insider

3/23/24 NIT/CBI/CIT NEWS AND NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

Subscriber Content

NIT

I noted ahead of Bradley’s first round game against Loyola Chicago that the outstanding dribble and midrange creation of Hickman and Deen would be a major factor given the Ramblers’ elite rim defense, and that will again be the best path for the Braves continuing their season against Cincinnati’s drop coverage....

Bradley basketball vs. Cincinnati live score, updates, highlights from 2024 NIT second round--Peoria Journal Star

Drake Left With What Ifs--Valley Hoops Insider
Looking back at Drake men's basketball's run to the NCAA Tournament--Des Moines Register

Sights and sounds from the Big Dance in the Little Apple--The Next

No. 5 Colorado (Pac-12) vs. No. 12 Drake (MVC)

With two teams that average over 75 points per game on the season, we could expect a first round matchup of teams that would get up and down for 40 minutes. While the top seed pounced first in the opening game, it was Drake who jumped on the No. 5 seed to an early 11-3 lead in the second matchup. The Bulldogs hit five of their first six shots, with senior guard Courtney Becker knocking down five quick points. Following a timeout by head coach JR Payne, Colorado settled into their gameplan of going inside and attacking Drake in the paint. The Buffaloes then ran off 10 straight points of their own, ending the first quarter with a breakaway layup off a steal by guard Jaylyn Sherrod to lead 24-21.

It was a fast paced second 10 minutes for both teams, with the Buffs stretching their lead to 12, but Drake countering with 18 first half points by standout junior guard Katie Dinnebier. The Bulldogs cut the lead to five, even as they went the final 2:32 of the half without scoring. 6’0 forward Grace Berg, who averages 17 points per game on the year for Drake, was held to just four in the first half due to the lockdown defense from Sherrod. Colorado center Aaronette Vonleh paced the Buffs with 14 in the first half, going 6-for-13 from the field and leading her team to a 46-41 halftime lead.

“We have not played a team like Drake all year. So I’m really proud of how our team prepared. It’s hard to prepare for a team you’ve never seen before, and so I thought that was great,” said Colorado head coach JR Payne. “When I look at a couple things we talked about, really trying to be aggressive inside, really trying to do a great job on the glass because they’re such a good rebounding team, we did a really good job in those two areas, and those were huge priorities for us.”

Colorado’s Kindyll Wetta, Jaylyn Sherrod and Frida Formann, as seen here in last season’s NCAA Tournament, are marching in to a second round matchup with No. 4 seed Kansas State. (Photo credit: Tyler Davis / CU Athletics)

Colorado continued to attack as the second half began, going 12-for-17 from the field and dominating Drake on the glass in the third quarter. Eventually, they took a 71-53 lead into the final 10 minutes. The relentless defensive pressure and size inside wore down Drake, along with the patience by the Buffs against their sagging zone.

Colorado had four player finish in double figures, led by Vonleh with a double-double (18 and 10) and junior guard Kindyll Wetta added 16 points, going 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Their rebounding dominance was a key in the second half — they finished the game with 23 offensive boards and a 38-17 advantage on the glass. Ultimately, Colorado advanced to the second round with an 86-72 victory.

When asked about what lies ahead for her team, Payne knows this is something they are prepared for. “This is a Pac-12 schedule we’re playing this weekend, Friday-Sunday. So we’re used to this rhythm of it. So I think our team will do a great job of resting. Tomorrow morning we wake up, the scout is already done, but start teaching our team the scout, what’s important, what does it look like, what does it feel like, and yeah, just get ready for a really tough game.”

Drake’s Dinnebier finished the game with 24 points and seven assists. The Bulldogs had won 14 games coming into the 2024 NCAA Tournament, their 15^th appearance in program history. They finish their season 29–6, setting a new single-season program record for wins.

Drake guard Katie Dinnebier led the Bulldogs to a record-setting 29 wins this season but they came up short in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. (Photo credit: Joseph Cress/For The Register/USA Today Network)

“To get to 29 wins for the first time in program history I think is a really, really impressive statistic. We would have really liked to get it to 30. But today clearly a lot of different adjustments that could have been made. Ball could have gone in the hole a little bit more, and the obvious thing about rebounding clearly did not go in our favor. Still very, very proud of our team, but just didn’t come out our way,” said Drake head coach Allison Pohlman.