DES MOINES, Iowa – One of the Missouri Valley Conference's top offenses and the league's top defense will meet Tuesday night in the Knapp Center. Drake takes to its home floor, where it is averaging 82.8 points per game against MVC opponents to host Illinois State. The Redbirds own the sixth best field goal percentage defense in the nation and are holding conference foes to just 60.2 points per game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Knapp Center with the contest broadcast on Mediacom MC22 and The Valley on ESPN3.
 
Tuesday's game will also be Drake's annual 3.0 Recognition as the athletic department recognizes its student-athletes and teams that have recorded a 3.0 GPA during the fall semester.
 
In addition to their staunch defense, Illinois State is 11-1 in the MVC standings to sit in a tie for first place in the conference standings after suffering an 86-45 loss at Wichita State on Saturday evening. In the first meeting between the two teams this season, Illinois State defeated Drake, 72-58, despite it being just a two-point game with eight minutes remaining in the contest before ISU pulled away.
 
Drake returns to its home court where it is 4-2 in conference games after falling at Bradley on Saturday, 79-72, to drop to 5-7 in the MVC to sit in seventh place.
 
T.J. Thomas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) led Drake in that loss with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for his first double-double as a Bulldog. The junior has had nine or more rebounds in three of the last four games and 22 total boards in his last two outings. In the first meeting with Illinois State, he had seven points and eight rebounds including five offensive boards.
 
Following Tuesday's game, the Bulldogs return to the road for two games beginning with a Feb. 11 contest at Indiana State followed by a Feb. 14 date at Evansville.