The Drake University men's basketball team hosts Illinois State Wednesday, Jan. 3, evening in a clash of Missouri Valley Conference leaders at the Knapp Center. Both Drake and Illinois State jumped out to 2-0 conference records in the first week of MVC action to sit on top of the league standings. Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Redbirds is set for 7 p.m. with the contest being broadcast locally on Mediacom MC22 and
The Valley On ESPN3.
Wednesday's game is also Dollar Night at the Knapp Center with advance tickets available for $1 via DrakeTix.com. Select concessions will also be available for $1.
The Redbirds make their annual visit to the Knapp Center after an overtime win against Indiana State Sunday to improve to 2-0 in the MVC. The Bulldogs matched that start with a 70-67 at SIU for their second conference victory of the season. The Bulldogs opened the MVC season with a 66-64 win over Bradley to remain undefeated at the Knapp Center this year.
Senior
Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) posted his seventh 20-point game of the season with 20 points in the win at SIU to move into fourth all-time in scoring at Drake with 1,631. That total ranks 17
th among active NCAA Division I players and moves him just 159 points away from becoming Drake's all-time scoring leader.
Nick McGlynn (Stoughton, Wis.) has complemented Timmer's guard play as the forward is averaging 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in the Bulldogs' two MVC wins.
However, defense has been the team's catalyst in the last three wins as the Bulldogs have held each of those opponents under 40 percent shooting. Drake last held three-consecutive opponents under 40 percent shooting during the 2011-12 season. Those misses have fueled Drake's transition offense as the team is averaging nearly 12 fastbreak points per game in those three wins, more than double its average in the previous 12 contests.
Wednesday's home game comes before back-to-back road dates at Indiana State and MVC newcomer Valparaiso before the Bulldogs return to the Knapp Center Jan. 13 to host Evansville.
