The Basics 
Drake women's basketball is in Moline, Ill. ready to defend their MVC Tournament championship at Hoops in the Heartland. The Bulldogs, and the rest of the Missouri Valley Conference, will hit the hardwood from Thursday, Mar. 14 to Sunday, Mar. 17 with a trip to the NCAA Tournament at stake.
 
Bulldogs by the Numbers 
Drake enters postseason play at 26-5 overall and 19-1 in MVC play. Their league record earned the Bulldogs the 2023-24 regular season title and marked the first time in league history that any men's or women's team has won at least 19 MVC game in a single season. Drake will start their tournament schedule on Friday, Mar. 15 at noon against the winner of No. 8 Southern Illinois and No. 9 Indiana State.
 
The Bulldogs are led by a bevy of talented players including three All-MVC performers. Katie Dinnebier took home the Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year Award and was named to the All-MVC First Team. Forward Anna Miller also earned a top honor as the MVC Defensive Player of the Year and was included on the All-MVC Second Team. Graduate forward Grace Berg joined Dinnebier on the First Team and finished third in the Player of the Year voting.
 
Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman became the fourth coach in Drake women's basketball history to collect the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year award and first since Jennie Baranczyk won back-to-back honors in 2017 and 2018. Pohlman has led Drake to a 68-29 record in her three seasons guiding the Bulldogs. She made history this season as the Bulldogs earned 20 wins for the third year in a row marking the first time in program history that a head coach has reached that mark in their first three seasons.
 
Scouting the Field 
Drake leads the field at the 2024 MVC Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. No. 2 Belmont, No. 3 Missouri State, and No. 4 UNI also earned double byes as top four seeds.
 
The Bulldogs' first matchup on Friday at noon will be against No. 9 Indiana State. Friday's matchup will be the second in a row vs. the Sycamores as Drake capped off its regular season schedule in Terre Haute last weekend. A win over the Sycamores would advance Drake to the semifinals where they could potentially face off against UNI, No. 5 Illinois State, the only team to beat the Bulldogs in MVC play, or No. 12 Evansville.
 
The other half the Hoops in the Heartland bracket is headlined by the No. 2 seed Bruins of Belmont. Head coach Bart Brooks' squad will battle the winner of No. 7 UIC and No. 10 Valparaiso. The final grouping includes No. 3 Missouri State, No. 6 Murray State and the Player of the Year runner-up Katelyn Young, and No. 11 Bradley.
 
The Bulldogs will attempt to become the first team to win back-to-back MVC Tournament titles since the 2017-18 Drake squads accomplished that feat.
 
Up Next 
The eventual winner of the 2024 MVC Tournament will earn a berth into the 2024 NCAA Tournament starting on Wednesday, Mar. 20.