The Basics 
Drake women's basketball's postseason slate starts in a new location as the MVC Tournament has moved to Evansville, Ind. this year. The Bulldogs are ready to defend their back-to-back MVC Tournament championships as the No. 4 seed in the Valley field. 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 21-10 overall and 15-5 in MVC play. The Bulldogs finished the regular season calendar in a tie with Belmont for third and were slotted in the fourth position in the bracket due to league tiebreakers. Drake will start its tournament schedule on Friday, Mar. 14 at 2:30 p.m. (CT) against the winner of No. 5 Illinois State and No. 12 Southern Illinois.
 
The Bulldogs are led by a handful of talented players including two All-MVC performers. Katie Dinnebier took home her second consecutive Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year Award and was named to the All-MVC First Team and MVC All Defensive Team. Forward Anna Miller earned the top academic honor as the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was included on the All-MVC Second Team and MVC All-Defensive Team. Miller needs just two rebounds to become the sixth player in team history to record over 1,000 points and rebounds in their Drake career. Dinnebeir is just four points away from becoming the seventh player in program history to surpass 2,000 career points.
 
Other key contributors include graduate forward Courtney Becker, who averages over 10 points and eight rebounds, sharpshooter Abbie Aalsma, starter Shannon Fornshell, and reserve guard Ava Hawthorne.
 
Drake is led by Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman in her fourth year at the helm. Pohlman has guided the Bulldogs to 20-plus wins in each of her first four seasons, a feat that no other Drake coach has accomplished. She is closing in on 100 career victories with a 92-40 record.
 
Scouting the Field 
Drake trails three other teams in field at the 2024 MVC Tournament as the No. 4 overall seed. No. 1 Murray State and No. 2 Missouri State tied for the league's regular season crown with the Racers benefitting from their tiebreaker. No. 3 Belmont holds the final first-round bye.
 
The Bulldogs' first matchup on Friday at noon will be against No. 5 Illinois State or No. 12 Southern Illinois. Drake swept both meetings with both of those teams during the regular season. Most recently, The Bulldogs downed SIU 82-40 and snuck by Illinois State, both of those tilts coming at the Knapp Center. A win over the Salukis or Redbirds would advance Drake to the semifinals where they could potentially face off against No. 1 seed Murray State.
 
The other half the MVC Women's Basketball Tournament bracket is headlined by the No. 2 seed Lady Bears of Missouri State. Head coach Beth Cunningham's squad, which will be competing in the programs' last ever MVC Tournament as Missouri State is set to exit The Valley for Conference USA next season, will battle the winner of No. 7 UIC and No. 10 Evansville. Cunningham earned the MVC Coach of the Year award and their star guard Lacy Stokes took home the league's Defensive Player of the Year award.
 
The final grouping includes No. 3 Belmont, No. 6 UNI, and No. 11 Indiana State.
 
The Bulldogs will attempt to become the third team to win back-to-back-to-back MVC Tournament titles in conference history and first since Wichita State captured three straight trophies from 2013-15.
 
Up Next 
The eventual winner of the 2025 MVC Tournament will earn a berth into the 2025 NCAA Tournament starting on Wednesday, Mar. 19.