2008 Final Mid-Major Top 25

Last week, when Drive and Dish was busy following the NCAA Championship game and Boone Pickens'/Oklahoma State's pursuit of Bill Self (and, after Self declined their overtures, other "big name" coaches), CollegeInsider.com released their Final mid-major Top 25 poll for 2008.

Davidson, who fell two points short of earning a trip to the Final Four, finished #1 in their final poll. Butler finished #2. Western Kentucky and Drake were #3 and #4, and Gonzaga rounded out the top 5.

Here's the final list:

1. Davidson
2. Butler
3. Western Kentucky
4. Drake
5. Gonzaga
6. Kent State
7. St. Mary's
8. South Alabama
9. Siena
10. VCU
11. Belmont
12. Cal State Fullerton
13. San Diego
14. Stephen F. Austin
15. Illinois State
16. George Mason
17. Oral Roberts
18. Cornell
19. IUPUI
20. UC Santa Barbara
21. Akron
22. Robert Morris
23. UMBC
24. Portland State
25. Rider

Davis Named AP Coach of the Year

Keno Davis, who led Drake to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1971, was named Coach of the Year by the AP today.

In his first year after taking the reins of the Drake program from his father, Dr. Tom Davis, the younger Davis turned the Missouri Valley's perennial doormat into the league's champion.

Drive and Dish extends congratulations to Keno Davis, to Drake University and to the Missouri Valley Conference.

Bracketbuster Saturday

By Mark Buckets

As is fashionable on the annual “Bracketbuster Saturday,” there were games strewn across the country with pairings we don’t ordinarily get to see.

The highly anticipated duel between Drake and Butler was the headliner on this RPI-boosting Saturday.

In a battle of Bulldogs, Drake escaped historic Hinkle Fieldhouse with a 71-64 victory over Butler.

It wasn’t pretty to the naked eye - both teams uncharacteristically shot under 30% from three point range - but was a well played game nonetheless.

This was a game where post play was virtually non-existent. These teams will experience difficulties matching up with bigger and quicker teams come Tournament time.

From a purists’ standpoint, however, this was a masterpiece. Both teams displayed the kind of fundamentals executed in an instructional video. These teams are stockpiled with kids who “get it.” The general unselfishness of these players should be noted.

USA Basketball should save this tape and show it at their “Skills Camp” during the offseason.

They could learn a thing or two from Drake and Butler.

Drive and Dish Tidbits

By Trashtalk Superstar

It's mid February, it's 10 degrees in Chicago, the second half of the NBA season has officially begun, college basketball's regular season is heading into its stretch run, and Drive and Dish presents another installation of the ever popular Drive and Dish Tidbits:

1.) North Carolina coach Roy Williams has taken umbrage with remarks made by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, with regard to "certain" college basketball teams' reporting of injuries.

Much has been made by the media -- both local (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) and national -- of the injuries that have plagued several members of the North Carolina basketball team this season. On Sunday, Krzyzewski stated that Duke doesn't discuss injuries, "unlike other schools."

Williams interpreted Krzyzewski's statement to be a backhanded jab at him and at his North Carolina program.

On his Monday radio show, Williams opined that an unnamed coach should "coach (his) own damn team, I'll coach my team."

And in a Tuesday news conference, Williams revisited the topic: "It's not like I'm getting a dadgum plane and flying it around to say, 'Roy fell against a wall and banged his nose' or anything." Williams continued, "We have to do those things (talk about injuries) and everybody's hurt. But there's different stages of being hurt."

"If you're hurt and missing games, that's not exactly like having a hangnail. And so we do have some people that are getting hurt and missing games. I don't think that somebody should say we're putting it in front of the public."

Apparently, Coach K's comments really got under Roy Williams' skin. According to the linked article:

When a reporter attempted to ask a follow-up question, Williams said he didn't want to discuss the comments further and have "battles through the media." But when the news conference ended, Williams came back to the topic once more.

"I said before we played Duke it's impossible to have any more respect than I do for Mike," Williams said, "but I felt like that comment was aimed towards us."


After thoroughly researching the subject matter, and following hours of intense deliberation, the Drive and Dish editorial staff has arrived at the following revelation: Coach K and Roy must really not like each other as much as they say they do.


2.) ESPN's Pat Forde says that a "source close to the unsettled coaching situation at Indiana University" has told him it's likely that Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson will be suspended "for the purpose of future termination."

Drive and Dish has heard this before. Our official position is: we'll believe it when we see it.


3.) Speaking of the Indiana/Sampson scandal, Toki Wartooth at Paint the Town Orange reminds readers that Indiana knew exactly what they were getting when the hired Sampson in 2006.

IU was well aware that Sampson had a history of violating NCAA bylaws at Oklahoma. They simply didn't care.

Last Thursday, Drive and Dish discussed Sampson's history, his hiring at Indiana, and his shady behavior since arriving in Bloomington.

Indiana used to be one of the cleanest programs in major college basketball.

But integrity has been in short supply in the IU Athletic Department as of late.

Hopefully, Indiana will have to pay a price for their indifference toward the following of NCAA bylaws (just to be clear: Drive and Dish likes Indiana University and IU basketball [and we've got several friends and associates who are IU alumni] ... we just don't like Kelvin Sampson, or what Indiana basketball has become under his stewardship).


4. ) Also at Paint the Town Orange: despite being a few days old, Mr./Ms. Wartooth's post game account of the Penn State / Illinois game provides a great synopsis of Illinois' 2007/08 season.


5.) Tuesday's upset victory over #16 Drake marked Bradley's sixth game of the season against the four Division I basketball programs from the state of Iowa. Bradley has now defeated all four of Iowa's Division I teams.

Bradley beat Iowa State (65-56) Nov. 14 at Carver Arena in Peoria, beat Iowa (67-56) Nov. 23 at the South Padre Island Thanksgiving Tournament and beat Northern Iowa (75-73) Jan. 12 in Cedar Falls, IA.

According to the official website of the Bradley Athletic Department:

"Of the states that boast multiple NCAA Division I institutions, Bradley has not swept every Division I team a state has to offer since beating both Arizona (67-59) and Arizona State (92-85) during the 1963-64 season (Northern Arizona was not yet playing Division I men’s basketball at the time)."


6.) Drive and Dish doesn't like to discuss recruiting, but since we've been so Duke/North Carolina-centric lately (and since hardcore Duke fans account for a significant portion of the Drive and Dish community), we'll pass along the following recruiting buzz: Duke appears to be the likely destination for 6'11" power forward Mason Plumlee, of the Christ School in Arden, NC.


7.) More Duke stuff: DeMarcus Nelson takes viewers on a tour of Duke's practice facilities at Dukeblueplanet.com.


8.) As the NBA trade deadline approaches, two league sources have indicated that Denver is in "full pursuit" of troubled Sacramento forward Ron Artest.

Bradley Upsets #16 Drake

With 11 seconds left in regulation, Jeremy Crouch head faked, watched a defender fly past him, then stepped up and hit a long 2 point field goal that gave visiting Bradley a 72-71 lead over Missouri Valley regular season champion Drake. Crouch's jumper proved to be the game winner, as Bradley held on to upset #16 Drake.

Tonight's 1 point win was a payback of sorts for Bradley, who lost to Drake by 1 point at home in January, 69-68. Crouch finished with 23 points for Bradley (16-12, 9-7 Missouri Valley).

Josh Young led Drake with 23 points.

Much has been made of Drake's recent basketball renaissance. Today's Peoria Journal Star has a one such article.

But despite all the attention that Drake has received, Bradley shouldn't be overlooked. True, the Braves struggled early in the season. But they've won 8 of their last 10 games and have looked like a much better team since the return of point guard Daniel Ruffin (who was sidelined for part of the season due to hernia surgery).

Bradley is surging.

Drake may have won the Missouri Valley regular season championship, but Bradley could be dangerous in the Missouri Valley Tournament.

Drake Falls to Southern Illinois

Drake's 21 game winning streak is over.

Last night, the Bulldogs walked into Carbondale, IL, with a gaudy 22-1 record and ranked #14 in the nation.

But Southern Illinois defended its home court and pulled out a 65-62 nail biting upset win over conference rival Drake, the Missouri Valley's first place team.

Southern Illinois (13-12) has struggled mightily throughout the season. But they remain undefeated at home in Missouri Valley play.

Drake's remarkable rise

By Mark Buckets

By now, you've surely heard about the resurgence of the Drake Bulldogs. The little private school in Des Moines represents all that is good and pure about college basketball. Let's examine how this Missouri Valley Conference charter member has risen to heights unseen before by the university.

Dr.Tom Davis, whose integrity has been lauded by the mainstream media, launched Drake's meteoric rise to the top of the MVC and into the Top 25. Although the Bulldogs have been to the Final Four (1969 Third Place Finish), they failed to capitalise off of that success. When Davis was hired in 2003, the pressure was nonexistent. Drake Basketball was irrelevant, thereby allowing Davis the time to install his system. It must be said that, although Davis has retired, he does have a page dedicated to his career on the Drake Basketball Website. They haven't forgotten about the old man.

Even though Davis notched only one winning season while in Des Moines, he laid the foundation for son and current National Coach of the Year candidate (and favorite in this bloggers opinion), Keno Davis. The Bulldogs are, to say the least, three-point shot dependant. There are no true "centers" on the roster, as every player is a threat to hit the outside shot. As one glances up and down the Drake roster, you come across a stark reality: Most of these kids were not only overlooked by major Division 1 basketball programs, but ignored all together. Current MVC rebounding leader Jonathan Cox, was in fact, a walk-on. Players like him truly personify the Bulldog Program.

Not to be confused with the Loyola Marymount teams of the early 1990's, this Drake team prefers to slow the pace down to a crawl. They make you defend every second of every offensive possession, another staple of Tom Davis's most successful teams at Iowa. The way this team plays is a breath of fresh, Midwestern air. As cliche as it may sound, Drake plays the way basketball is meant to be played. They are a basketball purist's dream.

In the case of all collegiate sports programs that experience a new found success, there comes the inevitable question: Will the coach be lured away by a bigger, tradition-laden school? In the case of Drake, Keno Davis is secured through the 2011 season. In this day and age, however, larger programs will do whatever it takes (and that includes a costly buyout) to get their dream coach. I would be shocked if Davis was to remain in Des Moines through next year.

Drake Basketball is a wonderful story. They combine small-school innocence and big-time results. The ultimate track of this program, however, is unknown. Drake fans need to sit back, and enjoy the ride.

Memphis, Duke Sit Atop AP Top 25 (4/4/08)

The AP Top 25 college basketball rankings for the week of February 4, 2008 were released today.

Once again, there aren't many surprises. Memphis is ranked #1 and Duke has moved up one space to #2. North Carolina slid up to #3, Kansas dropped two spots to #4 and UCLA has remained at #5.

Of significance, Butler has now moved into the top ten (#10), and Drake is #15. Purdue has moved in to the Top 25 (#24) and Baylor has dropped out of the rankings.

AP Top 25 (4/4/08)

1. Memphis (72) 21-0 1,800
2. Duke 19-1 1,682
3. North Carolina 21-1 1,637
4. Kansas 21-1 1,574
5. UCLA 20-2 1,552
6. Georgetown 18-2 1,433
7. Tennessee 19-2 1,394
8. Wisconsin 18-3 1,211
9. Stanford 18-3 1,170
10. Butler 19-2 1,065
11. Michigan State 19-3 975
12. Texas 17-4 910
13. Xavier 18-4 889
14. Indiana 18-3 885
15. Drake 20-1 817
16. Marquette 16-4 726
17. Washington State 17-4 683
18. Texas A&M 18-4 591
19. Connecticut 16-5 476
20. Kansas State 15-5 361
21. Pittsburgh 17-5 258
22. Notre Dame 16-4 224
23. Vanderbilt 18-4 171
24. Purdue 17-5 143
25. Saint Mary's 18-3 125

Others Receiving Votes
Florida 94, Mississippi 90, Rhode Island 89, Arkansas 78, Gonzaga 60, Arizona 51, Baylor 47, UNLV 37, Louisville 24, USC 21, Clemson 18, Oklahoma 13, Mississippi State 8, Saint Joseph's 7, Virginia Tech 5, Ohio 2, Brigham Young 2, North Carolina-Asheville 1, Rider 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Florida 20, Mississippi 24, Baylor 25.

Memphis, Kansas Top AP Top 25 (1-28-08)

This week's AP Top 25 (1-28-08) was released today. Unlike last week, there aren't really any big surprises in the rankings, nor are there many teams that have leapfrogged up or plummeted down in the rankings.

The only relatively big news is that Tennessee (following their upset loss at Kentucky) has dropped from #3 to #7. Unbeaten Memphis is ranked #1 for the second straight week and unbeaten Kansas has moved up to #2.

Duke jumps up to #3 and North Carolina moves up one slot to #4. Plus, UCLA has returned to the top 5.

By the way, congratulations to Drake. Last week Drake debuted in the Top 25 at #22. This week, Drake has moved up to #16.

The AP Top 25 for the week of 1/28/08:

1. Memphis (46) 19-0 1,774
2. Kansas (26) 20-0 1,754
3. Duke 17-1 1,625
4. North Carolina 19-1 1,596
5. UCLA 18-2 1,500
6. Georgetown 16-2 1,377
7. Tennessee 17-2 1,339
8. Michigan State 18-2 1,320
9. Washington State 17-2 1,261
10. Texas 16-3 1,129
11. Indiana 17-2 1,065
12. Butler 19-2 948
13. Wisconsin 16-3 848
14. Stanford 16-3 786
15. Xavier 17-4 638
16. Drake 18-1 616
17. Marquette 14-4 513
18. Pittsburgh 16-4 464
19. Vanderbilt 17-3 397
20. Florida 18-3 374
21. Saint Mary's 17-2 310
22. Kansas State 14-4 281
23. Texas A&M 16-4 277
24. Mississippi 15-3 217
25. Baylor 16-3 166

Others Receiving Votes
Mississippi State 112, Connecticut 108, Arizona 102, Dayton 69, Notre Dame 63, USC 63, West Virginia 63, Louisville 40, Purdue 34, Oklahoma 28, Villanova 27, South Alabama 22, Clemson 20, Rhode Island 17, Gonzaga 17, Arizona State 16, Houston 9, Miami (FL) 7, UNLV 4, Saint Joseph's 3, Virginia Commonwealth 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Dayton 16, Villanova 18, Arizona State 24.

Southern Illinois Continues to Falter

Tonight, Southern Illinois lost at Drake 61-51.
While it's true that this year's much improved Drake team is arguably the best team in the Missouri Valley Conference, Southern Illinois is in an absolute tailspin.

Drive and Dish readers are, most likely, aware of SIU's struggles this season. We chronicled them: here and here.

SIU was ranked as high as #19 in the AP poll early in the season. They were everybody's pre season pick to win the Valley (although Drive and Dish was concerned that their backcourt wouldn't be able to recover from the graduation of stalwart guards Tony Young and Jamaal Tatum). But the Salukis have fallen apart since Thanksgiving. One wonders if and when Southern will start to turn things around.

ESPN's Kyle Whelliston talks about how Southern Illinois is trying to reestablish a culture of winning..


By the Way:

If Drake keeps winning important games in the Valley, Drive and Dish is going to have to start talking about them. Drake has been bad for two decades. But this year all they do is win. And nobody saw it coming. The Drake Bulldogs might be one of the best stories in college hoops.