Drake men’s basketball was more of an afterthought in the Missouri Valley by the time Wichita State left for the American Athletic Conference.
A lot has changed in the four years since, as Drake has morphed into a high-octane offensive team that doesn’t fit the mold of the slow-it-down, grind-it-out Missouri Valley teams that WSU used to know too well.
WSU coach Isaac Brown does not see a traditional MVC team when he watches film on Drake ahead of the teams’ meeting in a No. 11 seed play-in game in the NCAA Tournament at 5:27 p.m. Thursday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
“They remind me of a team in the American because they run a lot of dribble drive,” Brown said. “They’re not a motion team like a lot of the Valley teams. They try to beat you 1-on-1, off the dribble, off the bounce.
“They’re a good basketball team that’s used to winning. I can’t say that enough. They won (25) games. I remember when we were in the Valley, we would have those 12- and 13-game winning streaks. And this team had a long winning streak, so they’re used to winning.”
Drake doesn’t necessarily play a high-tempo game, but it scores a lot and scores efficiently. The Bulldogs have the 19th-best offense in the country in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency measures, as they make 54% of their 2-pointers, nearly 37% of their 3-pointers and almost never turn the ball over.
That souped-up offense is clear in looking at Drake’s balanced scoring averages. The Bulldogs finished the season with five players averaging double-digit scoring, although senior point guard Roman Penn will not play in Thursday’s game because of injury. But sixth man Joseph Yesufu, a 6-foot sophomore guard, has filled in admirably, averaging 24 points in Drake’s final seven games of the season.
“They’re not like your usual Missouri Valley team,” WSU junior Dexter Dennis said. “They like to drive and attack you off the bounce. We’re definitely going to have push back and guard.”
Drake also expects 6-6 forward ShanQuan Hemphill to be available for Thursday’s game after not playing since Feb. 10 because of a foot injury. Hemphill averages a team-high 14.1 points and 6.3 rebounds.
While the Bulldogs are not the same team that started the season 18-0, they are still a dangerous offensive team that could give WSU’s defense problems. Drake likes to spread teams out and break defenses down off the dribble, meaning WSU’s point-of-attack defense for guards like Dennis, Etienne and Alterique Gilbert will be crucial.
“When we played in the Missouri Valley, teams liked to play slow-down basketball and they wanted to execute in the half-court,” Brown said. “Drake is like teams in the American where they try to beat you off the dribble. They’ve got guards who can get in the paint. They can beat you off the bounce and score a lot of baskets.”
Like it has been all season, defensive rebounding will once again be critical to WSU’s success. After struggling to rebound in Fort Worth in two sluggish games in the AAC tournament, the Shockers are looking for a much-improved effort on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Brown said that junior center Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler (ankle) should be available to play against Drake after missing the last three games.
“The biggest thing for us is just to get clean rebounds,” Gilbert said. “And then just making it tough on them on each end of the floor.”
While WSU has played in eight of the last nine NCAA Tournaments, it will be looking for its first March Madness win since 2017. The Shockers hope their 9-2 record in close games will be to their advantage in crunch-time this week.
“It’s a blessing just to be here and to have your name called, but at the end of the day we didn’t come here to just show up,” Etienne said. “We came here to win games and that’s games plural. I think (playing in close games) has served us because it taught us how to fight. We’ve had to fight through hard times and adversity all season.”
