The Bluejays survived in Peoria Wednesday night and head to Des Moines Saturday for an I-80 showdown. In some respects, Creighton is in a good situation right now. If they can get a win at Drake Saturday night, they have the next 3 out of 4 games at the friendly confines of the Qwest Center. In addition, getting a win on Saturday night could also lead to a TV game for the BracketBusters event in a few weeks, with matchups being announced this coming week. But the Bluejays are in the midst of a Valley race that’s as crazy as ever, where winning on the road is exceedingly difficult. Thus, the roadie at Drake should prove interesting, to say the least.
These schools are one of the shorter trips in the Missouri Valley Conference. And there are several questions about this matchup: Is it a rivalry? Will Creighton fans make the trip to the Knapp Center? Drake is having a White Out, but will Bulldog fans get the message? We here at White & Blue Review are pumped to be at this game, with all the white and blue that will be in the bleachers, our brand can’t go wrong!
For some insight in the heart of Iowa, WBR turns to the Des Moines Register’s Drake beat writer Mark Emmert.
White & Blue Review: Since the two schools are just down I-80 from each other, is this considered a rivalry? What percentage of the crowd Saturday night is expected to be Creighton fans?
Mark Emmert: I’d say this is Drake’s second-biggest Valley rival, behind only Northern Iowa. Roughly one-third of the crowd Saturday will probably be wearing Bluejays blue (as opposed to Bulldogs blue).
WBR: After the Bulldogs came to Omaha a few weeks ago (and almost stole a win) it appeared this group came together as a team. They then reeled off five straight wins before losing at UNI the other night. What has been the biggest key in this turnaround?
ME: Well, the players would say it’s all a matter of confidence. But I think the switch Mark Phelps made in that game to go with a three-guard lineup has really opened the floor for Drake’s shooters. Maybe the two go hand-in-hand.
WBR: Drake had that dream season a couple years ago and then Keno Davis bolted for Providence. Mark Phelps comes into the picture and Drake has struggled since to stay in the Valley picture. Would this have happened even if Keno stayed at Drake? What have been the biggest growing pains for this program since the coaching change?
ME: Everything aligned that year for Keno Davis, who was coaching players recruited by his father, Tom. I think the graduation losses of Adam Emmenecker, Leonard Houston, and Klayton Korver were bound to leave Drake in trouble, regardless of who was coaching.
The growing pains have involved learning a new style of play, particularly on defense, while integrating 11 new players this season.
WBR: This is a young team. What coaching challenges are there for coaching a young team and how is Coach Phelps handling that this season?
ME: The challenge is getting them mentally tough, which especially manifests itself late in close games. The Bulldogs blew eight second-half leads this season, and looked lost at times down the stretch of games. The Creighton game was the first time this season that Drake actually rallied late, and that was a big step. Phelps is handling it fine, I think, because the young guys are all his players. They work hard, and respond well to coaching.
WBR: What impact has the loss of Craig Stanley been to this team?
ME: Not as severe as you would have thought. Frank Wiseler has stepped in and actually played very well. The biggest problem for Drake is that they have no guards on the bench, so they have to abandon the three-guard set whenever one of the starters needs a rest or gets into foul trouble. Against Wichita State, they even used Ben Simons and Adam Templeton in the backcourt some.
WBR: Templeton is shooting almost 48% from the 3-point line. What kind of matchup problems does he create for opponents?
ME: He’s playing the 4 this year, so he’s often forcing a defender used to playing in the interior to come out to the perimeter to guard him.
WBR: Josh Young has seemed a bit frustrated this season and in fact has been called for three technical fouls so far. How would you define his career at Drake playing for three different coaches?
ME: He’ll become the team’s all-time leading scorer in about two weeks, so you’d have to say it’s been a remarkable career. It does seem that he gets frustrated at times, especially over how physical teams are being with him away from the ball. It seems to be out of character for him, but I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for him these past two years being the focal point of opposing defenses, as opposed to his freshman and sophomore years when he was surrounded by scorers.
WBR: What is your final prediction? Will the White-Out be effective Saturday night?
ME: I don’t make predictions, but I think it should be very similar to the first meeting. In other words, a game decided in the final minute.