The Creighton Men’s Basketball team has kept their poise at the beginning of Missouri Valley Conference play. They rebounded with a great win over Wichita State on New Year’s Eve and are back on track to be at the top of the league.
Their next opponent is the Drake Bulldogs who are also at 1-1 in conference play, opening with a win over Indiana State, but then falling against the same Missouri State team that came into the CenturyLink Center to defeat the Bluejays.
With the home court becoming even more important, Creighton will be looking to get back to winning at home hoping for Drake to be the first casualty. With a little more insight into the Bulldogs, we checked in with Mark Emmert–no not the NCAA President–the Drake beat writer for the Des Moines Register. Here is what he had to say.
White & Blue Review: Leading up to the season, the Drake basketball team suffered from some off the court incidents and injuries. How have these off the court incidents been handled and what is the injury outlook for this team for the rest of the season?
Mark Emmert: Kurt Alexander and Rayvonte Rice were arrested for allegedly shoplifting socks from a local sporting goods store. Both were suspended for Drake’s exhibition game and its season opener against Upper Iowa. Plus, there were other unspecified, internal consequences for the players. The injuries were to Seth VanDeest (labrum surgery) and Reece Uhlenhopp (stress fracture). VanDeest is almost certain to redshirt this year while rehabilitating. Uhlenhopp did return for the conference opener, played 1 minute, then has reaggravated the injury. He won’t play tonight.
WBR: Mark Phelps and his staff has been recognized the past few years for their recruiting ability. Are Drake fans starting to be more vocal about the direction of the program under Phelps and are they happy with him as head coach?
ME: The publicity surrounding the recruiting classes certainly heightened expectations for this team and, in that sense, fans have become more invested in expecting a winner. As for happiness with Phelps, that depends on who you ask. But it’s safe to say another losing record and bottom-four finish in the league wouldn’t sit well with most Bulldog backers.
WBR: There was some talk and rumor about Rayvonte Rice and possibly transferring from Drake. How did he handle that attention and has that affected his play this season?
ME: Rice said he was asked that by a Chicago-based reporter and responded essentially, “I’m at Drake for now, and that’s where I want to be.” Not exactly reassuring words, but he’s focusing hard on this year – you can see that in the quality of his play – and I’m sure we’ll hear more rumor transfers in the offseason, especially if Drake doesn’t perform up to expectations.
WBR: One bright spot for the Bulldogs has been the play of Ben Simons. How has his game changed from last year to this year?
ME: Confidence has been a huge factor. But really he’s better able to get his shot up in tighter spaces, and has improved at scoring off the dribble. Opponents are now starting to notice, of course, and he’s seeing a lot more attention from defenders. So now he’ll need to readjust to those adjustments.
WBR: Who are some players that Creighton players and fans will need to familiarize themselves with before Tuesday night’s game?
ME: The biggest newcomers for Drake have been redshirt freshmen Karl Madison and Jeremy Jeffers, both now starting. Madison had a tremendous game in the victory over Indiana State, with 24 points as a point guard. He’s short (5-10), but quick, and not afraid to drive into traffic. Jeffers is a 6-6 wing playing out of position at times as a power forward. It will be interesting to see what defensive assignment he draws tonight, but he’s a guy that can score from the perimeter or driving to the basket. He had 14 against the Sycamores, then just one point at Missouri State. Like I said, these guys are experiencing Valley play for the first time.
WBR: What kind of challenges has Drake been dealing with that Creighton could exploit?
ME: Obviously, they’re vulnerable inside with VanDeest and Uhlenhopp out. Clarke is their lone post player in the starting lineup, and he’s been a tenacious rebounder and defender. But Kraidon Woods hasn’t been giving him much help off the bench, which means we might even see some minutes for walk-on Cory Parker tonight.
WBR: Drake has a lot of height. What kind of advantage does that give to the Bulldogs?
ME: Well, they’re a much better rebounding team this year than they’ve been in the recent past. The first game they really got handled on the boards was against Missouri State on Saturday. Simons also can be a real mismatch on the wing at 6-8, on both ends of the court.
WBR: With these teams being so close to each other, why is there not a bigger rivalry between the two teams?
ME: I think there’s a decent rivalry there. Drake’s biggest rival remains Northern Iowa, but Creighton would be a close second. I’m guessing Creighton fans would consider Drake more of a rival if they were consistently contending for league championships.
WBR: What is your final prediction? What will it take for Drake to steal a victory at the CenturyLink Center?
ME: Not going to offer a prediction, but this sets up as a very difficult one for Drake to win. It doesn’t help that Creighton lost at home its last time out, meaning I’m sure they’ll be determined to avoid that happening again. Drake’s best hope is for Rice or Simons – or maybe both – to have an explosive night on offense because it’s hard to imagine them slowing down Creighton with all of its talent.