NCAA Tournament March Madness
#185 Drake
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Projection: need to automatically qualify
Drake’s profile shows it can beat quality opponents on neutral courts and win tough road games, but it is also riddled with damaging setbacks that blunt those highlights, so the most reliable route into the field is winning the conference’s automatic bid. The resume’s best moments include neutral-site victories over Georgia Tech and Belmont and signature wins at Murray State and Indiana State that demonstrate upside, yet those are offset by inexplicable home defeats to Robert Morris and SIUE and ugly road losses at Bradley, Northern Iowa, Belmont and Illinois State that expose inconsistency away from Des Moines. Selection folk will note the mix of occasional marquee results and persistent bad losses, and until Drake cleans those up by stringing together neutral-site wins in the conference bracket its résumé lacks the sustained quality and road-neutral body of work that earns an at-large nod.
| Date | Opponent | Ranking | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3 | (N)Northern Arizona | 319 | W77-71 |
| 11/6 | Robert Morris | 141 | L81-79 |
| 11/14 | SIUE | 257 | L61-59 |
| 11/17 | @Col Charleston | 151 | W71-62 |
| 11/28 | (N)LSU | 62 | L71-62 |
| 11/29 | (N)Georgia Tech | 169 | W84-74 |
| 12/2 | W Illinois | 364 | W108-57 |
| 12/5 | UAB | 119 | L74-69 |
| 12/13 | N Dakota St | 117 | L99-94 |
| 12/18 | @Murray St | 121 | L81-72 |
| 12/21 | @Evansville | 305 | W66-65 |
| 12/29 | Illinois St | 104 | L73-56 |
| 1/4 | Indiana St | 201 | W74-72 |
| 1/7 | @Bradley | 122 | L93-66 |
| 1/10 | Belmont | 65 | L78-76 |
| 1/14 | @S Illinois | 116 | W76-73 |
| 1/17 | @IL Chicago | 108 | L74-67 |
| 1/21 | Murray St | 121 | W101-90 |
| 1/24 | @Indiana St | 201 | W76-62 |
| 1/28 | Evansville | 305 | W82-78 |
| 1/31 | Bradley | 122 | L87-73 |
| 2/3 | @Belmont | 65 | L103-90 |
| 2/6 | @Illinois St | 104 | L86-76 |
| 2/9 | Valparaiso | 157 | L81-76 |
| 2/12 | IL Chicago | 108 | L80-70 |
| 2/15 | @Northern Iowa | 76 | L86-62 |
| 2/18 | S Illinois | 116 | L66-61 |
| 2/25 | @Valparaiso | 157 | L74-71 |
| 3/1 | Northern Iowa | 76 | L75-53 |
| 3/5 | (N)S Illinois | 116 | W67-63 |
| 3/6 | (N)Belmont | 65 | W100-79 |