NCAA Tournament March Madness
#197 Drake
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Projection: need to automatically qualify
Needing the conference automatic bid makes sense for Drake because its résumé is built on a few eye-catching wins but weakened by too many damaging losses, leaving little hope for an at-large case. The neutral-site victory over Georgia Tech and the road win at Belmont are the program’s best moments, yet those are offset by nonconference stumbles to Robert Morris and SIUE and by rough losses to Northern Iowa and Illinois Chicago. Conference play offered flashes, including home wins over Murray State and a road victory at Indiana State, but inconsistency away from home and several lopsided setbacks erode the resume. With the regular slate concluded, the conference tournament is the clear remaining avenue to the NCAA field so automatic qualification is the practical expectation.
| Date | Opponent | Ranking | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3 | (N)Northern Arizona | 319 | W77-71 |
| 11/6 | Robert Morris | 144 | L81-79 |
| 11/14 | SIUE | 256 | L61-59 |
| 11/17 | @Col Charleston | 172 | W71-62 |
| 11/28 | (N)LSU | 60 | L71-62 |
| 11/29 | (N)Georgia Tech | 162 | W84-74 |
| 12/2 | W Illinois | 364 | W108-57 |
| 12/5 | UAB | 127 | L74-69 |
| 12/13 | N Dakota St | 113 | L99-94 |
| 12/18 | @Murray St | 122 | L81-72 |
| 12/21 | @Evansville | 308 | W66-65 |
| 12/29 | Illinois St | 103 | L73-56 |
| 1/4 | Indiana St | 201 | W74-72 |
| 1/7 | @Bradley | 123 | L93-66 |
| 1/10 | Belmont | 69 | L78-76 |
| 1/14 | @S Illinois | 117 | W76-73 |
| 1/17 | @IL Chicago | 105 | L74-67 |
| 1/21 | Murray St | 122 | W101-90 |
| 1/24 | @Indiana St | 201 | W76-62 |
| 1/28 | Evansville | 308 | W82-78 |
| 1/31 | Bradley | 123 | L87-73 |
| 2/3 | @Belmont | 69 | L103-90 |
| 2/6 | @Illinois St | 103 | L86-76 |
| 2/9 | Valparaiso | 158 | L81-76 |
| 2/12 | IL Chicago | 105 | L80-70 |
| 2/15 | @Northern Iowa | 72 | L86-62 |
| 2/18 | S Illinois | 117 | L66-61 |
| 2/25 | @Valparaiso | 158 | L74-71 |
| 3/1 | Northern Iowa | 72 | L75-53 |
| 3/5 | (N)S Illinois | 117 | W67-63 |
| 3/6 | (N)Belmont | 69 | W100-79 |
| 3/7 | (N)IL Chicago | 105 | L72-51 |