FanHouse Daniel Ruffin

If, for some reason, it hasn't crossed your radar screen just yet, the Drake Bulldogs are the best story of the 2007-08 basketball season. They haven't played in the NCAA Tournament since 1971 but are a six-point road loss at St. Mary's away from an undefeated season. They're 11-0 in the Missouri Valley and were led to their latest win by their walk-on point guard Adam Emmenecker, who scored 12 points in his career high high school performance.

Emmenecker had 20, a college career best, and added eight assists yesterday to lead his squad to a comeback win over Indiana State. The Sycamores held a five-point halftime edge but the Bulldogs got back in the game when Emmenecker set up threes on three consecutive possessions at the start of the final 20 minutes. One by Josh Young and two by Leonard Houston was all the Bulldogs needed to get on track for another win. Drake's return to the tournament is all but assured, will they be joined by another conference team, though?

Illinois State had the inside track on the second spot before a 79-73 loss to Drake started them on a three loss in four game stretch. All the losses were roadies but still diminished the luster of another MVC team looking to end a long postseason drought. They recovered to win at Missouri State yesterday, though, and if they can beat Drake in Normal on Tuesday, they'll have restored their place near the front of the at-large line.

Tuesday night belonged to New Hampshire, the Big East and the Big Ten but there was one mid major conference holding court as well. The Missouri Valley played three games, highlighted by the most recent Jekyll and Hyde performance by Southern Illinois. When they lose, the Salukis shoot poorly and turn the ball over in bushels. Last night, they shot 67% in the first half and gave it away 11 times and, thus, cruised past Bradley 77-64 in Carbondale.

Matt Shaw led the way with 18 points but five Salukis were in double-figures thanks to a focus on ball control. Bryan Mullins had seven assists, which led to good shots, trips to the free throw line and a key win in their attempt to make a run at the MVC crown. As always, their defense was in fine form.

Bradley, playing their fourth straight without point guard Daniel Ruffin, turned the ball over 18 times. Sam Maniscalco, playing more minutes in Ruffin's absence, had six of them. That's why, even as SIU's shooting dipped to 27% in the second half, Bradley couldn't cut into their 18-point halftime lead. Bradley's lost six straight and Ruffin's hernia surgery appears to be the nail in the coffin of their season.

When Maryland beat Morgan State on December 6, it was Gary Williams' 131st nonconference home win in 134 tries. When Maryland hosts Delaware on Friday, he'll take his third whack at number 132. After losing to Ohio, Williams and the Terps got beat in College Park again yesterday by their neighbors from American. That's a pretty rare occurance in the 80 year history between the two schools. The only other Eagles win was in their first meeting, sometime in the 1926-27 season. The exact date has escaped memory, something that's unlikely to happen with yesterday's 67-59 win.

Derrick Mercer won't soon forget his 18 points, for example, and Bryce Simon will always remember his career-high 17. None of the Eagles will forget holding the Terps to five first half baskets nor will they need reminders of the way they outhustled, outrebounded and outdefended their more heralded opponents. For a team that's lost to Fairfield and Loyola (MD), this win came out of left field and will have Williams pulling out his hair in search of answers.

Greivis Vasquez had 28 points and the other guard Eric Hayes had 16 but the rest of the Terps only made four baskets. Maryland was so flat and lifeless, though, that its pretty clear the problems go well beyond shooting. Williams benched Braxton Dupree and Landon Milbourne in the second half, probably the first of many changes in what's looking like a long season.

Elsewhere on the mid major hardcourts:

It doesn't get the hype of the Big 10-ACC Challenge nor the television coverage but last night four schools flew their conference banner and did battle to determine Midwestern mid major supremacy. It ended in a draw. Bradley, representing the MVC, beat Wright State 72-65 in Dayton but their conferencemates from Evansville couldn't hold up their end of the bargain. Valparaiso, newest member of the Horizon, defended their league's pride with a 75-67 win.

Bradley nearly knocked off Michigan State last week and came from nine down in the last six minutes to force overtime against a Raider team flying high off their upset of Butler. Andrew Warren led the Braves with 23 points but it was Daniel Ruffin and Theron Wilson's heroics in the extra period that gave Bradley the victory. The Braves will focus on finals for the next week before heading into another pride battle. They'll travel to Butler and by the transitive property of wins, they'll escape with a victory. In Valparaiso, meanwhile, Samuel Haanpaa had 20 points and Urule Igbavboa had 18 points (and my keyboard just gave out) to lead the Crusaders to their ninth victory in 10 games.

Elsewhere on the mid major hardcourts:

Michigan State has avoided the fate of much of their brethren in the Big 10. Ignoring their exhibition loss to Grand Valley State, as the NCAA does, the Spartans have avoided a loss to a mid-major this season. They remained unblemished by the skin of their teeth in Peoria last night thanks to a late rally past Bradley 66-61.

Drew Neitzel shot terribly for the entire game, 4-of-16, but buried a three with just under five minutes to play to spur a 7-0 run that put an end to the Braves' upset bid. The Spartans trailed by as many as nine but were able to keep Bradley in range because of a 47-28 rebounding edge and a strong defensive effort. Bradley's senior backcourt of Daniel Ruffin and Jeremy Crouch combined for 30 points but hit only 6-of-17 from three and couldn't get a shot to fall down the stretch to stop the bleeding and the Spartans.

Still, the Braves showed enough to keep them among the contenders in the Missouri Valley. Their defense wasn't any worse than MSU's, they had nine steals, and that backcourt is very good. Ruffin is the active NCAA assist leader while Crouch is normally a sharpshooter from deep. He hit 50% of his tries last season. They've won at Iowa and Iowa State this season and if they find a player or two to supplement the guards will be in good shape for a third-straight 20-win season.