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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.

It's fixing to be a pretty memorable week in Des Moines and, for the first time all month, it has nothing to do with Barack Obama. It has to do with Keno Davis, Adam Emmenecker, Leonard Houston and the rest of the Drake Bulldogs. When this week's AP Top 25 comes out, it would be a shocker if Drake isn't included among its ranks for the first time since 1975.

They beat Illinois State 79-73 yesterday to take over sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley. It was also their 15th straight win and last week's top "Other Receiving Votes" school should leapfrog losers like Clemson and Rhode Island into the rear end of the rankings. That's an exciting start for Davis, who replaced his father as the team's coach this season, and for a school that wasn't picked to do all that much in the MVC this season.

Emmenecker, a former walk-on, had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists and Houston added 19 points of his own. Drake overcame Josh Young's absence for the third straight contest and, for the third straight game, had a different leading scorer. They also overcame a 12-point ISU lead with under 14 to play. The Redbirds had won nine straight behind tight defense and good shooting. The shooting remained strong at 55% but their defense and ballhandling undid them.

Drake 65, Missouri State 54 - No Josh Young meant some problems for the Bulldogs. They trailed by eight, their biggest deficit of the season, and shot 40% but closed strong enough to earn victory 14. Shane Laurie tied the game at 54 with four minutes to play but his Bears wouldn't score again and watched Drake hit free throws to close the game out. The Bears shot very well from two, 19-of-31, but missed 17-of-20 three pointers which makes their offensive strategy questionable to say the least. Drake's offense showed some depth without Young, out indefinitely with a sprained ankle. Klayton Korver hit five threes and finished with 19 points, Leonard Houston had 16 and Jonathan Cox had 13.

Illinois State 74, Evansville 66 - Osiris Eldridge had 17 points and the Redbirds made 13 free throws in the last three and a half minutes to reach eight straight wins for the first time since 1992. Free throws loomed large for the Purple Aces as well. They made just 19-of-35 in this slow affair and turned Shy Ely's career game into an afterthought. Ely had 28 points but didn't get enough help from his mates to pull out the victory.

For a week that featured very little college basketball, it was a pretty good one for the mid majors. Binghamton and New Orleans pulled off nice upsets while the A-10 grew in stature thanks to wins from Xavier and Massachusetts. The weekend brings a bit more action although you wouldn't know it from tonight's slate. Eight games are on tap, but only two of them match D-I schools against each other. Hartford figures to be a sacrificial lambs at Villanova but Drake's got more than an outside chance in Iowa City. Their MVC cohorts from Bradley already beat the Hawkeyes at Carver Hawkeye Arena and so did Louisiana-Monroe.

The Bulldogs have another edge over the Hawkeyes. Their coach, Keno Davis, has probably seen more games at Iowa's home than their coach Todd Lickliter. Davis is the son of Dr. Tom Davis, and graduated from Iowa in 1995, so he should feel right at home this evening. If Josh Young and Leonard Houston continue to nail almost 50% of their three point tries, Drake has a good chance to make them Iowa's biggest winner. Until January 3rd anyway.