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What happens when a Bulldog fights a Redbird? I'm not sure who wins but the balance of power shifts in the MVC regardless of the outcome. Drake and Illinois State both improved to 6-0 in conference on Wednesday to set up a seismic battle on Saturday but took very different routes to the game.

The Redbirds dominated Wichita State in Normal, leading 34-18 at the half en route to a 72-51 victory. The Shockers wilted under the ISU defensive pressure, turning the ball over 24 times and making just 35% of their first-half buckets. No surprise there, the Redbirds lead the conference in each metric and are near the top of the national rankings as well. Offensively, they don't set your hair on fire with their scoring totals but every man on the team can shoot and pass which leads to open looks galore. Osiris Eldridge has 21 points, center Levi Dyer had five assists off the bench and the reserves scored 26 as a unit to propel victory 9 in a row.

They'll need all those charms when they head to Drake on Saturday, even after the Bulldogs barely eked out a win in Peoria.

I think it's safe to say that the Missouri Valley Conference season isn't playing out as predicted. Southern Illinois , Bradley and Creighton got most of the preseason talk and even though conventional wisdom held that it would be hard to find a second tournament-worthy team after the Salukis, people assumed that there would be quite a fight between those teams.

Reality has proven to be quite different. If SIU doesn't win the tourney, they ain't playing in the postseason, Bradley is 0-3 in conference after losing to Wichita State, which only improved to 1-2. Creighton has the same lackluster mark after squeezing past Missouri State 50-49 yesterday and the teams to watch are Drake, Indiana State and Illinois State.

Illinois State struck the biggest blow yesterday by sending Southern Illinois to another loss, 56-47 at Redbird Arena. Levi Dyer and Osiris Eldridge, two All-MVC candidates who come off the bench for Tim Jankovich, combined to hit seven three-pointers and bury the Salukis. The 'Birds led 31-13 at the half as SIU turned in their customary nightmarish offensive performance. Joshua Bone missed all eight of his shots, the team was 13-of-50 overall and they turned the ball over 21 times in a stomach-turning and all too common display of ineptitude.

College basketball took a backseat to football yesterday as roundball made the wise decision not to compete with a full slate of bowl games. There was one game worth noting, however, and it came from a conference without any football teams doing battle. The Missouri Valley is all about basketball and they continued conference play with Illinois State traveling to Wichita and beating the Shockers 49-46.

There wasn't much buzz around the Redbirds before the season for a couple of reasons. They were just 15-16 last season and brought in Tim Jankovich to replace former coach Porter Moser. With Southern Illinois, Bradley and Wichita State making the Sweet Sixteen in the last two years, ISU got lost in the shuffle but people ignored some important facts when making predictions. Jankovich inherited a squad with four returning starters and several key reserves and that's paid off in a quick turnaround.

Illinois State has won five in a row, including two MVC road wins in two tries, and are doing it with a stout defense. They hold opponents to 39% shooting and 59 points per game, both well below national averages, and a key in a good defensive conference. Offensively, their experience has made them an efficient offensive team that picks up more than one assist per turnover.

The MVC took a hit on Friday night when A.J. Graves' three gave Butler a win in Carbondale but the conference does not exist because of Southern Illinois alone. While SIU's struggles may get attention, the MVC still has a better RPI than any other league that doesn't play in BCS games. That should buoy their hopes of multiple bids come March but, if the first night of conference play is any indication, they may be too closely matched for any teams to stand out. No home teams won on game night one.

The biggest win came in Omaha where Illinois State routed Creighton. The Bluejays felt like a conference favorite but the Redbirds flew much higher in the 80-67 win. They shot 51.9%, had five players in double figures led by Levi Dyer. The backup center hit five threes and finished with 20 points and looks like he's past the off-court troubles that led to his benching. Arrested for DUI, Dyer has worked his way back into good graces and combines with Osiris Eldridge and Anthony Slack to give ISU a deep, balanced attack.

Drake is 10-1 after holding off Wichita State 62-54. The difference came from three, where Drake hit 8-of-21 but the Shockers managed to knock down only three in the same amount of tries. They also missed 15-of-24 free throw attempts in a home loss that offered much doubt about their chances in conference this season.

Northern Iowa held Bradley to nine first-half points and cruised to a 59-48 win. In Evansville, Indiana State got 22 points from Gabriel Moore and rolled to a 70-56 win against the Purple Aces.