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.
Adam Emmenecker's layup with seconds to play beat Bradley 69-68. The Bulldogs are clearly struggling to find their way offensively without Josh Young, something that could really haunt them on Saturday, but used a strong rebounding and defensive night to survive.
Can home court balance no Young? I'm not sure that it can, especially with ISU playing really well right now. The two teams play very similar styles with very similar results but without Young the Bulldogs don't have the guy who can bail out their offense. Eldridge is proving to be that guy for the Redbirds and that could be the difference on Saturday.
