Bracket Busters (Definitely! Maybe?) #2

May I present to you...The Drake University Bulldogs!

Before you even to begin to protest the idea that the #16 team in the country can be a Bracket Buster or sleeper pick, let me say...screw it, I don't care, I'm writing about Drake(24-3, 14-2), if you really have a problem with it...start your own damn blog. I was a little nervous including Drake on this list as they are doing so well this season, but I was completely convinced to do so when searching for information about Drake on Google. I typed in 'drake basketball', and when I searched under images, the first thing on the page says, "Did you mean Duke Basketball"? That did it for me. Drake deserves to be more than a misunderstanding for Duke! We're giving Drake Basketball and the state of Iowa some props with regard to college hoops starting right now. You all knew you weren't getting through this experience without me finding ways to praise Iowa, so just deal with it. Drake University is located in Iowa's largest city, and capital, Des Moines. The campus is described as being located in an "urban" setting, about as "urban" as you can get in the Hawkeye state. To delve into the world of Drake University a little further, here are some facts:

• Drake's last Tournament appearance was 1971. 1971!!! We're talking about the Nixon era here. I think it's safe to say that the Bulldogs are due.


• Drake is currently the #11 team in the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index), better than UCONN, Louisville, and Indiana.


• The Bulldog's mascot is named Spike.


• The #16 team in the country STARTS two former walk-ons in Adam Emmenecker and Jonathan Cox.


• Drake is coached by Keno Davis, who took the program over from his dad, Dr. Tom Davis. Dr. Tom was, of course, head coach at Iowa from 1986-1999. As you can see, this Drake team just has more and more things going in it's favor.


• Before Saturday's 71-64 win over Butler, the Bulldogs had not defeated a top-10 opponent in 26 years. What makes this victory more impressive was the fact that the game was played at Butler.


• Sophomore guard Josh Young is the star of this team, averaging 16.5 points a game and coming up huge in this past weekend's contest against Butler with 25 points.


• Noted Drake alumni include: author Bill Bryson, NFL placekicker Billy Cundiff, golfer and 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson, the man who was Governor of Iowa when I was born to that state - Robert D. Ray. and finally, Ari from Entourage himself, Mr. Jeremy Piven.


• They have already won the regular season Missouri Valley Conference title and are poised to go 16-2 in a league that includes perennial 'sleeper' picks such as Creighton, Illinois State, Bradley, and Evansville.

Should the Drake Bulldogs win their final two regular season games, along with the Missouri Valley Championship, they could get as high as a #4 seed in the Big Dance. More realistically, they are destined for a #5 or #6 seed come Tourney time. I'd hate to see them as a #5 seed because I don't want them to have to run into that #5 vs. #12 curse, but I don't see that happening with Drake because they would be one of the most difficult #5 seeds of all time to predict and understand. No matter where they end up, this team should surprise and do well next month, while bringing some much needed love and respect back to the state of Iowa.