Bradley and Drake had separated themselves in the middle of conference play as the top two teams in the Missouri Valley. After the meeting on the last day of the regular season went Bradley’s way to give the Braves the regular season title, it felt like the two teams might’ve been on a collision course to meet again. This time, Drake was not going to be denied a championship as the Bulldogs throttled Bradley 77 to 51. After losing in the championship the last two seasons, Drake earns the autobid in the Missouri Valley and will represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament.
Drake didn’t control the game right from the get go, but it was pretty close to it. After the first media timeout of the game, the Bulldogs put on an all out blitz. In the final 16 minutes of the half, Drake outscored Bradley 39-18. They held the Braves to just 26% shooting in and only allowed six field goals in the first half. On the offensive end, Drake was balanced yet aggressive. Darian DeVries showed a two point guard lineup in the first half with Roman Penn and Conor Enright on the floor at the same time. The lineup allowed for spacing while Penn and Enright both guarded the perimeter well. It also gave Darnell Brodie and Nate Ferguson a lot of room inside as Bradley couldn’t double off of Drake’s shooters.
Tucker DeVries, who was named the Arch Madness tournament MVP, was also fantastic. DeVries finished the title game with 22 points to follow up his excellent regular season where he was awarded player of the year in the Missouri Valley. DeVries, a knock down shooter, was also crafty inside with a couple nice moves to shake his defender. DeVries is certainly a mid-major player fans will want to watch during March Madness. It also should be mentioned that Garrett Sturtz had an incredible game for Drake. Sturtz was a pesky defender all tournament, but today he displayed a floater that looked unstoppable to get him 12 points on the day.
On the Bradley side, while missing the tournament might have a sour taste for a little, the Braves will still get to play in the NIT. The regular season champs of the MVC have nothing to be ashamed of after yet another great year for the program. Ja’Shon Henry was the most consistent player for the Braves in the tournament. Despite not scoring a ton, Henry was a force on the offensive glass and at the defensive end. Henry finished with 10 today and got my vote for the all-tournament team. Rienk Mast and Malevy Leons both had tough days today, but were super important throughout the tournament for the Braves.
For Drake, it is now a waiting game as the Bulldogs will get a full week off before seeing their matchup and at least 11 days before playing in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are very likely to be a 12 seed and could be dangerous for a couple different 5 seeds. For now, Drake will enjoy their moment as the Bulldogs are Missouri Valley champions for the first time since 2008 and the second time ever.